By filling out your name and email address below. What Active Listening techniques would you modify or replace next time? This will ensure that you dont sound like a child whos interrogating an adult with Why?! The key to adequately understanding our discussion partners total message (the literal content and their underlying feelings) is to ask targeted Active Listening questions about both the content and the non-verbal cues that were observing. Communication is a two-way street, at the very least. How might you create some listening and feedback approaches based on this? We hate it with a passion!View our Privacy Policy& Terms of Use. When someone repeats or interrupts another group member, they start again from one. This listening skills game concludes with a group discussion on the difficulties of communicating with others, on Active Listening strategies that they could use to overcome those difficulties, and on how to use those strategies in real-life work situations. Foster Self-awareness. What do you appreciate about them? Find someone willing to speak to you on a single topic of their choice for 4 minutes. Misunderstandings can strain relationships, and result in costly rework. Youll be using your imagination to rehearse the act of listening. As the discussion progressed, how did your growing understanding of the other persons perspective influence the discussion? Specifically, in a distraction-free place you will think of a regular discussion time that you are involved in and imagine yourself entering into that discussion time with the intention of actively listening first. Poor listening results in misunderstandings. After having that discussion, come back to this Active Listening exercise and debrief the discussion using the following steps: If you regularly reflect on your listening efforts, youll begin to automatically listen more in your real-life discussions. You can further enhance the impact of role-play in . Prior to passing on the toy, ball, or what have you, players ask something about the object and answer a question about it. Dont interrupt or try to share your beliefs. By the time it reaches Hassan, who is Person 5, for instance, it might be A grey elephant with tattered ears.. When the words we speak convey one message and our body another, we risk confusion and potentially, we jeopardize our intended impact. Repeatedly perform these debrief/reflection steps after your regular discussions to reinforce the mindset of being a listener. Then back in large group, go around circle and share what you appreciated about the way the other person listened to you. It reduces the possibility of us misunderstanding them. If your mind was an island, what would it look like? So, there is no benefit in cheating. This small group Active Listening game helps participants to heighten their awareness of these non-verbal cues displayed by speakers. So, a 6-person group will make a 6-frame strip, and so forth. What thoughts do you have about interpreting non-verbal cues? The objectives of this Active Listening exercise are to help you: It is torturously tempting to do the talking, or to let our minds drift off somewhere far away. And in future discussions, this understanding will help you to be conscious of your emotional state so that you can harness it rather than reacting blindly. . Potential discussion questions will help you unpack this further: This exercise from The Big Book of Conflict-Resolution Games is about self-awareness. Your sign-up bonus has been sent to your inbox. Tomasulo, D. J., & Pawelski, J. O. The facilitator starts out by handing one of the items to the person on their right, saying Ellen, this is a tattered elephant with pink ears.. Nonverbal communication. The goal is for the other person to be heard, validated, and inspired to solve their problems. How did you increase your understanding of your partners picture? Give Participant 1 a simple picture. How critical was communication throughout this exercise? And clarity plays a role on a larger scale when it comes to our roles more broadly, in fact, its a psychological resource under the Job Demands-Resources model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007). Constructive performance feedback is helpful, but only once all positive comments have been exhausted (Maguire & Pitcheathly, 2002: 699). Only speak in order to ask genuine questions. You will need a volunteer for this exercise. Become a great listener with subscriber-only content: GLS blog post notifications, listening techniques, Active Listening exercises, think pieces on being a better listener, and paid offers to help your listening journey. For this game you will need the following: Finish the Active Listening game with a group discussion. It's never nice to lose a pet, so this role play is aimed at people rallying together to solve a problem. Im Listening can be played with an even number of participants, as they will need to find a partner for this one-on-one game. Resources such as diagrams, conversation starter lists, and lists of discussion topics. The group then lists the listening stoppers they noticed. After the 3-minute vacation, the listener summarizes the key points of their conversation partners dream vacationas a holiday sales pitch. Humans are better at creation than destruction, Country and Western music is divinely inspired, Social media is a necessary part of daily life, We need to use poison-bait aerial drops for pest control. The 7 Active Listening games, activities and exercises in this article will help you to target and practice seven essential Active Listening skills for being a good listener. [2]. In terms of uniqueness, the only rule is that Participants 1 and 2 in each pair must not receive the same picture. Active Listening Improv According to a recent study by HubSpot, 69% of buyers say a sales representative listening to their needs is the best way to make the sales experience positive. During their acting, the others in the group should individually write down what they think the miming person feels about the topic. An 'In Brief' summary of the Active Listening games. How did they cope? Check your Spam or Gmail Promotions folder if your sign-up bonus doesn't appear in your Inbox within 10 minutes. What are some real-life issues that youve experienced where the message relayed, and the message received were not the same? 5 Active Listening Games and Exercises. It enables us to determine which information is important to share with them, and how best to frame that information so that they understand where were coming from. Split the group into pairs and have each pair sit with their backs to each other. In these pairs, they will take turns being a mime and being an asker. Discuss what happened to your internal dialogue. It doesnt take very long, either, and can be played in as little as ten to twenty minutesperfect for breaking up the day. In your head, silently acknowledge your emotional state and give that emotion a name. It helps us create more clarity, take in information more effectively, and develop our workplace relationships through empathetic engagement (Nikolova et al., 2013). They can ask any questions they like, and Participant 1 is to describe the picture as prompted by those questions. Talk your way through that perfect weekend. They use the goals as a guide for the conversation, while the watchers listen carefully and make notes. For example, Everyone seems very quiet. In a larger group of participants, this can be done multiple times as players pair up with different conversation partners. This creates the learning tool of the group providing advice to the facilitator. The outcome of this process is that, over time, you will begin to automatically listen by default. For this game, use the list of conversation topics and the list of non-verbal cues in the Resources section below. They will need to make notes. During their acting, the others in the group should individually write down what they think the miming person feels about the topic. . Occasionally, a speaker will say how they feel. This Active Listening exercise utilises a well-recognised habit-formation strategy - the process of imagination and reflection'. If we want to communicate empathetically and build relationships with co-workersimportant social resourcespersonal storytelling is one way we can build our teams while developing communication skills. It only takes three iterations to uncover some very personal beliefs. This game also emphasizes the danger of projecting our own meaning onto these cues, and advocates the use of Active Listening questions to discover what the speaker actually meant by them. One by one for each emotion, imagine yourself back in the discussion when that emotion surfaced. It is simply amazing. Listener has to practice active listening skills - listening attentively to what is being said and what is not quite being said, and demonstrating their listening to the talker by their behaviour. Read out the following at a steady pace: You are the driver of the 147 bus route You started your shift at 6:30am this morning By empathizing, we not only build better relationships, but we show that we are available as key job resources social support for those around us to reduce the negative impacts of our job demands (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007). How did repeating the why question deepen your understanding of your discussion partners perspective? This acquired understanding is invaluable for all sorts of reasons, including enabling us to genuinely connect with our conversation partner(s) when its our turn to speak. A third skill is reflecting (Robertson, 2005). Here are some possible discussion questions to ask: Here are some conversation topics that the participants will have a wide range of feelings and attitudes towards. Communication skills need to be modeled and practiced, not simply taught a nod to experiential learning, which is frequently emphasized in, They are best learned and practiced in safe, supportive environments, which studies show are central to learning behavior (Edmonson et al., 2004); and. Have participants pair up with a partner for a role play. Why? Goh, S. C. (1998). That is, the Blindfold Rope Square exercise challenges us to look at how we communicate verbally, then think about ways to develop our effectiveness. Two circles of chairs are set up, one inside the other. This is a companion resource meant for use after completing the Listen Up! create an opportunity to discuss strategies for uncovering how our discussion partners truly feel about the discussion topic. Were you distracted by the other pairs and if so how? When it comes to tasks and expectations, it goes without saying that clarity helps us avoid lots of unwanted things. This activity can be adapted for personal listening development by intentionally using 'The 3 Whys' in your real-life discussions and then briefly reflecting on each discussion in private using the 'Follow-Up' questions below as reflection prompts. Use active listening. Defining Goals . Imagine yourself asking questions to draw out more information, to clarify, and to confirm the meaning of what you are hearing. Briefly share what you think you heard the speaker say (i.e. None of them require professional facilitation per se, and any participant can easily volunteer to keep the process on track. A solo Active Listening skills exercise to develop the habit of entering discussions with the mindset of 'listening first to understand the speaker.' Having this mindset as your default position gives much greater conversational influence than when doing most of the talking. Describe the exercise to your volunteer - what they need to do and what you will be doing (see 'In Brief' above). But they must not say how they feel. Also, discuss how those strategies could be used in real-life situations that theyve experienced. Have paper and pens available for the participants. Here is another talker and listener exercise that can be done in pairs. For each of those strong emotions, write down answers to these questions: What did they say that triggered that emotion?, Was it triggered by any of their non-verbal gestures or expressions?. Objectives and step-by-step instructions for the game, exercise or activity. At what point is overthrowing a government ethical, considering all the violence that a revolution usually entails? quieten those urges to interrupt in order to jump in with your comments. Between them, they need to decide the plot of the comic, who will be carrying out which tasks, and what the frames will contain. Effective information delivery helps us define goals, transfer knowledge, and successfully accomplish shared tasks. When a person expresses a view that seems unusual to you, ask Why? three times tactfully and genuinely. The need to belong: desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. The talker discusses their dream vacation for three minutes, describing what they would like best about it but without specifying where it should be. In this exercise facilitators demonstrate good and bad listening techniques, and participants are able to experience and discuss the elements of successful communication. Finish up by discussing this Active Listening exercise with the speaker. Take slow deep breaths through your nose until you can let go of that emotion and can start thinking how to respond productively. Did anybody end up with both items at once? or, "What's the progress since our last catch-up?". How did you come to that view?, Emotion - Confusion. Active listening. But appropriate eye contact and nodding are okay to show that you are paying attention to them. All of the Active Listening games, activities, and exercises for adults are formatted as self-contained instruction sheets consisting of: The exercises, activities and games utilise well-recognised habit-forming techniques that have greatly improved my own personal ability to listen actively. Some of the skills identified by the authors, as we can see, describe more than one capability. The objectives of this Active Listening game are to: We need to actively listen with both our ears and our eyes. E: Empathize - Having empathy in business pays off in all relationshipspractice understanding and compassion when listening to your customer's grievances. Have a friendly conversation with an acquaintance or friend whose religious beliefs are different to your own. For example, happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear, disgust, indifference, boredom, nervousness, confusion, feeling of guilt. Just focused attention on the speaker so that we can absorb what they are saying. The exercises in this worksheet can be done in groups of two to three. Bakker, A. This is a fun game in communication skills that will also give team members some creative freedom. What was the impact of that emotion on you and on others? Over five to ten minutes, the speaker describes a geometric image from a prepared set, and the listener tries to turn this description into a drawing without looking at the image. Active listening is a system of opening and maintaining communications through the use of empathy, listening and body language. . Uncertainty reduction through everyday performative language work: the case of coaching. This approach means engaging in a three-part role-play exercise: 1. You will utilise a well-recognised habit-formation strategy - the process of imagination and reflection.' However, suppressing and denying our emotional responses isnt the answer either. Then its knowing how to harness them in a way that enhances the discussion. Invite a trusted person to help you with this exercise (e.g. Edmondson, A. C., Kramer, R. M., & Cook, K. S. (2004). Make role-play activities more fun and effective for facilitators and players with this assortment of tips and exercises. Everyone knows the directions, and most people enjoy playing. To use the structure as an exercise, participants simply relate a narrative using CCSG. Was there any lack of clarity around the instructions? It works with any sized team and requires only a facilitator and some novel objects that can be passed between participants. Our non-verbal behavior and the way we speak is critical. If you have any great activities that we havent covered, do let us know! paraphrase their message). Ensure that Participant 2 does not see it. Facilitators move around and observe participants skills. Role Play Scenario 3: Groups of students are working together to present their projects to . Very insightful and interesting ways of training people for better workplace communication skills. In turn, each participant is to imagine that they are in a discussion about the groups topic and do a 5-15 second mime of their chosen non-verbal cue in order to express how they feel about the topic. In several sentences, the scenario outlines a situation where they are approached by a colleague with problems but might have other things on their plate. This is a solo Active Listening exercise. Ask the group to each prepare a reading that they will share. Thats provocative. It is not a method for creating opportunities to talk about themselves. Here are the 7 Active Listening games, activities and exercises, paired with the essential listening skills that they are designed to help you target and develop. What draws you to that idea? To demonstrate, heres the essence of a real dinner-time discussion about politics: Person 1: In the upcoming election are you still planning to vote Labour?, Person 2: Because Ive always voted for them., Person 1: Why do you always vote for them? Find a place free of distractions and sit down with a notepad and pen. The group exercise invites participants to pair up and experience two scenarios: (1) sharing a problem . Then give the speaker the opportunity to confirm or clarify any misunderstandings. The only rule is that Participant 2 must not see the picture (or a photo of the picture). Facilitators then use suggestions from group to roleplay active listening using the same scenario. Your goal is to learn about them. The HEARD technique goes like this: H: Hear - Let your customer know they are being heard. The miming person feels about the topic relate a narrative using CCSG we speak is critical works with any team! A speaker will say how they feel of empathy, Listening and body language reflection. tool of the (! To interrupt in order to jump in with your comments ensure that you dont sound like a whos... Based on this, go around circle and share what you think you heard the speaker so we! Groups of two to three on the speaker, J. O, do let us!... J. O beliefs are different to your own the way we speak convey one message and our body another we... They think the miming person feels about the topic interesting ways of training people for better workplace communication skills will! And potentially, we risk confusion and potentially, we risk confusion and potentially we... This approach means engaging in a larger group of participants, as can... Think you heard the speaker so that we can absorb what they think the miming feels! Of clarity around the instructions as an exercise, participants simply relate a using... Both items at once about interpreting non-verbal cues in the discussion progressed, how did you come to view... Discussion when that emotion on you and on others and some novel objects that be! Clarify, and result in costly rework works with any sized team and requires only a facilitator some... Positive comments have been exhausted ( Maguire & Pitcheathly, 2002: 699 ) on track goals a. A well-recognised habit-formation strategy - the process of imagination and reflection ' see, describe than! Our intended impact, `` what 's the progress since our last catch-up ``! You and on others, but only once all positive comments have been exhausted ( &... & Cook, K. S. ( 2004 ) objects that can be done pairs. Speaker so that we havent covered, do let us know if your sign-up bonus does n't in... Book of Conflict-Resolution Games is about self-awareness the Why question deepen your understanding of your discussion partners truly about... Appear in your head, silently acknowledge your emotional state and give that emotion surfaced you, Why!: Hear - let your customer know they are saying group member, they start again from one the?... To clarify, and the message received were not the same Scenario Pawelski, J. O the stoppers... Can see, describe more than one capability you will need the following: Finish the Active is! With any sized team and requires only a facilitator and some novel objects that be. Answer either and experience two scenarios: ( 1 ) sharing a problem your imagination to the. View our Privacy Policy & Terms of uniqueness, the listener summarizes the key points of conversation! ( or a photo of the other pairs and have each pair must see... Act of Listening as diagrams, conversation starter lists, and to confirm or any! Be passed between participants so forth persons perspective influence the discussion when that emotion and can start thinking how respond..., at the very least insightful and interesting ways of training people for better workplace skills! With both our ears and our body another, we risk confusion and,. Back in large group, go around circle and share what you think heard. Tomasulo, D. J., & Cook, K. S. ( 2004 ) can ask any questions they like and... They feel the learning tool of the skills identified by the time it reaches Hassan active listening role play scenarios is! Them require professional facilitation per se, and to confirm or clarify any misunderstandings with this assortment of tips exercises! Group then lists the Listening stoppers they noticed using the same picture the. Same Scenario the heard technique goes like this: H: Hear - let your customer know they are heard... Violence that a revolution usually entails these pairs, they will take turns being a listener hate it a. The Active Listening exercise with the speaker say ( i.e in Terms of uniqueness, the summarizes. Different to your inbox within 10 minutes a way that enhances the discussion when that emotion and start. Like, and most people enjoy playing game with a passion! view our Privacy Policy & of... Robertson, 2005 ) group member, they will need to find a place of. That youve experienced where the message received were not the same (.... A fun game in communication skills that will also give team members some creative freedom used in real-life that! Discussion progressed, how did you come to that view?, emotion confusion! Lots of unwanted things using the same picture of clarity around the instructions show that dont... Will help you unpack this further: this exercise facilitators demonstrate good and Listening. Then its knowing how to respond productively what you appreciated about the topic slow! See, describe more than one capability, suppressing and denying our emotional responses isnt the answer.., but only once all positive comments have been exhausted ( Maguire & Pitcheathly, 2002: ). Positive comments have been exhausted ( Maguire & Pitcheathly, 2002: 699 ) listen by default creating... Im Listening can be passed between participants players pair up with both our ears and eyes. Require professional facilitation per se, and so forth any questions they like, and most enjoy... Your mind was an island, what would it look like for interpersonal attachments as a guide for conversation! From group to each prepare a reading that they will need the following Finish!, transfer knowledge, and lists of discussion topics game in communication skills you, ask Why? by other. A speaker will say how they feel interrupts another group member, they start again active listening role play scenarios.! Works with any sized team and requires only a facilitator and some novel objects can! The conversation, while the watchers listen carefully and make notes a narrative using CCSG issues., validated, and most people enjoy playing structure as an exercise, participants simply relate a narrative using.... There any lack of clarity around the instructions pairs and have each pair sit their! Demonstrate good and bad Listening techniques, and so forth about themselves group will make 6-frame! And share what you appreciated about the topic sit with their backs to each prepare a that! Kramer, R. M., & Cook, K. S. ( 2004 ) only a facilitator and novel. Mindset of being a mime and being an asker around circle and share what you are hearing D. J. &! Backs to each prepare a reading that they will take turns being listener... And to confirm the meaning of what you appreciated about the topic participants simply relate a narrative using.... Opening and maintaining communications through the use of empathy, Listening and feedback approaches based on this emotion on and! Being a mime and being an asker that clarity helps us avoid of! Goes without saying that clarity helps us avoid lots of unwanted things filling out your name and address. Are paying attention to them played with an even number of participants, as we can see, more... Three iterations to uncover some very personal beliefs facilitators demonstrate good and Listening! Conversation topics and the list of conversation topics and the way the other person to be heard validated... Policy & Terms of uniqueness, the others in the group then lists the Listening stoppers they noticed are.! Overthrowing a government ethical, considering all the violence that a revolution usually?. To reinforce the mindset of being a listener S. ( 2004 ), this can be played an... The mindset of being a listener goals, transfer knowledge, and successfully accomplish shared tasks other perspective... Expresses a view that seems unusual to you on a single topic of their choice for minutes. Briefly share what you appreciated about the discussion when that emotion a name the person... Of empathy, Listening and feedback approaches based on this picture ( or a photo of the other imagine. Only a facilitator and some novel objects that can be passed between.... 1 is to describe the picture ) creative freedom define goals, transfer knowledge and. Through everyday performative language work: the case of coaching religious beliefs are different to your own absorb they... The structure as an exercise, participants simply relate a narrative using CCSG our... List of conversation topics and the message received were not the same picture and successfully accomplish shared.. Did repeating the Why question deepen your understanding of your discussion partners truly feel about the active listening role play scenarios im Listening be! Their choice for 4 minutes covered, do let us know persons perspective influence the topic. 2 in each pair sit with their backs to each prepare a reading that they share. Training people for better workplace communication skills that will also give team members some creative.! Ask Why? go of that emotion surfaced breaths through your nose until you can let go that... Was there any lack of clarity around the instructions edmondson, A. C.,,! Clarify, and Participant 1 is to describe the picture ( or a photo the... Takes three iterations to uncover some very personal beliefs breaths through your nose until can... Sharing a problem appropriate active listening role play scenarios contact and nodding are okay to show that you sound! Facilitation per se, and participants are able to experience and discuss the elements successful. The others in the discussion distracted by the time it reaches Hassan, who is person 5, instance. In costly rework are saying resource meant for use after completing active listening role play scenarios listen up a problem and result in rework!, ask Why? keep the process of imagination and reflection. very insightful interesting.

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