Active Listening
The type of listening where you focus fully on the speaker, understand them, respond, and remember what was said.
Active Listening
This feedback model stands for Situation, Behavior, Impact.
SBI feedback
Body language, facial expressions, and gestures are all forms of _____ communication.
Nonverbal
What helps to have difficult conversations with the employee during difficult situations?
Separating the person from the issue.
Communication that flows from leadership down to employees is called this.
Downward communication
Restating what someone said in your own words to check you understood.
Paraphrasing
In leadership, feedback should focus on the person’s _____, not their personality.
Possible answers: work, behavior at work, performance at work
A leader says, “My door is always open,” but keeps checking their phone and barely looks up when staff come in. What message are the staff actually getting, and why?
That the leader isn’t really available or interested. When words and nonverbal behavior conflict, people tend to believe the nonverbal message.
The best setting for a difficult conversation: in public or in private?
In private
Leaders who share information openly and honestly are said to communicate with this quality.
Transparency
Is this question open or closed - “How did the meeting go from your perspective?”
Open question
The feedback approach that hides criticism between two compliments, often criticized for weakening the message.
The feedback sandwich
Unconsciously copying another person’s posture or gestures to build rapport.
Mirroring
Rather than putting off a difficult conversation, a leader should have it this soon.
As soon as possible (soon after the issue happens, once emotions have settled)
The leadership communication principle of making sure your message is the same across emails, meetings, and actions.
Consistency
Name two nonverbal signals that show you’re listening.
Any two of: eye contact, nodding, leaning in, an open posture, putting your phone away
Why should feedback be given as soon as possible after an incident?
The details are still fresh, it feels relevant, and the person can change course quickly.
When a leader’s words and body language don’t match, which one do people usually believe?
Body Language
Why should a leader prepare before a difficult conversation?
To clarify the goal, gather facts, anticipate reactions, and manage their own emotions.
Name two barriers to effective workplace communication.
Any two of: jargon, assumptions, distractions, emotions, cultural differences, information overload, poor listening
An employee says, “I’m swamped and nobody seems to notice.” What is the leadership skill we show in this situation?
Empathy
Rewrite this feedback using SBI: “You’re always unprepared.”
Something like: “In this morning’s project meeting (S), you didn’t have the budget figures ready (B), so we had to postpone the decision (I).”
Give one way nonverbal communication can be misread in a multicultural workplace.
Examples: eye contact can feel respectful in one culture and confrontational in another; gestures like a thumbs-up can mean different things; comfortable personal distance varies.
A team member gets emotional during a performance conversation. What should the leader do?
Pause, acknowledge the emotion with empathy, give the person time (offer a break if needed), and then calmly bring the conversation back to its purpose.
When announcing a major change, what three things should a leader explain to the team?
What is changing, why it’s changing, and how it will affect them (plus what support is available)