You may have heard the term “active listening.” If so, you know that a good listener is not distracted, makes eye contact, and gives the speaker their undivided attention. Active listeners might paraphrase the speaker’s words, such as, “I’m hearing you say, X,” or give verbal affirmation, such as, “I understand that you’re concerned about X.” Active listening can make the speaker feel at ease and valued by the listener.
Why Instructional Designers Need to Go Beyond Active Listening
When an ID listens actively during the design process, SMEs and other stakeholders feel heard and understood.
Indeed, all of these qualities of active listening are important to an instructional designer. When an ID listens actively during the design process, SMEs and other stakeholders feel heard and understood. With that said, a successful ID needs to expand active listening to the next level. The process of comprehensive listening is also called Listening to Learn. Active listening is mainly concerned with the speaker and ensuring that this person feels that their thoughts are valid and worthwhile.
The goal of Listening to Learn is focused on the listener and that person’s desire to fully comprehend the perspective and thought process of the speaker. While the listener still wants the speaker to feel valued, in Listening to Learn, the listener desires to gain insight into the speaker’s perspective. This is more than just listening to gain factual insight, such as you might see during a training, lecture, or TedTalk. Comprehensive listening is about being deeply empathetic to the speaker and wanting to connect with their thought process.
Listening to Learn: The Next Level
The key to Listening to Learn is asking open-ended questions. These open-ended questions will allow your speaker a platform to fully explain themselves while also allowing you, as the listener, the opportunity to truly tap into the speaker’s point of view. This skill is especially helpful for IDs as they manage the project while giving stakeholders a voice.
Think about it like this: You are sensing that your SME is frustrated that you cannot adopt the textbook they want for the course. You start with actively listening, telling him that you understand his concern about the use of the textbook. You then ask your SME to explain what it is about the textbook that he likes or why it is that particular textbook that he wants to use.
In another example, your SME might not be sticking to your timeline or filling out documents the way that you have requested. This can be frustrating for IDs and cause tension with SMEs. However, by asking open-ended questions with the desire to gain perspective, you, as the ID, can gain valuable insight into your SME’s thought process.
Open-Ended Question Examples
By asking your SME open-ended questions like, “Can you talk me through this section?” Or “Can you give me some insight into this part?” You can give yourself the chance to better understand the situation and the SME’s thoughts. It may help to break down larger project components into smaller ones. Ask, “Can you speak into your thought process on this assignment design?” rather than just, “Can you explain this section?” Always make sure to allow time for your speaker to respond and try to approach your speaker with an open mind and without bias. Remember, the goal is for you to learn and connect.
The key to Listening to Learn is asking open-ended questions.
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By employing Listening to Learn techniques, an Instructional Designer is better equipped with the information needed to move the project forward. IDs will be better able to identify root issues and help everyone on the project come to a consensus, with the added benefit of everyone feeling heard.
Written by Kristen Denlinger
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