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Listening

 
 

This is our most-used-least-taught communication skill


How Effectively Do You Listen?

Does It Matter That You Listen Well?
 

Have you taken courses in creative writing, public speaking, communicating effectively with others?

I’ll bet they marginally hit the communication skill of Listening. Yet, it’s our most-used communication skill.
 

Do you recall the conversations when two of you thought you agreed on something, but later there were two different versions of the agreement? Someone didn’t hear something!
 

How about when you’re looking someone directly in the eye and you aren’t registering anything the other person is saying? Great eye contact – poor listening!
 
Did you know that people listen with a natural or preferred style?
If you understand listening styles, you can adapt to become a better listener.
 
Here's a resource - The Personal Listening Profile® - designed to help people understand their preferred listening styles, develop an appreciation for other styles, and adapt their behavior to enhance communication and improve relationships.
 
The narrative report provides each profile respondent with a greater "ah-ha" experience through a personalized explanation of their listening tendencies. The EPIC report (more about EPIC below) is designed to help users avoid the frustration, resentment, and general misunderstanding that too frequently build when different listening styles clash. Further, it highlights strengths and growth areas for each communication style, and provides specific suggestions for communication skills improvement.

The Personal Listening Profile® helps you identify your preferred listening style and understand how you can adopt other approaches when appropriate.

 

Ultimately, this profile is designed to help you accept interpersonal differences and adopt behavioral strategies that foster considerate, collaborative, and effective relationships.
 
The EPIC version of the Personal Listening Profile® includes a Communication Gap Analysis, an at-a-glance look at how your strengths and weaknesses relate to the intended message of the speaker. Another great feature is enhanced action planning, which encourages people to reflect on how their listening style interacts with that of others and helps them develop strategies for reducing miscommunication with these specific people.
 
The Personal Listening Profile® is available on EPIC (as are all of our online profiles) - our Electronic Profile Information Center. The Personal Listening Profile® is a powerful reminder that the strongest influence on the quality and outcome of all communications is the ability to listen effectively.
 
Personal Listening Profile Sample Report
 

Personal Listening Profile Sample Facilitator Report

The Personal Listening Profile Facilitator Report gives you a heads-up on group dynamics by showing you how group members use each listening approach. At a glance, you'll see the similarities and differences within your group that can lead to miscommunication. You'll also be able to identify individuals whose scores fall outside of group averages and who may feel isolated from the dominant group culture.

 
Discover the Impact of Five Listening Approaches
It's estimated that people screen out or change the intended purpose of what they hear in over 70% of all communications. The biggest factor contributing to such miscommunications is our listening approach. Behavioral research shows that people listen with a preferred listening approach. The Personal Listening Profile® describes five listening approaches:

Appreciative: Listens in a relaxed manner, seeking enjoyment, entertainment, or inspiration

Empathic: Listens without judging, is supportive of the speaker, and learns from the experiences of others

Comprehensive: Listens to organize and make sense of information by understanding relationships among ideas

Discerning: Listens to get complete information, understand the main message, and determine important details

Evaluative: Listens in order to make a decision based on information provided and may accept or reject message based on personal beliefs

Match Listening Approaches to Communication Needs
 
The Personal Listening Profile® helps people in your organization:
  • discover their natural approach to listening
  • capitalize on their listening strengths
  • learn how different listening approaches impact listening effectiveness
  • improve their ability to understand the purpose of different communications
  • use listening approaches appropriate to the situation
  • overcome listening barriers and reduce conflict
  • enhance individual and team performance

Lessons included for EPIC Version

  1. Introduction
  2. Understanding What Influences Listening
  3. Identifying Your Listening Approach
  4. Exploring Strengths and Challenges
  5. Recognizing When to Use Approaches
  6. Understanding Communication Gaps
  7. Recognizing the Behaviors of Each Listening Approach
  8. Improving Your Listening Skills
  9. Wrap Up

Lessons included for Paper Version

  1. Introduction
  2. Recognizing Communication Barriers
  3. Identifying Your Listening Approach
  4. Understanding Your Listening Approach
  5. Considering Others When You Communicate
  6. Improving Your Listening Skills
  7. Practicing Effective Listening
  8. Wrap Up
You Have Purchase Options
 
1. ALD can arrange an account so your organization can respond to and distribute a volume of profiles
 
2. Order the online profile now; fast results, report is delivered through our EPIC web based system; you respond online, select to print your own copy in color or black/white, it's emailed to a location of your choice and ready to view
3. The paper version is a 16 page assessment
Facilitation Materials
 

Support materials include:

  • Template files for handouts and table tent cards
  • Personal Listening Profile Facilitator Kit Program Overviews
  • Personal Listening Profile Facilitator Kit User Guide
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Sample Personal Listening Profile (EPIC version)
  • Sample Personal Listening Profile Facilitator Report
  • Personal Listening Profile Research Report

The Personal Listening Profile® Facilitator Kit provides everything you need to conduct an engaging classroom training program, including
  • Leader’s guide in MS Word®
  • PowerPoint presentation with video and/or audio
  • Participant handouts in Word

Participants will

  • Understand the role that listening plays in communication effectiveness
  • Identify their natural approaches to listening and their strengths and challenges
  • Plan specific ways they can improve their listening skills

The Facilitator Kit includes classroom training lesson plans in a modular format, allowing you to customize your program to include only lessons relevant to your training needs. The Facilitator Kit is delivered on a USB drive, and supports both versions of the Personal Listening Profile – the EPIC version and the paper version.

 
 
 

Personal Listening Profile

 
 
Personal Listening Profile® is a product of Inscape Publishing, Minneapolis, MN