All Ears

Due to my internship at a counseling center, long days as a graduate student (yikes!) and emphasis on focusing ("tracking") the speaker in my community work class, I've been reflecting on the importance of being a good listener. I believe that listening well can increase understanding, improve learning, help prevent misunderstandings and make the speaker feel respected. In the social work field, listening well is crucial so that workers have the best possible understanding of a client's situation, which in turn impacts intervention. Additionally, clients should feel heard and validated. Good listening is a major part of rapport-building as well.

Though I don't consider myself a bad listener, I admit I have room for improvement. Of course it is much easier to listen when a topic is interesting, especially something we are passionate about and are in agreement with the speaker. During school in particular, sometimes when I am disagreement with a speaker, I find myself internally responding (think Bridget Jones internal monologue; if you don't know what I'm talking about, I recommend renting it right away...I digress). I have been focusing on delaying my response so that I may listen better and be open-minded. According to The Importance of Good Listening:

The first flinch against something new is the automatic reflex of self-protection, and this needs to be carefully overcome if we are to expand our horizons in a healthy way. http://socyberty.com/advice/the-importance-of-good-listening/

For making both personal and professional improvements, such as refining my listening skills, I refer to my tool box. A new addition to my tool box, something called a "mind map;" is a note-taking technique that could be used during a lecture. The image below shows how to do a mind map http://www.mindmaps.moonfruit.com/#/try-mind-mapping/4532486456. I'm eager to give this a try. I realize there are many ways on doing, however, if you try this out, please let me know how it works for you.

Implementation of new tools such as the mind map and the forming of new habits takes personal awareness and practice. I believe this would be worthwhile, improving my listening in the classroom will only translate to other parts of my life, being a better social worker, spouse, friend, etc.

Social workers, especially as community organizers take listening to another level when they complete community assessment, essentially listening to the community's needs.

According to Hardcastle & Powers (2004), assessment should be the first step before developing strategies and implementing interventions in community practice; it can clarify what change or changes are needed, if available resources are adequate to support change, the level of resistance present and what steps should be taken to create change.

Community needs assessments also look at assets in the community; asset-building is a way of community organization, which fits well with the strengths based perspective (taught at Humboldt State University by the Social Work Department) that focuses on strengths rather than deficits. Community assets range from informal and formal resources already present as well as individual talents and skills of community members. Physical and economic resources, mutual support, organizations and service-providers are all community assets (Scales & Streeter, 2004). To break-down the steps of assessing community needs, I have posted part of the Community Needs Assessment Guide from the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation below.

Steps to Assessing Community Needs

1. Present Purpose of Needs Assessment

2. Know how to use the needs assessment

What do we want to know and why?

How will we use information?

What information already exists and what do we need to gather?

Who should be involved in the gathering of data? Why?

3. Determine what types of data to look for/collect

Statistics

Personal interviews

4. Design a survey instrument

What is an appropriate method for this population?

Is this instrument feasible in terms of cost and time?

Will this provide accurate and useful information?

Will instrument result in information that can be easily analyzed?

5. Gather data

Interviews

Government data/statistics

- e.g.: census data, public health findings

Current events

Surveys

- large, widespread surveying or small, focused groups

Small group discussions

Community Forums

Participant Observation

6. Analyzing Data

Is data reliable?

Does it reflect a general need?

Identify and eliminate errors that have been made when collecting data.

What are the major themes/obvious needs?

7. Communicating the results of the needs assessment

Other than getting clarifying needs and gathering information on what assets are already available assessment draw community awareness around issues and helps to keeps the process community-directed to eliminate personal bias and assumptions. (I must note that personal awareness is important to being a good/ effective social worker in all arenas.) However, through social work history their are examples of people that had good intentions in helping others that didn't end up being helpful in a respectful and appropriate way; the point is that good intentions alone isn't enough for good social work. Even if one as a social worker belongs to a group they are organizing with, though their is personal insight, it is important to never assume. I think my dad has a saying for that one....I'll leave it at that!