Example of evaluating listening
Are you a good listener? Listening is a highly valuedsoft skillsought by all employers. After all, people with this ability are more likely to understand tasks and projects, build strong relationships with co-workers, and also be able to solve problems and resolve conflicts. Show Since it's such an in-demand skill, employers will look for you to demonstrate your ability to listen during job interviews. Discover why good listening skills are vital in the workplace, along with how to build good listening habits while avoiding bad ones. The Listening ProcessListening within the work context is the process by which you gain an understanding of the needs, demands, and preferences of your stakeholders through direct interaction. A stakeholder could be anyone from your boss, a client, customer, co-worker, subordinate, upper management, board member, interviewer, or job candidate. Active ListeningThere are two components toactive listeningin the workplace: attention and reflection. Paying AttentionAttentioninvolves holding eye contact, nodding, having good posture, and mirroring the speakers body language to show genuine interest in what they're saying. In addition to these nonverbal cues, you must also allow the speaker to finish their thought in its entirety. These are all cues that you're focused on what the speaker is saying. Reflection and RespondingReflectionis the repeating andparaphrasing of what the speaker has said to show that you truly understand what they're telling you. What Makes a Good ListenerGood listeners always strive to fully understand what others want to communicate, particularly when the statement lacks clarity. Listening demands the attempt to decode and interpret verbal messages andnonverbal cues, like tone of voice, facial expressions, and physical posture. Active listeners also show their curiosity by asking questions. Do this, and you will make a great impression. Through body language and other cues, good listeners subtly communicate to the speaker that they're listening. Additionally, they encourage and welcome the thoughts, opinions, and feelings of others. One way to demonstrate active listening is to allow the interviewer to complete each question and statement before responding. Do not interrupt and be sure that your response genuinely answers the question. It's perfectly fine to take a few moments to frame the right response. Doing so shows that you've fully absorbed the speaker's words and are considerate enough to formulate the best answer. What Makes a Bad ListenerInterrupting indicates that your listening skills are underdeveloped. Likewise, responding in a way that fails to answer the question will reflect poorly on your listening skills, especially in a job interview. If you're uncertain about a question, it's better to clarify than to take a gamble about what the interviewer is asking. Talking too much is also problematic, as proper conversations should be well balanced, with every party involved getting equal time to speak. Monopolizing a conversation prevents you from listening and the other party from fully expressing what they want to say. In the end, this will lead to you making a poor impression. Looking distracted is also a quality of a poor listener. This could involve anything from avoiding eye contact to checking your phone or watch while someone else is talking. Examples of Effective Listening
More Valuable Workplace SkillsHaving strong listening skills is essential at every organizational level and will improve ones chances of future promotions. However, there may be some soft and hard skills that offer more value than others, depending on the career field. To determine whichlists of skillsyou should highlight in your resume and interview, have a look atemployment skills listed by job. |