7.

Delegator – self inventory

You the Delegator - A Self Inventory
This is a self-evaluation inventory. It doesn't try to cover
everything about your delegating skills, but is intended as
a checklist to help you spot areas needing improvement in
the important art of delegation
Please respond to the statements as thoughtfully and
objectively as you can. Score yourself on each statement
by circling one of the four numbers to the right. Interpret
the numbers this way:
 
4 = I'm doing exceptionally well
3 =I'm doing pretty well, but there is room for improvement
2 = I'm doing "so-so" and could improve quite a bit
1 = I need a great deal of improvement
Communication – break down barrier
 Sharpening listening skill
Listening is good business. Almost everything
learned in a lifetime is learned through the eyes
and ears. It was stated previously that a manager
spends a major portion of the day communicating.
Approximately half of this time is spent listening
to others. It is interesting to note that there is
considerably less formal training in listening than
any of the other communication skills, yet most
communication time is spent in listening.
It has been said, repeatedly, that people ought to listen
more. However, until the value of such activity becomes
apparent, people will continue to act the way they
always have. Here are some of the values of good
listening:
1. Listening can reduce tension -giving the other person
the chance to get a problem or viewpoint out in the
open may help to "clear the air'' of tension and hostility.
2.  People can learn by listening- learning can be achieved
about the subject being discussed, or about the person
speaking. What is learned can be increased if people do
the following:
 
 
a. Listen beyond words to meaning
b. Listen for the facts behind the words, ideas
c. Listen for answers to questions asked
d. Listen to the context of what is being said
e. Listen to the person who says it (considering emotions,
intelligence, temperament, skill with words, ieaction habits,
etc.)

3. Listening can win friends -speakers will like persons who let
them talk and listen attentively to them while they express
themselves.
4. Listening may solve the problem for the other person -giving
a person a chance to talk through problems may:
– Clarify thinking about the subject
– Provide necessary emotional release
5. Listening helps solve mutual problems and resolve
disagreements -it is impossible to agree or disagree
intelligently with another person until their point of view is
understood. Only when understanding takes place can people
cooperatively seek solutions to their problems.
6. Listening leads to better work and cooperation from others
-when people feel that another person is really interested in
them and their problems, thoughts, and opinions, they
respect not only that person but also the organization that the
person represents. They are inspired to cooperate with the
interested listener.
7. Listening can stimulate speakers- eager, alert, active listening
helps speakers do a better job of presenting their ideas.
8. Listening helps professional managers make better decisions
-through listening, managers can draw upon the experience of
the people who also work in the same area, thus helping to
develop better judgments and uncover additional facts.
9. Listening can help individuals do a better job- by asking
questions and listening to people they work with or work for,
managers may receive suggestions as to how they can do a
better job of managing.
10. Listening can help to sell -by asking the right questions of
people, and then LISTENING, one can help to sell ideas. For
example: 
– What advantages can you see in doing the job this way?
– If you were to try to tell another person the best feature of
this policy, what would you say?
– What are the best ways we could get such a program
started in this area? 
11. Listening can prevent trouble -frequently when managers
open a conversation before listening to the other person in the
discussion, they compromise themselves, make decisions
which they later wish they could withdraw, state criticism they
later regret, or commit themselves to actions they can't or
won't carry out. LISTEN -then speak.
12. Listening can provide self-confidence -if mangers follow the
trend of a discussion, they can be confident that what they say is
relevant. If they listen to and understand the opponent's
arguments, they can be confident of accurate rebuttal. If they
listen, they can spot loopholes in the other person's argument and
gain confidence in their own cases. If they listen, they will be more
confident that their report of the discussion will be more accurate
than the report of most others.
13. Listening can increase a person's enjoyment- good listening can
increase a person's enjoyment of a play, a movie, a lecture, or a
television program. In addition, it may help to develop better
standards for all that the person hears.
14. Listening can provide time to think -the average speaking rate
is about 125 words per minute (speech speed) and a person's
capacity to listen is about 400-SOO words a minute (thinking
speed). Thus, while you are listening, about 75% of your time is
free. You can use this extra time not only to improve your
understanding of what is being said, but also to think up answers,
make decisions, and plan actions to be suggested. At times you
TEN HABITS OF A POOR LISTENER AND HOW TO OVERCOME
Managers in a listening situation may from time to time succumb
to one of the following habits characteristic of a poor
listener. If this occurs, we must actively attempt to overcome
the habit as indicated.
1. Tendency to think the subject is uninteresting.
How to overcome -a good listener says "what can I use here?"
and finds an area of interest. This positive attitude causes us to
listen to what is being said, not who is saying it. Tune in on
personal pronouns used by the speaker (''we", "you", "us",
"our") -words that serve as a cue to personal interest.
2. Tendency to think critically of the speaker's delivery
How to overcome -a good listener judges content, not
delivery. When verbal instructions or directions are given,
repeat them mentally to yourself. In doing this you'll be able
to withhold evaluation until comprehension is complete
(hear the person out before judging). 
3. Getting over-stimulated
How to overcome -a good listener is open-minded and doesn't become
overwrought by what is heard. Give the speaker a chance to finish and
try to understand completely. Check your instinct to seal your ears
when you hear words opposed to your view or which arouse your ire.
4. Tendency to listen for facts (causes the listener to overlook the main
idea)
How to overcome -a good listener listens primarily for ideas since facts
make sense only when supporting a principle. When you as a listener
concentrate on these main ideas you'll be amazed at how well you will
remember the supporting facts. Keep searching for and screen out
worthwhile ideas you can use, even if the subject at first seems dull
and the speaker has an unpleasant personality. To be a good listener,
keep your mind alert and develop your listening ability by asking
yourself, "Is the speaker saying something new I should know about?
Will his proposal work?" If you consider the speaker a downright bore,
you would do well to remember the advice of G.K. Chesterton who
said, ''There is no such thing as an uninteresting subject: there are only
uninteresting people."
5. Attempting to outline (using the same format)
everything that is said
How to overcome -a good listener is flexible in note
taking and outlining. Adapt it to the way the speaker
organizes the speech, so that it makes sense. All
speakers do not use the same method of
organization.
6. Pretend to be listening
How to overcome -In the act of listening, you the
listener must do more than simply let sound waves
enter your ears. Hence, in a conversation, try to
contribute by adding comments and experiences to
support points or clarify ideas.
 Becoming self-involved in face-to-face listening allows a listener to
absorb new ideas or suggestions for later use. Similarly, at a
conference, be an active participant by asking for information,
offering sound suggestions, and drawing conclusions. To the
familiar saying ''Think on your feef' should be added ''Think in
your seat."
 To give a speaker conscious and courteous attention, a good
listener should maintain good eye contact. Eye contact also
increases learning, attention span, and the interest level of both
speaker and listener. You can show the speaker you are interested
simply by proper posture and appropriate facial expression.
Further, avoid irritating the speaker by trying to do other mundane
chores while seemingly listening to the speaker -or sending other
negative nonverbal signals such as nail cleaning, thumbing
through notes, reading other material, and foot tapping. The
speaker will invariably express ideas more clearly and
enthusiastically if listeners are truly listening.
7. Tolerating or creating distractions
How to overcome -Don't let your mind wander, but concentrate
100% on what is being said and how you can use it. When
distractions occur, consciously block them out. If you're alone
with the speaker, encourage privacy, move closer to the
speaker, and interrupt only to clarify a point.
8. Avoiding difficult, expository, or technical material
How to overcome -a good listener seeks difficult, thought-
provoking material. Exercise your mind by listening to
informative as well as entertaining programs. When a speaker
attempts to avoid difficult material, a good listener will seize
the initiative in asking tactful, relevant, stimulating questions.
9. Letting emotional blocks enter the mind
How to overcome- a good listener remains objective, open-
minded and keeps on guard against words which will cause
emotions to rise.
10. Wasting the differential between speech-speed
and thought-speed
How to overcome - people have a natural tendency to
''tune--ouf' speakers because they are thinking several
times faster than the speaker is speaking. A good
listener should capitalize on this thought-speed by
doing the following:
– Anticipate the next point to be made by the speaker
•  

– Weigh the speaker's evidence

•  

– Mentally question and restate the speaker's comments

•  

– Listen for unusual emphasis in the conversation. Is there

any special meaning in the speaker's voice inflection? What
about gestures? Body movements? Facial expressions? Do
they have any significance?
COMPREHENDING IDEAS WHEN LISTENING
You can comprehend ideas and listen effectively by:
1.  Focusing your attention on what is being said.
2. Capturing and framing what has been said in
your own words.
– Repeat the gist of the idea in your own mind.
•  

– Investigate the reason behind the statements or

remarks of another person.
•  

– Become actively involved in listening. As soon as you

listen passively rather than actively, you tune out the
speaker.
3. A person can also learn to listen effectively by
separating the main point from material which
supports it. The following definitions should help
identify a major point, minor point, and supporting
material:
– A major point is the overall idea or theme of the
communication
•  

– A minor point is a point which further clarifies a major

point. They are actually points in themselves which
enlarge or develop a major point.
•  

– Supporting material is either statements of fact,

assumptions, or ideas that are strictly used for purposes
of illustration or explanation. That is, examples, instances,
statistical data, explanations, quotations, or visual aids.
• Removing Listening Blocks Caused by Feelings
• Feelings can be as important as facts. How you feel when you
are listening, as well as how the speaker feels when talking,
influences listening. It is not only the ideas that the listener and
the speaker talk about, but how the listener and the speaker feel
about these ideas that is important. Feelings include:
– Attitudes- a predisposition or a readiness to react in a certain
way.
– Emotions -reactions to attitudes and stimuli.
• Information -an outside stimulus. When listeners become very
emotionally involved in the situation, the following things
happen:
– There is difficulty in thinking clearly
– Listening ability is adversely affected
– There is difficulty in hearing correctly
– We can get very excited and fail to say what we mean when
we have an opportunity to speak.
• As people become more and more emotionally involved in a
situation, listening ability decreases. They cease to hear and do
not understand. If they learn to keep their emotions in balance,
they can become much more effective listeners.
• The generally accepted basic emotions are love, hate, fear, and
anger. The things which bring these out in the individual are
certain words, people, situations, and actions.
• If you are to listen effectively, you will have to try to recognize
your feelings and consider the feelings of others. To do this,
become as objective as possible when listening.
• Removing listening blocks caused by feelings is not always easily
accomplished. Professional managers have learned that the
following organized approach to developing a listening climate
produces results superior to a haphazard, disorganized
approach. As a speaker, you can create a listening climate within
yourself by:
• Taking your time -not answering immediately, especially if angry.
• Asking yourself how you feel about others
talking- do you like or dislike them personally?
Do you like or dislike what others are saying?
How have actions of others affected you in
previous situations? Are you being objective,
using empathy?
• Concentrating on the meaning of what is said.
• A speaker can create a listening climate in other
people by:
– Slowing them down - using a ''tilt" and accompany
the ''tilf' with a physical action (a "tilt" is a
distracting statement or action which throws the
listener slightly off-balance, reduces emotion, and
opens the listeners mind to reason). This technique
is a sudden break in the action of some kind and
requires tact and a good understanding of those
involved.
– Showing understanding of other person's feelings
(attempting to reduce the other person's emotion
by restating what was said to insure understanding)
• A listening climate can be established in groups
by using the following steps:
– Diagnose the reasons for differences of opinion.
– Get their attention (use a ''tilf' or slow them down)
– Calm them down
– Get them to a point of mutual understanding (that
is "Let's start from the beginning")
– lead them to the facts, ideas, or opinions
– lead them to a problem solving situation (transform
their differences into a problem solving situation by
asking "How can we use this information to reach
our objective?")
• If the few principles outlined above are applied, people
should gain in their ability to concentrate on what is
begin said, and be able to help others create a listening
climate so that what they say will be better understood.
• Developing latent listening skills is difficult, but
rewarding. 
• By mastering the skill of listening, managers will become
more interesting speakers and others will derive more
from what they say. By recognizing and correcting any
poor listening habits that may be handicapping you, you
will inevitably find that it's possible to listen your way to
closer friendships, better relations with people, more
congeniality on the job, and other extra dividends in your
daily life.
SUMMARY
In order to sharpen your listening skills, keep the following main points
in mind.
• DETERMINE WHAT IS OF VALUE TO YOU PERSONALLY IN THE
SPEAKER'S PRESENTATION
– Select the important from the unimportant. Sift out the wheat from the chaff 
• ALWAYS LISTEN FOR CENTRAL IDEAS
– Train yourself to seek the main idea - key points.
• IDENTIFY AND DECREASE THE NUMBER OF YOUR PSYCHOLOGICAL OR
EMO­TIONAL DEAF SPOTS
– Isolate any important prejudices you may have which might serve to distort
your thinking.
• EXPLOIT THE ADVANTAGE OF THOUGHT SPEED OVER SPEECH SPEED
BY:
– Anticipation - Look ahead
– Discrimination -Evaluate and sift.
– Recapitulation -Summarize and review.
– Look for hidden meanings.
• It is possible for any of us to learn more by listening than may ever
be learned by reading or talking. 
LISTEN ACTIVELY -NOT PASSIVELY
• To be a good listener one must develop his or her concentration
-perhaps the most important aid to good listening. 
IT TAKES ENERGY TO LISTEN
• Being a good listener pays off in better understanding, closer
friendships, increased efficiency -perhaps even a salary increase.
• The art of listening remains one of the "most overlooked tools of
managemenf'. It is the least developed of our communication skills.
• If the few principles outlined in this section are applied, you should
gain in your ability to concentrate on what is being said, and be able
to help others to create a listening climate so that what they say will
be better understood.
• Developing latent listening skills is difficult, but rewarding. By
mastering the skill of listening, managers are bound to become
more interesting speakers as well as more effective listeners.