| Responses | Date | Author |
Belated and many thanks to Nicola, Aidan, Malc, Lorraine and Zoe for the suggestions and reccos on my active listening question. :-)
Have a great day!
David |
| 15/05/2019 | David |
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| 13/05/2019 | Zoe |
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Hi David I have found "Special Offer" from Trainer's Library vey good for active listening. . It doesn't take long and also emphasises the importance of summarising and clarification. If you are looking for an icebreaker or energiser Chinese Whispers is fun. Thee are no winners but you do get a good laugh! Lorraine |
| 10/05/2019 | Lorraine |
David - I used a very simple yet effective exercise. Played the group the hit American Pie. After they all 'listened' to it I asked around 12 questions on info that was included in the track - things like where was the last train to. Very few people scored high. They all just relaxed, may have sang along or hummed, let their minds drift etc. Because it was familiar they weren't really listening. My simple question at the end was how many of your work conversations fall into this category - they are familiar, you hear the same things and so you switch off and don't listen actively. Followed by a discussion on what active listening really means. Didn't repeat with another song but you could do. Also like Nicola's example.
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| 10/05/2019 | Malc |
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David. The Witches of Glum is a good one to start with. |
| 10/05/2019 | Aidan |
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Hi David, I was involved in an exercise recently that was very powerful - we were all senior leaders, but from different organisations and disciplines, but I can't see why it couldn't be adapted for different levels and people within the same company, as long as there is an agreed level of confidentiality. Individually we all had to decide on a work-based problem we were struggling with and explain it to the group (5 of us in total). Each member of the group could ask one question to clarify the situation. The person who had shared the problem then had to turn their back to the group. The person with the problem could now only listen, and could not respond to anything said. Each member in turn then gave one piece of positive feedback on how the person was handling the situation/people/problem and one piece of advice which could contribute to resolving the problem. Until you are in that situation, it is impossible to describe how difficult it is to sit and listen and not contribute to that conversation - all you can do is process everything everyone is saying and actively think through and reflect on the information. Turning your back seems very impersonal and removes you from the security of the group because you can't read body language or facial expression, but makes you complete in tune with what people are saying. It depends on what the ultimate objective of your training session is, but that was one of the simplest, most effective listening exercises I've ever been involved in. Hope that helps! Nicola |
| 10/05/2019 | Nicola |