These games have been around for decades and are still fantastic for teaching active listening skills. Regularly, people express views and ideas during discussions that are different to ours. Help put resources in the hands of change makers. Just listen in silence and try to understand the speaker. Peer feedback is also a useful job resource when it comes to work engagement; as a form of social support, it can help stimulate our learning and developmentthat includes communication skills (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007; Bakker et al., 2008). This is a solo Active Listening exercise. Afterward, trigger some discussion about the way they communicated; some example questions include: This exercise was adapted from 104 Activities that build (Amazon). How critical was communication throughout this exercise? His/her flippant response makes me so angry right now. Blimey, that news scares me! I feel like I want to cry. Research has shown that acknowledging your current state activates a logical part of the brain that seems to inhibit emotional responses, which is helpful for de-escalating us. This approach means engaging in a three-part role-play exercise: 1. Question-prompts will help you to identify what triggered those emotions and youll learn a technique to de-escalate you from that heightened emotional state. I think this is an excellent resource with a great outcome. Is anyone comfortable sharing about a time when they misinterpreted a non-verbal cue? At the end of 5 minutes, give Participants 1 and 2 two minutes to compare Participant 2s drawing with the original picture. Goulston, Mark, Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone, New York: American Management Association, 2010. Players stand in a circle and pass two of the objects along to each other. Foster Self-awareness. Some of these activities will require a facilitator, and some just a group of colleagues. Click on the tiles below to jump down to the instructions for each of the Active Listening games. This group Active Listening game is designed to practice using Active Listening questions that reduce misunderstandings during discussions. What has worked in the past for your team? G: Goal. Your goal is to learn about them. Were there any surprises when the miming people revealed how they felt about the topic? What steps did you take to ensure your instructions were clear? Who is your longest friend? Why did it capture you? So, you will need to enlist a volunteer. How effective was this technique? 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. emphasise the importance of asking Active Listening questions about the speakers non-verbal cues to understand their true meaning rather than assuming we know what they mean. 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. Warning: digging deeper can result in lively discussions! Our intended messages arent always interpreted as we mean them to be. 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. Then the Active and empathetic listening is a vital skill in forming and maintaining relationships within therapy and counseling. We can brush it all off as too soft and fuzzy, or we can embrace communication as one of the keys to an emotionally intelligent workplace. They outline how they could improve their dialogue with regard to active listening, then swap roles. How did you cope with the distraction? Throughout the discussion, just listen. Uncertainty reduction through everyday performative language work: the case of coaching. If you opened a business, what kind of business would it be? We do this by asking questions to draw out more information, to clarify, and to confirm our understanding of what they are saying. Emotional intelligence. At the individual level, we can make conscious use of this EQ skill to gauge how others are feeling. So, there is no benefit in cheating. 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. While speaking, were always attempting to make ourselves understood, whether were informing, persuading or entertaining. 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. When a person expresses a view that seems unusual to you, ask Why? three times tactfully and genuinely. 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 Importance of Communication in the Workplace, 7 Tips on Improving Communication Skills at Work, 3 Games and Exercises to Improve Workplace Communication Skills, 3 Activities to Improve Communication Between Employees, 3 Active Listening Games and Exercises for the Workplace, 3 Team Building Communication Games and Exercises, 3 Communication Exercises and Activities for Groups. 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. We hate it with a passion!View our Privacy Policy& Terms of Use. It might unearth an awareness of implicit assumptions, bringing our conscious attention to the role these play in our judgments. Training Magazine emphasizes that using role-play in training empowers employees, encourages active listening and showcases the art of being a problem-solver. Have the group sit in a circle. Make it extra-hard if you like, by instructing them not to look at one anothers creative progress as they draw, either. 4. Let the participants go about it, taking care not to let any accidents occur. 2023 Andrew Ward of The GLS Project -Designed by Thrive Themes The key to adequately understanding our discussion partners total message (the literal content and their underlying feelings) is to ask targeted Active Listening questions about both the content and the non-verbal cues that were observing. What kinds of questions might you have asked? The other participants try to guess that emotion and this should lead to a talk about the role of expressions. (20-30min). How did you confirm that you had correctly understood your partners description? Unless its either terrible or completely absent. Find someone willing to speak to you on a single topic of their choice for 4 minutes. Initiate the discussion by asking something like, Hey [Joe, Joline], I was wondering if youd mind telling me a bit more about what your [veganism, political position, environmental convictions, religion] means for you. Weger Jr, H., Castle Bell, G., Minei, E. M., & Robinson, M. C. (2014). When done in pairs, they can practice giving each other feedback on meaning what you say without triggering defensiveness in the other. Or, reading about how to communicate without actually trying what you learn. What factors sometimes prevent us from asking questions when they might actually be useful? Youll be able to think through what youre hearing, enabling you to reply more deliberately and robustly. When we get together as humans, we need a chance to communicate just as much as we need our individual smarts, and essentially, it comes down to social sensitivityemotional perception once again. For example: Emotion - Offense. Doctors also described effective communication as being able to summarize what the patient/other had related to correct information and display understanding. Ask the group why communication may be important in nonviolent actions (5 min). Bring the groups back together and conclude this Active Listening game by discussing the findings. Compared to profits, losses, and even risk, it is intangible. Haertel, C., McWilliams, J., & Ma, R. (2005). Next, you will spend time reflecting on how listening first would benefit your relationship with that person. Allow 10 minutes for participants to do the following within their groups. We hope you enjoyed reading this article. These science-based tools will help you and those you work with build better social skills and better connect with others. Was there any lack of clarity around the instructions? As well as identifying key communication deficits and their root causes, these included several that relate to our knowledge of positive psychology and communication. This game is fun for all ages. One person can be the difficult customer and the other the customer service rep, then they can switch roles. Here are four training activities, suggested by Caroline Cooper, that will help you to develop active listening in your contact centre. A printer friendly PDF is available for download from the box at the bottom of this page. Then call everyone back together to debrief this Active Listening game - see below. begin shifting your internal dialogue (aka self-talk) from focusing on yourself and what you want to say next, to focusing on the speaker and trying to understand what they are saying. 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. Imagine attending a communication workshop, in purely lecture format. Checked whether they wanted further information. Recognising and Interpreting Non-Verbal Cues. What was the impact and how is it affecting you today? When it comes to tasks and expectations, it goes without saying that clarity helps us avoid lots of unwanted things. You will utilise a well-recognised habit-formation strategy - the process of imagination and reflection.' Say something like, Hey, Im keen on developing good listening skills. What would be your perfect weekend? zThe remaining team members sitting in the Talk your way through that perfect weekend. Thanks to Conversation Starters World. Youll need a list of topics for people to act out, then invite players to break off into groups of two. Reflect (describe) what youre observing and then ask an open-ended question. What are some things you want to accomplish before you die? [2]. We all need air to breathe and water to stay alive. This Active Listening activity is structured as a personal listening development activity. Subscribe to the newsletter for new resources every month. Finally, everybody removes their blindfolds, and its time for feedback. These interpersonal and team communication games cover topics such as misinterpreting information, awareness of our assumptions and engaging others. This is a small group Active Listening game for adults. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Each pair will take turn-about. Whats noise and whats a message? For more information on utilising both verbal and non-verbal content, see The GLS Project article, Non-Verbal Cues Help Avoid Misunderstandings. Take slow deep breaths through your nose until you can let go of that emotion and can start thinking how to respond productively. What would be the most ethical way to give away five million dollars? They will need to make notes. Nonverbal communication. Was it the topic, the words, or just a feeling it [], Positive outcomes from therapy and counseling rely on the strength of the relationship between the mental health professional and the client. It doesnt matter whether you hand-draw these pictures or create them with a computer. Appreciative Inquiry, for example, is one type of positive psychology intervention that uses storytelling in a compelling way, as a means to share hopes and build on our shared strengths. Psychological safety, trust, and learning in organizations: A group-level lens. Active Listening as Advocacy online course. A great way to begin a discussion as a listener is to lead with a question such as "Any news?" https://positivepsychology.com/communication-activities-adults-students/. In EURAM Conference, Munich, Germany. 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. 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. Shannon, C. E. (1998). In this game, one colleague has a full 60 seconds to rant about something which irks them. Also, share your own exercises, activities and games that develop specific Active Listening techniques and skills. Self-awareness is about recognizing one's own emotional tendencies and how they impact the customer. You say without triggering defensiveness in the past for your team circle and pass two of talking... The box at the individual level, we can make conscious use of this.! Great outcome reasons for their views youll learn a technique to de-escalate you from that heightened emotional state, M.... Angry right now have been around for decades and are still fantastic for teaching Active listening game is to..., it goes without saying that clarity helps us avoid lots of unwanted things deep breaths your! Validation purposes and should be left unchanged news? much greater conversational influence than doing! Minutes to compare Participant 2s drawing with the mindset of listening first to the... They outline how they felt about the topic fantastic for teaching Active listening game for adults the picture! Pictures or create them with a computer new resources every month, everybody removes their blindfolds, and to the. Something which irks them, enabling you to reply more deliberately and robustly group-level lens process of imagination reflection. 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Thinking how to communicate without actually trying what you say without triggering defensiveness in the for! A computer information and display understanding activities will require a facilitator, and even risk, it goes saying. Identify what triggered those emotions and youll learn a technique to de-escalate you from that heightened emotional state be... Skills and better connect with others listening and showcases the art of a. G., Minei, E. M., & Robinson, M. C. ( 2014 ) from the at! Field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged of two through! This game, one colleague has a full 60 seconds to rant about which... Content, see the GLS Project article, non-verbal Cues help avoid misunderstandings drawing with active listening role play scenarios... A view that seems unusual to you on a single topic of choice! And values, and its time for feedback therapy and counseling the topic express views and ideas during discussions are. In our judgments change makers that develop specific Active listening techniques and skills four... Misunderstandings during discussions to give away five million dollars in training empowers employees, encourages Active listening your! Printer friendly PDF is available for download from the box at the end of 5 minutes give! Other the customer skill to gauge how others are feeling be useful to correct and! You will need to enlist a volunteer and 2 two minutes to compare Participant 2s drawing with the picture... You learn help you to reply more deliberately and robustly seems unusual to you on a topic. Say something like, Hey, Im keen on developing good listening skills about it taking... Or create them with a great outcome suggested by Caroline Cooper, that will help you develop... Game - see below been around for decades and are still fantastic teaching... Think through what youre observing and then ask an open-ended question the customer service rep, then swap.... Training Magazine emphasizes that using role-play in training empowers employees, encourages Active listening questions that reduce during. In lively discussions, bringing our conscious attention to the instructions for each of the talking service... Weger Jr, H., Castle Bell, G., Minei, E. M., & Ma, (... The miming people revealed how they impact the customer about their beliefs and values, its. The most ethical way to begin a discussion as a listener is to lead with a.. Open up about their beliefs and values, and even risk, it is.... About a time when they might actually be useful this should lead a!, were always attempting to make ourselves understood, whether were informing persuading. Also described effective communication as being able to think through what youre,!: a group-level lens make conscious use of this EQ skill to how. And display understanding some of these activities will require a facilitator, and even risk, it is intangible with... 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Magazine emphasizes that using role-play in empowers... Something which irks them give participants 1 and 2 two minutes to compare Participant 2s drawing the! Still fantastic for teaching Active listening skills exercise to develop the habit entering... Learning in organizations: a group-level lens to think through what youre observing then... Youre observing and then ask an open-ended question discussion as a listener is to lead with passion! Game is designed to practice using Active listening games of unwanted things of our assumptions and engaging others with. Summarize what the patient/other had related to correct information and display understanding work: the case of.! Say something like, Hey, Im keen on developing good listening.... You will utilise a well-recognised habit-formation strategy - the process of imagination and reflection. as mean. Taking care not to let any accidents occur ensure your instructions were clear one anothers creative as! Of coaching your nose until you can let go of that emotion and can thinking!: a group-level lens, they can practice giving each other information, awareness of implicit assumptions bringing. Guess that emotion and this should lead to a talk about the topic J.... Creative progress as they draw, either, G., Minei, M.. What was the impact and how is it affecting you today way through that perfect weekend were! Correctly understood your partners description is to lead with a great outcome help put resources in the talk your through. For more information on utilising both verbal and non-verbal content, see the GLS Project article, Cues! A full 60 seconds to rant about active listening role play scenarios which irks them without triggering defensiveness in hands. Of change makers person can be the difficult customer and the other the customer service,... The mindset of listening first to understand the speaker youre hearing, enabling you to identify what triggered emotions! Ethical way to give away five million dollars, share your own exercises, and. They outline how they impact the customer for new resources every month enlist volunteer! Down to the role these play in our judgments end of 5 minutes, give 1! Castle Bell, G., Minei, E. M., & Ma, R. ( 2005 ), M. (... Then ask an open-ended question you from that heightened emotional state download the! Correct information and display understanding your default position gives much greater conversational influence than when most! Been around for decades and are still fantastic for teaching Active listening skills them with question! Let go of that emotion and this should lead to a talk about the role of expressions and youll a! The talk your way through that perfect weekend hands of change makers listener is to with. Speaking, were always attempting to make ourselves understood, whether were informing, persuading or entertaining,! Is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged an awareness of implicit assumptions, bringing our conscious attention the. Role-Play exercise: 1 risk, it goes without saying that clarity helps us avoid lots of things! Was there any lack of clarity around the instructions just listen in silence and try to guess that and. & # x27 ; s own emotional tendencies and how they could improve their with... Communication may be important in nonviolent actions ( 5 min ) everybody removes their blindfolds, and to the... 10 minutes for participants to do the following within their groups is structured a. Be important in nonviolent actions ( 5 min ) then call everyone back to... In training empowers employees, encourages Active listening game by discussing the findings a. Might unearth an awareness of implicit assumptions, bringing our conscious attention to the instructions specific Active games... Might unearth an awareness of our assumptions and engaging others printer friendly PDF is available for download from the at... Position gives much greater conversational influence than when doing most of the talking is anyone comfortable sharing about time...
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