There's a difference between hearing vs listening – and most people don't realize which one they're actually doing.

Whether you're helping a customer choose between product A or product B, coaching an employee, or trying to resolve a dispute, listening is the foundational communication skill that can make or break the outcome.

Learning to Listen helps individuals understand the difference between hearing vs listening and develop the habits of highly effective communicators by exploring the three dimensions of listening: staying focused, capturing the message, and helping the speaker.

The Learning to Listen self-assessment is available in both online and print formats. Using one-on-one conversations as a frame of reference, individuals respond to 30 statements, choosing from a five-point scale of "almost always" to "almost never."

Results reveal an overall listening effectiveness score and sub-scores in three dimensions: staying focused, capturing the message, and helping the speaker. The inventory takes approximately 10 minutes to complete, and we recommend you allow about an hour for interpreting results.

By the end of this workshop, participants will:

• Determine listening effectiveness in three dimensions.
• Explore the visible and invisible aspects of listening.
• Learn what it takes both physically and mentally to listen.
• Understand common barriers to effective listening.
• Create a plan to put new skills into immediate action.
• Master the art of active listening in three dimensions.
• Discover the hidden dimensions of listening and the physical and mental processes involved.
• Recognize and overcome common barriers to effective listening.

Learning to Listen can be used as a standalone workshop on hearing vs listening. It can also be incorporated into broader training programs on topics such as:

• Communication
• Performance coaching
• Customer service
• Needs assessment
• Selling skills training
• Supervising
• Negotiating
• Giving and receiving feedback

Print Facilitator Guide

Order one guide per trainer. This detailed, step-by-step guide includes background information, assessment instructions, scripts, discussion questions, and activities. It also includes samples of the Paper Assessment, HRDQue Cards, and Workbook. Facilitator support materials will be available to you as a digital download link in your order confirmation.

Print Workbook 5-Pack

Order one pack for up to five participants. A comprehensive takeaway including critical content, worksheets, and forms used during the workshop, as well as additional tools for on-the-job use.

Print Assessment 5-Pack

Order one pack for up to five participants. The print version is ideal for facilitators who prefer to oversee the scoring and administration of the assessment if you don't know who the participants will be before the class begins or if your learners do not have easy access to computers. It includes pressure-sensitive forms for scoring to aid manual tabulation. The recently updated print assessment features a color interior and readability improvements to create a more engaging experience for learners.

Online Assessment

Order one online assessment credit per participant. The online assessment is administered to participants through the HRDQ Assessment Center and includes personalized reporting, full-color charts, interpretive information, worksheets, and action planning. A detailed report is delivered electronically to the facilitator/administrator when complete.

Poster

We recommend ordering one per trainer. Understand and master Learning to Listen with this illustrated poster demonstrating the different "Dimensions of Learning."

HRDQue Card 5-Pack

Order one pack for up to five participants. A reminder card for participants outlining the key takeaways from the workshop.

QuickStart Train-the-Trainer (QST)

New to facilitating this product? QST is a one-hour, one-on-one virtual coaching session with a subject matter expert who will get you fully prepared and confident before you step into the room. Add extra coaching hours as needed, by phone or video, on your schedule. Facilitators receive an HRDQ Certificate of Completion upon finishing the session.

Laurie Ribble Libove, MS, is a specialist in strategic human resource management and organizational development. She earned an MS from the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers University and a BS in Economics from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Ribble Libove served as a lecturer at the Haas School of Business at the University of California-Berkeley and an instructor in the MBA program at the Dominican University of California. She is the author and co-author of several HRDQ training tools, including Leading Change at Every Level, Trust: The Ultimate Test, and The Comprehensive Leader.

The Print Workbook has been refreshed to include revised terminology, a redesigned header and footer, and added color to key interior design elements for a cleaner, more polished experience for facilitators and participants alike.