"Can You Repeat That?" - Teaching Active Listening in Management Education

748696
research-article2017
JMEXXX10.1177/1052562917748696Journal of Management EducationSpataro and Bloch
Instructional Innovation
Journal of Management Education
1–31
“Can You Repeat © The Author(s) 2017
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DOI: 10.1177/1052562917748696
https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562917748696
Listening in Management journals.sagepub.com/home/jme
Education
Sandra E. Spataro1 and Janel Bloch1
Abstract
Listening is a critical communication skill and therefore an essential element
of management education. Active listening surpasses passive listening or
simple hearing to establish a deeper connection between speaker and
listener, as the listener gives the speaker full attention via inquiry, reflection,
respect, and empathy. This article offers a method and tools for teaching
active listening that can be implemented in online, hybrid, or face-to-face
platforms. We begin by reviewing the great demand for listening skills, in
light of how little time is spent on listening instruction compared with that
on speaking instruction. We then present a set of learning materials and a
procedure for using them that includes both pre- and posttests, multimedia
learning materials, and exercises that enhance skill development. We
follow the learning plan with analyses of both quantitative and qualitative
data, showing support for the suggested method. These results fit with our
personal experience of consistent success with the method across student
levels (graduate and undergraduate) and platforms (online and face-to-
face). Finally, we conclude with a discussion of the presentation and some
implications for teaching listening in management education.
1Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY, USA
Corresponding Author:
Sandra E. Spataro, Department of Management, Haile/US Bank College of Business, Northern
Kentucky University, BC 371, Highland Heights, KY 41099, USA.
Email: spataros1@nku.edu
2 Journal of Management Education 00(0)
Keywords
active listening, communication, listening pedagogy, online education, hybrid/
blended courses, management education, self-assessment, television, written
exercises
In this age of seemingly constant communication via social media and other
outlets, people have increased opportunities to be heard, which raises the
question—Is anyone listening? Active listening has long been identified as an
important communication skill in all domains of life, including the work-
place. The many communication-related textbooks that cover listening (e.g.,
Locker & Kienzler, 2015; Wood, 2015) and the books devoted exclusively to
listening (e.g., Ferrari, 2012) reflect the widespread need for skills in this
area. Employers’ demands for active listening further illustrate its importance
in professional settings (Nowogrodski, 2015). A recent review of the job
search website indeed.com found “active listening” listed as a qualification or
required skill in approximately 17,000 postings, including positions in man-
agement, accounting, and sales. Active listening has been shown to be an
essential managerial skill necessary for successfully interacting with employ-
ees, customers, and colleagues (Comer & Drollinger, 1999; Hassall, Joyce,
Arquero Montano, & Donoso Anes, 2003; Ramsey & Sohi, 1997).
Active listening is important in management students’ educational lives
as well and is often identified by accrediting bodies as a core competency
(Stone, Lightbody, & Whait, 2013). Canpolat, Kuzu, Yildirim, and Canpolat
(2015) found that high-performing university students exhibit a variety of
cognitive, affective, and psycho-motor active listening skills. The increasing
use of social media has made it easier to have one’s opinions heard—so
much so that it is difficult for students to stop texting and tweeting long
enough to listen or learn (Dolby, 2012). With calls for management educa-
tion to be increasingly interactive and experiential (e.g., Gosling &
Mintzberg, 2006), active listening skills that increase the quality of interac-
tion with others and the ability to assimilate information in debriefing dis-
cussions are vital. Furthermore, the silence involved in active listening can
be valuable in discussion-oriented classes because it allows for the reflection
and thoughtful questioning that can lead to increased understanding
(Zembylas & Michaelides, 2004).
While efforts have been made to include instruction on active listening in
higher education, more time is spent teaching speaking than teaching listen-
ing, even though most people spend much more time listening than speaking
(Janusik, 2002). Indeed, Brink and Costigan (2015) found that while employ-
ers view listening to be a critically important skill, it was included as a stated
Spataro and Bloch 3
learning goal by fewer than 15% of AACSB-accredited schools, while 76%

identified presenting. Despite employers’ desire for active listening skills and
students’ need for skill development in this area, of the various forms of com-
munication skills, listening is often comparatively neglected in not only for-
mal management curricula, but in education in general (Janusik, 2010; Stone
et al., 2013; Weger, Castle, & Emmett, 2010). This lack of focus on listening
as a critical skill to be formally developed in university curricula seems con-
trary to its importance to management students and employers and to effec-
tive communication overall.
Further complicating efforts to close the gap in teaching active listening is
the way teaching is changing in general. At the same time that the demand for
active listening skills is at a peak, new platforms for teaching all subjects are
being introduced and embraced. From 2003 to 2015, online courses grew
significantly in popularity, with a threefold increase in the number of students
opting into at least one online course (Allen, Seaman, Pullin, & Straut, 2016).
Despite technological advancements from tools such as Skype and Facetime,
students still perceive there to be a lack of interaction in online classes com-
pared to face-to-face classes (Platt, Raile, & Yu, 2014). As universities con-
tinue to offer courses in face-to-face, hybrid (face-to-face and online), and
online platforms (Mathewson, 2015; Mitchell, Parlamis, & Claiborne, 2015;
Morrison, 2016), interactive teaching tools that can be implemented across
all these platforms will be most useful.
This article addresses both bringing active listening content to manage-
ment courses and embracing a variety of platforms for learning. Specifically,
we describe a procedure for teaching active listening that works well in fully
online, hybrid, or face-to-face courses. The procedure includes online materi-
als, articles to read, video clips from a popular television show, and written
exercises that guide students through a process to understand and begin to
practice active listening. Along with the procedure itself, we present pre- and
posttest data indicating its effectiveness, including student comments on its
utility. We conclude with a discussion of our procedure and its implications.
Active Listening in Management Education

Defining Active Listening
It may be a coincidence that silent and listen contain the same letters (Gillett,
2016; Gitterman & Appel, 2014). For some (particularly in modern Western
culture), silence is viewed as something to be avoided or as a breakdown in
the conversation (Scollon, 1985; Zembylas & Michaelides, 2004). Silence,
however, has many important functions in discourse (Saville-Troike, 1985).
As Zembylas and Michaelides (2004) say of the importance of giving value

to silence in the classroom, “Part of wisdom is knowing when to speak and
when to use silence to point the way” (p. 208). Still, while silence is indeed
an important part of active listening, it is just one part of the process.
Overall, “The goal in active listening is to develop a clear understanding
of the speaker’s concern and also to clearly communicate the listener’s inter-
est in the speaker’s message” (McNaughton, Hamlin, McCarthy, Head-
Reeves, & Schreiner, 2008, p. 224). While there are many representations of
what comprises active listening, a recent synthesis by Weger et al. (2010),
based on Rogers’ (1951) seminal work on empathic listening, provides a use-
ful characterization of this skill. Weger et al. (2010) define active listening as
having three essential elements: (1) the listener’s nonverbal involvement,
indicating full attention; (2) the listener reflecting the speaker’s message back
to the speaker; and (3) the listener questioning the speaker to encourage elab-
oration and further details. Specific behavioral components of active listen-
ing include paraphrasing, focusing on both the content and how it is being
delivered, exerting significant effort as a participant in the conversation,
communicating attentiveness through body language, and maintaining eye
contact (Pearce, Johnson, & Barker, 1995).
As this definition indicates, active listening involves striving for empathy
and understanding (Rogers, 1951; Weger et al., 2010) as well as attentiveness
based not just on hearing but on fully comprehending the message being
communicated. Active listeners, very importantly, do not pass judgment on
the speaker. While remaining relatively quiet, active listeners show respect,
yet strive to identify and question assumptions (Ferrari, 2012). Overall, they
show a deeper connection to speakers and can show genuine empathy
(Goleman, 1998). Therefore, because active listening requires deliberate
involvement from the listener to be actively engaged in the speaker’s experi-
ence—while staying relatively silent—it can be a difficult skill to learn.
Teaching Active Listening

The question then becomes: How can active listening be taught? Teaching
active listening can be more complicated than helping students learn other
topics. Because active listening is so much more than just hearing, it includes
both cognitive and behavioral activity (Janusik, 2010). Therefore, simply
“knowing how” to actively listen is an insufficient learning outcome. Rather,
to be able to transfer active listening to their work and personal lives, students
must internalize it—through understanding what it is, why it is important,
and also by practicing it themselves. Furthermore, because of the increasing
focus in higher education on assessment and disciplinary knowledge, an
Spataro and Bloch 5
additional obstacle to teaching active listening in a formal curriculum is the

difficulty of assessing it (Brownell, 1994; Morgan, 1997). Other common
objections from faculty who attempt to explain why they are not teaching
active listening include lack of materials, the time investment, and lack of
training for instructors (Janusik, 2002).
Despite the complications involved with teaching active listening, there
are prescriptions for being successful in the endeavor. First, truly helping
students internalize listening skills is best done interactively (Pearce et al.,
1995). One effective way of stimulating interaction with face-to-face or
online students is the use of video clips from television, movies, and other
sources. Recent research demonstrates the value and increased use of films in
higher education and in management education (e.g., Berk, 2009; Billsberry,
2013). Rooted in dual-coding theory’s (Paivio, 1990) basic tenet that “more
is better” in gaining students’ interest and attention, the use of videos in the
classroom has been associated with tapping into students’ core intelligences
and engaging both the left and right hemispheres of the brain (Berk, 2009).
Greater stimulation elicits more responses and thus encourages interactivity;
students have more to experience, comment on, and learn from when more of
their brain is activated. Thus, students have more to offer in both face-to-face
and online interaction with the instructor and fellow students and also in their
engagement with the material outside of class.
A second direction teachers of active listening can pursue comes from
research on skill development. Models of skill acquisition (e.g., Dreyfus,
2004; Dreyfus & Dreyfus, 1980), and research specific to teaching active
listening, enhance our understanding of what students require to effectively
learn a new skill. Learning a skill is a process during which the learner
passes through stages of development: first learning context-free rules in
the abstract, then eventually becoming more sophisticated at discerning
situational cues to make decisions about skill application, and ultimately
becoming capable of activating the skill as an instinctual response to situ-
ational stimuli (Dreyfus & Dreyfus, 1980). Learners move through the
stages of development with deliberate practice, defined by Ericsson,
Krampe, and Tesch-Romer (1993) as “activities invented with the primary
purpose of attaining and improving skills” (p. 367). Intentional and regular
practice, like that for a young student learning to play piano, is beneficial to
the skill acquisition process. Furthermore, throughout this practice, learners
can benefit from scaffolding—structured support for learners as they grow.
This is especially true for a complex skill like active listening. Scaffolding
includes diagnostic and other strategies through which the instructor pro-
vides useful feedback based on student skill level (van de Pol, Volman, &
Beishuizen, 2010).
Based on these two tenets of teaching active listening—making the learn-

ing interactive and supporting the student through the skill development pro-
cess—we have developed the method described below for bringing active
listening into the content and learning objectives in a wide variety of courses.
A Method for Teaching Active Listening in

Management Education
To help address the need for teaching active listening skills, we developed
the method described below for adding active listening to any course
where developing listening skills is within the scope of the learning objec-
tives, including courses in business communication, management, negoti-
ation or conflict management, and ideation. We have used this method as
a single topic within a business communication course focused on writing
and, similarly, as a single topic in an MBA organizational behavior course.
While the activities of the method occur intermittently over a period of
weeks during the course, the topic need not require any more time than any
other topic. As with any learning module, it is incumbent on the instructor
to situate the method offered here within the context of the overall course.
This includes tying active listening as a skill to the course learning objec-
tives, providing examples to students of how active listening will benefit
them, and highlighting the great demand for active listening skills in the
workplace.
The goals of the method presented here are (1) to initiate the skill acquisi-
tion process for students and (2) to provide students with the resources and
confidence to continue skill development on their own. The learning objec-
tives of this method are designed to help students begin developing skills in
active listening. On completion of this learning module, students should be
able to do the following:
1. Describe specific behaviors that comprise active listening.

2. Recognize contexts where active listening is applicable and use it in
situationally appropriate ways.
3. Identify ways of, and feel confident about, using and continuing to
develop active listening skills in the future.
Our method follows the general design structure that Pearce et al. (1995)
offer for listening skill acquisition. Their process calls for pretesting, activ-
ity-based skill practice over time, and then posttesting. But where the Pearce
et al. (1995) approach was firmly rooted in face-to-face classroom interac-
tion, we developed and introduced new activities to be more versatile across
Spataro and Bloch 7
learning platforms. Our method is composed of four parts: initial self-

assessment and reflection, learning materials, active listening exercise, and
re-assessment.
Self-Assessment of Listening Styles

To introduce students to the idea of active listening, we first have them take
two different listening inventories: The Listening Styles Inventory (LSI;
Pearce, Johnson, & Barker, 2003; see Appendix A) and a listening self-inven-
tory (Lambert & Myers, 1994; see Appendix B). We chose these inventories
because they give students the opportunity to get a self-assessment of their
current listening skills and styles from an active listening perspective. These
are not listening comprehension assessments, rather they are tools for self-
reflection. Assessments of the reliability and validity of the LSI support its
value as a useful instrument for both students and workplace professionals
(Pearce et al., 2003). We selected the listening self-inventory (Lambert &
Myers, 1994) to complement the LSI because it is a short 12-question instru-
ment offering additional opportunity for self-assessment and a basis for com-
parison. Both instruments enable students to analyze their scores/responses
and gauge their listening strengths and areas for improvement. When assign-
ing students to take these listening inventories, it is important to make clear
in the instructions that students will receive credit simply for completing
them and will not be graded on the results.
The next part of the self-assessment is for students to write a brief reflec-
tion on their listening inventory results. In this assignment, they are asked to
do the following:
•• Discuss their scores on the two inventories and, based on the scores
and their own experiences, describe their listening skills (to advance
Learning Objective 1 about describing behaviors that comprise active
listening)
•• Identify at least one area of listening they would like to improve (to
begin moving toward Learning Objective 3 about feeling confident
and planning ways to improve in the future)
•• Provide any other related information
In an online class, these activities are, of course, completed exactly when

and where the student elects. In a face-to-face or hybrid course, the invento-
ries and reflection could be completed outside of class in preparation for an
in-class discussion and further learning about active listening. Alternatively,
they could be completed in class at the discretion of the instructor. Instructors
should provide feedback on these reflections, both as support for the learning
and as assessment; we grade these self-reflections based on accuracy of
understanding of the concept and its application and on depth of reflection.
The second part of the reflection assignment, where students identify at
least one area of listening they would like to improve, sets the stage for stu-
dents to practice applying active listening in their work and personal lives in
the area for improvement identified. The instructor needs to inform students
that they will be asked to report a specific example in an assignment later in
the course. This time span can be as small as 3 to 4 weeks or as long as 8 to
10 weeks, depending on the course structure. Because the goal here is to give
students time to apply active listening in their selected situation, it helps to
give them this assignment early (during the first few weeks of the course). As
part of the diagnostic aspects of the scaffolding in this exercise, the instructor
should provide feedback on students’ interpretations of their scores and plans
for becoming better listeners. Feedback should be encouraging and support-
ive, to the extent possible.
Materials, Texts, and Videos

After they complete the self-assessments, students are directed to various
materials on active listening to help them learn more about it. This could hap-
pen as the next activity in an online module or in the same or next in-class
session in a face-to-face context. This is when the students learn what active
listening is and how to be an active listener. We have found the greatest suc-
cess in learning materials with a mix of different media and approaches to the
topic. For example, the course textbook we used included a section on active
listening, which students were instructed to read (Locker & Kienzler, 2015).
Students can also be provided links to several other related articles, such as:
“The Best Advice I Ever Got” (Chiquet, 2008), a blog post discussing the role
of active listening in a job interview (Menzel, 2010), a brief article and video
on active listening (mindtools.com, 2016), and a brief discussion of applying
listening strategies when communication styles differ (Goulston, 2013). The
specific materials that we have used are listed and briefly described in
Appendix C, but instructors should feel free to replace or supplement these
with current, relevant materials about active listening. It is critical that the
materials offered report specific behaviors and strategies that comprise active
listening (e.g., asking clarifying questions or paraphrasing the speaker’s
words). Through simple internet searches, we have found many different
sources that meet these criteria.
In addition to these written materials, to boost the interactivity of the
learning and provide illustration of the skill, we include two video clips from
Spataro and Bloch 9
an episode of the U.S. television series Everybody Loves Raymond that dem-
onstrate active listening strategies being applied in conversations with both
adults and children. In the episode we use (Season 2, Episode 2), Raymond is
seen learning about and practicing active listening in a parenting effective-
ness class and then successfully applying the skills in solving problems in
two separate situations, one with his parents and the other with his young
daughter. See Appendix D for a more detailed description of the specific
clips. These scenes depict excellent examples of the deliberate practice that
advances skill development and expertise (Ericsson et al., 1993). The scenes
show Raymond applying active listening in his personal life, which is exactly
what the active listening exercise described in the next section asks students
to do. Altogether, these materials offer multiple, reinforcing presentations of
what comprises active listening. They are the basis for student comprehen-
sion of the “rules” and specific behaviors of the skill, abstract from context,
in support of Learning Objective 1.
In face-to-face classes, the written materials and video clips can be used
inside or outside of class. One option is to have students complete the reading
and then use the Everybody Loves Raymond video clips in class as a stimulus
for discussion about active listening overall. Class time focused on active
listening might also include additional listening applications such as the one
we used in a hybrid MBA course, as described below.
Active Listening Exercise

Some weeks after the learning materials are covered, students are required to
submit a brief report on their application of the active listening strategies
studied in this module. This report gives students the opportunity to transfer
their learning from the class by employing active listening strategies in their
lives. Students are asked to write a brief reflection that includes the following
parts:
•• Description of an incident where they applied active listening in their

work or personal life—one involving them actively engaging with
another person (Learning Objective 1 about what comprises active lis-
tening and Learning Objective 2 about recognizing contexts and
applying active listening skills appropriately)
•• Description of the specific active listening strategies they applied,
mentioning concepts from either the text or any of the readings, clearly
specifying the source(s) drawn from (Learning Objective 1)
•• Explanation of how their application of active listening affected the
communication in the situation (Learning Objective 2)
•• Explanation of how they envision using active listening in the future

and what actions on their part will be critical to their success in doing
so (Learning Objective 3 about planning for the future)
To provide additional deliberate practice to further students on the path

toward building expertise in active listening, other exercises could be
included instead of or in addition to the written reflection. For example, in a
hybrid MBA course (not included in our empirical sample) where we included
active listening as an online module, students were asked to complete an
interview exercise with a classmate. The pair were provided with interview
questions intended to build bonds between teammates, including topics such
as incidents of self-disappointment, role models, pivotal moments from
childhood, and celebrated triumphs. They were instructed to use active listen-
ing skills as they interviewed their partner. Then, all students participated in
an online discussion—offering their own insights and then commenting on
other students’ posts—about the usefulness of active listening and the experi-
ence of being really listened to. This exercise and discussion could be facili-
tated in class for face-to-face learning.
By having students not only practice listening skills but also reflect on
them, these exercises incorporate critical thinking into skill development,
thus encouraging the self-awareness necessary for students to be able to con-
tinue identifying situations in their work and personal lives where active lis-
tening skills can be applied and to critically reflect on their performance in
those situations (Walker & Finney, 1999). As with the initial reflection exer-
cise, feedback from the instructor is useful at this stage. We grade the written
reports and discussion of the interview activity according to how well they
meet the criteria set out in the assignment.
Reassessment of Listening Styles

After students submit their reports on their own active listening experience,
they have had time to apply, practice, and reflect on the skill. At this point in
their skill development process, they are asked to complete the LSI for a second
time as a posttest. While we have not required any written submission of reflec-
tion on the posttest, we encourage students, informally, to think about their
progress and ways to apply the skill going forward. Instructors for this module
may elect to formalize this reflection activity with a written assignment.
Altogether, with the posttest introduced to close the within-course pro-
cess, this module follows the two avenues to successfully teaching active
listening outlined above; it incorporates interactivity, either online or in-class,
and it follows the pretest, skill activity, posttest structure. Furthermore, it
Spataro and Bloch 11
gives students time, across a span of weeks, to internalize and make poten-
tially multiple attempts to apply active listening and develop their skills.
Evidence of Success
The sections above describe the merits of the method offered here in terms of
its fit with existing literature on the topic, but these descriptions do not pro-
vide evidence of the method’s effectiveness. While both authors have enjoyed
anecdotal success with this method in our courses, we wanted to more rigor-
ously examine its effectiveness in terms of achieving the learning objectives
set out in the design. To do so, we collected and analyzed both quantitative
and qualitative data, as described below.
Participants
Our sample consists of 108 students enrolled in six different sections of an
online, undergraduate business communication course at our university. In
total, all students enrolled in these classes were invited to participate. A small
amount of extra credit was offered as an incentive for participation. The study
received approval from the university’s institutional review board.
While we refrained from collecting demographic information from stu-
dents in order to preserve confidentiality, we believe the sample is generally
representative of the typical students in these classes, in part because we col-
lected data from entire classes for several semesters and had very high par-
ticipation rates. Furthermore, these students reflected large parts of the
university community. They came from a variety of majors including man-
agement, marketing, accounting, organizational leadership, communication,
education, and English.
Procedure
We collected and analyzed data in two different ways. First, we analyzed the
results of students’ pre- and post-attempts of the LSI (Pearce et al., 1995;
Pearce, et al., 2003), which provided a quantitative self-assessment of any
progress in active listening skills. While it is not a measure of actual skill
development, this shows students perceived progress in their listening skills.
This inventory rates listeners as active, involved, passive, or detached based
on their responses to 10 Likert-style questions with a 1 to 5 scale about active
listening behaviors. Example questions include the following: “I have a pur-
pose for listening when others are talking” and “I ask questions when I don’t
fully understand a speaker’s message.” (See Appendix A for a list of all the
questions.) The highest possible score on the LSI is 50. We administered the
LSI before offering any of the learning materials focused on active listening
(Time 1) and then again weeks after students completed these materials and
submitted a report of their own active listening experience (Time 2). The
comparison of these Time 1 and Time 2 data are the basis for our quantitative
analyses reported in the Analysis and Results section.
In addition to quantitative data collection, we used students’ writing in the
active listening exercise to qualitatively assess their skill levels. These results
are also presented below, organized around learning objective. Overall, the
qualitative data provided supplemental insight, beyond the quantitative
inventories, into what students learned about active listening and were able to
transfer into their work and personal lives.
Analysis and Results

For the quantitative data we collected, we analyzed the Time 1 and Time 2
scores on the LSI by calculating the mean scores for each sample at Time 1
and comparing them to the mean scores at Time 2 using a t test. The posttest,
or Time 2 scores, were significantly higher than the pretest, or Time 1, scores
(M1 = 37.31, SD1 = 4.27; M2 = 43.35, SD2 = 4.31; t > 10, p < .0001). While
these shifts in the average scores provide supportive evidence of the effec-
tiveness of the plan, they are self-report data rather than skill assessments,
per se. Thus, we supplemented these data with qualitative assessments of
students’ skill acquisition.
We analyzed the qualitative data in two ways. First, two judges indepen-
dently scored student reports of their active listening experiences from two
randomly selected sections of the course. Scoring was based on a rubric
reflecting the learning objectives (see Appendix E). Thirty-six reports were
evaluated this way. The judges were high in agreement in their ratings of this
sample. Table 1 reports the results: 80% of the responses were good or excel-
lent for Learning Objective 1, 77% for Learning Objective 2, and 64% for
Learning Objective 3. These results provide additional empirical support for
the effectiveness of this method.
In addition to this analysis of the data, we report on the qualitative data
below, with representative sample excerpts from students, organized around
the learning objectives. Overall, the students’ words provide a useful window
into how they internalized the learning. We offer examples below, highlight-
ing student responses that illustrate the learning that transpired.
Learning Objective 1: Describe Specific Behaviors That Comprise Active Listening.

Students demonstrated a good understanding of what active listening entails
by listing specific behaviors it involves and referring to sources that describe
Table 1. Percentage Scores According to Learning Objectives Rubric.
Learning objective Excellent Good Fair Unacceptable

1. Describe specific behaviors that 61% 19% 14% 6%
comprise active listening
2. Recognize contexts where active 58% 19% 14% 9%
listening is applicable and use it in
situationally appropriate ways
3. Identify ways of, and feel 39% 25% 22% 14%
confident about, using and
continuing to develop active
listening skills in the future
active listening. One representative response demonstrates how a student

drew from multiple sources in explaining how she used active listening
(names have been changed):
During the argument between Cathy and Evelyn, there was a brief pause where
I decided to speak up. I had heard my name throughout the arguing, so I realized
it was within my boundaries to step into the conversation. I first began using
techniques that were viewed in the kitchen table scene of the Everybody Loves
Raymond video. I first asked Evelyn how she was feeling and then asked Cathy
the same question. I knew it would be beneficial for both of them to hear each
other’s side of the story without any interruptions. . . . Locker and Kienzler
explain that it is a good idea to paraphrase what the speaker is saying and let
them think about what they just said and respond. Evelyn agreed with my
statement and kept talking. It was then Cathy’s turn to explain her thoughts.
She stated that she was unhappy because she felt that employees weren’t giving
her the respect that she deserved. She also explained that a lot of outside
problems (home, school, money, etc.) were causing her to be unhappy. . . . I
used the same paraphrasing technique with her and asked, “So you feel like
outside problems are the main cause of what’s happening at work?” She agreed
with my statement. . . . At the end of the conversation, I used another tactic
from the textbook, which states that at the end of the conversation it is a good
idea to check with the other parties and make sure everyone understands
everything that has been said. Both Evelyn and Cathy seemed to have a good
understanding of what was causing the problems and possible solutions that
will help with making sure the same problems don’t keep occurring. I noticed
that throughout the discussion, I was using acknowledgment responses and
made sure that both speakers knew I was actively listening to what each had to
say. I also noticed throughout the discussion that all parties were using
nonverbal cues to get their point across. At the beginning, there was a lot of
frowning but by the end of the discussion, smiles and relieved facial expressions
were present.
Another student was able to reflect on the learning materials to bolster her
understanding of what comprises active listening:
Thinking back to my reading of Mark Goulston’s article “How to Listen When

Your Communication Styles Don’t Match,” I was able to identify the source of
the communication barrier I had experienced with my boss in the past—we had
different ways of communicating. [He] was an explainer/belaborer, and I was
not. Practicing the techniques Goulston discussed, I put aside the task I had
been working on and listened intently as [he] spoke, making sure to keep eye
contact and nodding along to assure him I was listening. After each point [he]
made, I clarified by summarizing to let him know I was comprehending the
message he was communicating.
Learning Objective 2: Recognize Contexts Where Active Listening Is Applicable and

Use It in Situationally Appropriate Ways. In their reflections, students were also
largely able to recognize when and where to use active listening. In the rep-
resentative quote below, one student describes how she recognized that the
situation called for active listening and then used it:
My roommate has just gone through a breakup and is really struggling with it.
Along with that, her performance with basketball also isn’t as good as she
would like it to be. Occasionally we will talk about basketball and without her
prompting it, I will ask if the reason she’s having a hard time focusing in
workouts is because of the breakup. This really bothered her, and she would get
angry with me. After watching the episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, I
tried to sit back and just let her lead the conversation. I repeated her words and
asked questions but never tried to lead her back to the breakup. I think by
allowing her to use her own words and really work through problems in the
way she was comfortable, I helped her get over a very big obstacle in her life.
Another student described how using the strategies learned helped her turn a
situation around for herself:
When I first walked into my boss’s office [after being told I had collected the
wrong materials from the Recorder’s office] I felt as if I was going to be
scolded for doing something wrong. . . . I took a deep breath and realized that
I was not being told why I messed up, but was actually being talked to, so that
I understand the deed and why we needed what we did. This conversation
quickly turned from what I thought was a scolding to a learning situation.
Realizing that the situation wasn’t what I thought it was quickly changed what
I listened to. If I had not used the strategy learned in the text I would not have
learned what I did about deeds and probably made another mistake on my trip
back to the Recorder.
Still another student described using active listening in a customer service

situation:
One specific example is when I was working. I’m a teller at [a bank] and just
last week I was about to assist a customer and I could tell she was angry by her
nonverbal communication. She was frowning with her arms crossed. I asked
her what I ask every customer, “How may I assist you today?” and she began
to tell me how she lost her card and someone had been using it, where they used
it, and how much they have spent. When she was talking, I was looking at her
and using acknowledgement responses. I was nodding my head while she was
telling me what was going on so she knew all my attention was on her and I was
actively listening. After she was done, I told her I understood why she was
upset and paraphrased everything she told me so I knew I had heard everything
correctly. I then offered to help with the problem and put a hold on the card
immediately.
Learning Objective 3: Identify Ways of, and Feel Confident About, Using and Con-
tinuing to Develop Active Listening Skills in the Future. When looking toward
using active listening in the future, students conveyed concrete plans to con-
tinue developing their skills, along with some confidence and enthusiasm for
doing so. Representative responses include the following:
Listening is a vital component of communication. As such, I will continue to

paraphrase speakers’ content in my personal life and (future) workplace.
I realized that actively listening isn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. By

simply giving feedback and keeping constant eye contact with my brother, it
really did make a huge difference to him.
After this experience ended so well, I feel more comfortable and confident
when dealing with frustrated members. Active listening can help turn a negative
situation into a more positive situation. It also allows the person to see that
people do listen and can sympathize with the situation.As I continue to engage
in more client interviews, I will continue to make a conscious effort to ensure I
am engaging in active listening. This is proven to provide better results in my
meetings. It has given me the ability to get information that is critical to the
success of my audits that I might not have otherwise obtained. Since our audits
are limited on time, it is imperative that we use all of our tools to do thorough
reviews of departments.
As the combination of quantitative and qualitative results reviewed above

illustrate, we found the strategies advanced in this article to be effective in
realizing the learning objectives we set for this method. Students knew what
active listening is and how and when to use it, and they articulated plans for
applying it in both their work and personal lives.
Discussion
Active listening is an immensely valuable skill, as evidenced by research
indicating its helpfulness to students in their academic pursuits as well as by
publicized demands for better listening skills from hiring managers in many
professions. Yet instruction on active listening is lacking in management edu-
cation in both frequency and effectiveness. In fact, instruction in communica-
tion tends to emphasize speaking over listening, even though listening is a
critical component of effective communication. Given the importance of
active listening in management education and the modern workplace, we
designed, implemented, and tested the effectiveness of a method for teaching
active listening. Pre- and posttests of student perceptions of their own listen-
ing skills, combined with qualitative comments from students addressing the
designated learning objectives for the method, showed support for the plan’s
effectiveness in students’ perceptions of their skill development. The proce-
dure and tools offered here for teaching active listening provide a method for
helping students internalize and subsequently transfer active listening behav-
iors into all aspects of their lives.
A key contribution of this article is that we offer a new perspective of com-
munication in management education, one that includes active listening. In
doing so, we broaden the scope of when and how active listening can and
should be taught. Listening and speaking are vital to successful discourse; yet
developing speaking skills is emphasized more than developing listening
skills. Currently, the most focus on listening instruction is found in commu-
nication courses (see Janusik, 2002, 2010, for a summary of the variety of
strategies used over time). Some researchers have reported on strategies for
teaching listening in management courses either as a separate topic (Pearce
et al., 1995) or as an element connected to other concepts, such as facilitating
productive dialogue (Ivancevich, Gilbert, & Konopaske, 2009; McCambridge,
2003), networking (Friar & Eddleston, 2007), coaching (Hunt & Weintraub,
2004), and forming and evaluating perceptions of others (Chavez, Ferris, &
Gibson, 2011). Nonetheless, the need for more integration of teaching listen-
ing in management education is apparent. As a skill that can be taught, active
listening deserves additional pedagogical focus in management education.
Our research takes a step in this direction by offering a method of teaching
listening in management classes that helps students learn the tactics of active
listening and also appreciate its value.
Furthermore, the method introduced here works on multiple platforms,

including face-to-face, hybrid, and online settings. In fact, we demonstrate
that the online platform is not an impediment to teaching interpersonal skills;
rather, it presents great opportunity. Many of the recommended activities for
teaching active listening are designed only for face-to-face classes. For
example, Pearce et al. (1995) used regular, face-to-face interaction with stu-
dents to exercise and develop listening skills in all areas of the course con-
tent. Our method was designed to work across class platforms, and we
demonstrate its effectiveness in online classes.
Additionally, consistent with the findings of dual-coding theory (Paivio,
1990), the method introduced here benefits from offering a multimedia
approach. Dual-coding theory holds that visual imagery together with verbal
associations helps students build on their learning. Thus, the increased moti-
vation and interest generated by video interacts with other pedagogical tech-
niques to enhance students’ comprehension and long-term retention of the
material (Berk, 2009). We also find that most students simply enjoy the
video clips!
Implications
There are multiple implications of the work presented here. First, we provide
the materials for management educators to use and reference in their courses
with little additional planning or preparation required. We specify learning
objectives for developing the skill of active listening and offer the outline of
a plan for assessing them. The learning objectives presented here can be a
foundation to support further design of instructional materials to teach active
listening. Moreover, they can be translated into a rubric (see Appendix E) to
provide rigorous feedback on skill development where desired. Too often,
with interpersonal skills, we rely on amorphous criteria to find evidence of
progress. The method advanced here sets out a framework for further design
and assessment of active listening skills.
Second, we detail the steps to use this method in online courses. The
online platform allows students to take in the skill-based learning at their own
pace and in a comfortable environment. Pace and timing of exercises designed
to help students internalize the material and aid in skill transfer are similarly
under their own control. The in-person scaffolding recommended for teach-
ing active listening in face-to-face classes (Pearce et al., 1995) can be repli-
cated through online feedback. Additionally, instructors who adopt this
method in online settings can look for more opportunities to provide support
and ongoing contact with students. Our experience is that as long as each
exercise distinctly advances learning objectives, more exercises and feed-

back is better.
Third, the method described here is versatile with regard to platform and
type of student. Although we examined our method rigorously in undergradu-
ate online classes, we have also used the method in an online module of a
hybrid MBA class. The MBA class size of 19 was too small of a sample to
examine and report here as part of the empirical test, but we found the method
operated consistently with how it did in the undergraduate courses. This con-
sistency is representative of our overall experience with the exercise. While
we naturally recognized variation in individual student success with the
experience across different courses and student populations, we did not find
any patterns to this variation. That is, anecdotally from our experience, the
method seemed equally successful in undergraduate, graduate, face-to-face,
and online sessions. We also did not see patterns in student success by student
discipline or interest area.
A fourth implication of this work is that multimedia approaches are very
useful to teach skill-based concepts. In tackling the learning materials pre-
sented in this method, students are clicking on websites, reading articles, and
watching videos. The stimulation to both sides of their brains in this process
enhances their learning, and, thereby, their opportunities to—and the likeli-
hood that they will—transfer the concept into management environments.
Students were able to successfully translate the abstract rules of using the
skill to situations in their current work and personal lives as well as to their
future plans. Nonetheless, the multimedia approach introduces complica-
tions. Instructors need to take note that necessary accommodations for visu-
ally or hearing-impaired or ESL students are the same with this material as
for all other teaching content. And vulnerability to bias in interpretation is
likely greater with the video clips we used, as they were from a popular cul-
ture American television show. Fee and Budde-Sung (2014) found some
helpful steps that instructors in this position can take. These include posting
the video online (even if it is offered primarily in class) so students can review
it as many times as they wish, including captions of what is spoken on the
video, and providing a written summary that highlights main points and clari-
fies culturally specific references.
Finally, based on our experience, students will be more successful using
this method if they are engaged in the exercise. Launching an effort to develop
a new skill requires deliberate action; students have to want to see the change
in themselves and be willing to devote the effort to fully understand what to do
and why it is important. Exercises that involve active, student-driven applica-
tion of new skills and reflection on these activities as part of the learning pro-
cess aid in comprehension and eventual transfer of learning; they also stimulate
motivation to continue to develop and apply the skill going forward. Engaging
students through active learning is not a new concept, but the work here rein-
forces what is already known about the value of opportunities for students to
bring classroom concepts into their own lives as catalysts for learning.
Limitations and Opportunities for Further Development

The method and our examination of it presented here leave room for enhance-
ment. First, our quantitative assessment relies on student self-reports and
could suffer from common source bias. However, students had no incentive
to bias their responses in the assessments as these were not graded or evalu-
ated by the instructor other than for completion. Furthermore, the perceived
improvement indicated in these quantitative results fits with our personal
observations of students’ development. Still, alternative instruments or meth-
ods of assessing listening could be introduced to extend this work and poten-
tially build on the suggested method. Second, we did not test this method in
a fully face-to-face class setting. Our expectation is that the face-to-face con-
tact would only enhance the learning experience with more interaction, more
feedback, and more opportunities for skill application. While we have used
this method as an online module, it would be useful to extend this work with
direct examination of its use in a face-to-face context. Third, our sample
came from one university, which could limit generalizability. But the students
included in our sample came from different majors and years, so we have no
reason to expect the sample is biased in any way.
Another opportunity to extend this method comes in the learning materials
themselves. Other textbook write-ups, other online sources, and even other
video clips could be useful. We have been using the materials presented here
because of the success we have experienced with them, but we are also aware
that pop culture sources can have shelf-lives and more current sources may
be available and just as useful.
Finally, the method presented here is offered as a stand-alone module
for use in many different types of courses. As with any skill development,
integrating the skill across a curriculum and embedding it into the culture
of the learning environment would bolster its effectiveness (Bloch &
Spataro, 2014).
Conclusion
Listening is a critical part of communication. The method, tools, and analyses
presented here demonstrate how focusing on both sides of the communica-
tion exchange—both presentation and intake of information—will enhance
management communication skills in ways that are appealing to both schools

and employers. Active listening is a skill that brings necessary balance to the
communication exchange and therefore warrants direct attention and creative
approaches in our teaching.
Appendix A
Listening Styles Inventory
The following items relate to your listening style. Click on the appropriate
responses. Please be candid.
1. I want to listen to what others have to say when they are talking.
a. Almost always b. Often c. Sometimes d. Seldom e. Almost never
2. I do not listen at my capacity when others are talking.

3. By listening, I can guess a speaker’s intent or purpose without being

told.
4. I have a purpose for listening when others are talking.

5. I keep control of my biases and attitudes when listening to others

speak so that these factors won’t affect my interpretation of the
message.
6. I analyze my listening errors so as not to make them again.

7. I listen to the complete message before making judgments about what

the speaker has said.
8. I cannot tell when a speaker’s biases or attitudes are affecting his or

her message.
9. I ask questions when I don’t fully understand a speaker’s message.

10. I am aware of whether or not a speaker’s meaning of words and con-

cepts is the same as mine.
Interpretation (LSI)
Active (45-50). The active listener gives full attention to listening when others
are talking and focuses on what is being said. This person expends a lot of
energy participating in the speaking–listening exchange, which is usually
evidenced by an alert posture or stance and much direct eye contact.
Involved (38-44). The involved listener gives most of his or her attention to
the speaker’s words and intentions. This person reflects on the message to a
degree and participates in the speaking–listening exchange. The involved lis-
tener practices some direct eye contact and may have alert posture or stance,
although this may be intermittent.
Passive (28-37). The passive listener receives information as though being

talked to rather than as being an equal partner in the speaking–listening
exchange. While assuming that the responsibility for the success of the com-
munication is the speaker’s, this listener is usually attentive, although atten-
tion may be faked at times. The passive listener seldom expends any
noticeable energy in receiving and interpreting messages.
Detached (0-27). The detached listener withdraws from the speaking–listen-

ing exchange and becomes the object of the speaker’s message rather than its
receiver. The detached listener is usually inattentive, disinterested, and may
be restless, bored, or easily distracted. This person’s noticeable lack of enthu-
siasm may be marked by slumped or very relaxed posture and avoidance of
direct eye contact.
The listening inventory gives a general idea of preferred listening style,
how a person views themselves. The scores indicating styles are approxima-
tions and should be regarded as such. A person may change listening style
when responding to a given situation or their interests, intentions, or objec-
tives. Such factors may be either internally or externally derived.
Notes. The questionnaire has two questions that are reversely ordered. What
that means is that all questions are graded on a scale of 5 (almost always) to 1
(almost never). Except Questions 2 and 8, which are graded just the opposite
1 (almost always) and 5 (almost never). The number is assigned to each of the
10 questions depending on the choice selected 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. The individual
score is simply added up—total of 50 points. The total points that a person
achieves is the compared with the chart that describes their listening style.
Adapted from Pearce, C. G., Johnson, I. W., & Barker, R. T. (2003).
Assessment of the listening styles inventory: Progress in establishing reli-
ability and validity. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 17,
84-113. doi:10.1177/1050651902238546. Used with permission.
Appendix B
Listening Self-Inventory
This exercise is designed to help you review and describe your typical listen-
ing style. Read each question carefully and choose one of the five answers
listed. Then read the explanation about scoring at the end of the exercise.
1. Research suggests that you think four times faster than a person usu-
ally talks to you. Do you use this excess time to turn your thoughts
elsewhere while you are keeping track of the conversation?
a. No
b. Sometimes
c. Usually
d. Yes
e. Don’t know/unaware
2. Do you listen for the feelings behind facts when someone is

speaking?
a. Almost always
b. Most of the time
c. Not as much as I should
d. Almost never
3. Do you generally talk more than listen in an interchange with some-

one else?
a. No
b. Sometimes
c. Usually
d. Yes
4. When you are puzzled or annoyed by what someone says, do you try
to get the question straightened out immediately, either in your own
mind or by interrupting the speaker?
a. No
b. Sometimes
c. Usually
d. Yes
5. If you feel that it would take a lot of time and effort to understand
something, do you go out of your way to avoid hearing about it?
a. Seldom
b. Sometimes
c. Often
d. Very frequently
6. Do emotions interfere with your listening?

a. No
b. Sometimes
c. Usually
d. Yes
7. Do you deliberately turn your thoughts to other subjects when you

believe a speaker will have nothing particularly interesting to say?
a. Seldom
b. Sometimes
c. Often
d. Very frequently
8. When someone is talking to you, do you try to make him/her think

you’re paying attention when you are not?
a. Seldom
b. Sometimes
c. Often
d. Very frequently
9. When you are listening to someone, are you easily sidetracked by

outside distractions (people and events)?
a. Seldom
b. Sometimes
c. Often
d. Very frequently
10. Do you listen carefully to the opinions of others, though you may
intend to take exception to something later on?
a. Almost always
b. Most of the time
d. Almost never
11. When listening to someone who speaks with an accent, do you make
a greater effort to concentrate on what the person is saying?
a. Almost always
b. Most of the time
d. Almost never
12. When you are listening to someone speak, do you make a conscious
effort to make and keep ye contact with the speaker?
a. Almost always
b. Most of the time
d. Almost never
Scoring. If most of your answers were (a) or (b) you probably possess good
listening skills and the ability to concentrate and to recognize the speaker’s
emotions. If most answers were (c), (d), or (e), you need to develop these
characteristics more fully.
From Lambert, J., & Myers. S. (1994). Listening self-inventory. In 50
activities for diversity training (pp. 127-128). Amherst, MA: HRD Press.
Used with permission.
Appendix C
Active Listening Materials
“The Best Advice I Ever Got” (Chiquet, 2008): Harvard Business
Review, 86(11), 30. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2008/11/the-best-
advice-i-ever-got-maureen-chiquet-global-ceo-chanel. This article sum-
marizes a young retail manager’s experience with the importance of
active listening.
“Active Listening in a Job Interview” (Menzel, 2010): Retrieved from

https://brittanymenzel.wordpress.com/2010/05/05/active-listening-in-a-
job-interview/. This is a college student’s blog post discussing applica-
tions of active listening in a job interview.
“Active Listening—Hearing What People Are Really Saying” (Mindtools.

com, 2016): https://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/ActiveListening.
htm. This is a brief article, which includes a short video, about what com-
prises active listening.
“How to Listen When Your Communication Styles Don’t Match”

(Goulston, 2013, October 9). Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from
https://hbr.org/2013/10/how-to-listen-when-your-communication-styles-
dont-match. This article talks about how to actively listen to people with
different communication styles.
Everybody Loves Raymond U.S. television series: clips from “Father

Knows Least” (Season 2, Episode 2)—see Appendix D for details.
Appendix D
Description of Everybody Loves Raymond Clips From “Father
Knows Least” (Season 2, Episode 2)
The beginning of the episode shows Raymond and his wife Debra having
trouble getting their 6-year-old daughter Allie to behave. They try using
threats and punishment, but nothing works. They then decide to attend a par-
enting class. Throughout the episode, Raymond and Debra are shown strug-
gling to employ active listening, indicating how challenging it can be, but
also demonstrating how effective it can be when it is successful. The scenes
that deal most specifically with active listening are described below, along
with the time markings in the episode on the DVD.
•• Role-playing active listening in a parenting class (7:00-11:00). During

their first session of the parenting class, Raymond and Debra describe
the problems they are having with their daughter. The instructor then
introduces the concept of active listening and engages Raymond in a
role-playing exercise; the instructor plays the role of the stubborn
daughter, while Raymond struggles to get her to agree to attend a fam-
ily event. The instructor then assigns Debra and Raymond to practice
active listening outside of class.
•• Using active listening with adults (14:40-18:05). This scene shows
Raymond fulfilling his assignment by employing active listening strat-
egies with his parents to resolve an argument they are having about
how they treat each other. By prompting both of his parents to explain
how they feel, Raymond helps them better understand that they need
to show more appreciation for each other. Raymond is astounded to
see active listening work.
•• Using active listening with a child (18:20-20:25). Immediately after
his success with his parents, Raymond goes home and walks into an
argument Debra is having with their 6-year-old daughter Allie, who
has just destroyed a toy belonging to one of her baby brothers.
Raymond encourages Debra to try active listening strategies.
Reluctantly, she calms down and agrees, asking Allie questions while
Raymond coaches. Debra struggles, and ultimately Raymond inter-
venes and again experiences success with active listening, as Allie
explains that she is feeling ignored because the toy was once hers, and
it was given away without her permission. Raymond and Debra
acknowledge this was a mistake on their part, and Allie offers to try to
fix the toy. Raymond is proud to see that he has again successfully
resolved a situation using active listening (Schneider & Lessac, 1997).
Appendix E
Rubric for Scoring Active Listening Exercises.
Learning objective Excellent—4 Good—3 Fair—2 Unacceptable—1

1. Describe specific Clearly identifies Adequate reference Vague reference to Fails to identify an
behaviors that comprise active listening to active listening an active listening active listening
active listening. strategies from strategies from the strategy strategy
the assigned assigned materials
materials
2. Recognize contexts Clearly identifies Identifies both an Identifies either an Fails to identify either
where active listening is a context where applicable context applicable context or an applicable context
applicable and use it in active listening and an appropriate an appropriate use of or an appropriate use
situationally appropriate is applicable and use—lacks some active listening, but of active listening
ways. describes its detail or clarity not both
appropriate use
3. Identify ways of, and Clearly identifies Identifies use of Makes vague reference Fails to identify
feel confident about, use of active active listening to using active ways for using and
using and continuing to listening in work in work/personal listening in the continuing to develop
develop active listening or personal life in life—lacks some future—but with few active listening skills
skills in the future. the future detail or clarity specifics in the future
27
Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research,
authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publi-
cation of this article.
ORCID iD
Janel Bloch http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8135-1256
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"Can You Repeat That?" - Teaching Active Listening in Management Education

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748696

Sandra E. Spataro1 and Janel Bloch1

1Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY, USA

learning goal by fewer than 15% of AACSB-accredited schools, while 76%

Active Listening in Management Education

As Zembylas and Michaelides (2004) say of the importance of giving value

Teaching Active Listening

additional obstacle to teaching active listening in a formal curriculum is the

Based on these two tenets of teaching active listening—making the learn-

A Method for Teaching Active Listening in

1. Describe specific behaviors that comprise active listening.

learning platforms. Our method is composed of four parts: initial self-

Self-Assessment of Listening Styles

In an online class, these activities are, of course, completed exactly when

Materials, Texts, and Videos

Active Listening Exercise

•• Description of an incident where they applied active listening in their

•• Explanation of how they envision using active listening in the future

To provide additional deliberate practice to further students on the path

Reassessment of Listening Styles

Analysis and Results

Learning Objective 1: Describe Specific Behaviors That Comprise Active Listening.

Table 1. Percentage Scores According to Learning Objectives Rubric.

Learning objective Excellent Good Fair Unacceptable

active listening. One representative response demonstrates how a student

Thinking back to my reading of Mark Goulston’s article “How to Listen When

Learning Objective 2: Recognize Contexts Where Active Listening Is Applicable and

Still another student described using active listening in a customer service

Listening is a vital component of communication. As such, I will continue to

I realized that actively listening isn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. By

As the combination of quantitative and qualitative results reviewed above

Furthermore, the method introduced here works on multiple platforms,

exercise distinctly advances learning objectives, more exercises and feed-

Limitations and Opportunities for Further Development

management communication skills in ways that are appealing to both schools

2. I do not listen at my capacity when others are talking.

3. By listening, I can guess a speaker’s intent or purpose without being

4. I have a purpose for listening when others are talking.

5. I keep control of my biases and attitudes when listening to others

6. I analyze my listening errors so as not to make them again.

7. I listen to the complete message before making judgments about what

8. I cannot tell when a speaker’s biases or attitudes are affecting his or

9. I ask questions when I don’t fully understand a speaker’s message.

10. I am aware of whether or not a speaker’s meaning of words and con-

Passive (28-37). The passive listener receives information as though being

Detached (0-27). The detached listener withdraws from the speaking–listen-

2. Do you listen for the feelings behind facts when someone is

3. Do you generally talk more than listen in an interchange with some-

6. Do emotions interfere with your listening?

7. Do you deliberately turn your thoughts to other subjects when you

8. When someone is talking to you, do you try to make him/her think

9. When you are listening to someone, are you easily sidetracked by

“Active Listening in a Job Interview” (Menzel, 2010): Retrieved from

“Active Listening—Hearing What People Are Really Saying” (Mindtools.

“How to Listen When Your Communication Styles Don’t Match”

Everybody Loves Raymond U.S. television series: clips from “Father

•• Role-playing active listening in a parenting class (7:00-11:00). During

Learning objective Excellent—4 Good—3 Fair—2 Unacceptable—1

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

Janusik, L. A. (2010). Listening pedagogy: Where do we go from here? In A. D.

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