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Listening, Understanding and Responding

General Competency

Definition

Listening, Understanding and Responding is the desire and ability to understand and respond effectively to other people from diverse backgrounds. It includes the ability to understand accurately and respond effectively to both spoken and unspoken or partly expressed thoughts, feelings and concerns of others. People who demonstrate high levels of this competency demonstrate an understanding of others, including cross-cultural sensitivity.

Behavioural Scales

Level 1

  • Listens carefully before responding.
  • Listens to what people say and responds accordingly.
  • Asks questions to clarify what is expressed.
  • Focuses on pertinent information.
  • Allows others to express opinions/views. 

Level 2

  • Puts self in others’ shoes to gain greater understanding.
  • Actively seeks to understand others by asking questions and reiterating the responses to check understanding before drawing conclusions or advocating own opinions.
  • Understands unspoken messages and adapts response accordingly. 

Level 3

  • Uses empathy to understand and reflect peoples’ perspectives.
  • Responds to people’s concerns in a proactive manner that promotes long-term solutions.
  • Understands why people behave in a certain way in given situations; accurately assesses root causes of individual’s behaviours. 

Level 4

  • Invites the contribution of information and ideas to help form decisions or plans.
  • Listens to and encourages differing opinions – is able to help others see things from a different perspective.
  • Facilitates effective interpersonal communication between teams or team members in order to impact overall effectiveness. 

Level 5

  • Displays an in-depth understanding of the ongoing reasons for a person’s behavior or responses.
  • Is able to anticipate and predict others’ reactions and uses that understanding to address concerns or issues.
  • Uses that understanding to plan for effective interactions and to foster long-term positive relationships. 

Level 6

  • Makes an assessment of group or individual strengths and weaknesses based on a deeper understanding of the individual or team dynamics at play.
  • Sets the organizational standard for listening and responding in order to foster a culture that is supportive and understanding of others.