Back to Conflict Resolution

Active Listening

5 minutes 5 Questions

Active Listening in conflict resolution involves paying full attention to the speaker, and striving to understand their viewpoint completely, before responding. It entails acknowledgment of their emotions and feelings without any bias or judgment. By ensuring that the person feels heard and underst…

Test mode:
Start practice test
PMI-ACP - Active Listening Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Active Listening

Question 1

In a team discussion, Lisa notices that her team members seem disengaged when she is speaking. As a practice of active listening, Lisa should:

Correct Answer: Ask for feedback and check for understanding among the team members

Active listening is a fundamental value in teamwork and it consists of carefully listening to, understanding, and providing feedback to the speaker. In this situation, if Lisa finds her team members disengaged, she should ask for feedback and check their understanding of what she is saying. This practice of active listening is aimed at avoiding misunderstandings while ensuring that everyone on the team is on the same page. Ignoring their body language and continuing to speak, disregards the evidence that the team members may not be following the conversation. Speaking louder to attract attention is not effective if the problem is a lack of understanding or disinterest. Blaming the team members for not engaging does not solve the problem either, instead, it can create a hostile environment which is not suitable for effective teamwork.

Question 2

In a daily stand up meeting, Emily, the Scrum master, realizes that Alex, a talented developer, glazed over and lost focus when Bill, another team member, was explaining a complex problem. As part of active listening, what should Emily do next?

Correct Answer: Emily should encourage Alex to paraphrase and summarize what Bill said.

The best answer is 'Emily should encourage Alex to paraphrase and summarize what Bill said.' As a Scrum Master, Emily is expected to facilitate communication between team members. Encouraging Alex to paraphrase and summarize the discussion will ensure he is engaged and understands the issue. The other answers suggest either avoiding the issue or taking actions that could create a confrontational atmosphere in the team: ignoring the situation, taking over the conversation, or confronting Alex publicly, which are not appropriate based on the principles of Agile and Scrum.

Question 3

In a project review, Susan, a product owner, senses a disconnect between what she is articulating and her team's understanding. To promote active listening, what should Susan do?

Correct Answer: Susan should pause and ask probing questions to gauge the team's understanding and clarify any points of confusion.

The active listening process involves more than just hearing what's being said, it also includes understanding and responding. This is why the best course of action for Susan is to pause and ask probing questions to gauge the team's understanding and clarify any points of confusion. This encourages a two-way communication which creates a more productive environment. The other choices are flawed. Continually explaining and assuming the team will understand eventually doesn't necessarily involve the team in the conversation and can lead to more disconnect. Avoiding questions under the guise of appearing knowledgeable creates a barrier for open communication and can stall progress. Blaming the team for not paying enough attention neither fixes the communication disconnect nor promotes a healthy team dynamic.

More Active Listening questions
10 questions (total)
Start 10 question test