Question 1

With the first assessment, in which of the following categories (hearing /

understanding  / evaluating /  remembering / interpreting / responding) did you score
highest?  Lowest?

 
Your Answer:

I scored the highest in remembering and interpreting. I scored the lowest in evaluating. 
 
Question 2
Based on your results on  both of assessments, what would you consider to be your best
listening tendencies?  What evidence do you have in your life to support this assumption?

 
Your Answer:

I scored above average on listening and then the highest on remembering and
interpreting. 

I find that interesting because I do tend to forget sometimes at work, however, later on I
remember because I will be walking by what I was supposed to do, or I will have taken
notes and go back to them. I love leaving post it notes around the bar because it helps
me and the baristas to remember what needs to be done and what we discussed. I also
do think I have a lot to learn when it comes to listening because I find myself getting
distracted because I work in a Starbucks, and we wear headsets and then trying to
communicate can be hard. It can also be difficult when a barista wants to talk to me
when I am doing counting or trying to write something down. That is definitely when I
just nod my head and continue on my way. I need to work and telling them to hold on for
a second and then I can chat with them. 
 
Question 3
What would you consider to be your worst listening tendencies?  What evidence do you
have in your life to support this assumption? (Consider bad habits such as  pseudo
listening, selective listening, defensive listening, and stage-hogging, as well as other
listening  characteristics discussed in this module's learning materials, and comment on
your greatest listening challenges.)
Your Answer:

I think the understanding to listening and the selective listening to me are the biggest
challenges I have. I get distracted sometimes when someone is talking to me, and I tend
to kind of daydream because I feel the conversation going nowhere. This mostly
happens though when I am very tired. I try my best to get out of that state of mind, but
when I have been working nonstop, I cannot help it. I need to practice my listening skills
very much because it frustrates me that I do this. Also with understanding, I must ask a
lot of questions sometimes to make sure I remember what is being said. When I ask a
question, it makes the topic and then answer stick in my head better and then I can go
back to it later. I still need to work on my understanding of what someone is talking to
me about because the selective hearing ties into it all and makes it difficult. I do not
mean to have selective hearing, I just come in and out of conversations. 
 
Question 4
What listening qualities do you want to develop?  What actions, specifically, are you
willing to commit to taking right now to help you along with this goal?  Be specific and
connect with the learning materials from this module.  How will you hold yourself
accountable?  How will you measure your improvement?
Your Answer:

I want to work on my selective hearing and daydreaming during longer conversations

because it is so frustrating to me that I do that. It makes my understanding of the
conversation low and makes me ask more questions. I need to practice staying actively
involved and keeping myself busy and not allow my brain to check out. I also really want
to work on responding. Most of the time I do not have much to say, so I just respond
with, "okay," or,"mhmm." I need to work on that so much. I do think I will get better with
this over time. The more I work at Starbucks the more I see my listening and
conversation skills become better. Especially dealing with customers daily and talking
with pretty much everyone that comes in the cafe. I will be able to measure my
improvement on these because I have one on one meetings with my boss every couple
months and I can discuss these with her. We take notes on every meeting we have and
during the next meeting we can go over how I have improved my skills. 
 
Question 5
Which of the listening-related learning materials did you find most valuable?  Why?
Your Answer:

I found the textbook very informative because of all the new words and definitions I can
get from it. I keep them all written down in a notebook so I can go back to it easily. Also,
I found the "Listening Effectively" article valuable because of the assessment. It is
always interesting to answer all the questions and then see your results. Sometimes
you think you are going to get this certain score when you get a completely different
one. I like how it also talks about the three A's of listening and that effective listening is
about self-awareness. The three A’s are attention, attitude, adjustment. This is amazing
because it is easy to remember and think about when you are listening to someone. It
can make all the difference, especially for me because it can keep me actively listening
since I tend to have difficulties doing that.