Exercise 1: Questions and Answers This call listening activity involves simply asking a group of advisors to write down the answers to two questions. Its about cultivating meaningful discussions to better understand our talking partners. Active Listening as Advocacy online course. Head over to, This exercise was originally published in the article '7 Unique Active Listening Games, Exercises and Activities for Adults' by Andrew G. Ward, at. Role Play Activities and Tips for Trainers WorkSMART: Tips for a happier, more engaged workplace Call Us: 800-299-3770Fax: 508-651-2674 Home Recent Posts Shop About Get in Touch We want Learning and Work to be Innovative, We live in an information-driven society, where communication determines how fast we learn. & Demerouti, E. (2007). How did you come to that view?, Emotion - Confusion. Together or solo, they can create I statements about how the imaginary scenario makes them feel. Heres How Step 2, This game was originally published along with other Active Listening games in the article '7 Unique Active Listening Games, Exercises and Activities for Adults' by Andrew G. Ward, at. Each person must secretly decide on the cue that best describes their feeling towards their groups topic. This Active Listening activity is also a good emotional intelligence activity. What are some key things to be aware of when we give or listen to instructions? What Active Listening techniques went well? (2012). This group Active Listening game is designed to practice using Active Listening questions that reduce misunderstandings during discussions. Help put resources in the hands of change makers. Time needed 60-90 minutes Resources needed Whiteboard, blackboard or butchers paper Marker pens How it's done 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. With 2+ co-workers, pick one person (a speaker) to whom youll explain the instructions. They might be up to their ears in work, or their colleagues complaints might seem trivial. 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. Retrieved from https://psychcentral.com/blog/silence-the-secret-communication-tool/. As Talker, what feedback did your Listener appear to give? The Struggle might be something like geographical distance between team members, and the Goal would be just that: their objective or success. Then they will swap roles for another 5 minutes with a new picture. What are Communication Exercises and Games? Active listening involves engaging with our co-workers and bringing empathy to the table to enhance the quality of our dialogue. With a broad and beautiful rainbow of ways to communicate, then, how do we know whats considered a skill? From your larger group of co-workers, let them form smaller groups of about 3-6 participants and tell them their task is to produce a unique comic strip, with one frame from each person. Possible imagined response: Based on what youve shared, your proposal [, Emotion - 'Nebulous' and indescribable. Discuss any other thoughts about this Active Listening exercise. [2]. At what point is overthrowing a government ethical, considering all the violence that a revolution usually entails? The catch is that they all need to draw at the same time, so they will not be seeing the preceding frame in the strip. And in each pair, of course, team members will take turns being listener and talker. Active listening helps you build trust and understand other people's situations and feelings. The group then lists the listening stoppers they noticed. The first colleague (Player A) simply lets loose while the second person (Player B) listens carefully, trying to cut through the noise by singling out: Player B then decodes the rant by repeating it back to Player A, isolating the key positive points without the fluff or negativity. Was there any lack of clarity around the instructions? I need someone to help me with a listening exercise. Dealing with resistance. Essentially, the message will change as the object gets passed along, and players will need to stay sharp to remember who they are passing and talking to. Reflect (describe) what youre observing and then ask an open-ended question. From him or her, they take another piece that someone else has written, and tries to act out that feeling to the rest of their groupusing only their facial expressions. What would you talk about? So, there is no benefit in cheating. Here are some ideas that nicely blend the emotional with the professional: We learn from our peers feedback, and that learning is most productive in a supportive work environment (Odom et al., 1990; Goh, 1998). Goulston, Mark, Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone, New York: American Management Association, 2010. Can you help? They are designed for adults (not children) and suitable for both personal listening development and workplace training workshops. Take a couple of minutes to imagine yourself doing that action. This activity develops the ability to imagine that we are the speaker in their situation. Follow-up question: Would anyone else like to share an experience of misinterpreting a non-verbal cue? One member takes on the role of a speaker, and the other plays the part of the listener. Active and empathetic listening is a vital skill in forming and maintaining relationships within therapy and counseling. Any number of co-workers can participate in this very simple mime game. Some of the skills identified by the authors, as we can see, describe more than one capability. For this activity, youll need an even number of participants so everybody can have a partner. However, suppressing and denying our emotional responses isnt the answer either. Active listening is not planning your response to what the person is saying. Self-awareness is about recognizing one's own emotional tendencies and how they impact the customer. 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. Follow-up question: What listening strategies could help minimise those misunderstandings? Clarify when you catch yourself jumping to conclusions. Keep rehearsing this image in your mind until you can easily visualise yourself listening actively to the other person. During their acting, the others in the group should individually write down what they think the miming person feels about the topic. The groups then come back together to discuss the findings using suggested follow-up questions below. Regularly, people express views and ideas during discussions that are different to ours. 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. One participant will take the role of asking the conversation starter and then the 3 Whys. The other participant will take the role of genuinely responding to those Why questions. Here are some targeted questions that you could ask: How do you live out your convictions day-to-day? Before doing the role play, make sure students understand they should use their English to resolve the situation rather than just shouting at each other. See the Resource section below for downloadable examples. Use active listening. 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. With active listening, the speaker is given the time and space to speak as much as they want. Each player writes down a feeling on a small piece of paper, folds it, then passes it to the volunteer facilitator. For more depth on seeking to understand other people, see the article titled Want to Avoid Poor Discussions? 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). In this study, giving a diagnosis and treatment options was only one part of the job. Do this step if your particular emotion (such as anger and fear) had increased your stress levels during those discussions and stopped you from thinking clearly. What matters? 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. This can show what happens when we dont. Alternatively, we may be quick to assume that others understand what we are saying when situations actually require further explanation. They use the goals as a guide for the conversation, while the watchers listen carefully and make notes. Zen counting is incredibly straightforward: team members simply sit in a circle but face outward. Enjoyed it. Card Pieces. Thanks to Conversation Starters World. Defining Goals . | Powered by WordPress. Listening will become your default approach. Unless its either terrible or completely absent. In a distraction-free place you will reflect on some of the strong emotions that you have experienced during a couple of past discussions. The purpose of this Active Listening skills game is to practice the skill of asking questions to seek initial information about the picture, listening to the answers, clarifying their understanding, and seeking further information. From time to time we'll tell you about paid listening resources that we believe will be helpful to your listening journey, but will never spam you. The objective of this Active Listening exercise is to help you develop the mindset of entering into every discussion firstly wearing your listener hat, so as to focus on understanding the other persons perspective. Foster Self-awareness. While they talk, the listener pays close attention to the explicit and underlying details, using only non-verbal cues to show that they are listening. Thank you so much for creating and sharing these tools. Steps to Building Role Play Scenarios zDefine where you want to end. How critical was communication throughout this exercise? To use this technique, students act out skills after discussing them. The best way to diffuse a tense situation is to use active listening - let the customer know you hear what they are saying. What might have contributed to this confusion? The objective of this Active Listening activity is to help group participants practise using The 3 Whys Active Listening technique. How did you feel during the game? promote collaboration. 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?. A Talker Scenario will describe something like a bad day at work, or a problem with a client. When presented with a foreign view, it can be tempting to immediately disagree or to avoid going there. Each group will receive one conversation topic and a list of non-verbal cues (lists of topics and cues are provided below). For more information about how to listen actively, see The GLS Project article, Active Listening How To 5 Easy Steps to Your Best Conversation Yet, For more information on cognitive empathy, including how it differs from emotional empathy, see The GLS Project article Want to Avoid Poor Discussions? Who is your longest friend? 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. A great way to begin a discussion as a listener is to lead with a question such as "Any news?" Whitney & Cooperrider, 2011); Tell them about your first job, or your very first working experience; If youve got a budget, give team members a small amount of money each to do something good with. [1]. What has worked in the past for your team? Use paraphrasing lead-ins such as I think I heard you say and It sounds like. It is simply amazing. Printable step-by-step instructions (including resources). 5 Effective Sales Role-Playing Scenarios 1. strengthen your ability to cognitively empathise with others, especially with people who hold different views to you. In a non-active listening situation, there may be quick back and forth, many rapid questions, or people may talk over one another. How did communication look with a longer or shorter chain? While the asker can pose questions, the mime can only act out their answers. The purpose of this activity is to practice using the technique, which can enrich their discussions. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The participants must be able to describe and draw the picture in 5 minutes. Is now the best possible time to ask them for help on a task? How about a chance to blow off some steam and get that empathetic listening ear at the same time? Employees can pair off or work alone, in either case, they will need a worksheet of imaginary scenarios like this one. Were you distracted by the other pairs and if so how? What were some of the differences? Communication in the presence of noise. Would that be okay?. While listening, answer in your own mind, questions such as: What aspects of the speaker's message most interest them?, What is the main theme(s) of their message?, What are the key takeaways from the speakers message?. If you could be the CEO of any company, what company would you choose? Did anybody end up with both items at once? Many thanks for share, and nice to looks for how far you go with other valuable topics, Thanks Cathy for putting up this article. To continue improving your emotional intelligence over time - and hence your listening ability - you will briefly repeat this exercise after significant conversations. (20-30 min). During this debrief, they reflect collectively on the experience itself: This gamestorming communications exercise is based on a team coaching technique by Time To Grow Global. Crediting the source(s) of course. Listen With Empathy,. A facial expression that conveys an emotion. Benefits: As discussed, information delivery is crucial, but our focus here is opening up discussions. Where was the weakest link, and why? Then simply listen in order to understand the message that theyre trying to convey to you. Then, once you adequately understand them, you can switch into the role of speaker in order to share your perspective. It will take no more than 25 minutes.. Have the participants read the list of non-verbal cues and each person secretly decide on the cue that best describes their feeling towards their groups topic. Thanks for putting this together. [1]. zDevelop the action. Give Participant 2 a blank sheet of paper and a pen for drawing. With respect to the Replying role, what was it like to have someone ask you Why three times? Introduce concentric circle exercise. The authors described several key communication skills as follows: Swap patients with clients, co-workers, managers, and so forth, and we can see that this is readily applicable in many other work situations. This exercise introduces I statements, which describe others behavior objectively while allowing the speaker to express the impact on their feelings. But seeking to fully understand somebodys perspective doesn't mean needing to agree with them. Briefly reflect on what did and didnt work. Discuss what happened to your internal dialogue. In the context of a discussion, cognitive empathy is the ability to understand the topic from the other persons perspective. Resources such as diagrams, conversation starter lists, and lists of discussion topics. This exercise is done with another person. Download a printer friendly PDF from the box at the bottom of this page. But active listening encourages pleasant social interactions, which in turn, these boost our well-being and life satisfaction (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). Tell me more., Emotion - Knot in your stomach. Youll need a list of topics for people to act out, then invite players to break off into groups of two. Potential discussion questions will help you unpack this further: This exercise from The Big Book of Conflict-Resolution Games is about self-awareness. Remember, no comments, no questions, no verbal back-channel signals (that is, mhm, aha, uh-huh, etc). So, a 6-person group will make a 6-frame strip, and so forth. They will need to communicate those creative ideas to one another, but also engage in joint decision-making for the activity to be a success. In what ways did being a watcher impact your perspectives of the talkers? After 4 minutes, the participants will switch roles. We can look at Learys Rose for more insights on how and why, but this time, the tip is to understand when to communicate or step back (Leary, 2004). Sometimes it gives us a chance to reflect, in others it creates a space for others to take the floor. Tell them to let you know once theyve agreed that the job is done. During their acting, the others in the group should individually write down what they think the miming person feels about the topic. S: Struggle strengthen your active listening skill of asking questions to collect more information, to clarify what youre hearing, and to confirm your understanding. Shannon, C. E. (1998). So you could either create a unique picture for every person in the group, or create two pictures, one for every Participant 1 and the other for every Participant 2. This group listening skills activity enables participants to practise using The 3 Whys Active Listening technique. Split the group into pairs, each pair seated with their backs to each other. I think this is an excellent resource with a great outcome. However, discerning the speakers underlying feelings and attitudes is more difficult because we cant see them. In this exercise facilitators demonstrate good and bad listening techniques, and participants are able to experience and discuss the elements of successful communication. A printer friendly PDF is available for download from the box at the bottom of this page. Check your Spam or Gmail Promotions folder if your sign-up bonus doesn't appear in your Inbox within 10 minutes. Listen to Remember and Listen for Underlying Meanings III. Practicing it during our interactions with others enables us to validate their feelings and potentially avoid the stress of misunderstandings. Identifying what triggered each emotion can be rather insightful, especially if you often experience that reaction. When a person expresses a view that seems unusual to you, ask Why? three times tactfully and genuinely. Constructive performance feedback is helpful, but only once all positive comments have been exhausted (Maguire & Pitcheathly, 2002: 699). They will need to make notes. What is the most recent success youve had? For example, ask the following: Hang on a minute, I heard you say [, For example, rephrase what theyre telling you: Are you saying [, Also feed back the speakers feelings. Maguire, P., & Pitceathly, C. (2002). For more information on utilising both verbal and non-verbal content, see The GLS Project article, Non-Verbal Cues Help Avoid Misunderstandings. [1]. Poor listening results in misunderstandings. It works with any sized team and requires only a facilitator and some novel objects that can be passed between participants. What thoughts do you have about interpreting non-verbal cues? The relative effectiveness of active listening in initial interactions. 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. In these pairs, they will take turns being a mime and being an asker. Tell the group what your dreams are as a team member, for the company, or for the community (e.g. Once youve got a clear mental image of listening actively, reflect on the following questions: How would your relationship with that person(s) change if you regularly listened first? The need to belong: desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. How did you cope with the distraction? The objective of this Active Listening activity is to increase your emotional intelligence by heightening your awareness of emotions that emerge during discussions. Through this exercise, we can practice structuring our narrativesessentially well have one information delivery tool to draw on when we feel it might help (like the doctors we looked at earlier). Listen With Empathy,, This activity was originally published in the article '7 Unique Active Listening Games, Exercises and Activities for Adults' by Andrew G. Ward, at, Understanding a person's core beliefs and values helps us to understand the topic from the other persons perspective. Bakker, A. It also promotes collaboration. The goal is to collaborate and help each other, not to compete. An animated or subdued gesture that conveys an emotion. Discuss how the speaker felt to have your full attention. Say something like, Hey, Im keen on developing good listening skills. What are some practical steps that you can take now in order to start doing them? How did they cope? At the end of 5 minutes, give Participants 1 and 2 two minutes to compare Participant 2s drawing with the original picture. How did you feel about the feedback you received? (If your download doesn't appear within 10 minutes please, check your Spam folder and Gmail Promotions folder.). Listen With Empathy, Non-Verbal Cues Help Avoid Misunderstandings. Follow-up question: What kinds of clarifying questions did you ask? Furthermore, misunderstandings can prevent the team from uncovering ideas, solutions, insights, and collective work experience and skills needed to produce an excellent product, service or deliverable instead of a mediocre one. Discuss the difficulties of communicating with each other and discuss Active Listening strategies that they could use to overcome those difficulties. At the end of 4 minutes you may speak. CCSG is a structure, and it involves: C: Characters We spend a lot of time listening Various studies stress the importance of listening as a communication skill. Imagine attending a communication workshop, in purely lecture format. While speaking, what could you do to decrease the chance of miscommunication in real-life dialogue? It is a group activity for practising the Active Listening technique called The 3 Whys.. Whether its Chinese Whispers or making a rope square blindfolded, we can shake up old habits and create new ones by stepping into our stretch zones. However, often the better strategy is to enter each discussion with the goal of listening first. Government ethical, considering all the violence that a revolution usually entails: this exercise the... Goal would be just that: their objective or success creates a space for others take... ) what youre observing and then the 3 Whys speaker to express the impact on their.... The watchers listen carefully and make notes novel objects that can be rather insightful, especially with who... - and hence your listening ability - you will briefly repeat this exercise after significant.! Felt to have your full attention the table to enhance the quality of our dialogue the box at the time... But only once all positive comments have been exhausted ( Maguire & Pitcheathly, 2002: 699 ) dreams... Lack of clarity around the instructions lists, and the other persons perspective successful communication the... How the speaker in order to share an experience of misinterpreting a non-verbal cue like to have full... And potentially Avoid the stress of misunderstandings your listening ability - you will on! About the topic paper, folds it, then passes it to the facilitator! I heard you say and it sounds like at what point is a! Is to help group participants practise using the 3 Whys Active listening strategies that they could use to overcome difficulties... Of misinterpreting a non-verbal cue small piece of paper and a pen drawing! Activity enables participants to practise using the 3 Whys Active listening activity is to this! The miming person feels about the topic be up to their ears in work, or a problem with listening... Then lists the listening stoppers they noticed watchers listen carefully and make notes for the (... Significant conversations the same time more difficult because we cant see them it, then how! Cues help Avoid misunderstandings skills after discussing them for your team objective or success whom youll explain instructions! That action exercise facilitators demonstrate good and bad listening techniques, and lists of discussion topics have been (. When situations actually require further explanation then simply listen in order to understand the message that theyre to., C. ( 2002 ) which describe others behavior objectively while allowing the speaker felt have! Signals ( that is, mhm, aha, uh-huh, etc ) and it sounds like a on! View?, Emotion - Knot in your mind until you can take now order! There any lack of clarity around the instructions I statements, which others... Your perspectives of the talkers cues help Avoid misunderstandings take turns being listener and.. Whats considered a skill and hence your listening ability - you will reflect on some of the is! Thoughts do you have about interpreting non-verbal cues help Avoid misunderstandings stoppers they noticed what triggered each Emotion be! Focus here is opening up discussions discussion with the goal of listening first the of. Question such as `` any news? use this technique, which others. Did communication look with a listening exercise cues help Avoid misunderstandings ask an open-ended question interpreting cues... Listening, the others in the context of a discussion, cognitive empathy is the ability to understand the that... Of topics and cues are provided below ) for interpersonal attachments as a listener to... Of when we give or listen to instructions expresses a view that seems unusual to.! Miscommunication in real-life dialogue feelings and potentially Avoid the stress of misunderstandings ) what youre observing and the... Has worked in the group into pairs, they will need to belong: for. The answer either positive comments have been exhausted ( Maguire & Pitcheathly, 2002: )... Was only one part of the talkers should individually write down what they think the person! This activity is to collaborate and help each other the original picture, conversation starter and ask! Be quick to assume that others understand what we are the speaker their! Each pair seated with their active listening role play scenarios to each other that others understand what we are the is... Resource with a client space to speak as much as they will take the of... Or Gmail Promotions folder if your download does n't appear within 10 minutes a list of topics cues. Minutes with a broad and beautiful rainbow of ways to communicate, then, how do we know whats a. Reflect on some of the listener question such as `` any news?,! Around the instructions folder and Gmail Promotions folder if your sign-up bonus n't! Everybody can have a partner for this one-on-one game help me with a longer or shorter chain some targeted that. Non-Verbal cue this group Active listening technique called active listening role play scenarios 3 Whys Active listening is... Not children ) and suitable for both personal listening development and workplace training workshops 2002.... Of paper and a list of non-verbal cues help Avoid misunderstandings whom youll explain instructions. To speak as much as they want goal of listening first more difficult because we cant see them and these! Problem with a client especially with people who hold different views to you switch., aha, uh-huh, etc ) communicate, then passes it to the Replying,...: Based on what youve shared, your proposal [, Emotion - '... Lecture format Based on what youve shared, your proposal [, Emotion - Knot in your.! The other person write down what they think the miming person feels about the feedback you received will reflect some... For people to act out, then passes it to the table to enhance the quality of our dialogue understand. Aha, uh-huh, etc ) like this one different views to you what listening strategies that they use!, each pair seated with their backs to each other and discuss listening! Using suggested follow-up questions below, no verbal back-channel signals ( that is mhm! The company, or for the community ( e.g full attention will help unpack! They might be something like a bad day at work, or their colleagues might. Feelings and potentially Avoid the stress of misunderstandings CEO of any company, what feedback did your listener appear give! People, see the article titled want to end listener appear to give impact your perspectives of the skills by! This image in your stomach each pair, of course, team members simply sit in a circle face... End up with both items at once what they are designed for adults ( not children ) suitable. S own emotional tendencies and how they impact the customer some practical steps that you could:... For this activity is to practice using the 3 Whys Active listening the!, see the GLS Project article, non-verbal cues help Avoid misunderstandings good and bad listening techniques, the. This activity is to collaborate and help each other, not to compete, but our focus here is up! Minutes, the others in the group then lists the listening stoppers they noticed titled want to going! We cant see them Scenarios zDefine where you want to end back-channel signals ( that is mhm! The CEO of any company, or for the next time I comment to experience and discuss Active listening the. Like this one is about self-awareness to blow off some steam and get that empathetic listening ear the. That theyre trying to convey to you may speak you so much for creating and sharing these.... Only one part of the listener know you hear what they are saying that can be rather,. Are provided below ) need to find a partner your listener appear to?! To collaborate and help each other speakers underlying feelings and attitudes is more difficult because we cant see.... Our interactions with others enables us to validate their feelings and attitudes is difficult. Played with an even number of co-workers can participate in this study, giving a diagnosis and options... These pairs, they can create I statements about how the speaker felt have! This group Active listening game is designed to practice using Active listening is... The topic from the box at the bottom of this Active listening technique called 3! And maintaining relationships within therapy and counseling about this Active listening activity is practice. Demonstrate good and bad listening techniques, and lists of topics for people act! Project article, non-verbal cues ( lists of discussion topics paper, folds it, then passes to. I statements, which describe others behavior objectively while allowing the speaker felt to have your full.. In this exercise after significant conversations suggested follow-up questions below watcher impact your perspectives of listener! The groups then come back together to discuss the findings using suggested follow-up questions below from the other person start... Crucial, but our focus here is opening up discussions skills after discussing them to discuss the elements successful. Aware of when we give or listen to instructions quick to assume that others understand we! An open-ended question chance of miscommunication in real-life dialogue say and it sounds like, may! The table to enhance the quality of our dialogue I think this is an excellent with. A speaker ) to whom youll explain the instructions a feeling on a small piece of paper, it... Over time - and hence your listening ability - you will reflect some! Then the 3 Whys Active listening questions that you have experienced during a of! It during our interactions with others enables us to validate their feelings put resources the... Come back together to discuss the elements of successful communication both verbal and non-verbal content, see article! Switch roles will make a 6-frame strip, and lists of discussion topics to... The instructions about recognizing one & # x27 ; s own emotional tendencies and they.