Active listening scenarios for students
Home » Business » 21 Best Active Listening Exercises with Examples Active listening skills in the workplace extend well beyond focusing on what another individual says. Communicating effectively with employees, leaders, and clients not only requires that you give your full attention to the interaction and engage in an active process, but also that you become a catalyst. Here are 21 active listening exercises that provide you with different ways to develop effective listening skills. 1. Self-Awareness Exercise Here’s how to do it:
Example: Karen informs Bob that the billing department consistently delays invoicing clients. Karen is looking at her phone, and Bob feels unheard. The switched example shows Bob nodding, clarifying Karen’s statements, and asking questions. Bob seems to be listening to Karen. Communication skills and the main points of the communication errors from the exercise are discussed in the group. 2. Consensual Validation to Clarify the Problem Here’s how to do it:
In order for verbal communication to be effective, both parties must use the same words and avoid jargon or slang that is unfamiliar to the other party. Avoid the urge to restate things in your own words. An alternative exercise would be to ask one participant to use technical jargon, which the other does not understand, and note the difference. Example: Carol describes an idea for simplifying clients’ ordering processes to Ken. Ken asks, “Are you saying that clients will be able to order products simultaneously instead of adding them one by one?” 3. Interpretation of Cues to Investigate the Real Issue Here’s how to do it:
Example: Sarah tells her supervisor, Jim, that she was late to the meeting this morning. He replies, “Tell me about the meeting?” Despite not starting on time, Sarah explains that it went rather well. Jim then asks, “What led up to the meeting?” Sarah told him the printer wasn’t working again. He then thanks Sarah for letting him know and arranges a service call for the printer. Jim’s communication gives us an example of being a great active listener. Taking the time to use good listening skills with your colleagues before responding emotionally can lead to a more thorough understanding of workplace concerns and improve productivity. Jim’s failure to listen to Sarah would have negatively impacted Sarah’s productivity and motivation. Interpreting cues is an important part of active listening. Cues can be buried in what a client/employee says, so you must keep an open mind and pay close attention while actively listening. These cues will help the listener decide what to ask next in order to investigate an issue in the workplace. Cues can be verbal or non-verbal messages that signal the listener to explore the situation further. If unsure, use open-ended questions, like Jim did, to get more information. 4. Involve Others in Decision Making Here’s how to do it:
Example: Heather presents an idea to the group for a new gadget that will solve a problem for an end-user. The group takes turns adding ideas to develop and market the gadget. The presenter makes notes on how the participants use language, nonverbal cues, and active participation to work together. The presenter also praises several, if not all of them, for their active listening skills. 5. Providing Support Without Removing Responsibility Here’s how to do it:
Example: Michelle expresses an issue with the packaging of a product. Among the costs associated with this packaging are decreased customer satisfaction, refunds, and lost repeat business. As a result, the team is directed to break down the issue further, and the presenter uses a whiteboard to categorize what employees can do at the floor level versus what leadership can do, without explaining why these points are written on either side of the board. Team members should recognize the differences, and then find ways to change their processes at the floor level, and how best to approach leadership for support. 6. Processing Criticism with Emotional Intelligence Here’s how to do it:
Example: Brandon’s boss tells him that she doesn’t like the presentation he submitted for tomorrow’s meeting without providing any specifics. Have the team come up with better approaches for Brandon’s boss to motivate him to improve his presentation prior to the meeting. Furthermore, have the situation stand as is and have the team come up with ways for Brandon to respond to the situation effectively. 7. Employing Empathy Here’s how to do it:
Example: Marvin is waiting for Greg’s report. Marvin approaches Greg to ask if there is any more information Greg requires to complete the study. Greg cites a statistic gap, and Marvin sources them for him, so Greg does not have to hunt for them. On-time, Greg completes the study, and Marvin is pleased with the result. 8. The Fishbowl Here’s how to do it:
Active listening is facilitated by this method for a number of reasons: participants are encouraged to stay silent and take their own notes. In this way, experts are able to convey the whole picture, even when it is a complex process, and the listeners understand what they are hearing before interfering. Main concerns are conveyed more effectively, and the questions that participants have are often answered and crossed out before the question period begins. When presenting big changes to a group, such as a merger, this technique is very effective. Change is not always well received by staff, so having most of their questions answered within the presentation before providing feedback is often a great way to reduce discord. Example: The company is restructuring due to a merger. Rather than have mass chaos, management decides to tell the staff in person at a meeting. The meeting is held in a conference room with all staff, but the management team breaks the news via teleconference fed into the conference room. Staff is muted on the call to prevent interruption. The management team tells the staff the news and then outlines all the steps that will happen, gives them the answers to potential questions, and reassures them. The staff is then unmuted and management begins taking questions. This prevents misunderstandings and assumptions from being vocalized before all the information is given. 9. The Round Robin Here’s how to do it:
Example: The first participant describes the process of making a company gadget, starting with gathering the right materials. The second person may say something regarding a safety procedure that requires completion prior to starting up a machine, such as safety glasses. Participants three and four explain the next steps, and so on. In order to collaborate on the next steps, this approach forces each participant to be an attentive listener. 10. Seconds of Silence Here’s how to do it:
This activity takes a lot of concentration and promotes moments of silence between conversations that we often feel the need to fill. This activity forces the participants to make a conscious decision to focus on the non-verbal communication process instead of responding to each other to fill the silence. Example: Eight people from the marketing team sit in a circle facing each other. One at a time, they begin counting. The sixth person accidentally blurts out, “Go!” to the fifth person. The game has to start again as they are not allowed to speak. Once they get into a flow of counting as a team, the participants are asked to count faster. 11. Suggesting Collaboration Here’s how to do it:
Example: Maria is having a problem pulling the numbers she needs to complete her report because Henry has been unavailable and has the information she requires. She voices her concerns to Sandra. Sandra listens carefully and allows Maria to get to the root of the problem without interruption. Sandra then replies, “Henry may be busy, but let’s speak to his admin together and have her access the numbers you need.” 12. The Interview Here’s how to do it:
This activity can be a fun one to break the ice, but it also encourages participants to practice the art of active listening during the interview while trying to come up with relevant questions for their interview. Example: Susan and Heather are paired up. Susan asks Heather about her hobbies, and Heather begins speaking passionately about hiking and camping. They switch roles and Susan speaks about her basketball team. Each woman introduces the other to the group as accurately as possible to demonstrate listening skills. 13. Sandwich Instructions Here’s how to do it:
Example: A participant tells the presenter to “take two pieces of bread” and the presenter fumbles with the packaging until a participant tells him or her to remove the tag or tie from the bread bag, and so on. This fun activity can make a major impact to demonstrate both the effective communication required to complete tasks and how instructions are perceived by those receiving them. Clarifying instructions and the careful use of language are essential to good communication among co-workers. 14. Disgruntled Customer Here’s how to do it:
Example: A customer named Kay is frustrated that her display canopy arrived broken on Friday. The customer service representative, Molly, listens to Kay’s situation and discovers that this canopy was to be used in an outdoor market the next morning. Molly apologizes for the broken product, delivers a suitable loaner to Katy, and agrees to replace the broken product. Behind the scenes, Molly will ask the shipping department to recover the costs with the shipping company. 15. Challenging Assumptions Here’s how to do it:
*Hobbies *Family life *Favorite vacation spot *Where they were born *Kinds of movies/books they enjoy The presenter explains why assumptions are made and asks participants how they came up with their assumptions. The presenter should share a story about a time when he or she made assumptions that later proved false or detrimental. The presenter should then ask participants to think of and share examples of when a customer or co-worker assumed something and share how that made them feel. Example: A manager, Randy, stands next to the presenter at the front of the class. Employees take turns making assumptions about Randy, based on categories given by the presenter. Frank assumes Randy likes video games, and Greg assumes Randy is married with teenage children. Once all the assumptions are written on the whiteboard, Randy has the opportunity to confirm or debunk the assumptions. 16. Memories Here’s how to do it:
Example: Henry and Brianna are paired up. Henry reminisces on a recent meeting where no one heard him say the main server was acting up. Several people were on their phones, including the manager, and when the main server crashed, Henry felt as though it could have been avoided if the team had listened to his warnings. Henry felt his contributions were not valued. 17. Storytime Here’s how to do it:
Example: The presenter tells a detailed story, beginning with, “You open the garage door and a mouse runs down your driveway,” and goes into great detail about a mouse who travels through the city, meeting a host of characters and getting into mischief. At the end of the story, the presenter asks, “What was the name of the person who opened the garage door?” 18. Drawing Here’s how to do it:
Example: Amanda and Angie are paired up and seated with their backs to each other. Angie is given the word “house” but cannot say the word when explaining to Amanda what she should draw. Angie might say “start with a box, then put a triangle on top of it,” and so on. Amanda follows the directions given, and the two compare notes afterward to see how accurate the drawing is. 19. Triggered Here’s how to do it:
Example: In the middle of his presentation, Gary is interrupted by Mark, and Mark explains something Gary was in the process of explaining. Gary uses “I” statements in a debriefing after the meeting. “Mark, I felt embarrassed that you took over my presentation with your comments.” 20. Faces Here’s how to do it:
Example: When approached with more work from her boss Michelle, Sharon’s face will reveal it if she is already feeling overwhelmed with her current workload (e.g., a hard blink, a deep sigh, eyebrows raised or furrowed, lips pursed). The best way for Michelle to facilitate an environment of open communication at work is to read her employee’s non-verbal cues. Sharon should also communicate her concern. We will discuss that in our last activity, directly below. 21. Assertive, Aggressive, Passive Aggressive Here’s how to do it:
This fun activity can be used as an icebreaker or a deeper discussion. Examples: Aggressive: Sara yells at Dan when he jams the photocopier for the sixth time today. Passive-aggressive: Sara finds the coffee machine empty, and instead of starting another pot, she sighs loud enough for others to hear, “Guess I will make the coffee again.” Assertive: Sara receives an email from Dan and it’s missing a vital attachment. She calls Dan and asks, “Hey Dan, would you mind attaching the file to your email and re-sending it over?” Being an effective listener is an essential soft skill and one of the most critical interpersonal skills. Communication exercises like the ones above are engaging and encourage your employees to learn how to make a conscious effort to listen to each other and to customers more effectively. If your employees and customers are feeling heard, you will see increased productivity and satisfaction in your business. |