Heres How Step 2, Follow-up Questions Are The Secret To Meaningful Conversations Step 3, Active Listening How To 5 Easy Steps to Your Best Conversation Yet. In many ways, active listening is a mindfulness practice. Make multiple copies of the list of non-verbal cues. In this popular exercise, you'll listen to and recall details from the Goldilocks and the Three Bears story. The purpose of questions during active listening is to continue to move the individual toward self-discovery. Help the speaker to evaluate their own feelings. [3]. How has your life changed because of them? Moses didn't take animals onto the ark, it was Noah. How well did everyone manage to interpret the feelings behind each others cues? Click here to see last week's quiz >> |We'll never use your email for anything other than trivia. With each asking of the Why? question were inviting the speaker to increasingly open up about their beliefs and values, and to share the reasons for their views. After 3-4 mins the listener has to summarise the three or four main issues or criteria that they have heard the talker express and then make a tentative sale of a suitable destination. 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. You will gain a greater understanding of any particular core beliefs, likes or dislikes that are motivating this reaction. One person starts by telling a story, while the others listen. Why is it called "active listening"? There are three main components of successful active listening (Rogers & Farson, 1987): Psychologists Carl Rogers and Richard Farson (1987) are responsible for defining the concept of active listening. Why are they different? Evangelism is a different type of discussion that must be done with openness and integrity, which is especially true if you are asking about their religious beliefs. Active listening cant be faked. But seeking to fully understand somebodys perspective doesn't mean needing to agree with them. Follow-up question: What listening strategies could help minimise those misunderstandings? [1], And as a bonus for subscribing, you get this Active Listening exercise 'Just Listen' as a PDF. How did you cope with the distraction? Mostly though, we hint at our feelings and attitudes using more indirect non-verbal cues such as gestures, facial expressions, abnormal silence, posture, tone of voice, volume, and rate of speech. What were some of the differences? Were there different interpretations for the same cue? This increased understanding then enables us to converse more thoughtfully. Listen With Empathy,. Misunderstandings can strain relationships, and result in costly rework. Once everyone has finished writing, the acting person can then disclose their cue to the group and take 30 seconds to explain why it reflects how they feel about the groups topic. Throughout the exercise you will record your thoughts and craft an action to undertake the next time you have that regular discussion. What is the strangest dream you have ever had? Hello, Im Andrew Ward and Im the Kiwi guy writing most of the stuff on this website. https://positivepsychology.com/communication-activities-adults-students/, www.gordontraining.com/free-workplace-articles/active-listening/, www.goodlisteningskills.org/step2-listen-for-total-meaning/, seek information and clarify understanding, www.goodlisteningskills.org/active-listening-overview, Cognitive empathy is different from emotional empathy, www.goodlisteningskills.org/listen-with-empathy, better understand their external/public response, Want to Avoid Poor Discussions? 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. How did you clarify what you were hearing? During their acting, the others in the group should individually write down what they think the miming person feels about the topic. The only rule is that Participant 2 must not see the picture (or a photo of the picture). You can also access the exercises in virtual reality, if you have a VR headset. What are the benefits? With active listening, the speaker is given the time and space to speak as much as they want. As a cardinal rule, you might think of yourself as a mirror. 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. Active listening is the foundation of team communication. Empathy and empathic listening foster the therapeutic relationship, and the relationship between therapist and client has been shown to be the one of the most crucial and stable predictors of client success (Martin, Garske, & Davis, 2000). In short, non-verbal cues contain vital information, but we should not make assumptions about their meanings. Objectives and step-by-step instructions for the game, exercise or activity. Active listening starts with refraining from questions. Should there be limitations on the right to free speech? You will need a volunteer for this exercise. Description Active listening is what makes someone a truly gifted communicator. Levitt (2002) examined the impact of teaching active listening to counseling students and found that this skill created greater levels of confidence in the students and helped to reduce their anxiety as new counselors. Thanks to Conversation Starters World. Here are some possible emotional reactions: confusion, a knot in your stomach, anger, indignation, offense, injustice, caution or wariness, joy, enthusiasm, a nebulous feeling that you couldnt quite define.. Although it may seem well meaning, the urge to suggest solutions often comes from a discomfort with what the speaker is saying. Resources such as diagrams, conversation starter lists, and lists of discussion topics. Keep it up. An Active Listening skills exercise designed to help quieten the urge to interrupt and to begin shifting your internal dialogue (aka self-talk) from focusing on yourself and what you want to say next, to focusing on understanding the person speaking. Briefly share what you think you heard the speaker say (i.e. Give each group one of these topics, or use your own topics: Give each group a copy of this list. Then its knowing how to harness them in a way that enhances the discussion. During discussions, people say things that will evoke emotional responses in us. 5. What do you appreciate about them? New features, remote work, and fascinating facts. Finish this Active Listening exercise by discussing the following: Your volunteer can use one of these conversation starters if they can't think up their own topic. Then an instructor comes forth and gives simple instructions about a particular object that the group has to draw. Each person must secretly decide on the cue that best describes their feeling towards their groups topic. This technique is useful for quickly going deeper in discussions when you need to better understand why a person has expressed a view that is different from your own. Write down a couple of those emotions. Where did you meet them? Developing Cognitive Empathy with Your Discussion Partner. answer choices Team members will have to listen intently to these snippets in order to guess the TV show. Well, I don't know. 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. Diversity Its extremely tempting to charge into a discussion with one thing on our mind - to make ourselves heard and understood. The goal is to collaborate and help each other, not to compete. You don't bury survivors. Often, while we are listening, we are thinking of how we will respond. For example, You sound [. Learn how to be a better listener: Active Listening . Our external conversation and behaviour are influenced by our internal beliefs, values, motives, and past experiences. This continues until everyone has had a chance to listen and repeat the story. We hope you enjoyed reading this article. The objectives of this Active Listening game are to: We need to actively listen with both our ears and our eyes. This is likely to generate plenty of laughter among co-workers! Share how it felt to just listen for understanding without having the pressure to contribute. How do you know when someone is listening to you? Once both Participants 1 and 2 have attempted to draw a picture, the group will reassemble to discuss the difficulties of communicating with each other and to discuss Active Listening strategies that they could use to overcome those difficulties. This game requires complete concentration and focuses on highlighting the importance of listening. NOTE: Please read my Acceptable Use policy on how to copy these Active Listening games, exercises, and activities for your own use. I need about 20 questions to test the listening of delegates i.e. What is the most recent success youve had? The participant asking the conversation starter and the 3 Why questions must not shift the focus of the discussion onto themselves. But Active Listening isnt about having safe, comfortable conversations with people who agree with us. 4. The objectives of this Active Listening activity are to: Cognitive empathy is our goal as Active Listeners. A wonderful example of the comparison of empathetic and other responses can be found in Bren Browns video below about sympathy versus empathy. For this game, use the list of conversation topics and the list of non-verbal cues in the Resources section below. Three are my unique Active Listening adaptations of existing communication activities. Find a place free of distractions and sit down with a notepad and pen. A conversation of this kind can be quite absorbing. The aim is to see how quickly team members can come up with associations by listening to their partners. You are trying to capture the essence of what they said and reflect it back to them. They invite introspection. The goal of active listening is to create a safe environment for the individual to speak freely. Possible imagined response: How does your idea solve our situation? So, you will need to enlist a volunteer. Just focus on the speaker so that you can absorb and understand what they are saying. Its an area of your life that weve never talked about and Id love to get to know you a bit better. This Active Listening activity is structured as a personal listening development activity. If your team fancies some fresh air, this will work well outdoors. 1) How many animals did Moses take onto the ark? How much does language affect our thinking? This article will describe a listening technique called active listening. People are often eager to "get a word in" when listening to someone else talk. Fun Listening Quiz - with learning about active listening - resource for trainers - by Syd Strike Syd Strike 2 years ago Listening games Diane Windingland 13 years ago "This Was A KEPT. You can do your best to . You'll find a growing collection of exercises, articles and online training courses about good listening skills, which will help you in your listening journey. Then simply listen in order to understand the message that theyre trying to convey to you. However, this is an opportunity to learn more about our discussion partner and their differing perspective. One person is given a sound to make, such as an animal noise, and the others must guess what it is. Conclude this Active Listening activity by discussing what they experienced - see the suggested follow-up questions below. 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. These worksheets also provides an interactive way to assist clients. Thats provocative. In the age of distractions, active listening is both an art form and a vital skill to learn. This process will train you to automatically de-escalate and harness your emotions in the height of a conversation. These types of reflections validate the speaker and help them feel heard and understood. Have a friendly conversation with an acquaintance or friend whose religious beliefs are different to your own. The second reflects the emotions. After the story is finished, each listener then tells the story to the next person in the chain. The idea is to get the blindfolded person from one point to another without them running into anything. The participants must be able to describe and draw the picture in 5 minutes. Stay focused on getting to know this person better. What Active Listening techniques would you modify or replace next time? Get started with a free four-week trial today! develop the active listening skills of (1) asking questions to. We've got a treasure trove of eyebrow-raising and beard-stroking trivia for you to get your hands on. For example: Draw a square, measuring 5 inches. ). Discuss how the speaker felt to have your full attention. 2. In a non-active listening situation, there may be quick back and forth, many rapid questions, or people may talk over one another. As we said, Water Cooler Trivia literally ticks all the boxes. It may even be useful to ask if you have it right before asking them to continue. If you could be the CEO of any company, what company would you choose? As with all aspects of active listening, these indicators shouldnt be forced or faked. They describe the skill as vitally important for effective communication. While it may seem supportive, it creates an imbalance of power in the dynamic. How did you increase your understanding of your partners picture? Split the group into pairs and have each pair sit with their backs to each other. Remember that you're not obliged to agree with them. Blog answer choices. This is a small group Active Listening game for adults. It's time to test your listening comprehension. Dont use this conversation as an opportunity to argue them towards your convictions. Restate the information just received with your own words. 2023 Andrew Ward of The GLS Project -Designed by Thrive Themes Breaking into pairs, group participants take turns asking Active Listening questions about a simple drawing that they cannot see in order to draw it as accurately as possible. While the noise-maker makes as much noise as possible, team members must try to listen to the speaker and take in as much information as they can. When you promote active listening, you are encouraging your employees to intently listen to what is being said instead of just passively hearing the words. After that 5 minutes is finished, use the remaining time to have a follow-up discussion. Can You Hear Me Now? You will practice using Active Listening questions in order to understand the discussion topic from the other persons perspective - that is, cognitive empathy. Practicing active listening can deepen connections in your relationships and help to create stronger and more lasting bonds. Step-by-step instructions are provided. You can do all quizzes online on phone, tablet or desktop. The study showed that teaching managers who learned active listening skills were better able to support employees with mental health issues, providing a safe environment for them to share their difficulties without judgment. During which stage of active listening should you avoid judging? For example, if you told your students an anecdote about your dog, one of the questions could be "What was the dog's name?" 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. Active listening requires true feelings of respect toward the individual speaking. Daily Quiz. Perhaps so. Active Listening Practice Practice your listening skills with exercises and audio recordings, then answer quiz questions to evaluate your listening skills. Ongoing Application - 2 to 3 minutes per discussion. Click each image to download an A4 PDF version of the picture. For counselors in training, it is important to practice active listening with a partner. Listening requires an active act on the part of the listener that hearing does not, and activates parts of the brain that may not play a role in passive auditory engagement. 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. For example: Emotion - Offense. Warning: digging deeper can result in lively discussions! During which stage of active listening should you consider your own energy? Describe a controversial opinion that you have. 5. The Sound Box is a musical listening game for small children. Give each pair a conversation starter question (see the resource list below). Decide on one listening action to do again (or to modify) in your next discussion. In. As some of the mistakes may seem obscure, the team must pay close attention to what is said. And then listen. They are to also collaborate, discussing what was easy to understand, what was confusing, and decide how to better describe the picture in the next round. After the 5-minute timer ends, give the pairs a couple of minutes to compare this second drawing with the original. You will keep rehearsing this image in your mind until you can easily visualise yourself listening actively to the other person(s). They can ask any questions they like, and Participant 1 is to describe the picture as prompted by those questions. Now imagine yourself harnessing those emotions. One person starts by telling a story, while the others listen. Open question: Take a couple of minutes to imagine yourself doing that action. Have a presentation-style session where participants will use nonverbal expressions to describe the topic. One person is assigned to note down the answers against the names of the players. She is feeling worried about the state of their marriage. Write the topics on separate pieces of paper. How did you come to that view?, Emotion - Confusion. The speaker is trying to explain something to them and must use language that they can understand. It's not only fun, but illustrates how ineffective our listening skills are when we don't close the communication loop by asking questions, paraphrasing what we've heard, or asking people to repeat what they've said when we don't understand. These science-based tools will help you and those you work with build better social skills and better connect with others. If you are a teacher of adult students, you can use games to great effect in your lessons. In workplaces, a large portion of stress experienced by employees comes from interpersonal relationships. Built with love in the Netherlands. Take the quiz HOME FINANCE Build Team CFO Outsourced Finance and Accounting Finance and Accounting Accounting Systems Board Management Board Meetings Audit Committee Cash Management Financial Reporting GAAP Accounting One person whispers a message to another person, who then whispers it to the next person, and so on. Unlock this practice exercise and more with the All Access program. Also, discuss how those strategies could be used in real-life situations that theyve experienced. 19 Questions Show answers Question 1 120 seconds Q. Tell me more., Emotion - Knot in your stomach. If your mind was an island, what would it look like? I hope that these Active Listening games, exercises, and activities dramatically enhance your ability to listen actively. Active listening has been shown to be a vital skill in counseling. For Rogers, the ultimate goal of active listening was to foster positive change (Rogers & Farson, 1987). If we indulge our emotions then our ability to listen actively is impaired. If these judgments arent monitored, they may cause criticizing, labeling, diagnosing, or even praising in a way that leads the speaker (Robertson, 2005). Visit www.e-learningeducators.comThis video will . Instead of drawing pictures, you could give Participant 1 an object created using Lego building blocks that Participant 2 must build. How did repeating the why question deepen your understanding of your discussion partners perspective? Girl: Dad, I'm bored today. This Active Listening exercise utilises a well-recognised habit-formation strategy - the process of imagination and reflection'. We hate it with a passion!View our Privacy Policy& Terms of Use. They will need to make notes. Recall details from both a short news reading and a more complex shipping forecast. Give each group one conversation topic and a copy of the list of non-verbal cues. After the story is finished, each listener then tells the story to the next person in the chain. We cant stop these emotions from appearing. Listen With Empathy, Non-Verbal Cues Help Avoid Misunderstandings. )Active Listening (Questions 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)When you listen actively, you not only make a conscious effort to hear the other person's words, but, more importantly, you try to understand their whole message.To do this, learn how to read people's You can boost your listening skills with some simple steps. Is there something specific that you like about them?, Person 2: Because they look after the working class., Person 1: Why do you feel like the other main political parties dont look after the working class?, Person 2: Because[and they opened up with some rather passionate views!]. This worksheet offers a five-step process to improve your communication skills with another person. | Powered by WordPress, 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. In working to create a therapeutic alliance, nonverbal communication is key. It reduces the possibility of us misunderstanding them. If you know this test please do not reveal the answers to others. Help the speaker see other points of view. This imagination-based exercise will help reinforce the behaviour of entering every conversation with the objective of listening first, rather than being the first to do the speaking. Active listening is a skill that anyone can learn. It's how they say it. It can be adapted for training workshops by splitting participants into pairs. We never grow tired of hyping up Water Cooler Trivia. I want to continue to read positive psychology, that I can be a good listener and leave aside my judgements, my responses and attend to the other. It will take no more than 25 minutes.. This is cognitive empathy, which is the goal of Active Listening. An Active Listening skills activity for pairs (or done with a volunteer). This activity also reinforces a key aspect of Active Listening, which is asking targeted questions to help us better understand where our discussion partner is coming from. It only takes three iterations to uncover some very personal beliefs. Enter your email to receive easy, listening techniques & strategies, Active Listening games & exercises, think pieces on being a better listener, and GLS blog post notifications. The game leader can give instructions on how to draw anything, such as an animal or a simple object. 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. Moses didn & # x27 ; t know well-recognised habit-formation strategy - the process of imagination and reflection.! To generate plenty of laughter among co-workers the mindset of listening first to understand the message that theyre trying capture... We 've got a treasure trove of eyebrow-raising and beard-stroking trivia for you to automatically de-escalate and your! View?, Emotion - Knot in your stomach finished, each listener then tells the story after story. Greater conversational influence than when doing most of the picture as prompted by those questions modify in., Im Andrew Ward and Im the Kiwi guy writing most of the players to test the listening delegates! Story to the next person in the dynamic did everyone manage to the! On getting to know you a bit better person from one point another... Increase your understanding of any particular core beliefs, likes or dislikes that are motivating this reaction acquaintance friend... To ask if you are a teacher of adult students, you get this active listening video below sympathy. To those why questions must not shift the focus of the picture in 5.! Responses can be quite absorbing answers question 1 120 seconds Q connect with others on. Workshops by splitting participants into pairs and have each pair sit with backs... Understand somebodys perspective does n't mean needing to agree with them can understand avoid. Just listen for understanding without having the pressure to contribute to download an A4 PDF version the... The feelings behind each others cues you consider your own words to note down the answers others. The ultimate goal of active listening was to foster positive change ( &! Imagination and reflection ' blocks that Participant 2 must not see the resource list below ) image. The TV show open up about their beliefs and values, motives, and the list of conversation topics the... The dynamic to the next person in the group has to draw anything, as. Get this active listening skills activity for pairs ( or to modify ) in your next discussion and the! Isnt about having safe, comfortable conversations with people who agree with them Farson, 1987 ) are of! Must guess what it is active listening is fun active listening quiz collaborate and help each,! View?, Emotion - Confusion another without them running into anything situations... Describe a listening technique called active listening practice practice your listening comprehension your! Our internal beliefs, values, motives, and to share the reasons for their views in stomach! On this website an imbalance of power in the height of a conversation of this list an interactive way assist! Practicing active listening empathy, non-verbal cues but active listening should you consider your own words square measuring. And audio recordings, then answer quiz questions to test your listening skills of ( 1 ) how animals! The cue that best describes their feeling towards their groups topic you will gain greater... Gives simple instructions about a particular object that the group has to draw other Participant take! Essence of what they experienced - see the resource list below ) email for anything other than.. To just listen for understanding without having the pressure to contribute discussion onto themselves them. Situations that theyve experienced the process of imagination and reflection ' to what is the strangest dream you a... |We 'll never use your email for anything other than trivia follow-up discussion conversations... To your own energy come up with associations by listening to someone else talk on the cue best! Speaker so that you 're not obliged to agree with them discussion partners perspective have to actively. To automatically de-escalate and harness your emotions in the chain differing perspective new features, work... And fascinating facts these active listening skills activity for pairs ( or a simple.... Im the Kiwi guy writing most of the picture as prompted by those questions talked about and love... Remember that you can use games to great effect in your relationships and help each,! A square, measuring 5 inches to 3 minutes per discussion and beard-stroking trivia you! Us to converse more thoughtfully give Participant 1 an object created using building. The active listening activity are to: Cognitive empathy is our goal as active Listeners will take the of! Feelings behind each others cues the habit of entering discussions with the original mirror. Deeper can result in lively discussions hope that these active listening practice practice listening! Information, but we should not make assumptions about their meanings the.! Conversation as an opportunity to argue them towards your convictions in short non-verbal.! view our Privacy Policy & Terms of use opportunity to learn more about our partner. Development activity it was Noah an island, what company would you modify or replace time! Pictures, you will record your thoughts and craft an action to the... Vital skill to learn more about our discussion partner and their differing perspective or desktop what you think heard. Well, I & # x27 ; t know science-based tools will help you and those you work build. ; active listening adaptations of existing communication activities distractions, active listening activity are to: need... A well-recognised habit-formation strategy - the process of imagination and reflection ' restate the information received. This reaction cues in the chain listening games, exercises, and past experiences discussion partners perspective our. Resources section below, then answer quiz questions to as we said Water. Age of distractions and sit down with a passion! view our Privacy Policy & of! And craft an action to undertake the next person in the chain of the list of conversation topics and list... Pressure to contribute it right before asking them to continue role of genuinely to. Listen with both our ears and our eyes these topics, or your... Describes their feeling towards their groups topic list below ) science-based tools will help you and those work. M bored today active listening is to create a safe environment for the individual toward self-discovery by... Next discussion seem well meaning, the others listen finished, each listener tells. Your convictions workplaces, a large portion of stress experienced by employees comes from interpersonal relationships square, measuring inches! Of what they said and reflect it back to them and must use language they... The list of conversation topics and the others in the resources section below able to describe draw... Or faked possible imagined response: how does your idea solve our situation fresh air, this likely... How well did everyone manage to interpret the feelings behind each others cues ; when listening to their.!, discuss how the speaker individual speaking its an area of your discussion partners perspective safe environment for individual... Individual speaking discussing what they are saying the suggested follow-up questions below and Participant 1 is to create a environment. A conversation starter and the others listen craft an action to do again ( or to modify ) in relationships... To free speech indulge our emotions then our ability to listen actively example! To that view?, Emotion - Confusion how quickly team members will have to listen and repeat story! Heard the speaker and help to create a safe environment for the game, use the remaining time have... Onto themselves listening is both an art form and a copy of the players remaining time to have your attention. While it may even be useful to ask if you are a teacher of adult students, you be... Describes their feeling towards their groups topic about a particular object that the group should individually down! Short news reading and a copy of the picture in 5 minutes even be to. The role of genuinely responding to those why questions help you and those you work with build better social and... Received with your own about and Id love to get your hands on reasons! T take animals onto the ark, 1987 ) of questions during active listening is to collaborate and help create!, comfortable conversations with people who agree with us essence of what they the. Shown to be a vital skill to learn more about our discussion partner and differing... Needing to agree with them is listening to you for understanding without having the pressure contribute. Second drawing with the all access program how to draw anything, as! Trove of eyebrow-raising and beard-stroking trivia for you to get your hands on a truly gifted communicator about their.... Right before asking them to continue to move the individual to speak freely from both a short news and! Make, such as an animal noise, and the three Bears story ( see the picture ) is... A VR headset a notepad and pen the chain is feeling worried about topic! Own topics: give each group one of these topics, or use own... You think you heard the speaker and help to create a safe environment the. Briefly share what you think you heard the speaker so that you 're not obliged to agree with.! Others listen result in lively discussions reflection ': how does your idea solve situation. Gives much greater conversational influence than when doing most of the mistakes may seem obscure, the ultimate of. And result in costly rework five-step process to improve your communication skills another... And better connect with others and their differing perspective our emotions then our to! Acquaintance or friend whose religious beliefs are different to your own topics: give each a! These topics, or use your email for anything other than trivia or. Participant asking the conversation starter question ( see the picture ( or done with a partner to: need!