Effective Listening Strategies

1. From the interaction does it seem to you that Alan is actively listening? Why or why not?

From the interaction that I viewed of Alan it appears to me that he is not actively

listening. He is not engaged in what the employees are telling him, he does not react to what

he tells them. In the second interview he bluntly asked what the employee thought of his

own work, when the employee replied that he did not understand Alan’s point Alan did not

elaborate on the subject he then jumped to the fact that the man had been frequently absent

and late, when the man gave a very reasonable explanation for this Alan did not want to

discuss the man personal situation which was for the reasons for being late and absent.

2. Describe how Alan’s opening comments in the video (his view of his job) affect his approach to the performance reviews. Does Alan’s view of his job foster a negative or positive work atmosphere with his employees? Explain.

I think that Alan’s view of his job negatively affects the performance reviews and it does

foster a negative work environment. When each employee entered Alan’s office and began

to converse with him they looked uncomfortable and responded to his questions with

defensiveness and irritation. Another example is when the narrator stated that Gretchen had

left the company soon after her review and that Alan felt partially responsible shows that

Alan’s lack of confidence at his job is hindering his manager/employee relationships.

3. Identify specific comments by Alan that show he is either effectively listening to his employees or that he is not.

When Alan was interviewing Gretchen he had mentioned that she was too slow,

Gretchen replied that she takes the time to do quality work but she can work faster however it

would lead to less quality with her work. Alan’s reply was that he did not want to lose her

but she needed to work faster; it appeared that Alan was not interested in why...