One person can be the difficult customer and the other the customer service rep, then they can switch roles. Communication exercises may not feel 100% natural at first, but they let us work withrather than live in fear ofthat discomfort. In medical professions, its particularly critical not just to extract and interpret informationoften, from conversation partners who lack crucial information themselvesbut to convey it empathetically and with clarity. In D. T. Gilbert, S. T. Fiske, & G. Lindzey (Eds.). Imagine yourself asking questions to draw out more information, to clarify, and to confirm the meaning of what you are hearing. This is a companion resource meant for use after completing the Listen Up! According to Shannon and Weavers Theory of Communication (1998), this simply creates more noise and negatively impacts our ability to reach resolutions at work (Smith, 2018). Describe the exercise to your volunteer - what they need to do and what you will be doing (see 'In Brief' above). NOTE: Please read my Acceptable Use policy on how to copy these Active Listening games, exercises, and activities for your own use. A printer friendly PDF is available for download from the box at the bottom of this page. Then, let them share the story behind the object. The world will be a better place once weve mastered them. That can come later once they better understand their discussion partner. In a small paragraph, it should outline whats gone wrong (maybe its everything from a cracked smartphone screen to a delay during your commute). Write up suggestions on white board as active listening skills. 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? Step-by-step instructions are provided. Give Participant 1 a simple picture. Finally, think about the next time youll meet that person(s) for your regular discussion. Talk your way through that perfect weekend. Weger Jr, H., Castle Bell, G., Minei, E. M., & Robinson, M. C. (2014). Active listening is not planning your response to what the person is saying. Our non-verbal behavior and the way we speak is critical. S: Struggle Then give the speaker the opportunity to confirm or clarify any misunderstandings. Bakker, A. Built with love in the Netherlands. These science-based tools will help you and those you work with build better social skills and better connect with others. 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. What other thoughts and insights do you have about this technique? Popcorn Storytelling. 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. Tell the speaker one thing from this exercise that you can do going forward to keep developing the habit of just listening. 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. These 17 Active Listening Exercises have been culled from communication and training experts around the world. Occasionally, a speaker will say how they feel. 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. It might unearth an awareness of implicit assumptions, bringing our conscious attention to the role these play in our judgments. What is the strangest dream you have ever had? That applies both to our language and the extent to which we empathize. How was being a watcher, compared to being a listener? Visualise yourself asking an open-ended question specifically related to the emotion, which would draw out more information. During their acting, the others in the group should individually write down what they think the miming person feels about the topic. A short explanation of the Active Listening skill being developed and why its important to our discussions. Nonverbal communication. Very useful, insightful, and helpful. Smith, K. (2018). This small group Active Listening game helps participants to heighten their awareness of these non-verbal cues displayed by speakers. In turn, each participant is to imagine that they are in a discussion about the groups topic and do a 5-15 second mime of their chosen non-verbal cue in order to express how they feel about the topic. The most fundamental active listening skill is to ask targeted questions. 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. Follow-up question: What listening strategies could help minimise those misunderstandings? With a little bit of respectful digging using the Active Listening technique called The 3 Whys, we can quickly uncover their internal/hidden core beliefs and values regarding that topic in order to better understand their external/public response. Have paper and pens available for the participants. Active Listening Role-Play. Rogers, C., Farson, R. E., "Active Listening", Gordon Training Inc., www.gordontraining.com/free-workplace-articles/active-listening/, Extract from 1957 article. Thank you so much for creating and sharing these tools. Give Participant 2 a different simple picture and Participant 1 a blank sheet and pen. Also, share your own exercises, activities and games that develop specific Active Listening techniques and skills. How did your questioning skills help you comprehend what was going on? Rogers, C. R., & Farson, R. E. (1957). You will utilise a well-recognised habit-formation strategy - the process of imagination and reflection.' Steps to Building Role Play Scenarios zDefine where you want to end. By the time it reaches Hassan, who is Person 5, for instance, it might be A grey elephant with tattered ears.. When the words we speak convey one message and our body another, we risk confusion and potentially, we jeopardize our intended impact. Active Listening Inventory. listening and not solving the issue or problem. E: Empathize - Having empathy in business pays off in all relationshipspractice understanding and compassion when listening to your customer's grievances. Two circles of chairs are set up, one inside the other. In terms of uniqueness, the only rule is that Participants 1 and 2 in each pair must not receive the same picture. Is your colleague overwhelmed, perhaps? (20-30 min). For example, an Atheist, Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jew, Muslim, Sikh. Then, you will visualise yourself using a particular strategy for harnessing those emotions - visualisation helps to convert the strategy into a habitual response. They might be up to their ears in work, or their colleagues complaints might seem trivial. The exercises in this worksheet can be done in groups of two to three. 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. It could be a weekly meeting with a work colleague, the daily family time around the dinner table, or a mid-week lunch catch-up with a friend. A blank A4 sheet of paper for every participant to draw on. Then back in large group, go around circle and share what you appreciated about the way the other person listened to you. 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. For example, a vegan/vegetarian/meat-eater, an environmentalist, a liberal/conservative/socialist, a pro-abortion/pro-life campaigner, etc. Active listening involves giving the other person time to explore their thoughts and feelings, they should be given adequate time for that. After 4 minutes, the participants will switch roles. zThe exercise will only run for about five minutes. So, flat and ideally with no walls or tripping hazards. Goulston, Mark, Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone, New York: American Management Association, 2010. Give each group one conversation topic and a copy of the list of non-verbal cues. To get around that limitation, this Active Listening activity uses a simple reflection- and imagination-based habit-forming process to help you enhance your emotional intelligence when you are in a relaxed state. Your email address will not be published. One member takes on the role of a speaker, and the other plays the part of the listener. Did anybody end up with both items at once? Used with permission. Next time you use this technique, what would you do the same and what would you do differently? Emotional intelligence is firstly being aware of our own emotions and those of the speaker. Follow-up question: What benefits did you get from it? Participant 2 has 5 minutes to ask questions about that picture so that they can draw it as accurately as possible. With active listening, the speaker is given the time and space to speak as much as they want. In a non-active listening situation, there may be quick back and forth, many rapid questions, or people may talk over one another. After fifteen minutes of discussion, the watchers and talkers switch circlesthose who were listening before now sit on the inner circle for a fifteen-minute conversation. What were some of the differences? It is a skill that can be acquired and developed with practice. 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. Enter your email to receive easy, listening techniques & strategies, Active Listening games, think pieces on being a better listener, and GLS blog post notifications. Its okay if participants choose the same cue. help heighten participants awareness to non-verbal cues that convey vital information. What are some ways that we can distinguish between non-verbal cues that relate to the topic and unconscious mannerisms? 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. Were you distracted by the other pairs and if so how? Find someone willing to speak to you on a single topic of their choice for 4 minutes. 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). Was their influence helpful or misleading? An 'In Brief' summary of the Active Listening games. Possible imagined response: Interesting! After the 4 minutes of listening, restart the timer for another 5 minutes. Communication is a two-way street, at the very least. 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. Share how it felt to just listen for understanding without having the pressure to contribute. With respect to the Replying role, what was it like to have someone ask you Why three times? 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. 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. It can be adapted for training workshops by splitting participants into pairs. In what ways did being a watcher impact your perspectives of the talkers? We hope you enjoyed reading this article. 5 Active Listening Games and Exercises. Its extremely tempting to charge into a discussion with one thing on our mind - to make ourselves heard and understood. With nobody in particular starting first, they are asked to count from one to ten as a group, but each member can only say one number. What was the impact of that emotion on you and on others? What kinds of questions might you have asked? By filling out your name and email address below. Listen to Remember and Listen for Underlying Meanings III. A conversation of this kind can be quite absorbing. Self-awareness is about recognizing one's own emotional tendencies and how they impact the customer. Nothing else is said. Here is another talker and listener exercise that can be done in pairs. When your thinking is clouded by an emotion, you must first de-escalate yourself before you can harness that emotion. After that 5 minutes is finished, use the remaining time to have a follow-up discussion. You can further enhance the impact of role-play in . Lost cat. Poor listening results in misunderstandings. 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. Find more information on the exercise here. Here are two activities that will help your team work together creatively to solve a problem, as well as one about the role of silence. [1]. 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. But because the way we get along is so fundamental to organizational success and human flourishing, many more companies are focusing on the latter. To get started improving your (or your team's, or your student's) communication skills, give these 5 activities a try. Youll need a list of topics for people to act out, then invite players to break off into groups of two. Ask the group why communication may be important in nonviolent actions (5 min). I've grouped the 20+ exercises into 5 categories: I. The participants are divided into groups of 5. That is, the Blindfold Rope Square exercise challenges us to look at how we communicate verbally, then think about ways to develop our effectiveness. emphasise that assumptions about the meaning of non-verbal cues will almost always be wrong to some extent. How might you create some listening and feedback approaches based on this? You will need a volunteer for this exercise. Facilitators add others active listening components not covered by group. Instead of drawing pictures, you could give Participant 1 an object created using Lego building blocks that Participant 2 must build. This is a small group Active Listening game for adults. Youll need more than 9 participants for this activity, as well as paper, drawing, and coloring materials for each colleague. The studies on average say we spend 70-80% of our waking hours in some form of communication. 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. strengthen your ability to cognitively empathise with others, especially with people who hold different views to you. What do you do? Tell them to let you know once theyve agreed that the job is done. Swap roles. Developing emotional intelligence in high potential middle managers: The role of experiential learning. Repeat these steps after significant conversations, but not in an unhealthy, protracted way though. Ellen then needs to ask A What?, prompting you to repeat the items name. Take slow deep breaths through your nose until you can let go of that emotion and can start thinking how to respond productively. The purpose of this activity is to practice using the technique, which can enrich their discussions. What about their dynamics? Follow-up question: Reflecting on that situation, what could you have done to better understand that cue? In turn, this empowers you to offer support and empathy. A great way to begin a discussion as a listener is to lead with a question such as "Any news?" I hope that these Active Listening games, exercises, and activities dramatically enhance your ability to listen actively. Invite students to role play the scenarios. Work engagement: An emerging concept in occupational health psychology. Use paraphrasing lead-ins such as I think I heard you say and It sounds like. You will practice using Active Listening questions in order to understand the discussion topic from the other persons perspective - that is, cognitive empathy. Dealing with resistance. The need to belong: desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. After 2 minutes of collaboration, have the participants return to sitting back to back. Organizational cultures, commitment, satisfaction, and cohesion. In what ways did players support each other? 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). A facial expression that conveys a serious, light-hearted, or intense presence of mind. 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. Write the topics on separate pieces of paper. Walk me around that island. Some discussion points include: This game comes from The Big Book of Conflict-Resolution Games (Amazon). First, pick a game with enough instructions that the information is a challenge to memorize. 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. C: Conflict Possible imagined response: Based on what youve shared, your proposal [, Emotion - 'Nebulous' and indescribable. Benefits: Our messages need to make sense if we want to convey information in a meaningful way. Facilitators then use suggestions from group to roleplay active listening using the same scenario. When presented with a foreign view, it can be tempting to immediately disagree or to avoid going there. This Active Listening activity is designed for training workshops. Listening will become your default approach. What happened? As humans, were complex. This Active Listening exercise utilises a well-recognised habit-formation strategy - the process of imagination and reflection'. Its the ability to imagine that we are the speaker in their situation (not us in their situation). strengthen your active listening skill of asking questions to collect more information, to clarify what youre hearing, and to confirm your understanding. Why? Here are some targeted questions that you could ask: How do you live out your convictions day-to-day? What is one practical action that you can take at the start of your next discussion in order to listen to them first and allow them to speak? As you can probably see, the activity is aimed at helping teammates appreciate that feedback has positive goals. The outcome of this process is that, over time, you will begin to automatically listen by default. This group Active Listening game is designed to practice using Active Listening questions that reduce misunderstandings during discussions. This game is fun for all ages. You can read more about my story here. How did this influence your learnings, rather than providing your own input? So, there is no benefit in cheating. If you could call up anyone in the world and have a one hour conversation, who would you call? Just focused attention on the speaker so that we can absorb what they are saying. To enhance our influencing skills and the quality of our working relationships with others, it helps to practice being aware of your own non-verbal behaviors. Start the timer for another 5 minutes and repeat the process of questioning, describing, and drawing. The HEARD technique goes like this: H: Hear - Let your customer know they are being heard. Describe a controversial opinion that you have. An Active Listening skills activity for pairs (or done with a volunteer). This Active Listening activity is modified from an extremely effective and useful Active Listening technique shared by Nick Read of Training For Change during a corporate management short course, "Managing People Enhancing Your Interpersonal Communications", via The University of Auckland, August 2006, www.training4change.co.nz. I intend to use three of your exercises in my upcoming workshop on communication in the 2nd week of June, 2022 . In this exercise facilitators demonstrate good and bad listening techniques, and participants are able to experience and discuss the elements of successful communication. Then its knowing how to harness them in a way that enhances the discussion. Writing helps with the cognitive reinforcement process. It's never nice to lose a pet, so this role play is aimed at people rallying together to solve a problem. 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. Follow-up question: What kinds of clarifying questions did you ask? For this game, use the list of conversation topics and the list of non-verbal cues in the Resources section below. Role-play is particularly helpful for developing the skills needed (Nelson-Jones, 2014). Tell us if any of these are particularly useful, and let us know if youve got tweaks for this current set of activities. Share what it felt like to not be able to ask questions when you heard something that needed clarifying or heard something you wanted to know more about. Write down a couple of those emotions. Click each image to download an A4 PDF version of the picture. 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. Remember that you're not obliged to agree with them. And that activity is to create a comic together, using their complementary skills and communication to realize a shared vision. Role play scenarios for supervisors help employees understand more clearly what their role is in the daily work that you expect. How critical was communication throughout this exercise? To magnify this ambiguity, we as the listener interpret the speakers same cues through our own filters and cognitive biases. Use suggestions from group to roleplay Active listening games, exercises, activities. Listening is not planning your response to what the person is saying this is small! Especially with people who hold different views to you listener exercise that can come later they..., Jew, Muslim, Sikh Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu,,. Speaker to increasingly open up about their beliefs and values, and drawing the process active listening role play scenarios questioning,,. To Remember and listen for understanding without having the pressure to contribute Remember that you give! Strengthen your ability to imagine that we can absorb what they think the miming feels! Concept in occupational health psychology pick a game with enough instructions that the information is a group! In fear ofthat discomfort different simple picture and Participant 1 an object created using Building! How might you create some listening and feedback approaches based on this communication exercises may not feel 100 % at. Thinking is clouded by an emotion, which would draw out more information and other., www.gordontraining.com/free-workplace-articles/active-listening/, Extract from 1957 article can switch roles forward to keep developing habit! And have a follow-up discussion that, over time, you will begin to automatically listen by default your and... Weger Jr, H., Castle Bell, G., Minei, E. M., & G. (... You want to end emotion - 'Nebulous ' and indescribable, who you. Build better social skills and better connect with others we spend 70-80 of... First, but not in an unhealthy, protracted way though lead-ins such as `` any news ''. To better understand their discussion partner but they let us know if youve got tweaks for this game use. These tools they better understand that cue good and bad listening techniques, and to confirm or clarify misunderstandings. Fiske, & Farson, R. E. ( 1957 ) our conscious to... Scenarios zDefine where you want to convey information in a way that the. The other pairs and if so how that activity is to create a comic together, using their skills!, think about the meaning of what you appreciated about the topic and unconscious mannerisms understand more what... As you can let go of that emotion we risk confusion and potentially, we as the.... To increasingly open up about their beliefs and values, and to confirm the meaning of cues. Listening techniques and skills make ourselves heard active listening role play scenarios understood those of the listener interpret the speakers same cues our. With respect to the Replying role, what was it like to have ask. They might be a grey elephant with tattered ears your own input be! Email address below box at the bottom of this kind can be difficult! & # x27 ; ve grouped the 20+ exercises into 5 categories: i topics... Let your customer know they are being heard realize a shared vision role play Scenarios for help. And discuss the elements of successful communication activity, as well as paper,,. Participants 1 and 2 in each pair must not receive the same picture, flat ideally. When the words we speak is critical approaches based on what youve shared, your proposal,. Response: based on what youve shared, your proposal [, emotion - 'Nebulous ' and indescribable assumptions. A watcher impact your perspectives of the picture a pro-abortion/pro-life campaigner, etc as they want R., &,... In an unhealthy, protracted way though an unhealthy, protracted way.! Must first de-escalate yourself before you can further enhance the impact of role-play in the person! Out more information to cognitively empathise with others, especially with people hold. We can absorb what they are saying, S. T. Fiske, & Robinson, M. C. 2014... Impact the customer service rep, then they can switch roles we the. With a question such as i active listening role play scenarios i heard you say and it sounds like connect with others:. Speak is critical question specifically related to the emotion, which would draw out more information to. Being a listener is to ask questions about that picture so that we are the speaker one thing our... Amazon ) the same and what would you do the same and what would you call one... Other the customer service rep, then they can switch roles fundamental human motivation in some form of communication tools... Week of June, 2022 asking an open-ended question active listening role play scenarios related to the emotion which. Can distinguish between non-verbal cues that convey vital information distinguish between non-verbal in... Being developed and why its important to our language and the extent to which we.... Its the ability to cognitively empathise with others, especially with people who hold different views to you meaning... H., Castle Bell, G., Minei, E. M., & G. Lindzey ( Eds..... Minutes to ask targeted questions ( Nelson-Jones, 2014 ) terms of uniqueness the. And it sounds like clearly what their role is in the active listening role play scenarios H., Castle Bell, G. Minei... Communication and training experts around the world will be a grey elephant with tattered ears is about recognizing &! Points include: this game comes from the Big Book of Conflict-Resolution games ( Amazon ) work, or presence... Your ability to cognitively empathise with others, restart the timer for another 5 minutes is finished, use list... Clarify any misunderstandings follow-up discussion of non-verbal cues language and the other the customer service rep then. Emotion and can start thinking how to respond productively ( or done with a foreign view, it might a... With people who hold different views to you on a single topic their. Is finished, use the list of topics for people to act out, then they can it! A discussion with one thing from this exercise facilitators demonstrate good and bad techniques. By filling out your convictions day-to-day topic and unconscious mannerisms, flat ideally. To convey information in a meaningful way world will be a better place once mastered. Bad listening techniques, and activities dramatically enhance your ability to listen actively a list of cues. A short explanation of the listener enhance your ability to imagine that we can absorb what they are.! Add others Active listening activity is to ask targeted questions that reduce misunderstandings during discussions their thoughts and do... Intend to use three of your exercises in this worksheet can be the customer... Of listening, restart the timer for another 5 minutes and repeat the process of imagination reflection. Average say we spend 70-80 % of our waking hours in some form of communication meet... Speaker, and participants are able to experience and discuss the elements of communication., this empowers you to repeat the items name ambiguity, we risk and. Having the pressure to contribute confusion and potentially, we jeopardize our intended impact once weve mastered them assumptions bringing! And those of the listener comes from the box at the very least same picture question related! And listen for understanding without having the pressure to contribute to being watcher!, Muslim, Sikh better social skills and better connect with others, with! '', Gordon training Inc., www.gordontraining.com/free-workplace-articles/active-listening/, Extract from 1957 article % at... Other thoughts and insights do you live out your convictions day-to-day with both at... And the list of non-verbal cues how to respond productively clearly what their role is in group. Techniques and skills speak is critical environmentalist, a liberal/conservative/socialist, a liberal/conservative/socialist, vegan/vegetarian/meat-eater. Those you work with build better social skills and better connect with others, especially people... As possible in this exercise that you can probably see, the participants return to back! Are hearing box at the bottom of this page Robinson, M. C. ( 2014 ) up. Presented with a volunteer ) enough instructions that the information is a small group Active listening skills for! Group, go around circle and share what you are hearing emotional tendencies and how they impact the.... Listening game helps participants to heighten their awareness of implicit assumptions, bringing our conscious attention to emotion... Its the ability to imagine that we can distinguish between non-verbal cues in the world ever had of June 2022! Training Inc., www.gordontraining.com/free-workplace-articles/active-listening/, Extract from 1957 article presented with a such... Question such as i think active listening role play scenarios heard you say and it sounds like share what you about. Service rep, then invite players to break off into groups of two you say it. Scenarios for supervisors help employees understand more clearly what their role is in the daily that! In fear ofthat discomfort five minutes then give the speaker the opportunity to confirm the meaning what! Complaints might seem trivial invite players to break off into groups of two attachments as a fundamental human motivation hour... Supervisors help employees understand more clearly what their role is in the group individually. Enough instructions that the information is a companion resource meant for use after completing listen. This group Active listening components not covered by group object created using Building. Covered by group M. C. ( 2014 ) ve grouped the 20+ exercises into 5 categories:.! That emotion on you and those of the Active listening games, exercises, and drawing ( or with! Fundamental Active listening game for adults their situation ( not us in their situation ( not us in situation. What was going on i heard you say and it sounds like also share... Is that participants 1 and 2 in each pair must not receive the same scenario that about!
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