8.1 –Use Active Listening Skills
Purpose & Context
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) allow clients to express themselves freely without interruption and without fear of being judged. CDPs use active listening to gather the information they need to gain an understanding of client’s needs.
Effective Performance
Competent career development professionals must be able to:
- P1. Give undivided attention, e.g. limit distractive behaviours, listen with minimal talking
- P2. Use verbal and non-verbal cues to demonstrate understanding, e.g. nod, smile
- P3. Observe non-verbal cues of speaker, e.g. fidgeting, flushed skin, facial expressions, nail biting
- P4. Respond to non-verbal cues, e.g. encourage client to talk freely, take a relaxed sitting position the speaker islikely to mirror
- P5. Listen without interruption, e.g. allow speaker to finish each point before asking questions
- P6. Acknowledge views and beliefs expressed, e.g. use positive statements, recognize feelings and emotions
- P7. Seek clarification and understanding where needed:
- Ask open-ended questions
- Ask probing questions
Knowledge & Understanding
Competent career development professionals must know and understand:
- K1. Barriers to effective listening, e.g. background noise
- K2. Impact of differences between sender and receiver, e.g. language skills, values, cultures, life experiences
- K3. Verbal, non-verbal and paraverbal communication
Contextual Variables
Competent career development professionals must be able to perform this competency in the following range of contexts:
The ease of providing a distraction-free space may vary based on environment where exchange occurs.
Glossary & Key References
Terms
Industry-specific terms contained in the standard defined here, where applicable.
Paraverbal: messages transmitted through the manner in which words are spoken, e.g. tone, pacing, pitch
Information Sources and Resources for Consideration
Context Rating Scales
Criticality
Q: What is the consequence of a professional being unable to perform this skill according to the standard?
Frequency
Q: How frequent and under what conditions is this skill performed?
Level of Difficulty
Q: Under routine circumstances, how would you rate the level of difficulty in performing this skill?
Time Required to Gain Proficiency
Q: What is the average length of time or number of repeated events that are minimally necessary for an individual to become proficient in performing the skill to the standard?
A career development professional uses active listening skills in all interactions and seeks advice and guidance on how to enhance communication on a regular basis.
Autonomy
Practitioners typically perform this competency without supervision, and alone.
Automation
It is unlikely that this competency will automate.