Good Listening - It ain't what you say ...
Featured in the Listening Skills training manual
By Jessica Madge
Category: Communication Skills
Credit price: 3 download credits (Single user)
Sometimes we think that we are good listeners when we are in fact giving out non-verbal signals that discourage others from talking to us. Sometime we fail to give out helpful non-verbal signals because we are distracted and sometimes we fall into bad non-verbal habits. If you looked at two people, one of whom was talking and the other listening, it would appear to the casual observer that the talker was the one ‘behaving’. Talkers make a noise, emit verbal information, wave their arms about and might be very expressive. Good listeners, by contrast, are fairly quiet and still. They are doing things like making eye contact, nodding, changing their facial expression and altering their body posture. If we are to become better listeners we need to increase awareness of our own non-verbal behaviour. In all face-to-face business situations, the non-verbal aspects of listening can ‘make it or break it’. The people we are dealing with are highly sensitive to any failings in our attempts to pay attention to what they are saying. This is particularly the case if a client, customer or staff member is upset of suspicious. However, even in a conversation which starts off on a positive note, we can ruin our chances of a satisfactory outcome if we do not appear to be listening.
This training activity starts with a brief discussion of the cues that tell us when a dog is listening. This is followed by work in groups of three, where one person acts as an observer and notes the cues that tell us when a human is listening. This leads into a discussion of the non-verbal aspects of listening. Participants then work in pairs and discover the difference between talking to an attentive listener, who is sending helpful non-verbal signals, and talking to an inattentive listener who is sending negative signals. Then there is a final opportunity to practise the non-verbal aspects of listening and to obtain feedback from a partner.
Who is it for: This training activity is intended for use by trainers to help participants identify and practise the non-verbal behaviours essential for good listening.
- Themes:
- Basic listening skills,
- Dealing with complaints and aggression,
- Fault diagnosis,
- Management and supervision,
- Interviewing,
- Appraisals,
- Absence,
- Performance management,
- Client handling,
- Selling,
- Negotiating,
- Influencing,
- Assertiveness,
- Emotional Intelligence,
- Counselling,
- Mediation,
- Meetings,
- Body language,
| Resource Type: | Activity |
| Min Group Size: | 4 |
| Max Group Size: | 20 |
| Typical Duration: | 02:30:00 |
| No of Pages: | 19 |
Resources: View standard resources for Fenman training activities
Additional resources: Clipboards for participants (optional)
Purpose: This basic training activity is intended for use by trainers to lay down important groundwork for all types of face-to-face communication. It may also be incorporated into courses on more advanced skills, such as complaint handling, interviewing, selling and negotiating, where the role of non-verbal behaviour needs to be revised or re-emphasised.
Download the training activity, Good Listening - It ain't what you say ... as featured in the Fenman training manual; Listening Skills