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I've found a great article: 'eigth barriers to effective listening'. Check it out on my blog: http://pierg.wordpress.com/2006/04/24/eight-barriers-to-effective-listen...

Ciao,
PierG

P.S. Mike and Mark ... we need a specific Forum on Communication: don't we?? :D

npatrick's picture

Thanks for providing an interesting article - I have to look at it, since I am a high "D" (but I don't have a "D" avatar).

mauzenne's picture
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I enjoyed that article immensely ... I'm also guilty, at one time of another, of almost all those behaviors. Ugh! :cry:

Good idea on a specific forum on Communication ... oh, look! It's done. :lol:

best regards,
Mike

Anonymous's picture

I agree - great article! Thanks for sharing, PierG.

Like Mike - I am guilty of the same. (Who isn't?)

CuCullin's picture

This is exactly why I appreciate this forum... this morning, my bosses and coworkers were discussing management, project management, and communications problems between disciplines within the company.

Now I'm not a manager, just a listener trying to be prepared for the future, but I noticed everything in that article in the meeting we had this morning. This, among many, many other reasons, is why we have an issue - thanks for the link! :)

Mark's picture
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CuCullin-

Thanks for showing appreciation for a fellow member. We agree - PierG rocks.

Mark

Anonymous's picture

Excellent article. Written well and applicable to a braod audience, as indicated at the end of the article.

Anonymous's picture

Here's a suggested team exercise to emphasis the importance of listening skills. I was subjected to this at a training course I attended. It was also a great ice-breaker and set the tone for the course ie team members must really listen to understand each other.

I have since used it in different settings - including at a team away day.

PREPARATION
a) Prepare five different card shapes that are irregular ie not a triangle, perhaps like a butterfly, but with slight variations. Make two of each 'shape'.
b) obtain enough eye coverings for the particpants

SETTING
a) At an away day with your team, split them into a group or groups of ten or thereabouts.
b) Ask each team to elect a leader
c) Explain to the leader/s that they will remain the only sighted member of the team, and that they can only answer 'yes' or 'no' to questions from their team
d) Hand the leader ( away from the other members of the team) the shapes, but with one missing
e) Explain to the team that the objective is, while blindfold, for them to identify which 'shape' is missing. They should NOT have sight of the shapes beforehand
d) They can ask questions of the sighted team leader. But the leader can only answer 'yes' or 'no'

PURPOSE
Without sight, the team learns that the only way of succeeding is to [u]really [/u]listen to other members of the team, to their descriptions of the shapes they are describing.

It gets really interesting if one team is pitted against another/s. The objective being to identiy the 'missing' shape as quickly as possible.

The outcome is usually a recognition that listening involves hearing and feedback to ensure understanding.

I hope you get the idea from my description. Feel free to seek further clarification. But the aim of doing the exercise is to have some fun with a team/s, BS learning that good listening provides deeper understanding.

US101's picture
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Another fun listening activity that is really fast but effective is the old "telephone game." You say one sentence to one person, they say pass it on the next and so on. When it comes back to you the sentence is almost always different.

Jon

Todd G's picture

Pier,

Great link. Thank you for sharing. It never ceases to amaze me about the talent and commonality we all have, even if we are a half a world apart.

I too am completely guilty of a few of these.

Thank you again my friend.

Ciao'