Communication Skills

Listening Skills

You've so much to say and limited chances to get your points across. Will you concentrate exclusively on what YOU want to say - or will you listen to others? Dynamically illustrates why we all need training in ACTIVE LISTENING!


How it works

Working in groups of four, plus an observer if numbers allow, participants prepare for, and attend, a meeting. Everyone has their own brief, which describes the key issues they must raise, their feelings about the issues and their views about the other people at the meeting. Nameplates are provided. To speak at the meeting they must put one of their counters in a central pot. That immediately gives them the floor - but they, in turn, must give way when someone else’s counter enters the pot! There are only ten counters each. At the end of the meeting everyone completes an Analysis Form to test what they’ve heard.

What it does

A very popular exercise, which illustrates how poor most of us are at listening to others. In the Debrief, participants see how little they’ve retained of what others said - and how easily misunderstandings arise from not listening closely. Observers, if used, build a profile of the ebb and flow of the meeting, recorded as a colour chart - a useful piece of data for the debrief.

Customer feedback

  • Great fun and turns a soft skill from subjective feelings to hard data.

    – D. Schofield, Lloyds TSB

  • Helps focus our training and works well as a group activity.

    – C. Dick, Personnel Dept, University of Strathclyde

  • Shows how we can improve individual and organisational performance if we communicate effectively.

    – P. Grundy, Bank of America