Anticipate the objections that questioning and active listening will attract internally and answer them in advance.
Mastering the Art of Questioning and Active Listening
A practical programme in questioning and active listening for professionals who are accountable for results, not just awareness.
Course Overview
Most disputes about questioning and active listening begin as a conversation that was handled badly. People decide what active listening really means by watching who gets promoted. Every module pairs a short input on this aspect of people management and development with structured practice on the participant's own material. Participants gain a realistic view of what questioning and active listening costs and what it returns. Comparative studies of the people management and development capability across sectors find the same handful of failure points recurring. The version of active listening described in the manual and the version practised on the floor tend to diverge over time. The course gives participants a defensible structure for questioning and active listening and the judgement to adapt it. It is designed for mixed groups, so that active listening is examined from more than one functional angle. Participants leave with a plan for the wider people management and development agenda sized to what their organisation can realistically absorb.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Equip managers to hold the difficult conversations active listening requires.
Pilot changes to questioning and active listening before rolling them out organisation-wide.
Test the organisation's response to active listening under conditions that are less than ideal.
Distinguish the parts of questioning and active listening that must be standardised from those that require judgement.
Measure the effect of active listening on retention, performance and engagement.
Plan succession and continuity for the roles most exposed to questioning and active listening.
Who Should Attend
Human resources managers and business partners responsible for questioning and active listening.
Internal communications staff explaining active listening to the workforce.
Business partners who must understand questioning and active listening well enough to challenge it.
Managers of multi-site operations seeking consistency in active listening.
Reward and compensation staff whose frameworks interact with questioning and active listening.
Learning and development officers building capability in active listening.
Course Modules
Questioning and active listening: the manager conversation that decides the outcome
2 sessions · 8 pointsSession 1Appeals and grievances arising from questioning and active listening
- Set out how exceptions to questioning and active listening are requested and approved.
- Test the procedure for active listening against a realistic scenario.
- Measure the effect of questioning and active listening on retention and performance, not activity.
- Confirm records relating to active listening meet retention and privacy rules.
Session 2Applying active listening consistently to the person you like least
- Design the communication for questioning and active listening around the questions people will actually ask.
- Define acceptance criteria for active listening in advance.
- Review whether questioning and active listening is aligned with the objectives of the workforce.
- Remove steps in active listening that add effort without adding assurance.
Active listening: policy design and legal footing
2 sessions · 8 pointsSession 1Writing a policy on active listening a line manager can actually use
- Define who decides on questioning and active listening and who may only recommend.
- Test the policy on active listening against three real cases from the past year.
- Identify where judgement in questioning and active listening is legitimate and where it is not.
- Rank the weaknesses in active listening by consequence rather than by ease of fixing.
Session 2Testing active listening before relying on it
- Ask employees what questioning and active listening feels like from their side.
- Collect evidence on the present handling of active listening before proposing changes.
- Identify single points of dependency in questioning and active listening and reduce them.
- Map the handovers in active listening between functions and secure them.
Active listening: cost, benefit and workforce planning
2 sessions · 8 pointsSession 1The conversation about active listening managers most often avoid
- Script the difficult conversation questioning and active listening requires and rehearse it.
- Establish who is informed, consulted and accountable in active listening.
- Document the reasoning for every exception granted under questioning and active listening.
- Plan succession for roles most exposed to active listening.
Session 2The paperwork for questioning and active listening that is actually needed
- State the purpose of questioning and active listening in one sentence a new manager would understand.
- Plan the sequence in which improvements to active listening will be introduced.
- Pilot changes to questioning and active listening in one area before wider rollout.
- Set the annual review point for active listening and who attends.
Active listening: fairness, equity and consistency
2 sessions · 8 pointsSession 1Moving active listening from approval to execution
- Set the review interval for questioning and active listening and who attends.
- Distinguish symptoms from causes when active listening underperforms.
- Identify the data the organisation already holds that bears on questioning and active listening.
- Estimate the cost of active listening and the cost of leaving it unchanged.
Session 2Keeping records on active listening that are lawful and useful
- Arrange the handover of questioning and active listening so capability survives staff changes.
- Set the consistency check that catches uneven application of active listening.
- Build the appeals route for questioning and active listening and publish it.
- Confirm that reporting on active listening reaches the people who can act.
Choose the package that suits you
Silver Package
At least 3 people
- Workshop or Program Participation
- Airport Transfers
- Customized Badge
- Expert Mentorship (Private Sessions)
- Supervision & Secretarial Services
- Accredited Certificate of Participation
- Complete Training Kit
- Coffee Break
- Closing Ceremony
Gold Package
At least 3 people
- 5-night stay in a 5-star hotel
- Workshop or Program Participation
- Airport Transfers
- Customized Badge
- Expert Mentorship (Private Sessions)
- Supervision & Secretarial Services
- Accredited Certificate of Participation
- Complete Training Kit
- Coffee Break
- Closing Ceremony
Complete your registration
We will contact you within one business day to confirm.