Steven Ash, “The Career Doctor” developed this listening test. It is a great way to see where you rate as a listener. Good luck!
Give yourself 4 points if the answer to the following questions is Always; three points for Usually; two points for Rarely; and one point for Never.
__ Do I allow the speaker to finish without interrupting?
__ Do I listen “between the lines”; that is for the subtext?
__ When writing a message, do I listen for and set down the key facts and phrases?
__ Do I repeat what the person just said to clarify the meaning?
__ Do I avoid getting hostile and/or agitated when I disagree with the speaker?
__ Do I tune out distractions when listening?
__Do I make an effort to seem interested in what the other person is saying?
Scoring
26 or higher – You are an excellent listener
22-25 – Better than average score
18 – 21 room for improvement
17 or lower – Get out there right away and start listening
How did you measure up?
“Listening requires giving up our favorite human pastime, involvement in
ourselves and our own self-interest.”
– Sonya