What did you
(really) say?
Improving listening skills for
effective developmental
advising for ALL students
Jennifer Pierceall Herman
Pikes Peak Community College
Introductions
Jennifer Pierceall Herman
People come to be advisors from all types
of backgrounds—most without a
“counseling” or human services
backgrounds that include specific training
in helping & listening skills.
New advisors can benefit from learning
“micro-skills” of listening-- and seasoned
advisors can often use a refresher or learn
a new approach with students. New and
different challenges as years go on.
Participants will:
Understand how
intentionality and
use of listening
skills is important
for effective
academic
advising for all
populations of
students
Be able to
identify 5 “micro-
skills” (Listening &
attending skills)
GOALS FOR THIS
SESSION
Why important to advising? Developmental advising requires relationship
building.
Definitions of Advising & Developmental Advising
"Advising is a process in which advisor and advisee enter a dynamic relationship respectful of the student's concerns. Ideally, the advisor serves as teacher and guide in an interactive partnership aimed at enhancing the student's self-awareness and fulfillment." (O'Banion, 1972)
"...A systematic process based on a close student-advisor relationship intended to aid students in achieving educational, career, and personal goals through the use of the full range of institutional and community resources.” (Crookston, 1972).
Why important to advising?
“Relational Component“ is included as
1 of 3 major competencies areas for advisors
in NACADA’s “The New Advisor Guidebook”
Includes interviewing, communication and
referral skills; questioning techniques & active
listening
Skills/ competencies are expected to
improve from Year 1 in advising to Year 3 &
beyond
What is intentionality?
What are Microskills?
How can we use in advising?
NACADA’s New Advisor Guidebook cites the ability to
adeptly assess the best approach to use with students
depending upon situations, nuanced student
reactions, and cultural background.
The “Effective Communication Skills” chapter in The
New Advisor Guidebook also gives an advisor checklist
for listening, interviewing and referral skills.
“I encourage the student to do most of the talking by
using open-ended questions.”
“I give the student my complete attention.”
“I listen without criticism or judgement.”
“I allow the student to tell his or her story without
attempting to come up with a solution.”
What is intentionality?
What are Microskills?
How can we use in advising?
How do you teach advisors or learn exactly how to do this?
A checklist can be good, but sometimes worrying about covering everything on a checklist leads to less listening.
If an advisor builds listening & attending skills and uses them in an intentional manner in advising session, then they advising session will go in a way that is the most helpful and effective for that student—session becomes organic without having to remember a checklist of things to accomplish.
What is intentionality?
What are Microskills?
How can we use in advising?
Ivey, Ivey & Zalaquett (2014) describe a “MicroskillsHierarchy” as part of their long-standing and well-researched counselor training.
Attending behavior & empathy, plus the basic listening sequence build the foundation of a pyramid for counselors to intentionally facilitate client development in a multicultural society.
Similarly, The New Advisor Guidebook states to use active listening, clarifying questions & critical thinking questions.
These microskills give specificity to the “how” to do this.
Attending Behavior & EmpathyIndividually & culturally appropriate eye contact, vocal qualities &verbal
tracking & body language
Basic Listening SequenceReflection of Feeling
Encouraging, paraphrasing & summarizingOpen & Closed Questions Observation Skills
ALL
OF T
HE O
THER
CO
UN
SEIN
G S
KIL
LS
Adapted from Ivey (2014)
Attending Behavior & EmpathyAttending Behavior
“Three Vs + Body Language”
Visual Eye Contact• “Look at people when you talk to them”• Be aware of cultural differences.
Vocal Qualities• Communicate warmth & interest in your voice.
• Tone & speech rate.• Changes in your pitch.• Volume and emphasis communicate the feelings you have about yourself, your student and the subject
matter. Be conscious.• You can consciously change the tone of the conversation. Mirroring effect.
Verbal Tracking• Following student or changing the subject.
• Selective attention-students will talk about what they perceive you are willing to hear.• Sometimes useful to redirect attention-if repeating each time and not moving forward.• Useful silence
• Letting student process will sometimes allow them solve problem themselves.
Body Language• Attentive & Authentic.• Culturally aware of differences in conversational distance, leaning in, etc.
Conscious/Active Listening • Being in the here & now• While student is talking, truly listening to the student’s story without thinking ahead of what you plan to say or
making judgments of how you will solve the program. About what student has to say, not about our expertise
Attending Behavior &
Empathy
Empathy
Empathy is “putting yourself in the other person’s shoes.”
It is understanding a student’s viewpoint or issues and having the ability to state back accurately without adding your own thoughts, feeling or meanings.
Understanding the influences = understanding behavior
Acceptance. An attitude that values the person, even knowing failings.
It is not sympathy-don’t fall into being patronizing.
Unconditional positive regard-Carl Rogers. Accepting the person-not necessarily their thoughts or behaviors.
Listening for strengths and resources.
Intentional Competence for Attending
Behavior & Empathy
1. Understand and manage your own pattern
of selective attention
2. Change your attending style based upon
student’s cultural and individual differences
3. Note topics that students may be avoiding
4. Maintain an empathic style and attending
skills –even with very challenging students.
Exercise
Score on attending behaviors
Observation Skills Observation is intentionally and carefully watching with the
purpose of understanding behavior.
Some researchers claim that 85% of communication is non-verbal.
Important to also turn your observations inward-self awareness in how you react to students or certain situations. What are your “Hot buttons?”
Pay attention to conflict, discrepancies or incongruities (mixed messages).
Observe verbal and non-verbal. Pay attention to specific words that are used. “I” statements vs. “other” statements.
Pay attention to cultural differences. i.e. smiling is a sign of agreement in some cultures, but is sign of discomfort in others (Japanese culture).
Intentional Competence for
Observation Skills
1. Ability to mirror nonverbal behaviors.
2. Ability to identify patterns of selective attention and bring conversation back to topic.
3. Ability to identify key “I’ or “other” statements and help student identify what is actually meant.
4. Ability to identify discrepancies, and feed back to the student in a helpful manner.
5. Ability to notice discrepancies in your self.
Observation exercises
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGQmdoK_ZfY
Discussion:
What are some common
discrepancies/incongruities that students display?
What are some common discrepancies that
advisors may display?
Open & Closed Questions
Open Questions
Cannot be answered in a few words
Begin with “what”, “how”, “could” “why”
Be careful with “why”.
Concreteness is good. Seek specifics.
Closed Questions
Help obtain specifics, but can be answered in very few words. Often begin with “is”, “are” or “do”
Can sound like you are “drilling” students.
Questions have potential
problems Grilling/bombarding-Too many questions and may
make students defensive
Multiple questions-Questions within Questions-hard for student to know what to answer (and they can then choose NOT to answer some part.)
Questions as statements-Judgmental. “Don’t you think you should study more?”
Why questions: make defensive and uncomfortable. May feel attacked. Accusatory. “Why did you do that?” Can be better phrased with a “what or how”. “What happened this semester that led to your
suspension status?” vs. “Why did you fail your classes?” “Why do you want to change you major?” vs. “What
about ______ major interests you more than ________ major.”
Suggested questions for advisees
How are things going
for you this semester?
What has been the
most challenging for
you?
What strategies have
you been trying that
have helped?
What are we working
on today?
What would you like to accomplish today?
What did you like best and least about ____ class?
How will you know when you’ve decided on the best major for you?
What does that look like? (to have a “good schedule” for example).
Using questions to identify strengths
People tend to talk about problems and what they can’t do.
Strength-based questions can help them empower students. “What parts of the class (failed) did you enjoy or did well
in?” “What good feedback did you get from your
instructor?” “Who has helped you here at the college when you’ve
had difficulty with other things or classes?”
Example of strength based questions with Verbal Tracking & Selective Attention
http://www.ahaprocess.com/solutions/higher-education/events-resources/free-resources/#videos-youtube
Intentional Competencies for
Questioning
1. Ability to use closed questions to obtain
necessary information without disrupting
natural conversation flow.
2. Ability to use open questions to lead
students to tell their full and true stories.
3. Use Could, What, and How questions to
bring out concrete information and
specifics.
Exercise/Handout:
Change closed questions to open
questions.
Encouraging, Paraphrasing, & SummarizingKey skills in active listening
Encouragers: Short non-verbal and verbal responses that keep people talking. Head nods. Open gestures, positive facial expressions.
Don’t overdo. Want some nodding but not head bobbing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILt5HZnPz5o Minimal “uh-huhs” & “ummms.” Restating, repetition of student’s key words
Paraphrasing: Shorten & clarify the essence of what the student said. “I hear you saying” It sounds like” It looks like your situation is…” Use keys words. More brief and concise. Don’t “parrot.”
Summarizing: Similar to paraphrase, but longer time span. Beginning an advising session with prior student. Midway through. End of advising session—which includes plan going forward. “What do you think
your next steps are.”
Use a “check-out” Perception check
”Am I hearing your correctly?”
“Is this correct?”
Intentional Competence for
Encouraging, Paraphrasing &
Summarizing
1. Uses encouragers in a way to facilitate
conversation in a culturally appropriate
manner.
2. Is able to accurately paraphrase and
summarize – and is checked with
student.
Examples of Encouraging,
Paraphrasing & Summarizing
“I’m worried that I need to drop my class. My
car broke down and I just got money to get it
fixed. So I haven’t gone to class and my
teacher won’t help me so I’m worried that I
can’t get caught up. I need to keep my
financial aid because I haven’t had enough
hours at work lately.”
“I need help signing up for classes. I need to be
full time and I can only take classes at night or
online and I can’t find classes that work. I’m
blocked from them.”
What are some Encouragers, Paraphrases or Summariesthat would be helpful in these scenarios?
Reflection of Feeling Often combined with paraphrasing & summarizing.
Identifying key emotions and acknowledging them with student.
Trust and relationship must be established-use with caution!
Be careful with “I sense you are feeling” or “I hear that you are feeling…”
Overused and stereotypical.
“It sounds like you are discouraged by…” It looks like you are angry about…..” “ It seems like you are afraid of…” “I would be anxious about that too.”
Can be scary-sometimes advisors are afraid that will open too much emotion.
Acknowledging in a warm, non-judgmental way can actually de-escalate the situation.
Focus on reflecting positive feelings/emotions as much or more than negative.
Use with caution! Is it purposeful and useful in getting student to his or her goals?
Intentional Competence
of Reflection of Feeling
1. Ability to use an extensive list of affective
words.
2. Ability to reflect feelings back accurately
so that that student emotions are
clarified.
3. Ability to help student move out of an
overly emotional state and to progress
“past” the emotions.
Examples of reflection of feelingExercise: Menu of Feeling words
What feeling words can be used for this student?
What are 3 reflections of feeling statements?
“I need some help! I almost done with my AA degree, but still
need to pass my math class. But I just found out I got a
scholarship to University Colorado for the Social Media
Marketing program. I don’t know what to do. I have to start
there in the fall, but I don’t know if I can get my degree finishing
this semester because of math. I want to go because I can’t
afford o got the CU if I don’t’ have the scholarship. And my
mom doesn’t really want me to move up there anyway.”
Conclusion
Remember, skills are not to make you a
counselor—but to make you a better
academic advisor. Knowing the difference.
Of things we learned today, what is your take-
away? What do you want to incorporate into
your advising practice?
Q & A
REFERENCESO'Banion, T. (1972). An academic advising model. Junior College
Journal, 42, 62-69
Crookston, B. B. (1972). A developmental view of academic
advising as teaching. Journal of College Student Personnel,
volume 13, pp. 12-17. Article reprinted in NACADA Journal,
14 (2), 5-9
Ivey, Ivey & Zalaquett (2014). Intentional Interviewing & Cousneling.
Facilitating client development in a multicultural society.
(8th) Brooks Cole.
Folsom, Yoder, Joslin (editors) (2015). The New Advisor Handbook.
Mastering the Art of Academic Advising. Jossey-Bass.