Effective Listening

Sample Behavioral Indicators

• Uses open body language and appropriate eye contact while attending fully to the person speaking.
• Asks questions and paraphrases what is said to confirm understanding; avoids making assumptions or jumping to conclusions.
• Rarely interrupts others and allows silence while others are pausing to communicate.

Sample Behavioral-Based Interview Questions

• Describe a time you used effective listening skills to better understand what someone else was communicating.
• Tell us about a time you jumped to a conclusion or made an assumption and how you fixed the situation.
• Tell us how others would describe your listening skills.

Recommended Resources

• 10 Steps to Effective Listening [Blog post] (Clark). Forbes.com Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/womensmedia/2012/11/09/10-steps-to-effective-listening/#3d610d4a3891
• Effective Listening Online Course (Available through wyotraining.wyo.gov)