- Prior Research on Active Listening

Active listening refers not simply to hearing what someone says, but to an engaged posture of understanding — one that involves picking up on emotion and intention, not just content. The following studies represent key contributions to this field.

1. Drollinger & Comer (1999)
Developed the Active Empathetic Listening Scale (AELS), measuring listening across three factors: sensing of emotion, cognitive processing, and behavioral response. This was a pioneering study in the quantitative measurement of practical listening ability.

2. Ueno (2005)
Developed a measurement scale for the communication skills essential to building trust between nurses and patients. The study highlighted the practical importance of interpersonal skills — including active listening — in professional care settings.

3. Nishido et al. (2011)
Focused on active listening as a component of foundational workplace competencies and attempted to develop a corresponding scale. The study examined the importance of "active listening" in professional and social life from both theoretical and empirical perspectives.

- Prior Research on Speaking Ability

Speaking ability encompasses far more than the transmission of information — it includes the capacity to evoke empathy, build trust, and shape impressions through non-verbal elements. The following studies address its multidimensional nature.

4. Riggio & Reichard (2008)
Conducted a meta-analysis of the effects of communication skills training on leadership effectiveness. The study found that persuasiveness and clarity of explanation are directly linked to organizational outcomes.

5. Rosenberg & Zuroff (2018)
Examined the influence of non-verbal behaviors — including eye contact, facial expression, and vocal tone — on audience impressions when speaking to groups. The findings suggested that attitude and expressiveness matter more than content alone in shaping how a speaker is perceived.

6. Niwa & Maruno (2009)
Developed a scale measuring the depth of self-disclosure. The study demonstrated that effective speaking requires not only organized content, but also an appropriate level of personal openness in self-expression.

- Overall Considerations

A review of the existing literature revealed that while there is relevant research on both listening and speaking skills separately, neither body of work is fully comprehensive. The development of this scale therefore also drew on practitioner literature, research on conversational AI, and studies in social skills training to supplement the academic foundations.

For each measurement dimension, a team of certified psychologists, clinical psychologists, and graduates of psychology master's programs conducted brainstorming sessions. The resulting ideas were then grouped using the KJ method, reviewed, and refined into the final question items. The process identified five factors for each dimension — listening and speaking — and two questions were selected per factor to keep the assessment concise.

• ＜Active Listening＞
• ＊Reflective Listening
• 1. I can accurately repeat what the other person says..
• 2. I can summarize what the other person says in my own words.
• ＊Affirmative Response
• 3. I respond to others in an affirming way.
• 4. I am good at giving genuine compliments.
• ＊Questioning Ability
• 5. I can think of many questions to ask.
• 6. I know when to stop asking questions and simply listen.
• ＊Empathy
• 7. I am sensitive to shifts in the other person's emotions.
• 8. I am able to listen with genuine empathy.
• ＊Non-verbal Communication
• 9. I listen in a calm and unhurried tone.
• 10. I listen with a gentle, relaxed expression.



• ＜Speaking Ability＞
• ＊Range of Topics
• 11. I can draw on everyday events to create conversation topics.
• 12. I have a wide range of things to talk about.
• ＊Sustaining Conversation
• 13. I can speak with enough depth to keep a conversation going.
• 14. I can expand on a single topic and develop it further.
• ＊Proactivity
• 15. I initiate conversation rather than waiting for others to speak first.
• 16. I tend to share things about myself openly.
• ＊Humor
• 17. I can speak in a way that holds people's interest.
• 18. I can make the people I am talking with laugh.
• ＊Non-verbal Communication
• 19. I use gestures and body language expressively.
• 20. My voice and facial expressions are varied and expressive.

● Number of Questions

Active Listening & Speaking Ability × 10 questions each

● 3-Point Scale

Yes = 2 points, Neutral = 1 point, No = 0 points

● High / Medium / Low Thresholds

17 or above　　Active Listening — High

13 to 16　　　 Active Listening — Moderate

12 or below　　Active Listening — Low

15 or above　　Speaking Ability — High

10 to 14　　　 Speaking Ability — Moderate

9 or below　　 Speaking Ability — Low

This scale identifies the following 9 personality types. The type names were chosen through group discussion with the goal of being approachable and easy to relate to.

High Listening / High Speaking　　　Master

High Listening / Moderate Speaking　The Host

High Listening / Low Speaking　　　Therapist

Moderate Listening / High Speaking　　Entertainer

Moderate Listening / Moderate Speaking　Balanced

Moderate Listening / Low Speaking　　Observer

Low Listening / High Speaking　　　Talker

Low Listening / Moderate Speaking　Expresser

Low Listening / Low Speaking　　　Zen Mind

For each personality type, we provided an evaluation of approximately 1,000 characters covering key characteristics and points to be aware of. The content was developed based on prior research and the clinical experience of the authors.

This assessment has not been subjected to factor analysis or checks for reliability and validity. It reflects the professional judgment of specialists, but please note that it lacks sufficient statistical grounding and is not intended for use in academic research.

1. Drollinger, R. R., & Comer, J. M. (1999). The Active-Empathic Listening Scale (AELS): Development and Validation. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 7(2), 5–20.
2. Ueno, E. (2005). Development of a scale measuring communication skills between nurses and patients. Journal of Japan Academy of Nursing Science, 25(2), 39–47.
3. Nishido, M., Aoki, A., & Fujita, T. (2011). An attempt to construct a scale for measuring foundational workplace competencies. Bulletin of Poole Gakuin University, 51, 1–10.
4. Riggio, R. E., & Reichard, R. J. (2008). The impact of communication skills training on leadership effectiveness: A meta-analysis. Journal of Management Development, 27(2), 220–229.
5. Rosenberg, A. S., & Zuroff, D. C. (2018). Speaking to the group: How nonverbal behaviors affect audience perception. Communication Research Reports, 35(1), 28–37.
6. Niwa, S., & Maruno, S. (2009). Development of a scale measuring the depth of self-disclosure. Japanese Journal of Personality, 18(3), 173–183.

* Additional References
Matsumoto, D. (n.d.). A review of active listening scales in interactive communication (1): From a marketing communication perspective.
Fujiwara, T., Miyake, T., & Enokuchi, Y. (2014). Examination of the applicability of a revised listening skills scale to university students.
Argyle, M. (1981). Social competence and mental health.
Aikawa, A., & Fujita, M. (2005). Construction of a self-rating scale of social skills for adults. Bulletin of Tokyo Gakugei University, Section 1, 56, 87–93.
Kawashima, T. (2013). Development of a verbal social skills training program for adults and its effects on subjective adaptation. Master's thesis, Graduate School of Contemporary Psychology, Mejiro University.
Umeno, R. (2015). A study on non-verbal communication that generates favorable impressions. Master's thesis, Graduate School of Contemporary Psychology, Mejiro University.
Katsuhara, Y., & Masuno, S. (2001). Development of an assertiveness training program for Japanese nursing professionals: Drafting and evaluation of effectiveness. Bulletin of Hyogo University of Health Sciences.
Shimooka, K., Tokuhisa, Y., Yoshimura, T., Hoshino, H., & Watanabe, I. (2017). Development of a listening system for voice dialogue robots. Journal of Natural Language Processing, 24(1).