Facilitative listening is a crucial skill needed in achieving success as an Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM). It is a process through which effective management and coordination of Scrum teams is facilitated, allowing the free flow of information, idea generation, and ensuring constructive interactions during meetings or events. For Scrum Masters aspiring to validate and demonstrate their advanced skills with an A-CSM certification, understanding and applying at least two facilitative listening techniques can significantly optimize better meeting outcomes.
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing is one of the most used facilitative listening techniques in a Scrum environment. As an Advanced Certified ScrumMaster, understanding your team’s viewpoints and making sure you have correctly interpreted their ideas is vital.
Paraphrasing involves repeating back what a team member says in your own words, allowing for clarification and avoiding any misinterpretation. This technique ensures that everyone within the team feels listened to and understood, fostering a robust and harmonious dynamic within the team.
For example, during a sprint planning meeting, a team member may suggest an idea or an approach to tackle a specific task. The Scrum Master may then paraphrase this suggestion saying, “Let me clarify to ensure I understand your proposal. What you’re suggesting is that we….. Is this correct?” This strategy is an effective way to confirm understanding and shows respect for team members’ input, fostering an environment of openness and trust.
Active Listening
Another crucial facilitative listening technique is active listening. In active listening, the Scrum Master listens intently to team members’ ideas, thoughts, or grievances while providing feedback, which ensures that ideas and thoughts are accurately captured and addressed.
With active listening, the Scrum Master does not just passively hear but shows interest and encourages the speaker using verbal and non-verbal cues like nodding, maintaining eye contact, asking open-ended questions and giving appropriate feedback. This serves as a tool for understanding the team, their needs, and their perspective on different issues.
Take, for instance, during a retrospective, a team member may share an issue affecting their performance. An active-listening Scrum Master will show empathy, ask probing questions for clarity, summarise the discussion, and eventually work with the team to find feasible solutions.
| Paraphrasing | Active Listening | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Repeat back what a team member says in your own words | Show interest and encourage the speaker using verbal and non-verbal cues |
| Utility | Avoid misinterpretation | Understand team needs and perspectives effectively |
| Example | During a sprint meeting, a team member suggests an approach to tackle a task. Scrum Master paraphrases the suggestion to ensure understanding | During a retrospective, a team member shares an issue. Scrum Master shows empathy and asks probing queries for clarity |
Both paraphrasing and active listening techniques can be highly beneficial to an A-CSM, improving the team dynamic, increasing mutual understanding, and cultivating a work environment that encourages open communication and collaboration. These are significant strides towards better coordinated and highly productive Scrum teams.
Practice Test
True or False: Paraphrasing is a facilitative listening technique that is not valid for an effective meeting.
- Answer: False
Explanation: Paraphrasing is actually a key facilitative listening technique as it helps ensure understanding and provides the speaker with the opportunity to clarify if misinterpretation occurred.
In the context of facilitative listening, what does the technique ‘Pause’ mean?
- a. Stop listening
- b. Briefly interrupt the speaker
- c. Allow moments of silence for reflection
- d. Leave the meeting
- Answer: c. Allow moments of silence for reflection
Explanation: Pausing in the context of listening means allowing moments of silence for the listener to reflect and think critically about what is being said. This improves the quality of the conversation.
Multiple Select: Which of the following are strategies for facilitative listening for effective meetings?
- a. Ignoring non-verbal cues
- b. Active paraphrasing
- c. Offering solutions immediately
- d. Using acknowledgement responses
- Answer: b. Active paraphrasing, d. Using acknowledgement responses
Explanation: Both active paraphrasing and using acknowledgement responses are crucial facilitative listening strategies to use in meetings. Ignoring non-verbal cues and offering immediate solutions can often hinder effective communication.
True or False: Giving direct advice is a facilitative listening technique.
- Answer: False
Explanation: Facilitative listening techniques focus on understanding and acknowledging, rather than offering solutions. Premature advice can shut down dialogue, while effective listening facilitates open conversation.
Facilitative listening techniques are ineffective in virtual meetings, True or False?
- Answer: False
Explanation: Facilitative listening strategies are just as effective virtually as they are in person. It’s about creating space for others to convey their thoughts fully, confirm understanding and promote thoughtful dialogue – this can occur in any setting.
What does “Reflection” mean as a facilitative listening technique?
- a. Repeating exactly what the speaker said
- b. Thinking about the topic in solitude
- c. Expressing the speaker’s feelings and thoughts in your own words
- d. Looking at one’s own appearance
- Answer: c. Expressing the speaker’s feelings and thoughts in your own words
Explanation: Reflective listening allows one to display empathy by expressing the speaker’s emotions and thoughts, helping them feel understood.
Multiple select: Facilitative listening involves:
- a. Speaking more than the speaker
- b. Encouraging the speaker
- c. Ignoring body language
- d. Reflective summarizing
- Answer: b. Encouraging the speaker, d. Reflective summarizing
Explanation: Encouraging and reflective summarizing are facilitative listening techniques. Speaking more than the listener or ignoring body language does not create space for understanding or empathy.
True or False: Facilitative listening should make the speaker feel judged.
- Answer: False
Explanation: Facilitative listening should make the speaker feel understood and unjudged, promoting openness and honesty.
Silence in facilitative listening means to:
- a. Ignore the speaker
- b. Let the speaker know they are boring
- c. Allow introspective moments within the conversation
- d. Signal disapproval
- Answer: c. Allow introspective moments within the conversation
Explanation: Silence is in fact powerful as a facilitative listening technique, providing space for deeper thinking and allowing emerging insights.
Offering well-intended advice contradicts facilitative listening. True or False?
- Answer: True
Explanation: Facilitative listening is about facilitating the speaker in reaching their own understanding or solutions, rather than offering direct advice or solutions.
Interview Questions
What are two facilitative listening techniques that can be applied for effective meetings/events in Scrum?
Two facilitative listening techniques that could be applied include “Active Listening” and “Mirroring.” These techniques involve hearing the speaker, understanding their message, and providing feedback.
What is the Active Listening technique in facilitative listening?
Active Listening is a technique that involves giving one’s full attention to the speaker, avoiding distractions, and providing responses that indicate understanding.
How can Mirroring be used as a facilitative listening technique in Scrum meetings/events?
Mirroring involves reflecting back to the speaker what they have communicated, often by rephrasing their words. This confirms to the speaker that their message is understood.
What is the importance of facilitative listening techniques like Active Listening and Mirroring in Scrum meetings?
Facilitative listening techniques play a crucial role in clear communication, problem solving, and team cohesion. These techniques ensure that all members’ thoughts and ideas are acknowledged and understood.
What is the role of an A-CSM in applying facilitative listening techniques in Scrum meetings/events?
The role of an A-CSM is primarily to ensure effective communication among the team members. They can guide and encourage team members to practice facilitative listening techniques like Active Listening and Mirroring to improve team collaboration and output.
What is the impact of not employing facilitative listening techniques like active listening and mirroring in Scrum meetings?
Without these techniques, there may be miscommunication, misunderstandings and aggrieved team members who feel their input isn’t valued or understood. This could lead to lower morale, conflicts, and reduced productivity.
How does Active Listening enhance the output of Scrum meetings/events?
Active listening improves understanding, fosters respect among team members, minimizes chances of miscommunication, and builds a conducive environment that is necessary for the creativity and collaboration needed in Scrum projects.
How can an A-CSM coach a team in facilitating listening techniques such as Active Listening and Mirroring?
An A-CSM can conduct workshops or training sessions, model the behavior during meetings, and give team members constructive feedback about their listening behaviours.
What behaviors should an A-CSM demonstrate when practicing Active Listening in Scrum meetings/events?
While practicing active listening, the A-CSM should make eye contact, avoid distractions, provide non-verbal cues of understanding, and paraphrase the speaker’s points to confirm understanding.
How does Mirroring contribute to conflict resolution in Scrum meetings/events?
Through mirroring, conflict is often avoided or diminished because it helps to confirm understanding and shows respect for the speaker’s view. This helps to clear misconceptions and ensures everyone is on the same page.
How can an A-CSM correct a team member that is not correctly applying Active Listening during Scrum meetings?
An A-CSM can privately provide feedback pointing out instances where the team member wasn’t fully engaged in the discussion, providing concrete examples, and giving practical tips for improvement.
How can utilizing Facilitative Listening techniques reduce waste in Scrum methodologies?
By ensuring that communication is clear and all team members’ perspectives are understood, facilitative listening techniques can reduce rework, eliminate misunderstanding-driven tasks, and help keep the team aligned and focused on the correct requirements.
How can one measure the effectiveness of the use of Facilitative Listening techniques in Scrum meetings/events?
The effectiveness could be measured in terms of team cohesion and productivity, fewer conflicts or misunderstandings, and the quality of ideas and solutions generated during discussions.
In what instances would active listening and mirroring be most useful in Scrum meetings/events?
Active listening and mirroring would be most useful during requirement discussions, problem-solving meetings, and retrospective meetings where feedback and ideas are being shared.
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