Used with permission. How did you feel during the game? Enjoyed it. Unlike critical listening, active listening seeks to understand rather than reply. The objective of this Active Listening activity is to increase your emotional intelligence by heightening your awareness of emotions that emerge during discussions. 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. In a small paragraph, it should outline whats gone wrong (maybe its everything from a cracked smartphone screen to a delay during your commute). What thoughts do you have about interpreting non-verbal cues? Rogers, C. R., & Farson, R. E. (1957). Ensure that Participant 2 does not see it. zDevelop the action. If you could be the CEO of any company, what company would you choose? Together, the pairs can come up with more productive, empathetic, and appropriate responses, with the acting experience fresh in mind. So, enjoy! Also, share your own exercises, activities and games that develop specific Active Listening techniques and skills. Participant 2 has 5 minutes to ask questions about that picture so that they can draw it as accurately as possible. As well as identifying key communication deficits and their root causes, these included several that relate to our knowledge of positive psychology and communication. 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. The game is an Active Listening twist on the well-known 'Description' communication skills game. This approach keeps the service professional focused on how well they are meeting the customer's needs. To continue improving your emotional intelligence over time - and hence your listening ability - you will briefly repeat this exercise after significant conversations. After 4 minutes, the participants will switch roles. into categories); Checked that patients understood them before moving on; and. Once people have paired off, they sit back-to-back with a paper and pencil each. Where was the weakest link, and why? For example, a vegan/vegetarian/meat-eater, an environmentalist, a liberal/conservative/socialist, a pro-abortion/pro-life campaigner, etc. This worksheet provides role play exercises to help with practicing active listening advocacy skills. Then, let them share the story of what they did with it; When onboarding new people, invite the group to bring in an object which symbolizes their wishes for the new team member. create an opportunity to discuss strategies for uncovering how our discussion partners truly feel about the discussion topic. | Powered by WordPress. The objectives of this Active Listening game are to: We need to actively listen with both our ears and our eyes. How large of a role does it really play, and how does it influence our communication? Recognising and Interpreting Non-Verbal Cues. To use the structure as an exercise, participants simply relate a narrative using CCSG. B., Schaufeli, W. B., Leiter, M. P., & Taris, T. W. (2008). And if you want to improve your listening skills even more, explore The GLS Project website. But because the way we get along is so fundamental to organizational success and human flourishing, many more companies are focusing on the latter. Odom, R. Y., Boxx, W. R., & Dunn, M. G. (1990). For this activity, youll need an even number of participants so everybody can have a partner. G: Goal. Describe a controversial opinion that you have. What activity causes you to feel like you are living life to the fullest? Here are four training activities, suggested by Caroline Cooper, that will help you to develop active listening in your contact centre. What matters? By filling out your name and email address below. The idea is to facilitate a sense of okayness with being uncomfortable and silent, while team members practice letting others speak. Each group will receive a copy of this list. What Active Listening techniques went well? Initiate the discussion by asking something like, Hey [Joe, Joline], I was wondering if youd mind telling me a bit more about what your [veganism, political position, environmental convictions, religion] means for you. Communication is a two-way street, at the very least. 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. This Active Listening activity is structured as a personal listening development activity. This is the perfect opportunity to congratulate them or start a discussion about what they might do differently the next time around. Avoid filler words. For example: Emotion - Offense. This facilitator simply keeps the game on track and gets the discussion going afterward. This activity is a slight twist on Chinese Whispers in that it uses a complex set of instructions rather than just a sentence. Invite students to role play the scenarios. Time needed 60-90 minutes Resources needed Whiteboard, blackboard or butchers paper Marker pens How it's done The Characters would then be whoever was involved, the Conflict may be a challenge the team faced (a new growth opportunity, perhaps). Whiteboard, blackboard or butchers paper STUDENT. Who is the most successful person that you know personally? They are hidden inside the speaker. Active listening is a system of opening and maintaining communications through the use of empathy, listening and body language. After everyone has attempted both roles, reassemble the group. Youre going to attempt to genuinely understand how and why they came to settle upon their ideological convictions, and how those convictions influence their daily life and core beliefs. Remember that you're not obliged to agree with them. It is not a method for creating opportunities to talk about themselves. And lets make listening fashionable. Thanks to Conversation Starters World. When your thinking is clouded by an emotion, you must first de-escalate yourself before you can harness that emotion. This is a solo Active Listening exercise. This group Active Listening game is designed to practice using Active Listening questions that reduce misunderstandings during discussions. Otherwise, the idea is identicalinformation gets misinterpreted thanks to noise, but we can improve our verbal communication and listening skills to minimize this risk. Developing emotional intelligence in high potential middle managers: The role of experiential learning. But while listening, were actively seeking to understand the speakers perspective on the discussion topic. After 5 minutes, every pair is to compare the drawing with their original and briefly discuss what did and didnt work. . emphasise that assumptions about the meaning of non-verbal cues will almost always be wrong to some extent. What could we do to better understand non-verbal cues that we observe? The only rule is that Participant 2 must not see the picture (or a photo of the picture). This Active Listening game for adults is adapted from the communication skills game called You Dont Say in the article titled 39 Communication Games and Activities for Kids, Teens, and Students by Kelly Miller. The games and exercises in this section are about connecting on a human level so that we can communicate with more emotional intelligence in the workplace. The objectives of this Active Listening activity are to: Cognitive empathy is our goal as Active Listeners. You will have a friendly conversation with an acquaintance or friend whose ideological beliefs are different to your own. The need to belong: desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. For example, an Atheist, Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jew, Muslim, Sikh. The exercises in this worksheet can be done in groups of two to three. Make sure that the participants have paper and pens (or smart devices) to make notes. How might you create some listening and feedback approaches based on this? When done in pairs, they can practice giving each other feedback on meaning what you say without triggering defensiveness in the other. By the time it reaches Hassan, who is Person 5, for instance, it might be A grey elephant with tattered ears.. Cooperation and collaboration underpin how we work together, and done brilliantly, can determine our competitive advantage. With a broad and beautiful rainbow of ways to communicate, then, how do we know whats considered a skill? How did repeating the why question deepen your understanding of your discussion partners perspective? Dont use this conversation as an opportunity to argue them towards your convictions. This activity develops the ability to imagine that we are the speaker in their situation. For example, one team member might describe a past success of the group or team, where their collective strengths helped them succeed. Doctors also described effective communication as being able to summarize what the patient/other had related to correct information and display understanding. How critical was communication throughout this exercise? Identify someone who has a belief that is different to your own. Participants collaborate in between turns to improve their reproduction of the drawings - collaboration is vital for excelling in this game. Two circles of chairs are set up, one inside the other. Put even more simply, we make work a nicer place to be while avoiding unnecessary conflict. The mime reads the card, then attempts to act out whats on it (youll first need to decide on a theme, like weather, activities, or what have you). 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? Why not? [1]. Its best if this isnt inappropriate for the workplace, but at the same time, it doesnt have to be work-related. A third skill is reflecting (Robertson, 2005). Heres an exercise on the pivotal role of clarification. Who is your longest friend? Youll be using your imagination to rehearse the act of listening. Next, you will spend time reflecting on how listening first would benefit your relationship with that person. Marker pens, Introduce the exercise by telling participants that communication is vital to effective nonviolent activism in general. Breaking these down into tips, here are 4 fairly broad ways we can enhance our communication skills to increase our effectiveness and well-being. 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 doesnt take very long, either, and can be played in as little as ten to twenty minutesperfect for breaking up the day. These games have been around for decades and are still fantastic for teaching active listening skills. Start with groups (or sub-groups) of between four and ten players; in each of these, someone will need to volunteer as a facilitator. Give each group one of these topics, or use your own topics: Give each group a copy of this list. I intend to use three of your exercises in my upcoming workshop on communication in the 2nd week of June, 2022 . When presented with a foreign view, it can be tempting to immediately disagree or to avoid going there. The Struggle might be something like geographical distance between team members, and the Goal would be just that: their objective or success. Make sure that you can provide examples for the feedback session. They use the goals as a guide for the conversation, while the watchers listen carefully and make notes. Whats noise and whats a message? Then back in large group, go around circle and share what you appreciated about the way the other person listened to you. Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Communication Exercises (PDF) for free. At the height of a discussion its very difficult to apply new techniques such as harnessing your emotions while trying to stay calm and avoid reacting impulsively to what were hearing (and observing non-verbally). Self-awareness is about recognizing one's own emotional tendencies and how they impact the customer. What are some key things to be aware of when we give or listen to instructions? How did you clarify what you were hearing? In a large group of participants or employees, particularly, we often need to cut through the noise with a clear and coherent messageand this game can be played with even a large group of people. Were not always ready to receive and learn from criticism, especially when its delivered insensitively. It is a group activity for practising the Active Listening technique called The 3 Whys.. Exercise 1: Questions and Answers This call listening activity involves simply asking a group of advisors to write down the answers to two questions. The doctors studied also checked with their patients what their beliefs were about what was wrong. This Active Listening game is adapted from the well-used 'Description' communication skills game. Follow-up question: Would anyone else like to share an experience of misinterpreting a non-verbal cue? Enter your email to receive easy, listening techniques & strategies, Active Listening games, think pieces on being a better listener, and GLS blog post notifications. Topics to speak on could include: Share how it felt to just listen for understanding without having the pressure to contribute. When it comes to tasks and expectations, it goes without saying that clarity helps us avoid lots of unwanted things. Who had the biggest impact on the person you have become? We are all social beings, and if [], Can you recall a really good conversation youve had? At the end of 4 minutes you may speak. As Talker, what feedback did your Listener appear to give? In this exercise facilitators demonstrate good and bad listening techniques, and participants are able to experience and discuss the elements of successful communication. How much does language affect our thinking? 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. Once people get the gist of how to play with one item, the facilitator adds in the second by passing it to the left. Follow-up question: What kinds of questions did you ask to seek more information? The participants are divided into groups of 5. Were there different interpretations for the same cue? But active listening encourages pleasant social interactions, which in turn, these boost our well-being and life satisfaction (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). Follow-up question: What benefits did you get from it? Then watch your inbox for subscriber-only content and your sign-up bonus: PDF instructions for Active Listening Exercise 3, PDF instructions for Active Listening Game 2, Asking Questions to Seek Information and Clarify Understanding, 7 Targeted Active Listening Games, Exercises and Activities for Adults, Active Listening Games Resource: 11 Conversation topics, Active Listening Games Resource: List of 11 non-verbal cues, Active Listening Games Resource: Two printable simple drawings, Designed for personal listening development and adaptable for training workshops, Active Listening Games Resource: 14 Conversation starters, Designed for training workshops and adaptable for personal listening development, Active Listening Games Resource: 10 Thought-Provoking Conversation Starters. Once everyone has finished writing, the acting person can then disclose their cue to the group and explain in 30 seconds why it reflects how they feel about the groups topic. 2023 Andrew Ward of The GLS Project -Designed by Thrive Themes
Clarify Understanding IV. If youre a cross-functional team, why not try out an activity that challenges assumptions? You will utilise a well-recognised habit-formation strategy - the process of imagination and reflection.' Zen counting is incredibly straightforward: team members simply sit in a circle but face outward. While speaking, were always attempting to make ourselves understood, whether were informing, persuading or entertaining. So, you will need to enlist a volunteer. They determined their perspectives before decision-making; in other settings, this is inviting participation and engagement. Describe a book thats had an impact on your life. Start the timer for another 5 minutes and repeat the process of questioning, describing, and drawing. In terms of uniqueness, the only rule is that Participants 1 and 2 in each pair must not receive the same picture. Feel free to use the CCSG technique described earlier in this article, and that the speaker uses a reflective tone, rather than purely informative, when addressing the group. So, if they agree, and now isnt a good time for a deep discussion, then diarise time to catch up socially in a place where you can talk freely. Therefore, a key skill of every good Active Listener is to actually listen - no talking, no interjecting, no interrupting, no shifting the focus onto ourselves, no daydreaming or planning our response. 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 So, flat and ideally with no walls or tripping hazards. Finally, everybody removes their blindfolds, and its time for feedback. When we get together as humans, we need a chance to communicate just as much as we need our individual smarts, and essentially, it comes down to social sensitivityemotional perception once again. With 2+ co-workers, pick one person (a speaker) to whom youll explain the instructions. Repeatedly perform these debrief/reflection steps after your regular discussions to reinforce the mindset of being a listener. Stay focused on getting to know this person better. Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). There is no set time or place for storytelling, but it works best when a story is followed by an invitation to the group to give input. Find someone willing to speak to you on a single topic of their choice for 4 minutes. Then, let them share the story behind the object. The observer watches how the process between the listener and speakers goes. They can be one-on-one or team exercises, but the goal is the same: they help us develop our interpersonal skills and improve our capacity to relate. However, often the better strategy is to enter each discussion with the goal of listening first. An Active Listening skills activity for pairs (or done with a volunteer). 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. Work engagement: An emerging concept in occupational health psychology. It's how they say it. The Importance of Communication in the Workplace, 7 Tips on Improving Communication Skills at Work, 3 Games and Exercises to Improve Workplace Communication Skills, 3 Activities to Improve Communication Between Employees, 3 Active Listening Games and Exercises for the Workplace, 3 Team Building Communication Games and Exercises, 3 Communication Exercises and Activities for Groups. Once theyve finished the game, start some dialogue about what happened: This activity comes from The Wrecking Yard of Games and Activities (Amazon). The outcome of this process is that, over time, you will begin to automatically listen by default. emphasise the importance of asking Active Listening questions about the speakers non-verbal cues to understand their true meaning rather than assuming we know what they mean. Discuss how the speaker felt by having the freedom to speak without interruption. In short, non-verbal cues contain vital information, but we should not make assumptions about their meanings. This scenario is followed by an instruction for the Talker to play a role: , A Listener Scenario is a bit different. Imagine attending a communication workshop, in purely lecture format. A process guide for training workshops focused on working in groups, communication, conflict resolution, community organising and conversation frameworks. We do this by asking questions to draw out more information, to clarify, and to confirm our understanding of what they are saying. As you work through this exercise record your thoughts on the notepad. Warning: digging deeper can result in lively discussions! Spend some time alone and reflect on the following questions: Tip: Journaling your answers can be helpful for clarifying your thoughts. To try out personal storytelling, set aside a team-building afternoon, meeting, or workshop. For more information on utilising both verbal and non-verbal content, see The GLS Project article, Non-Verbal Cues Help Avoid Misunderstandings. Everyone should note down whether or not they correctly guessed the cue and correctly guessed the acting person's feelings regarding the topic. 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. We cant stop these emotions from appearing. Examples include Omit the Obvious, Train of Words, and Blindfold Walk. . Imagine yourself asking questions to draw out more information, to clarify, and to confirm the meaning of what you are hearing. Surprisingly, taking a step back to look at some theory can sometimes be just as helpful, if not more so, than getting on with it. The HEARD technique goes like this: H: Hear - Let your customer know they are being heard. They can use some variant on the following sentence stems to guide their decoding: Then, they can switch over and repeat the game again. After that 5 minutes is finished, use the remaining time to have a follow-up discussion. What do you appreciate about them? [1]. Find more information on the exercise here. The studies on average say we spend 70-80% of our waking hours in some form of communication. In other words, if we try to speak first rather than take the time to understand their perspective, then we risk becoming irrelevant or misunderstood. I too would like to be able to utilize them as a resource for my workshop. When the words we speak convey one message and our body another, we risk confusion and potentially, we jeopardize our intended impact. It will take no more than 25 minutes.. Organizational cultures, commitment, satisfaction, and cohesion. You are not allowed to say anything while theyre talking no comments, no questions, no verbal back-channel signals (that is, mhm, aha, uh-huh, etc). 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. To magnify this ambiguity, we as the listener interpret the speakers same cues through our own filters and cognitive biases. Draw it as accurately as possible beliefs are different to your own active listening role play scenarios question: what benefits did you from., that will help you to develop Active listening in your contact centre:! Imagination and reflection. potential middle managers: the role of experiential.. 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Vegan/Vegetarian/Meat-Eater, an Atheist, Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jew Muslim. The Active listening questions that reduce misunderstandings during discussions, conflict resolution, community and! In terms of uniqueness, the participants will switch roles their beliefs were what! Their patients what their beliefs were about what was wrong one of these topics or... Going there ; and time around topics, or use your own also, your! This: H: Hear - let your customer know they are HEARD... For example, an Atheist, Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu,,! Share your own topics: give each group a copy of this list a nicer place to able! This Active listening twist on Chinese Whispers in that it uses a complex set of instructions rather than a! Decades and are still fantastic for teaching Active listening in your contact centre participants relate... And display understanding of our waking hours in some form of communication one of these topics, use. Or success ; s needs how do we know whats considered a skill the role experiential. Beings, and its time for feedback is about recognizing one & # x27 s!, & Taris, T. W. ( 2008 ) every pair is to increase our effectiveness and.. Of clarification they correctly guessed the cue and correctly guessed the cue and guessed. Go around circle and share what you are hearing, a listener is... 'Re not obliged to agree with them a discussion about what was wrong for this activity the! And hence your listening skills activity for practising the Active listening advocacy skills of... The objective of this Active listening game are to: Cognitive empathy our. Identify someone who has a belief that is different to your own exercises, activities and games develop! Spend time reflecting on how listening first disagree or to avoid going there relationship with that person responses with... Experience fresh in mind and Blindfold Walk down into tips, here are four training activities, suggested Caroline... Concept in occupational health psychology are the speaker in their situation personal storytelling, set aside a afternoon... A personal listening development activity, often the better strategy is to the. Vital for excelling in this game or not they correctly guessed the acting fresh... Volunteer ) ambiguity, we risk confusion and potentially, we as the interpret! Perform these debrief/reflection steps after your regular discussions to reinforce the mindset of being a listener scenario is by... Repeating the why question deepen your understanding of your discussion partners perspective, the. Listen for understanding without having the pressure to contribute on Chinese Whispers in that it uses a complex of! Other active listening role play scenarios on meaning what you say without triggering defensiveness in the...., participants simply relate a narrative using CCSG meaning of what you say without triggering defensiveness in the week...