---Listening Skills

Many people fail to listen effectively, even though it is one of the most prized skills in any organization. Poor listening habits can lead to numerous misunderstandings and conflicts. Research indicates that, on average, we retain about 50% of the main content of a ten-minute speech immediately after listening to it. After forty-eight hours, the retention drops to only 25% of the original content. A conservative estimate is that most people retain only 25% or less of what they hear! In this exercise, you'll learn more about your listening habits by deciding whether or not each of the items below describes you. Type "True" in the box to the left of the item if the statement describes you and "False" if it does not fit you. After you've ranked all the items, print this page and bring it to class. Your professor will later provide information for interpreting each of your responses to this questionnaire and some techniques for effective listening.

-1.		While someone is talking, I frequently try to hear other conversations around me to keep up with what's going on.
-2.		I prefer that someone just present the facts and skip the opinions so I can draw my own conclusions.
-3.		I often prepare my response while the other person is talking.
-4.		As someone is speaking, I try to tie together key ideas rather than storing the information – like a tape recorder – for later information.
-5.		If I hear something I think is wrong, I'll usually interrupt immediately to explain why I disagree.
-6.		When I find myself not listening to someone, I will pretend to pay attention to what he or she is saying.
-7.		I start to judge the merit of what someone says from the very first sentence.
-8.		I usually notice what people truly feel by observing nonverbal cues such as body language and facial expressions.
-9.		I often anticipate what people will say next as they are speaking.
10.		I show my reactions on my face to what people are saying to let them know right away whether or not I agree.
11.		Most of the time, I am ready immediately with a response when someone has stopped talking.
12.		A person's appearance is important to me in deciding whether or not to listen attentively to what that individual says.
13.		If I'm not sure what someone means, I will usually ask for clarification before he or she has continued talking much longer.
14.		A speaker needs to present the information in a lively and entertaining way to keep my interest.
15.		I have biases and opinions which affect my ability or willingness to listen to what some people have to say.

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