Listening properly to the person
Featured in the Managing the Poor Performer training manual
By
Category: Performance Management
Credit price: 2 download credits (Single user)
Much of the difficulty in handling poor performers comes from the fact that we rarely listen to what they have to say. We pronounce them as ‘poor performers’ and leave it at that, apart from occasionally trying to find further evidence to reinforce our judgement. Even if we do listen to what they have to say, it is only the exceptional manager who hears what is behind the words, interpreting gesture and silence in a positive way. Quite often poor performers feel under threat of discipline or redundancy or just making the manager angry, and so they are apt to hide what they really want to say. However, to the perceptive listener all is not hidden. The words themselves often reveal more than their strict definition, and body language can emphasise or detract from their meaning. The choice of expression can, to the skilled interpreter, reveal the degree of will to take action in the speaker.
A detailed introduction sets the scene for an almost completely participative training activity. There is no theoretical input, and it is the participants themselves who provide the final ‘clues’ to the interpretation of the three levels of listening.
Who is it for: This training resource is intended for use by trainers to provide participants with the key skill of performance improvement, that of listening to the poor performer on three levels.
| Resource Type: | Activity |
| Min Group Size: | 4 |
| Max Group Size: | 20 |
| Typical Duration: | 00:55:00 |
| No of Pages: | 8 |
Resources: View standard resources for Fenman training activities
Purpose: This training resource is intended for use by trainers on programmes dealing with managing the poor performer, interpersonal skills, communication skills, and initial management skills training
Download the training activity, Listening properly to the person as featured in the Fenman training manual; Managing the Poor Performer