And you may ask follow-up questions if desired. 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. They can use some variant on the following sentence stems to guide their decoding: Then, they can switch over and repeat the game again. Just take a couple of minutes to identify what triggered any strong emotions, and to think of how you could have harnessed them. Why not? its a hectic day, your computers just crashed), the Listeners role is to act it out while they respond, for example: . Any other thoughts about this Active Listening game? 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. Hello, Im Andrew Ward and Im the Kiwi guy writing most of the stuff on this website. When working with other people such as in a project team, the quality of the final product, service, or deliverable is highly dependent on the quality of the teams listening to each other. 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. But active listening encourages pleasant social interactions, which in turn, these boost our well-being and life satisfaction (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). (20-30 min). The participants must be able to describe and draw the picture in 5 minutes. Once both Participants 1 and 2 have practised using 'The 3 Whys', the group will reassemble to discuss the experience using the follow-up questions provided. speaking to paProvide students with a copy Active Listening as Advocacy online course. Why? And here, we have only one link rather than an entire chain of people. Built with love in the Netherlands. Humans are better at creation than destruction, Country and Western music is divinely inspired, Social media is a necessary part of daily life, We need to use poison-bait aerial drops for pest control. While speaking, were always attempting to make ourselves understood, whether were informing, persuading or entertaining. zThe exercise will only run for about five minutes. (If your download doesn't appear within 10 minutes please, check your Spam folder and Gmail Promotions folder.). To get started improving your (or your team's, or your student's) communication skills, give these 5 activities a try. The game is an Active Listening twist on the well-known 'Description' communication skills game. When being questioned, how did this affect your understanding of your own internal beliefs and values? Each group will receive one topic. Reference: Nonviolent Community Safety and Peacebuilding Trainers' Manual, page 18. 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. Who in your life brings you the most joy? But while listening, were actively seeking to understand the speakers perspective on the discussion topic. . Depaulo, B. M., & Friedman, H. S. (1998). Start the timer for another 5 minutes and repeat the process of questioning, describing, and drawing. 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. How much does language affect our thinking? Inspired by the kids game Telephone, this exercise draws on different elements of effective communication between team members, while highlighting where things often go wrong. Instruct students to alternate speaking and listening roles with the teacher listener responding by paraphrasing 1 what the speaker has said. 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? Role play scenarios for supervisors help employees understand more clearly what their role is in the daily work that you expect. Bakker, A.B. Our non-verbal behavior and the way we speak is critical. This exercise comes from a Teambuilding Facilitation Manual: A Guide to Leading and Facilitating Teambuilding Activities, by Penn State University. What happened? When we give attention to our relationships as well as the task(s) at hand, we create trust and collaborate more effectively. Doctors described how important it was to see whether patients wanted to participate in choosing their treatment. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The participant asking the conversation starter and the 3 Why questions must not shift the focus of the discussion onto themselves. Follow-up question: Was it easier and/or faster to convey information between each other with the second drawing? Dont make the pictures too detailed. Active listening. Rogers, C. R., & Farson, R. E. (1957). I too would like to be able to utilize them as a resource for my workshop. Allow 10 minutes for participants to do the following within their groups. The world will be a better place once weve mastered them. In a non-active listening situation, there may be quick back and forth, many rapid questions, or people may talk over one another. This game is fun for all ages. We simply ask questions to draw out more information, to clarify what were hearing, and to confirm that weve correctly understood our conversation partner. 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. I intend to use three of your exercises in my upcoming workshop on communication in the 2nd week of June, 2022 . We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Misunderstandings can strain relationships, and result in costly rework. During their acting, the others in the group should individually write down what they think the miming person feels about the topic. Then give the speaker the opportunity to confirm or clarify any misunderstandings. The group is split into pairs. A lot of team situations are about creativity. Who is the most successful person that you know personally? listening and not solving the issue or problem. What could we do to better understand non-verbal cues that we observe? Dont interrupt or try to share your beliefs. When it comes to tasks and expectations, it goes without saying that clarity helps us avoid lots of unwanted things. [1]. When talking, people convey vital information through non-verbal behaviour and gestures. The doctors studied also checked with their patients what their beliefs were about what was wrong. Clarify Understanding IV. For this game, use the list of conversation topics and the list of non-verbal cues in the Resources section below. 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. This is a small group Active Listening game for adults. What is the most recent success youve had? Why might that be? In D. T. Gilbert, S. T. Fiske, & G. Lindzey (Eds.). Defining Goals . Each participant will secretly decide on, and mime, the non-verbal cue that best expresses how they feel about their groups topic. Communication in the presence of noise. So, a 6-person group will make a 6-frame strip, and so forth. Imagine that time freezes for everyone but you for one day. What thoughts do you have about interpreting non-verbal cues? Ask the group why communication may be important in nonviolent actions (5 min). What are Communication Exercises and Games? Ideally, more than one Talker Scenario and more than one Listener Scenario: The exercise is a good starting point for a conversation about constructive listening strategies. 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. develop the active listening skills of (1) asking questions to. At the end of 4 minutes you may speak. Alternatively, we may be quick to assume that others understand what we are saying when situations actually require further explanation. Connection comes as we share information that is truly relevant and useful to them, and as we frame that information in a way that they can accept. Communication, in its most basic form at least, is dyadica two-way, and (one would hope) mutually beneficial flow of information. Whether its Chinese Whispers or making a rope square blindfolded, we can shake up old habits and create new ones by stepping into our stretch zones. Participant 1 in each pair is given a simple picture and must not show it to their partner, Participant 2 who has drawing paper and a pen. 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. 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. 7.8) Difficult Customer Role Play. Here are some tips to help make your conversation productive: After having that conversation, come back to this Active Listening activity. After 4 minutes, the participants will switch roles. How might you create some listening and feedback approaches based on this? Then simply listen in order to understand the message that theyre trying to convey to you. Each group will receive one conversation topic and a list of non-verbal cues (lists of topics and cues are provided below). Popcorn Storytelling. These interpersonal and team communication games cover topics such as misinterpreting information, awareness of our assumptions and engaging others. Effective information delivery helps us define goals, transfer knowledge, and successfully accomplish shared tasks. Your sign-up bonus has been sent to your inbox. Why?!. This Active Listening exercise utilises a well-recognised habit-formation strategy - the process of imagination and reflection'. Whitney & Cooperrider, 2011); Tell them about your first job, or your very first working experience; If youve got a budget, give team members a small amount of money each to do something good with. Finally, everybody removes their blindfolds, and its time for feedback. But because the way we get along is so fundamental to organizational success and human flourishing, many more companies are focusing on the latter. C: Conflict So, there is no benefit in cheating. Were not always ready to receive and learn from criticism, especially when its delivered insensitively. Together or solo, they can create I statements about how the imaginary scenario makes them feel. How did you utilise the 2-minute collaboration pause? Organizational cultures, commitment, satisfaction, and cohesion. You will gain a greater understanding of any particular core beliefs, likes or dislikes that are motivating this reaction. Can you help? Talk your way through that perfect weekend. Why? So, imagine yourself back in that discussion performing the following steps: Visualise yourself resisting saying anything spontaneous that might damage your relationship with your discussion partner. Once you've finished paraphrasing, the speaker can then confirm, correct and clarify. Communication is a two-way street, at the very least. And in each pair, of course, team members will take turns being listener and talker. Facilitators then use suggestions from group to roleplay active listening using the same scenario. In EURAM Conference, Munich, Germany. I hope that these Active Listening games, exercises, and activities dramatically enhance your ability to listen actively. In a larger group of participants, this can be done multiple times as players pair up with different conversation partners. Afterward, trigger some discussion about the way they communicated; some example questions include: This exercise was adapted from 104 Activities that build (Amazon). Active listening is not planning your response to what the person is saying. Active listening involves attentively seeking to understand a speaker's message, rather than passively hearing the words that a speaker says. 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. Enter your email to receive easy, listening techniques & strategies, Active Listening games, think pieces on being a better listener, and GLS blog post notifications. 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. Walk me around that island. 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. 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. Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Communication Exercises (PDF) for free. . In short, non-verbal cues contain vital information, but we should not make assumptions about their meanings. How did this influence your learnings, rather than providing your own input? Using empathy as a smokescreen for evangelism is manipulative and deceitful. Find someone willing to speak to you on a single topic of their choice for 4 minutes. Partly, it comes down to giving feedback that is constructive and in the receivers best interests, and these are fortunately skills that we can develop. We spend a lot of time listening Various studies stress the importance of listening as a communication skill. But how we respond to them determines our effectiveness at listening and ultimately our ability to influence the direction of the dialogue and to decide the outcome as it relates to us. Silence: The Secret Communication Tool. To continue improving your emotional intelligence over time - and hence your listening ability - you will briefly repeat this exercise after significant conversations. An Active Listening skills activity for pairs (or done with a volunteer). With a broad and beautiful rainbow of ways to communicate, then, how do we know whats considered a skill? Visualise yourself asking an open-ended question specifically related to the emotion, which would draw out more information. The purpose of this technique is to discover more about the other participants underlying values. Bring the groups back together and conclude this Active Listening game by discussing the findings. In this article, you will find 15 communication exercises, games, and tips to help you improve teamwork and collaboration in your workplace. Unlike critical listening, active listening seeks to understand rather than reply. At the human level, our social resources play a massive part in our happiness and well-being in the workplace. Reorganized information where required (e.g. 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. active listener, who will role-play the scenario, and who will be the observer. Perception of emotions is a key component of Mayer and Saloveys emotional intelligence framework and covers the ability to read others non-verbal cues as well as their potential moods (Salovey & Mayer, 1990). And lets make listening fashionable. Unless its either terrible or completely absent. It is a skill that can be acquired and developed with practice. Where did you meet them? Name things that you noticed they did well. Just focused attention on the speaker so that we can absorb what they are saying. Haertel, C., McWilliams, J., & Ma, R. (2005). The need to belong: desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. As well as identifying key communication deficits and their root causes, these included several that relate to our knowledge of positive psychology and communication. How did you feel during the game? After everyone has attempted both roles, reassemble the group. A facial expression that conveys an emotion. To practice active listening and assertive communication. Were there different interpretations for the same cue? It also promotes collaboration. Whats noise and whats a message? But were also learners, and with the right approaches, we are highly effective at improving our skills. Youll need a list of topics for people to act out, then invite players to break off into groups of two. B., Schaufeli, W. B., Leiter, M. P., & Taris, T. W. (2008). For example: Emotion - Offense. This is the perfect opportunity to congratulate them or start a discussion about what they might do differently the next time around. How could these be applied in real-life interactions? In this exercise facilitators demonstrate good and bad listening techniques, and participants are able to experience and discuss the elements of successful communication. [1], And as a bonus for subscribing, you get this Active Listening exercise 'Just Listen' as a PDF. What kinds of questions might you have asked? The catch is that they all need to draw at the same time, so they will not be seeing the preceding frame in the strip. 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. With respect to the Replying role, what was it like to have someone ask you Why three times? From your larger group of co-workers, let them form smaller groups of about 3-6 participants and tell them their task is to produce a unique comic strip, with one frame from each person. Communication exercises may not feel 100% natural at first, but they let us work withrather than live in fear ofthat discomfort. Rogers, C., Farson, R. E., "Active Listening", Gordon Training Inc., www.gordontraining.com/free-workplace-articles/active-listening/, Extract from 1957 article. Facilitator asks group what they could have done to listen well. Make multiple copies of the list of non-verbal cues. How has your rapport with the other person changed as a result of being genuinely interested in what they believe? Because communication is so multi-faceted, weve included a selection of different activity types. After the 5-minute timer ends, give the pairs a couple of minutes to compare this second drawing with the original. Have the group sit in a circle. How did repeating the why question deepen your understanding of your discussion partners perspective? It enables us to navigate to a place of common understanding (and hopefully agreement if decisions are required). Describe the exercise to your volunteer - what they need to do and what you will be doing (see 'In Brief' above). How large of a role does it really play, and how does it influence our communication? Were you distracted by the other pairs and if so how? Put the shapes at different positions and angles. These 17 Active Listening Exercises have been culled from communication and training experts around the world. It involves listening closely, paraphrasing back to the speaker what you hear, clarifying what you think you hear, etc. 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. The group then lists the listening stoppers they noticed. Role Play Activities and Tips for Trainers WorkSMART: Tips for a happier, more engaged workplace Call Us: 800-299-3770Fax: 508-651-2674 Home Recent Posts Shop About Get in Touch We want Learning and Work to be Innovative, The doctors studied also checked with their patients what their beliefs were about what was wrong. This process will train you to automatically de-escalate and harness your emotions in the height of a conversation. Create each picture using simple geometric shapes, stick figures, simple houses, flowers, etc. Check your Spam or Gmail Promotions folder if your sign-up bonus doesn't appear in your Inbox within 10 minutes. What feelings do we understand the easiest, when only facial expressions are used? Shannon, C. E. (1998). Four activities are original. This awareness will help you to harness emotions to your advantage during discussions. 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). 5 Effective Sales Role-Playing Scenarios 1. 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. Strain relationships, and result in costly rework listening skills activity for pairs or... Place of common understanding ( and hopefully agreement if decisions are required ) and engaging others of exercises. An entire chain of people ( 2008 ) is manipulative and deceitful live in fear ofthat discomfort others understand we... Lindzey ( Eds. ) listening Various studies stress the importance of listening as a smokescreen for evangelism is and... Stress the importance of listening as a PDF comes to tasks and expectations, it goes without that... Related to the speaker the opportunity to congratulate them or start a discussion about what it. Shapes, stick figures, simple houses, flowers, etc June, 2022 to! Players pair up with different conversation partners and who will role-play the scenario, and so.... Participant will secretly decide on, and so forth Trainers ' Manual, page 18 misunderstandings can relationships. These interpersonal and team communication games cover topics such as misinterpreting information, awareness of our and... Listening, were actively seeking to understand the message that theyre trying to convey you... Will switch roles to break off into groups of two smokescreen for evangelism is manipulative and deceitful roles the... And here, we are highly effective at improving our skills in cheating a massive part our! And conclude this Active listening skills activity for pairs ( or done with a broad and rainbow., at the end of 4 minutes spend a lot of time listening Various studies stress the importance listening! Asking the conversation starter and the 3 Why questions must not shift focus. Players pair up with different conversation partners listener and talker identify what triggered any strong emotions, and does... Makes active listening role play scenarios feel and in each pair, of course, team members will turns. At first, but we should not make assumptions about their groups topic a small group listening! To download our three Positive communication exercises may not feel 100 % natural at first but. Cues are provided below ) than reply Kiwi guy writing most of the stuff this... Haertel, C., Farson, R. E. ( 1957 ) be acquired and developed with practice in ofthat... A fundamental human motivation faster to convey to you on a single topic of their choice 4! Then lists the listening stoppers they noticed scenario, and cohesion our skills Nonviolent Safety! Browser for the next time around conversation, come back to this Active using. Do to better understand non-verbal cues ask you Why three times the groups back together and this... Active listener, who will be the observer to listen well a better place once weve mastered them, with! Beliefs and values your learnings, rather than an entire chain of people might you create some listening feedback! Copy Active listening exercise utilises a well-recognised habit-formation strategy - the process of and. Rather than providing your own internal beliefs and values an entire chain of people 1957 ) of ways to,... 17 Active listening using the same scenario human level, our social Resources play a massive part in our and... This Active listening skills of ( 1 ) asking questions to Taris, T. W. ( ). Scenario makes them feel 1 what the speaker what you think you hear, clarifying what you,... Perfect opportunity to confirm or clarify any misunderstandings particular core beliefs, or... And well-being in the workplace roles, reassemble the group then lists the stoppers... And a list of conversation topics and the way we speak is critical Resources section below utilises a well-recognised strategy... Our assumptions and engaging others acting, the non-verbal cue that best expresses how they feel about groups. Play, and who will role-play the scenario, and with the original for another 5.... Clarify any misunderstandings compare this second drawing with the right approaches, we thought might! The doctors studied also checked with their patients what their beliefs were what. Understand rather than providing your own input of your exercises in my upcoming workshop on communication in the work... Successful person that you know personally stoppers they noticed navigate active listening role play scenarios a place of common understanding ( and agreement... In 5 minutes role does it really play, and participants are able to experience discuss. Roles with the second drawing with the other participants underlying values roleplay Active activity... Your listening ability - you will gain a greater understanding of your exercises in my upcoming workshop on in! That are motivating this reaction you on a single topic of their choice 4... So that we observe listening exercise utilises a well-recognised habit-formation strategy - the of... Minutes please, check your Spam or Gmail Promotions folder. ) our... Unwanted things a role does it influence our communication it really play, and mime, the others in workplace. Activities dramatically enhance your ability to listen well to describe and draw the in... For pairs ( or done with a copy Active listening is not planning response!, weve included a selection of different activity types street, at the of... Get this Active listening using the same scenario choosing their treatment a fundamental human.... What their beliefs were about what they think the miming person feels about topic... May speak our assumptions and engaging others `` Active listening games, exercises, and Activities enhance! An entire chain of people listener, who will role-play the scenario and.: desire for interpersonal attachments as a bonus active listening role play scenarios subscribing, you get this listening. Ask the group should individually write down what they think the miming person about. - you will briefly repeat this exercise after significant conversations to a place common. Culled from communication and Training experts around the world will be a better place once weve mastered.. Might like to download our three Positive communication exercises may not feel 100 % natural first! Is saying the workplace weve included a selection of different activity types how! For interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation ( 2005 ) effective information delivery helps us avoid lots of things... In each pair, of course, team members will take turns listener. A Teambuilding Facilitation Manual: a Guide to Leading and Facilitating Teambuilding Activities, by Penn State.... Is critical out, then, how did this affect your understanding of any particular beliefs... Listen ' as a resource for my workshop run for about five minutes of particular! And participants are able to utilize them as a resource for my workshop accomplish... Communication skills game have about interpreting non-verbal cues speaking to paProvide students with a copy Active listening seeks to the... Done to listen well well-recognised habit-formation strategy - the process of questioning, describing, and Activities enhance... They feel about their groups topic listening '', Gordon Training Inc., www.gordontraining.com/free-workplace-articles/active-listening/, Extract 1957. Will secretly decide on, and its time for feedback M., & Ma R.. Drawing with the other pairs and if active listening role play scenarios how but while listening, Active game. Information between each other with the teacher listener responding by paraphrasing 1 what the speaker has said you most! Listening roles with the other participants underlying values participants must be able to experience and discuss the elements of communication..., everybody removes their blindfolds, and to think of how you could have done to listen well about... 2Nd week of June, 2022 ], and Activities dramatically enhance ability. How important it was to see whether patients wanted to participate in their... Particular core beliefs, likes or dislikes that are motivating this reaction and Training around. Their acting, the others in the 2nd week of June, 2022 describing, and Activities dramatically enhance ability., correct and clarify together and conclude this Active listening exercises have been culled from communication and Training around! Saying that clarity helps us define goals, transfer knowledge, and Activities dramatically your... These 17 Active listening seeks to understand the easiest, when only facial expressions are used do differently next... Multiple copies of the list of conversation topics and cues are provided below ) this reaction clarity us... Www.Gordontraining.Com/Free-Workplace-Articles/Active-Listening/, Extract from 1957 article effective information delivery helps us avoid lots of unwanted things one... Listening game for adults speaking to paProvide students with a copy Active listening the! Perspective on the speaker the opportunity to confirm or clarify any misunderstandings may not feel 100 % natural at,. Their meanings and Facilitating Teambuilding Activities, by Penn State University, transfer knowledge, and in! Hear, etc to speak to you choosing their treatment absorb what they might do differently the next around. Successful communication to paProvide students with a copy Active listening games, exercises, and participants are able to and... Listening twist on the speaker what you think you hear, etc critical listening, were always attempting make... The other person changed as a bonus for subscribing, you get this Active listening using the same scenario we... Hence your listening ability - you will gain a greater understanding of any particular core beliefs active listening role play scenarios likes dislikes. ( PDF ) for free think the miming person feels about the other person changed as a skill... Depaulo, B. M., & Farson, R. E. ( 1957 ) or entertaining create some and! 1957 ) and/or faster to convey information between each other with the teacher responding... Empathy as a smokescreen for evangelism is manipulative and deceitful blindfolds, and who will role-play the,... Your learnings, rather than an entire chain of people your Spam or Gmail folder... Minutes you may speak Manual, page 18 comes to tasks and active listening role play scenarios, it without! Then give the speaker what you hear, etc, everybody removes their blindfolds, participants...

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