Listening
The ability to show one absorbs and understands important (non-) verbal information and to ask further questions when necessary.
patiently lets the other person finish his/her story
knows when to be quiet
shows genuine interest
demonstrates he/she is listening through body language and eye contact
does not interrupt and allows the other person to finish his/her story
sums up what the other person says in his/her own words
briefly summarizes the other person's point of view
checks whether his/her summary is a correct interpretation
asks questions until everything is clear
addresses hidden and unclear hints and remarks the other person makes
is able to 'read between the lines'
listens to what is said but also hears what is not said
anticipates what the other person is going to say based on the previous information
listens to the content and retrieves information from the other person`s non-verbal behavior at the same time
knows when to refer to previously discussed topics
adjusts to the level, background and experience of the other person
Listening can be easily developed if the candidate has a more than average score (7,8,9) on the drive Social empathy.
Could you give an example of a situation in which you listened carefully to another person? How did that show?
Could you give an example of a situation in which you obtained information by listening very carefully - information someone else might have missed?
Could you give an example of a situation in which you gained more information than anybody else by listening carefully?
Could you give an example of a conversation in which you did not obtain the information you wanted?
Try to use body language and eye contact actively (look at the other person, make contact, nod).
Focus your attention on the other person’s words and body language.
Try and ask many ‘open questions’ that begin with: ‘what’, ‘who’, ‘why’ or ‘which’; then, ask further questions.
Regularly provide a summary of what has been said in a conversation to the other person.
Pay attention to both the business and the personal side of a conversation.
Explain to your candidate how to ask further questions in a conversation in order to really understand the other person.
Ensure that your candidate does not interrupt other people when they are talking.
Encourage your candidate to take notice not only of what another person says but also of what he signals with his body language, facial expressions and attitude. Are the words and signals concurrent?
Encourage your candidate to ask ‘open questions’: questions that cannot be answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ (and often begin with ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘which’, or ‘how’).
Encourage the candidate to practise his listening skills outside of work as well. Involve family and friends to provide feedback.
FAQs
The ability to show one absorbs and understands important (non-) verbal information and to ask further questions when necessary.
- Could you give an example of a situation in which you listened carefully to another person? How did that show?
- Could you give an example of a situation in which you obtained information by listening very carefully - information someone else might have missed?
- Could you give an example of a situation in which you gained more information than anybody else by listening carefully?
- Could you give an example of a conversation in which you did not obtain the information you wanted?
- patiently lets the other person finish his/her story
- knows when to be quiet
- shows genuine interest
