Step 1
The first step in the exercise is to perform a self-assessment of your listening skills. Use the assessment toolPreview (ATTACHED) the document provided to conduct an honest evaluation of your perceived listening skills. Once you have responded all 30 items, use the scoring index on page three to carefully calculate your score.
Step 2
Next, ask a minimum of three people to complete the assessmentPreview the document based on how they would score your perceived listening skills.
Keep in mind that the more people you ask, the more you will learn!
Note that this will require some presumption on their part for some of the items. (e.g. Does it seem to them that you daydream while the speaker is talking? Do they believe that you know which words and phrases you respond to emotionally?)
Try to choose participants with differing vantage points on your life (e.g. parent, spouse/significant other, close friend, casual friend, coworker) and a mix of gender, age, culture, etc.
Encourage them to be as honest as possible.
Give them some space to complete the assessment; don’t hover. (i.e. Leave the room, send it electronically, etc.)
After they complete the assessmentPreview the document, discuss with them their rationale for their responses. Please do so in a supportive tone and guard against defensiveness. Remember – you asked them for their honest input.
Step 3
Write a paper that synthesizes the overall comparisons between the assessmentsPreview the document (both yours and those completed by others). More than a description of the respective assessments, the paper should seek to analyze the results of the exercise. Consider things such as:
Did the assessments from other people match what you expected them to say?
Why did the other people answer the way they did?
How do you explain the discrepancies between your assessment of your skills and theirs?
What difference was the most surprising to you?
Does this cause you to reconsider the effectiveness of your listening skills? Why or why not?
The paper should be 3-5 pages (no cover page), double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman (or similarly readable) font. Please save your paper in .doc or .docx format to ensure it opens easily.