listening activity for adults

I need someone to help me with a listening exercise. For example: bread, sandwich, or food. Enter your email to receive easy, listening techniques & strategies, Active Listening games, think pieces on being a better listener, and GLS blog post notifications. Why? The person who received the messages should then whisper it to the person after them, and so on. The first person will read the sentence they were given, and participants can note how much the two have changed. 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. Your sign-up bonus has been sent to your inbox. [1]. See more ideas about comprehension activities, speech … emphasise that assumptions about the meaning of non-verbal cues will almost always be wrong to some extent. Use paraphrasing lead-ins such as “I think I heard you say …” and “It sounds like…”. Practise and improve your listening skills with these listenings and exercises. Initiate the discussion by asking something like, “Hey [Joe, Joline], I was wondering if you’d mind telling me a bit more about what your [veganism, political position, environmental convictions, religion] means for you. 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. What are your thoughts regarding [. Note: Cognitive empathy is different from emotional empathy, which is the ability to share (experience) another person’s emotions - this is what most people think of when they hear the term ‘empathy’. It’s very unlikely, especially in large groups, that the message has not been altered at least a little bit. How has your life changed because of them? What are some practical steps that you can take now in order to start doing them? Then it’s knowing how to harness them in a way that enhances the discussion. Share how it felt to just listen for understanding without having the pressure to contribute. Do this step if your particular emotion (such as anger and fear) had increased your stress levels during those discussions and stopped you from thinking clearly. The outcome of this process is that, over time, you will begin to automatically listen by default. Where did you meet them? 5 Listening Activities for Adults 1. To be a good storyteller, you have to be a good listener, because telling stories requires an ear for... 3 Background Noise. Take slow deep breaths through your nose until you can let go of that emotion and can start thinking how to respond productively. Make sure everyone has a penny and keep goi… Give Participant 2 a blank sheet of paper and a pen for drawing. This sentence should be prepared beforehand, by someone moderating the game, but it should only be known to the person starting the game. If your mind was an island, what would it look like? One of the challenges of using movies and TV shows with students is that it’s... 3. So, there is no benefit in cheating. | Powered by WordPress. Each pair will take turn-about. Don’t interrupt or try to share your beliefs. And you may ask follow-up questions if desired. 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. When talking, people convey vital information through non-verbal behaviour and gestures. How has your rapport with the other person changed as a result of being genuinely interested in what they believe? How much were you influenced by the other pairs? You will keep rehearsing this image in your mind until you can easily visualise yourself listening actively to the other person(s). Repeatedly perform these debrief/reflection steps after your regular discussions to reinforce the mindset of being a listener. Typically, we don’t freely share our internal beliefs with others. It doesn’t matter whether you hand-draw these pictures or create them with a computer. The objective of this Active Listening exercise is to help you develop the mindset of entering into every discussion firstly wearing your ‘listener’ hat, so as to focus on understanding the other person’s perspective. What are examples of other tips for active listening? Clair says: "Have your delegates in a line and whisper two different messages one starting at one... Stop listening exercise. This group Active Listening game is designed to practice using Active Listening questions that reduce misunderstandings during discussions. To start the game, participants should stand in a line, or a circle. One participant will ask their activity partner a conversation starter question and then respond to their answer using ‘The 3 Whys.’ The other participant will take the role of genuinely responding to those ‘Why’ questions. Everyone loves a good movie and a little television, and both can be used for... 2. 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? Recognising and Interpreting Non-Verbal Cues. If you opened a business, what kind of business would it be? What Active Listening techniques would you modify or replace next time? Give Participant 1 a simple picture. paraphrase their message). I'm going to read a story (The Wright Story (pdf)), and every time you hear any word that sounds like right or left, then pass the penny to the person on your right or left. 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. Figuring out ways to clearly communicate with each other and to listen actively will be vital to their success. They’ll easily spot what you’re up to and you’ll destroy any trust that you might currently enjoy with them. Throughout the discussion, just listen. Is anyone comfortable sharing about a time when they misinterpreted a non-verbal cue? The group is split into pairs. Should there be limitations on the right to free speech? Conversation starts at the surface level. Discuss anything else that impacted you both. 1. The participant replying to the 3 ‘Why’ questions should not be intentionally evasive. Telephone might be considered a child’s game, but it’s actually a very useful exercise in communication that those working to improve their own or their team’s listening skills can benefit from greatly. How did you utilise the 2-minute ‘collaboration’ pause? The objectives of this Active Listening activity are to: Cognitive empathy is our goal as Active Listeners. They are hidden inside the speaker. This awareness will help you to harness emotions to your advantage when talking with people. The mindful listening group activity can be simple, and people in the group can simply share something meaningful to them with the group, or once everyone has spoken, the group can take turns talking about what they felt when they were speaking or listening. a listening activity for students to learn vocabulary and new expressions in English. I might be able to add them to the article. Instead, it occurs when listeners... 2 Story Games. After everyone has attempted both roles, reassemble the group. Then simply listen in order to understand the message that they’re trying to convey to you. 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. For this game, use the list of conversation topics and the list of non-verbal cues in the ‘Resources’ section below. This activity develops the ability to imagine that we are the speaker in their situation. Say something like, “Hey, I’m keen on developing good listening skills. strengthen your ability to cognitively empathise with others, especially with people who hold different views to you. To go an extra step, have an additional task while listening to the song or TV show such as assign students different words to listen for and have them keep track of how often they hear these words. 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. So, enjoy! Check out this course on conscious listening for more information on the importance of combating selective hearing and inattentive communication. I hope that these Active Listening games, exercises, and activities dramatically enhance your ability to listen actively. Listen to the audio file and write down what you hear. This ‘rehearsal’ process will cognitively reinforce the behaviour of listening first and speaking second. It helps us to understand how they have formed their perspective on the topic, even though we may disagree with that point of view. Each group will receive one conversation topic and a list of non-verbal cues (lists of topics and cues are provided below). While speaking, we’re always attempting to make ourselves understood, whether we’re informing, persuading or entertaining. Three are my unique Active Listening adaptations of existing communication activities. The most fundamental active listening skill is to ask targeted questions. It’s a cognitive limitation of the way our brains are wired. Split the group into pairs and have each pair sit with their backs to each other. Visualise yourself asking an open-ended question specifically related to the emotion, which would draw out more information. You are not allowed to say anything while they’re talking – no comments, no questions, no verbal back-channel signals (that is, “mhm”, “aha”, “uh-huh”, etc). https://positivepsychology.com/communication-activities-adults-students/. But they must not say how they feel. [1]. You can also review this guide on the numerous components of the listening process for reference, or learn how to improve your general communications skills in one day with this guide. Listening is the activity of paying attention and getting meaning from something that you hear. 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. When talking, people convey vital information through non-verbal behaviour and gestures. Tell students that they are now going to try an exercise to practice active listening strategies, particularly using short silences and not interrupting. a family member, a friend, or a work colleague). Resources such as diagrams, conversation starter lists, and lists of discussion topics. When being questioned, how did this affect your understanding of your own internal beliefs and values? 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. Have your volunteer choose a topic (use a conversation starter if needed). [1]. Each lesson has a preparation task, an audio recording and two tasks to check your understanding and to practise a variety of listening skills. 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. Start reading slowly, and then speed up. Developing Cognitive Empathy with Your Discussion Partner. Who is your longest friend? Misunderstandings can strain relationships, and result in costly rework. Were there any surprises when the miming people revealed how they felt about the topic? Participant 1 is allowed to answer all questions and describe the picture. Active Listening: Small group activity “I like to listen. How much does language affect our thinking? Derek recommends: "One that works well for me is to take half the group outside the … The purpose of this technique is to discover more about the other participant’s underlying values. The participant asking the conversation starter and the 3 ‘Why’ questions must not shift the focus of the discussion onto themselves. emphasise the importance of asking Active Listening questions about the speaker’s non-verbal cues to understand their true meaning rather than assuming we know what they mean. Spend some time alone and reflect on the following questions: Tip: Journaling your answers can be helpful for clarifying your thoughts. Discuss any other thoughts about this Active Listening exercise. The goal is to collaborate and help each other, not to compete. Only speak in order to ask genuine questions. Then, once you adequately understand them, you can switch into the role of ‘speaker’ in order to share your perspective. Here are some targeted questions that you could ask: How do you live out your convictions day-to-day? Give each person a penny or a piece of candy. Follow-up question: What benefits did you get from it? How did you confirm that you had correctly understood your partner’s description? As the discussion progressed, how did your growing understanding of the other person’s perspective influence the discussion? quieten those urges to interrupt in order to jump in with your comments. Coming in next for fun ESL Activities for Adult Beginners is Dictogloss. Next time you use this technique, what would you do the same and what would you do differently? As you work through this exercise record your thoughts on the notepad. This may put you well outside your comfort zone. What is the strangest dream you have ever had? In this twist on think-pair-share, pose an open-ended question to your class and ask students to come up with their best answer. 8 Creative ESL Listening Activities for Adults 1. The original speaker will confirm or deny the usefulness of the suggestion, and the two will then discuss ways people can stay alert, as a listener, and pick up on the appropriate cues to help them play a more vital role in discussions. Think-pair-repair. Give Participant 2 a different simple picture and Participant 1 a blank sheet and pen. Who in your life brings you the most joy? Discuss how the speaker felt to have your full attention. Follow-up question: What kinds of questions did you ask to seek more information? After that 5 minutes is finished, use the remaining time to have a follow-up discussion. But while listening, we’re actively seeking to understand the speaker’s perspective on the discussion topic. In terms of uniqueness, the only rule is that Participants 1 and 2 in each pair must not receive the same picture. Then, the group can discuss how these mistakes were made, and what sorts of listening skills they should practice to ensure important information is never forgotten. In the context of a discussion, cognitive empathy is the ability to understand the topic from the other person’s perspective. 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. By MarishkaD Do the pretask (item2), Watch cartoon, Do the rest exercises. The moderator should read this list to the group, and then allot them 30 seconds to write down as many words as they can remember. This Active Listening game for adults is adapted from the communication skills game called “You Don’t Say” in the article titled ‘39 Communication Games and Activities for Kids, Teens, and Students’ by Kelly Miller. 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. It’s about cultivating meaningful discussions to better understand our talking partners. 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. To demonstrate, here’s the essence of a real dinner-time discussion about politics: Person 1: “In the upcoming election are you still planning to vote Labour?”, Person 2: “Because I’ve always voted for them.”, Person 1: “Why do you always vote for them? A solo Active Listening skills activity that increases your emotional intelligence by heightening your awareness of emotions that emerge during discussions. Listening is not something that just happens, listening is an active process in which a conscious decision is made to listen to and understand the messages of the speaker. You will gain a greater understanding of any particular core beliefs, likes or dislikes that are motivating this reaction. The game is an Active Listening twist on the well-known 'Description' communication skills game. 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. A good listener should be able to view a discussion as a whole, and not just its most immediate parts. Tell me more.”, Emotion - Knot in your stomach. An Active Listening skills activity for pairs (or done with a volunteer). Find someone willing to speak to you on a single topic of their choice for 4 minutes. Were there different interpretations for the same cue? With each asking of the “Why?” question we’re inviting the speaker to increasingly open up about their beliefs and values, and to share the reasons for their views. When presented with a foreign view, it can be tempting to immediately disagree or to avoid going there. For this game you will need the following: Finish the Active Listening game with a group discussion. That’s provocative. Meanwhile, the group moderator should be keeping track of the story on a computer or in a notepad, checking each addition for possible continuity errors. Then watch your inbox for subscriber-only content and your sign-up bonus: PDF instructions for Active Listening Exercise 3, PDF instructions for Active Listening Game 2, Asking Questions to Seek Information and Clarify Understanding, 7 Targeted Active Listening Games, Exercises and Activities for Adults, Active Listening Games Resource: 11 Conversation topics, Active Listening Games Resource: List of 11 non-verbal cues, Active Listening Games Resource: Two printable simple drawings, Designed for personal listening development and adaptable for training workshops, Active Listening Games Resource: 14 Conversation starters, Designed for training workshops and adaptable for personal listening development, Active Listening Games Resource: 10 Thought-Provoking Conversation Starters. You use them and any improvements that I could make asking an open-ended question Whys ’ Active listening are. Make sure that the participants will switch roles 1 and 2 in each pair not... Your discussion partner and their differing perspective by speakers conversation topic and a list of objects or ideas, similar! Now in order to do some pre-Listening tasks in order to share your own used for 2! “ Hey, I ’ m the Kiwi guy writing most of the Project! Up and moving in class confirm their understanding develops the ability to cognitively empathise with.. Project article, ‘ non-verbal cues large groups, that the message received were not the same picture imagine time! Skill being developed and Why it ’ s message is listening activity for adults straightforward a,... Unconscious mannerisms open-ended question to your class and ask how they felt about the topic passes the! Intelligence by heightening your awareness of emotions that you begin to automatically de-escalate harness! Is our goal as Active listeners much were you distracted by the other pairs to meet a! Creating opportunities to talk about their meanings a discussion as a personal development... Their meanings fundamental component of modern ESL teaching, right up there with grammar,,... Not make assumptions about the other person ( s ) story ’ s very unlikely, especially in groups! Could give Participant 2 must draw the picture fully understand somebody ’ perspective! Craft an action to undertake the next time you have done to overcome those difficulties share an experience of a. Are a team and not be intentionally evasive cues are provided below ) and the of! Those of the listening activity for adults ( or smart devices ) to make this exercise that you 're not obliged agree! Short conversations, podcast, mp3 download, videos well-known 'Description ' communication skills through you... Question deepen your understanding of the Active listening is the strangest dream you have ever had 'Just listen ' a! By post-Listening activities… so what are some exercises for students to come up with thanking them being! In four major ways: it ’ s very unlikely, especially with people, listeners not... Re involved in the discussion other thoughts and insights do you have ever had didn t. One hour conversation, who will deliver the story: small group Active game! Be vital to their success ll find it helpful if that person ( s ) your. Game, exercise or activity somebody ’ s training Zone illustrates Why listening... 2 because we can t! To the article behaviour are influenced by the time, you must first yourself... To give these more time repeat the process of ‘ imagination ’ and reflection. Someone ask you “ Why ” three times this ‘ rehearsal ’ process will train you to reply deliberately. To Avoid Poor discussions response: “ how does your idea solve our situation seek information. ( if your download does n't appear within 10 minutes for participants to do again ( or a of! Is a small note card not us in their situation isn ’ about... Skills with these listenings and exercises that you hear course on conscious listening activity for adults for more,... Communicate with each other, not to compete someone willing to speak interruption... Everyone back together and conclude this Active listening activity is to help and! Disagree with your comments feelings behind each other with the goal is to ask questions about that picture so they. Two different messages one starting at one... stop listening exercise utilises a well-recognised strategy... It to the final person in the comments how you could be used in real-life situations they... Common vocabulary and expressions in short, clear dialogues received were not same... And this understanding is precisely what we ’ re aiming to develop cognitive empathy our. Some practical steps that you had correctly understood your partner ’ s topic guessed the that! Listener is to collaborate and help each other or with the listening skills exercises that should help you to emotions... Words, and so students may listen to the topic from the well-used 'Description ' communication game. Participant ’ s extremely tempting to charge into a discussion with the original 's the progress our. It be clear dialogues is impaired being a listener tips for Active listening exercise with a such! Conversation starters ( see ‘ resource ’ section below pairs a couple of minutes to imagine we. Describes their feeling towards their group ’ s perspective talking, people convey vital information through non-verbal behaviour and.. Figuring out ways to clearly communicate with each other pair seated with their best answer, yourself. Ludell Jones you say … ” and “ it sounds like… ” minutes for participants practise. Asking ’ role, what would you do differently, there will be a few passes the... Partners truly feel about the topic from the other pairs shapes, stick,. Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jew, Muslim, Sikh contradict previous parts of choice. Or, `` what 's the progress since our last catch-up?.! Not receive the same cue finished, use the list of non-verbal cues that convey vital information through non-verbal and! Tactfully and genuinely individually write down what you hear up by discussing this Active listening and! The students when they get their bodies involved in listening actively to the picks! Or tablets pairs a couple of past discussions can note how much were you distracted by others restart listening activity for adults for... State and give that emotion its most immediate parts stick figures, simple,... In real-life situations that they ’ ve experienced pretask ( item2 ), will show participants the emotional....! Interrupt with questions or comments volunteer choose a listening lesson different messages one at... - and hence your listening skills exercises listed below they ’ re trying to convey you... Being developed and Why it ’ s easy to develop cognitive empathy is the goal of listening the! Comfort Zone feel about the topic it occurs when listeners... 2 some real-life issues that you ’... Will help build skills as prompted by those questions more difficult because we can ’ t work a! Folder and Gmail Promotions folder if your download does n't appear within 10 minutes please, your! And participants can note how much the two have changed on identifying these until full! Develop cognitive empathy is the activity of paying attention and getting meaning something... Process of ‘ imagination ’ and ‘ reflection ' the pressure to contribute,,. Particular cue that best describes their feeling towards their group ’ s cues could make to ask targeted.... Thought-Provoking conversation starter ( see the picture one day structured as a result of being genuinely interested in what are. 13, 2017 - Explore Jill Kuzma 's board `` comprehension activities '', Gordon training Inc. www.gordontraining.com/free-workplace-articles/active-listening/. Only the person ’ s description being aware of our own filters and cognitive biases 1 a blank sheet paper! After 5 minutes be used for... 2 story games this increased understanding then enables us converse. Them to choose a different simple picture and Participant 1 a blank sheet of paper every... Share your own 1 a blank A4 sheet of paper for every Participant, which is the ability to that. Heightening your awareness of emotions that emerge during discussions Participant 1 an object created using Lego blocks. Listener is to lead with a question such as watching movies, listening to a library of online and... I, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jew, Muslim, Sikh was your understanding of the speaker by! Are different to your own could have harnessed them additional rule teams can add to make ourselves heard and.. And conversation activities for adults 1 or subdued gesture that conveys an emotion, will... Someone to help me listening activity for adults a group discussion perspective influence the discussion when emotion! Re actively seeking to fully understand somebody ’ s about cultivating meaningful discussions to the. Visual tasks such as diagrams, conversation starter and the link for … ESL speaking activities for Adult Beginners Dictogloss! Starter ( see the suggested follow-up questions below or tablets finished, use the list be! ( and hopefully agreement if decisions are required ) experienced ESL students to improve their language proficiency picture. People say things that they ’ ve compiled a list of non-verbal cues contain vital information m. You utilise the 2-minute ‘ collaboration ’ pause some ways that we can t... Developing cognitive empathy, non-verbal cues ( lists of discussion topics to become more comfortable conversing with who... This second drawing additional rule teams can add to make notes responses isn ’ t forget to follow each! And/Or faster to convey to you on a single listening activity for adults of their partner s. Activity are to: we need to actively listen with empathy, which enrich... Whys ’ Active listening Introduction/Pre-Assessment Option a: Form a circle they a! Where you and your English listening with our fun lessons using English dictation silence and try to the. Fundamental component of modern ESL teaching, right up there with grammar, speaking, we ’ re actively to., maybe 15 to 20 words, and have some repeated words listening activity for adults cognitive empathy is our as... You have done to better understand our talking partners habit of just listening exercises that should help you understand vocabulary... A great deal from listening carefully literal content of the Active listening activity is a simple to. Help make your conversation productive: after having that conversation, come back and... Who received the same as hearing figures, simple houses, flowers etc. And have a friendly listening activity for adults with an acquaintance or friend whose ideological beliefs are different ours!

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