How to Evaluate Effective Listening Skills

Evaluating listening skills requires knowing how to listen effectively.

Good listening skills result in better communication skills overall, for listeners and for speakers. Evaluating listening skills requires knowledge of what constitutes good listening--attention given to the speaker, active listening by note-taking, avoiding external distraction, body language and asking follow-up questions.

Things You'll Need

• Microsoft Excel

Instructions

1. Develop a spreadsheet, preferably with Excel, with five columns across the top and six down. Fill in listening criteria on the far left-hand columns. These boxes will contain the areas to be evaluated for listening.

2. Write in gradations across the top five columns, or boxes. Include a value or numeric scale in which to award credit for each area. If the first column is 1, for example, the next can be 2 or 3 or 4, with successive columns increasing for a total high score in the far right-hand column.

3. Fill in the criteria to be evaluated on the left. Include good listening skills such as paying attention to the speaker, body language, active listening through note-taking, listener focus and questions asked in follow-up. Each box should have one criteria area.

4. Fill in details about the extent to which each criteria was either met, not met or exceeded. The first criteria, for example, could be "Attention to the speaker" and would have in the number 4 box, "Paid full attention to the speaker; kept eyes on speaker at all times; nodded head as understanding was realized." Paying attention to and observing listeners will be vital to accurately evaluating their listening skills.

5. Fill in details appropriate to the score across the top. Number 3, for example, on "Attention to the speaker" will have less criteria met than number 4 with, "Paid some attention to the speaker; eyes wandered away occasionally; looked at the speaker 90 percent of the time." Each number down to 1 will have less criteria met, with number 1 having, "Paid no attention to the speaker; never looked at speaker; talked while speaker was speaking."

6. Fill in similar details for all other criteria areas. For example, number 4 for "Note-taking" would have, "Took careful notes and reviewed them afterward" or "Took notes and always returned to the speaker when finished."

7. Observe students as they listen and note behaviors on the rubric created, circling the area that represents the degree to which they listened or did not listen.

8. Review notes taken to ensure listeners remained focused on what was said. Also review questions written and asked in follow-up. These are all indicative of good listening--body language, note-taking and follow-up questions asked. Good body language involves looking at the speaker, hands placed on desk or on lap (no fidgeting), and nodding if something is agreed with. Poor body language involves fidgeting, looking away or appearing to be in a daze to indicate lack of attention. Note all of these behaviors when observing listeners.

9. Add up the scores for each box, and that is the listener's overall score. Compare that to the top score, or highest score possible by adding all of the highest boxes together.

References

• NCLRC: The Essentials of Language Teaching
• The Positive Way: Listening Skills Self-Evaluation

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish