Listen Up
On the QT Newsletter, Listen Up
October 7, 2008
PSP Formula for Listening.pdf (34 KB)
Did you know? Employers rank communication skills as the number one skill they seek in new hires. Yet they report that communication skills are most sorely lacking in today’s job candidates. While most people define communication skills as the ability to speak and write well, listening is our most used communication skill. Employers want employees who can speak and write well AND who are willing and able to listen effectively. Failure to listen is costly – leading to mistakes, poor service, misaligned goals, wasted time, and billions of dollars of increased costs and lost profits. Although most people assume they are good listeners, the average employee’s listening effectiveness is only about 25%. Increase your students listening awareness and help them focus on the value of listening by learning and practicing some simple listening strategies.
Try this
- Share a workplace problem you experienced because someone failed to listen and ask students to share some examples where failing to listen in their workplace caused a problem.
- Tell students that most of us are not effective listeners, as we only remember about 25% of what we hear. If we become better listeners, we will improve our productivity, avoid conflict and misunderstandings, and be better able to influence, persuade, and negotiate better.
- Explain that we can use some simple strategies to improve listening: Pay attention, Show we are listening, and Provide feedback.
- Distribute the PSP Formula for Listening worksheet attached, and have students work with 2 other students to complete the activity.
- Debrief the activity by asking some questions like: How can you tell if someone was paying attention? What is something you can do to show you are listening? Why is feedback important? (For more on communication, try The Communication Connection for tips on talking and Written Communication for a writing skills activity.)
Add an Activity
Toastmasters is a nonprofit organization that offers participants an opportunity to practice and hone their communication and leadership skills. Thousands of members meet regularly to develop various skills useful in public speaking. If you want to expose your students to the unique opportunities Toastmasters offers them, put together a simple Toastmasters assignment and award extra credit points as an added incentive. Suggest that students team up, find a local “open” meeting, confirm meeting time and location, attend the meeting, and deliver a 1-2 minute summary of what they discovered to your class. Attending a meeting will give students an added advantage to build their networks, connect with the business community, and identify a resource that could help them now or in the future.
Quick Quote: The single most important principle in the field of interpersonal relations is this: Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
Stephen Covey, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
