Positivity- Communication and Comaraderie

Exercise: The Value of Active Listening

Comments: This exercise allows participants to experience the power of active listening and paraphrasing.

Time: Approximately 20-25 mins depending on team size

Instructions for the Team Coach to the team:

EXPLAIN: “I would like to ask all of you to partner up with someone you don’t talk with very often/don’t know that well.” (or if you are short for time, they can partner up with the person beside them).

EXPLAIN: “You will be doing an exercise that focuses on communication, particularly on how you listen and respond to someone who is talking with you. There will be no note taking.”

ASK: “Who is person A? Please raise your hand.” then “Who is person B? Please raise your hand.”

EXPLAIN: “Now turn and face one another and I will guide you through this exercise.”

ACTION: Guide them through the steps below. You can provide them with a very high overview of what you will be doing at the onset if you so wish.

Step 1 (1 min): “In partners, explore out loud and choose a subject that each of you are passionate about.” (ideally it is not the same subject for each person)

Step 2 (45 seconds): “I’d now like you both to speak at same time for 45 seconds about the subject you chose.” (you may get some comments from participants on this instruction and I always ask them to bear with me to have the experience as we will be doing a debrief afterwards).

Step 3 (5 mins): In plenary, ASK: “What was it like to talk when the other was talking?” (seek input from various participants).

Step 4 (1.5 mins total): EXPLAIN: “Now we will go onto the next step. I’d like person A to speak uninterrupted about the subject you chose for 45 seconds and person B feeds back what they heard for 30 seconds. I will time you.”

Step 5 (1.5 mins total): EXPLAIN: “Now you will switch roles. Person B speaks uninterrupted for 45 seconds the subject you chose and person A feeds back what they heard for 30 seconds. I will time you.”

Step 6 (10-15 mins): In plenary, ASK:
– What was the experience like to be listened to?
– What was it like to listen?
– How can you apply what you learned from this exercise to today’s workshop/upcoming meetings/etc.?