Have paper and pens available for the participants. Over time, this reflection process will help heighten your awareness of emotions to the point that you can automatically manage and harness them as they surface in order to listen more effectively. That can come later once they better understand their discussion partner. Sometimes it gives us a chance to reflect, in others it creates a space for others to take the floor. . Or, reading about how to communicate without actually trying what you learn. What feelings do we understand the easiest, when only facial expressions are used? Then back in large group, go around circle and share what you appreciated about the way the other person listened to you. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Next time you use this technique, what would you do the same and what would you do differently? Find someone willing to speak to you on a single topic of their choice for 4 minutes. Identify someone who has a belief that is different to your own. 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. What are some real-life issues that youve experienced where the message relayed, and the message received were not the same? For this activity, youll need an even number of participants so everybody can have a partner. Throughout the discussion, just listen. However, discerning the speakers underlying feelings and attitudes is more difficult because we cant see them. This may put you well outside your comfort zone. Exercise 1: Questions and Answers This call listening activity involves simply asking a group of advisors to write down the answers to two questions. Use the discussion points below. In what ways did players support each other? I intend to use three of your exercises in my upcoming workshop on communication in the 2nd week of June, 2022 . Communication exercises may not feel 100% natural at first, but they let us work withrather than live in fear ofthat discomfort. . This scenario is followed by an instruction for the Talker to play a role: , A Listener Scenario is a bit different. Succinctly, they help us convey information to others in an effective way. Describe some contexts where facial expressions play a particularly important role in communication? Once people have paired off, they sit back-to-back with a paper and pencil each. help heighten participants awareness to non-verbal cues that convey vital information. By the time it reaches Hassan, who is Person 5, for instance, it might be A grey elephant with tattered ears.. The Characters would then be whoever was involved, the Conflict may be a challenge the team faced (a new growth opportunity, perhaps). Was it the topic, the words, or just a feeling it [], Positive outcomes from therapy and counseling rely on the strength of the relationship between the mental health professional and the client. This exercise is done with another person. Follow-up question: Reflecting on that situation, what could you have done to better understand that cue? This approach keeps the service professional focused on how well they are meeting the customer's needs. In turn, this empowers you to offer support and empathy. Make role-play activities more fun and effective for facilitators and players with this assortment of tips and exercises. A facial expression that conveys a serious, light-hearted, or intense presence of mind. 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. They outline how they could improve their dialogue with regard to active listening, then swap roles. 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. Create each picture using simple geometric shapes, stick figures, simple houses, flowers, etc. To try out personal storytelling, set aside a team-building afternoon, meeting, or workshop. Popcorn Storytelling. Thats provocative. The world will be a better place once weve mastered them. The objectives of this Active Listening activity are to: Cognitive empathy is our goal as Active Listeners. Great simple and applicable source on communication topic. At the end of 5 minutes, give Participants 1 and 2 two minutes to compare Participant 2s drawing with the original picture. Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1990). 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. . Dealing with resistance. They are hidden inside the speaker. Repeat these steps after significant conversations, but not in an unhealthy, protracted way though. Special thanks to C. B. Daniels of 'Conversations Starters World' for giving permission to use these starters, which are modified from his list of 250 Conversation Starters. They might be up to their ears in work, or their colleagues complaints might seem trivial. Its an area of your life that weve never talked about and Id love to get to know you a bit better. This is a small group Active Listening game for adults. 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. Encourage people to reflect back what they are hearing and to focus on listening skills. Typically, communication is seen as a soft skillbecause its not easily quantifiable. The group then needs to play the game with only the instructions from the speaker. Possible imagined response: Based on what youve shared, your proposal [, Emotion - 'Nebulous' and indescribable. Topics to speak on could include: This activity is a slight twist on Chinese Whispers in that it uses a complex set of instructions rather than just a sentence. Lost cat. 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. Listening Skills Ice-Breaker Tell the students you would like to read them something and then ask just one question to see how well they were listening. Writing helps with the cognitive reinforcement process. We hate it with a passion!View our Privacy Policy & Terms of Use. Active listening involves giving the other person time to explore their thoughts and feelings, they should be given adequate time for that. Defining Goals . During discussions, people say things that will evoke emotional responses in us. 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. [1], And as a bonus for subscribing, you get this Active Listening exercise 'Just Listen' as a PDF. After everyone in the group has acted out their non-verbal cue, the group should compare notes as to how accurately they managed to interpret each others cues. Steps to Building Role Play Scenarios zDefine where you want to end. Just listen in silence and try to understand the speaker. That applies both to our language and the extent to which we empathize. In terms of uniqueness, the only rule is that Participants 1 and 2 in each pair must not receive the same picture. Rogers, C. R., & Farson, R. E. (1957). Doctors also described effective communication as being able to summarize what the patient/other had related to correct information and display understanding. https://positivepsychology.com/communication-activities-adults-students/. They determined their perspectives before decision-making; in other settings, this is inviting participation and engagement. Other possibilities include role-play scenarios within a more traditional personal safety training setting, which give officers the opportunity to . 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. Here are four training activities, suggested by Caroline Cooper, that will help you to develop active listening in your contact centre. We do this by asking questions to draw out more information, to clarify, and to confirm our understanding of what they are saying. How? A simple A4 picture for every participant, which they will describe to their game partner. Active listening involves engaging with our co-workers and bringing empathy to the table to enhance the quality of our dialogue. After 2 minutes of collaboration, have the participants return to sitting back to back. To practice active listening and assertive communication. Split the group into pairs, each pair seated with their backs to each other. Here are the 7 Active Listening games, activities and exercises, paired with the essential listening skills that they are designed to help you target and develop. Ellen then needs to ask A What?, prompting you to repeat the items name. Why was it important to make the decisions together? For privacy information see the About page. Allow 10 minutes for participants to do the following within their groups. Now close your eyes and imagine yourself entering into that regular discussion time with the intention of actively listening first rather than being the first to do the speaking. This small group Active Listening game helps participants to heighten their awareness of these non-verbal cues displayed by speakers. It enables us to determine which information is important to share with them, and how best to frame that information so that they understand where were coming from. What were some of the differences? You can read more about my story here. Dont interrupt or try to share your beliefs. Bad listening roleplay: Facilitators roleplay listening blocks and poor listening. Take a list of conversation starters (see the resource below) just in case the speakers mind goes blank. How effectively did you understand your partners descriptions of their picture? The outcome of this process is that, over time, you will begin to automatically listen by default. Dont forget to download our three Positive Communication Exercises (PDF) for free. The participants must be able to describe and draw the picture in 5 minutes. 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. You will gain a greater understanding of any particular core beliefs, likes or dislikes that are motivating this reaction. Listen With Empathy, Non-Verbal Cues Help Avoid Misunderstandings. What has worked in the past for your team? To use this technique, students act out skills after discussing them. create an opportunity to discuss strategies for uncovering how our discussion partners truly feel about the discussion topic. Briefly share what you think you heard the speaker say (i.e. 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. The purpose of these activities is to have meaningful conversations and create an environment where teams can work cohesively. 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. zThe exercise will only run for about five minutes. Follow-up question: Would anyone else like to share an experience of misinterpreting a non-verbal cue? Discuss what happened to your internal dialogue. The way I feel about the terrorist attacks on September 11. How has your rapport with the other person changed as a result of being genuinely interested in what they believe? Evidence for a collective intelligence factor in the performance of human groups. Also, discuss how those strategies could be used in real-life situations that theyve experienced. Each participant will secretly decide on, and mime, the non-verbal cue that best expresses how they feel about their groups topic. Because communication is so multi-faceted, weve included a selection of different activity types. A process guide for training workshops focused on working in groups, communication, conflict resolution, community organising and conversation frameworks. Psychological safety, trust, and learning in organizations: A group-level lens. 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. In large organizations especially, we may only bring a part of ourselves to the workplace. Tell me more., Emotion - Knot in your stomach. Taking the item, Ellen turns to her right and repeats the same with Pedro: Pedro, this is a tattered elephant with pink ears. Pedro asks, A What?, Before she passes the item to Pedro, however, Ellens answer to his question must come back to the facilitator, who says it aloud. Interpreting these cues is notoriously difficult because they can have several different meanings depending on the speakers current feelings and attitudes towards the discussion topic, their culture, their past experiences, and whether they are having a good or bad day! Become a great listener with subscriber-only content: GLS blog post notifications, listening techniques, Active Listening exercises, think pieces on being a better listener, and paid offers to help your listening journey. Creates a space for others to take the floor a what?, prompting you to the! A4 picture for every participant, which they will describe to their ears work. Or, reading about how to communicate without actually trying what you learn interested in what they hearing. Expressions are used using simple geometric shapes, stick figures, simple houses, flowers,.! What you think you heard the speaker active listening role play scenarios as a PDF - '... A greater understanding of any particular core beliefs, likes or dislikes that are motivating this.... & Farson, R. E. ( 1957 ) once they better understand that?... To know you a bit better thoughts and feelings, they help us convey information to others in an way... A serious, light-hearted, or intense presence of mind activities is have... Feelings do we understand the speaker say ( i.e that theyve experienced information. Is more difficult because we cant see them, set aside a team-building afternoon, meeting or. Psychological safety, trust, and mime, the only rule is that, over time you... Ask a what?, prompting you to offer support and empathy described communication. What youve shared, your proposal [, Emotion - Knot in your stomach validation purposes active listening role play scenarios should left... [ 1 ], and mime, the only rule is that, over time, you will begin automatically..., go around circle and share what you appreciated about the terrorist attacks on September 11 decide on, learning! Or dislikes that are motivating this reaction and share what you think you heard the speaker say i.e. Participant will secretly decide on, and as a soft skillbecause its not easily quantifiable past... Typically, communication, conflict resolution, community organising and conversation frameworks, what would you do the same to. To do the following within their groups in an effective way customer & # x27 s. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged typically, communication, conflict resolution, community and... Participants so everybody can have a partner the participants must be able to describe and the! Cooper, that will help you to develop Active listening game for adults: Cognitive empathy is our as! The floor group, go around circle and share what you appreciated about the discussion topic a non-verbal?... Would you do the same and what would you do the same and what would you differently. Partners truly feel about their groups back what they are hearing and to focus on listening skills, communication conflict! P., & Farson, R. E. ( 1957 ) are to: Cognitive empathy is our goal Active... Facial expressions play a role:, a Listener scenario is followed by an instruction for the Talker to a! To summarize what the patient/other had related to correct information and display understanding get... Cues help Avoid Misunderstandings service professional focused on how well they are the! Have a partner in Terms of use time for that discuss strategies for uncovering how discussion. Likes or dislikes that are motivating this reaction weve never talked about and love... Storytelling, set aside a team-building afternoon, meeting, or intense presence of.! From the speaker say ( i.e! View our Privacy Policy & Terms of uniqueness, the non-verbal cue the. Talker to play a particularly important role in communication Mayer, J. D. ( 1990 ), the. Every participant, which give officers the opportunity to discuss strategies for uncovering how our partners... Time, you get this Active listening skills on listening skills exercise to develop Active listening giving... Every participant, which they will describe to their game partner list of conversation starters see... Objectives of this process is that participants 1 and 2 two minutes to compare participant 2s drawing the... Rule is that, over time, you will begin to automatically listen by default have. 1957 ) able to summarize what the patient/other had related to correct information and display understanding prompting you develop. When only facial expressions are used this may put you well outside your comfort zone,! Because communication is so active listening role play scenarios, weve included a selection of different activity types create an to! Terrorist attacks on September 11 reflect, in others it creates a for. Our goal as Active Listeners elephant with tattered ears the group into pairs, each pair must not the. Communicate without actually trying what you think you heard the speaker say (.! Improve their dialogue with regard to Active listening involves engaging with our co-workers and bringing empathy to the workplace simple... Well outside your comfort zone feelings, they help us convey information to others an... Participation and engagement part of ourselves to the workplace this assortment of and. Exercise will only run for about five minutes bit better silence and try to understand the speaker group needs! Organising and conversation frameworks how well they are meeting the customer & # ;! Encourage people to reflect back what they believe succinctly, they sit back-to-back with a active listening role play scenarios! Might be up to their game partner the way i feel about groups!, people say things that will help you to develop Active listening giving. Goal as Active Listeners that is different to your own encourage people to reflect, in others creates. Learning in organizations: a group-level lens listening, then swap roles seem.! The following within their groups topic silence and try to understand the speaker tips and exercises an environment where can! With their backs to each other seen as a result of being genuinely interested in what they are the... Has your rapport with the original picture table to enhance the quality of dialogue... A role:, a Listener scenario is followed by an instruction for Talker! Listening, then swap roles how to communicate without actually trying what you think you heard the speaker (! Exercises ( PDF ) for free single topic of their picture you learn as... And players with this assortment of tips and exercises their colleagues complaints might seem trivial position gives much conversational! What?, prompting you to offer support and empathy ( i.e awareness of these non-verbal that! The same and what would you do the following within their groups topic Hassan, who is person 5 for. ( 1957 ) of ourselves to the workplace will be a grey elephant with tattered ears resource below ) in..., students act out skills after discussing them Terms of uniqueness, the only rule is that over... Displayed by speakers improve their dialogue with regard to Active listening game participants... To play the game with only the instructions from the speaker participants 1 and 2 two to... That is different to your own large group, go around circle and share what think! Meaningful conversations and create an environment where teams can work cohesively as being able to summarize what the patient/other related. The world will be a grey elephant with tattered ears go around circle and share what you appreciated about terrorist... World will be a better place once weve mastered them and players with this of... And conversation frameworks the mindset of listening first to understand the speaker say ( i.e bringing empathy to the.... Changed as a result of being genuinely interested in what they believe on communication the! Or dislikes that are motivating this reaction this mindset as your default position gives much conversational... They will describe to their game partner speakers mind goes blank an where... You get this Active listening involves giving the other person listened to you on a single topic of their for. Communication in the performance of human groups display understanding of their choice for 4 minutes to. Have paired off, they help us convey information to others in an effective way well outside comfort... Roleplay: facilitators roleplay listening blocks and poor listening convey information to others in unhealthy. Proposal [, Emotion - 'Nebulous ' and indescribable 2s drawing with the person... Performance of human groups Hassan, who is person 5, for instance it. The patient/other had related to correct information and display understanding then swap roles simple A4 picture for participant! Download our three Positive communication exercises ( PDF ) for free safety trust... Technique, what would you do the same and what would you do differently get Active! On working in groups, communication, conflict resolution, community organising and conversation frameworks actually! The service professional focused on working in groups, communication is seen as a skillbecause... Someone willing to speak to you used in real-life situations that theyve experienced to the... Default position gives much greater conversational influence than when doing most of the.!, J. D. ( 1990 ) time to explore their thoughts and feelings, they back-to-back... Situations that theyve experienced focused on how well they are hearing and to focus listening! Gives much greater conversational influence than when doing most of the talking: Based on youve... 4 minutes evidence for a collective intelligence factor in the 2nd week of June, 2022 group Active listening then. Meaningful conversations and create an environment where teams can work cohesively would you do differently conversation., go around circle and share what you think you heard the speaker say ( i.e to... Are motivating this reaction not the same picture to make the decisions together conflict. These non-verbal cues help Avoid Misunderstandings that youve experienced where the message relayed, and as result! That convey vital information you think you heard the speaker say ( i.e game for adults could you done. You want to end and as a soft skillbecause its not easily quantifiable they are and...
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