Listen with concentration. What can you do to be more aware of non-verbal messages? 4.9. This exercise is about listening, clarity and developing potential strategies when we communicate. It can be used to help couples communicate, share important details, and strengthen their connection. The next person adds onto the story with just one sentence as well (e.g., This bunny lived with her mother and father in a cozy little burrow under a willow tree). PDF. 4.9. Once the course is ready to go, blindfold one partner and bring them into the room. How can they use the lessons from this exercise at work? After drawing the picture, students write about the picture. Listening skills impact students' academic and behaviour in the classroom. (2013). Listen and Draw (Intermediate) worksheet Other listening worksheets worksheets: listening about organizing a package tour Level: advanced Age: 17-100 Downloads: 101 in the ghetto Level: intermediate Age: 14-100 Downloads: 6 Listen and Colour Level: elementary Age: 3-17 Downloads: 1656 Have each participant take a prompt from the bowl or jar and read the exact same sentence to the class, but with the emotion the prompt specifies. What were some of the difficulties associated with helping a family member complete this exercise? Explain that you want to copy the design in the second square but you are not going to look at the first square. The talkers job is to describe what he or she wants from a vacation without specifying a destination. Procedure. Dont judge. Seat two family members away from each other and have them carry on a conversation about giving directions to somewhere or explaining how to do something. Clear the room so you have as much space as possible. Norman, B. Procedure for this Listen and Draw Activity 1. Ask your partner to make the same commitment to positive language. This exercise is a fun way to see who is paying attention and who is skipping the most vital instructionto read everything before acting. Situation: Your neighbor is adding an expansion to their house, and the crew starts working, very loudly, at 5 am. This communication exercise is based on President Franklin D. Roosevelts fireside chats, in which he addressed the American people with the intention of making it feel as if he was speaking directly into their living room, carrying on a calm and rational discussion of important issues. Why is it important to control your anger? The rope you are holding is approximately ___ feet in length. The final exercise from Tasker is called I Feel _____ and its a simple one. Instruct your participants to assemble into four groups according to their suit (hearts, clubs, diamonds, spades), but using only nonverbal communication. Use these instructions to conduct the activity: After each participant has played both roles, end the activity and guide a discussion with the following questions: You will find this activity at this link, exercise #4. Use these three assertive communication activities to help them learn this important skill. Have the team members sit down in their pairs. You could even carry on the discussion as the program continues.. The more aware we are of this possibility, the better communicators we become. The team can ask as many questions as they need to figure it out, but remind them that theyre in competition with the other team. Allow the teams to work on the activity and inform them when they have 5 minutes left. Engaging in this exercise daily will give the couple a chance to practice their communication skills on a regular basis, as well as their active listening skills. Be sure to also ask your partner what would make him or her feel more comfortable as you share your feelings, as it can be just as difficult to hear as it is to share. Now youve finished reading all the instructions, obey only 1, 2, 20 & 21. Using various colors of clay dough, each family member should use their creativity and imagination to create a design or structure that represents who they are as an individual. When you had your backs to each other, did a lack of non-verbal communication affect your ability to communicate with the other person? It will help each family member understand that they are a valuable part of the family and that they are always free to share their unique perspective. Talk using the future and present tense, not the past tense. On each strip of paper, write down a mood, feeling, or disposition, like guilty, happy, suspicious, paranoid, insulted, or insecure. All humans have some things in common. And if our words and our actions come from superficial human relations techniques rather than from our own inner core, others will sense that duplicity. After giving detailed instructions, see how accurately the pictures match up. The one you borrowed. Warm up with gross motor activities too! The challenge here is for the non-blindfolded partner to guide the blindfolded partner through the obstacle course using only verbal communication. Place on a table (or put in a box) a packet of cards, each of which has a particular emotion typed on it. Listen and Repeat 6 and 7 Word Sentence Cards 5.0 (6 reviews) Hide-a-Saurus Listen and Follow Audio Story 5.0 (8 reviews) Rhino Readers Level 1 Unit 2: The Gingerbread Man - Look and Listen Activity. You can make the activity more challenging by adding more rows and more shapes. For example, the game might go through a set of words like this: Different colors refer to different types of movement; for example, yellow light could mean skipping, purple light could mean crab walking, and blue light could mean hopping. After three minutes, allow the teams to start bartering for pieces. The drawing from each student or kid can be different depending on their imagination. This simple activity will result in a more intimate and understanding relationship between the two partners, all for just a few minutes a day. Its geared toward adults, but the scenarios can be tweaked to fit kids as well. I usually put something up on the PowerPoint and have the drawer sit with their back towards the screen. What do you want to incorporate in future meetings? Have someone give voice instructions so the family member can be directed through the maze. In the future, you can refer back to the assertive anteater to remind your kids to be assertive instead of passive or aggressive (Sargent, 2015). The benefits of high-quality communication make spending time on improving the way family members relate to one another a task that is well worth the time spent on it. Communication skills are one of the most important skills a person can have, making it well worth your while to devote some time and energy to develop them. There are four situations presented and space to write out your own assertive response to each. The couple sits facing each other, close enough to hold hands. B: Geez, why so impatient? When you spoke to the other person face-to-face, did this improve your ability to communicate and understand the other persons feelings? 1. Active listening is not the easiest skill to master, but it is an important one to develop. What was bad? The rule here is that individuals have to follow the instructions without asking any questions; they just have to draw by listening by using their imagination and listening power. A: Maybe its under the chair. Another exercise from the Encourage Play website is a familiar one. Ill find it myself. 2. This worksheet is a great way to help older kids understand the difference between types of communication and to learn how to communicate assertively. The role you are holding is knotted together to form a circle; it must not be undone. Your email address will not be published. Intersect 2 lines through the circle, dividing the circle into 4 equal parts. Students will follow oral directions and use colored pencils or crayons to color the picture. Open and honest communication creates an atmosphere that allows family members to express their differences as well as love and admiration for one another.. Once the timer goes off, the two should try to guess what the other person was thinking and feeling during the five minutes. Start with one clap, then two claps, and so on until you have given the group each instruction once. All of the Active Listening games, activities, and exercises for adults are formatted as self-contained instruction sheets consisting of: An 'In Brief' summary of the Active Listening games. Cut each playing card into half diagonally, then in half diagonally again, so you have four triangular pieces for each card. Discuss the importance of knowing when you are getting upset and might need to take a break and think. Write the total of 3 + 16 + 32 + 64 here: __________________. Draw triangles around the holes you punched in Item 15. You are going to follow the instructions that the students give you. Abass, S. (n.d.). Groups are split into pairs of "listeners" and "speakers". Give each participant one piece of informationand only onefrom this list: All team members are blindfolded and must remain so for the duration of the activity. As a family, make a list of different non-verbal actions. Why? If youre interested in working on your communication skills as a family, give the following activities and exercises a try. After drawing the picture, students write about the picture. Can recognizing anger cues help in managing your anger? Why was clear detailed communication necessary for this exercise? So, if youre upset with your partner for forgetting about an important appointment or canceling plans at the last minute, instead of saying You dont respect my time, try I feel like you dont respect my time.. Divide your group of participants into groups of about 5 each. Tape measures. Plan your trip with a focus on doing things you both like, going to a place youd both like to visit, and trying new food, activities, and other experiences together. Now have a participant from Group B act out an emotion; award points as appropriate. Finally, another fun and engaging game that can boost communication skills: The Guessing Game. You will probably recognize this game, as its similar to what many people know as Twenty Questions, except there is no hard limit on the number of questions you can ask. Why? Drawing offers a way to assess listening and reading skills without requiring speaking and writing. If we say one thing with our words and another with our face or body, we can end up giving mixed messages and confusing others. If youre looking for a resource thats rich with ideas, tips, and exercises that will help you become a better communicator and improve your relationships with your family, friends, and coworkers, youve come to the right place! After 5 to 7 minutes, turn off the TV and discuss what you observed. A: How long are you going to be? Listen and Color Materials: paper divided into boxes with various shapes drawn in each box. Sign your signature at the foot of the page. All you need to get started are paper and pencils/crayons. 2. Be aware of your tone of voice. Ask the group if you think the results would have been better if they kept their eyes open or were allowed to ask questions. Procedure for this Listen and Draw Activity 1. According to Australias Better Health Channel, communication is the transfer of information from one place to another and within relationships, it allows you to explain to someone else what you are experiencing and what your needs are (Victoria Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.). How can you increase your awareness of non-verbal messages you do not mean to be sending? Here are the three ground rules for the playdate: Planning this date will not only make it easier to feel connected and closer to one another, but it also provides couples with an opportunity to communicate their love for one another through their actions. But doing so often interferes with the assessment of listening or readinga student may understand what they . People can barter on their own or collectively with their team. Silent movies tell a story without words. If youre specifically looking for ways to improve your communication in a romantic relationship, these 17 exercises are a great place to start! The Mime It Out activity is a great choice of active listening activities for adults. Communication exercises & listening activities - WorkSMART WorkSMART: Tips for a happier, more engaged workplace Call Us: 800-299-3770Fax: 508-651-2674 Home Recent Posts Shop About Get in Touch We want Learning and Work to be Innovative, Collaborative and Fun. These science-based tools will help you and those you work with build better social skills and better connect with others. These listening activities with a Spring theme will strengthen students writing, and listening comprehension skills. Discuss what actually happened. Acting out these prompts will give kids an opportunity to practice communicating non-verbally, a skill that they can easily build over time (Simmons, n.d.). But whats the deal with these activities, exercises, and therapy games? The listener partner must try to build the same structure based on the speaker partners instructions. listen and draw christmas. The aggressive alligator: Fun ways to teach assertiveness to children. Finally, facilitate this activity to really drive home the importance of effective nonverbal communication. Share this observation with your group and lead a discussion on how body language can influence our understanding and our reactions. The couple discusses what the experience was like. The best time to work on communication skills is when families take the time to just sit and relax together. Concentrate on the major problem, and dont get distracted by other minor problems. Give each team an envelope of playing card pieces. Tell them you will test them later to see how many of the words they can remember. Similar to a previous exercise (Eye-to-Eye), this exercise relies heavily on eye contact; however, unlike the previous exercise, this one does not allow talking until the end. Trainers tips: Active listening exercises. This exercise from the team at MindTools is a good way to help participants develop more empathy, consider other perspectives, build their communication and negotiation skills. Mime It Out. Did they get better as the exercise progressed? Things like tone of voice, facial expressions, body posture, and hand gestures are all non-verbal, but they are hugely important in our communication with others. If youre short of people, teams of two will work just as well. They should take a few minutes to create a thoughtful message to their partner. If youre not sure what to create, here are some examples from the activity description: If you love Boy Scouts, you may want to mold the image of a person sitting on a log by a campfire. Instruct the screenwriters to write a silent movie, but to keep these things in mind: Give the screenwriters time to write out their script, then have the actors perform the script. Minefield is a physical game that will not only get both partners up and moving, but it will also require a great deal of trust and communication to complete the challenge. Split your group into two smaller groups of equal size and take one group outside the room. This will make it a bit more difficult but it will mimic real-life conditions, where distractions abound. Check out this quote from Stephen R. Covey and take a minute to think about how vital communication really is. The most important ingredient we put into any relationship is not what we say or what we do, but what we are. The story continues until everyone has contributed at least a couple of sentences to the story. Was your heart rate normal or beating fast? $4.00. Are they really that important or impactful? Draw a circle within the square, such that it fits exactly in the middle of the square. Write down the names of animals and/or scenarios that are easily acted out. While the speaker talks, the listener will attempt to show the speaker compassion, empathy, and understanding through nonverbal communication only (e.g., smiling, nodding, taking their partners hand). (267) $4.50. The Role of Communication in a Relationship. Listen to what your partner tells you and discuss what, if any, concrete steps you can take based on the information youve both shared. It also allows the speaker to feel confident and sure of what he's speaking because he's getting the right kind of feedback through words and gestures. Dont jump to conclusions. As a family, discuss any discrepancies between what you think about your anger cues and what other family members think. 3. When they hear five claps, they should pat their head. When they hear one clap from the leader (you), tell them this means they should stand up. This is when the eliminations begin. While participants are busy passing the message along to the next person in line, play music or engage them in conversation to create some white noise. These are the instructions for this activity: After each participant has had a chance to read the sentence based on one of the prompts, run through the emotions displayed and see how many each participant guessed correctly. Dont forget to download our three Positive Communication Exercises (PDF) for free. The back-to-back drawing communication exercise will get your groups and couples working together, talking, and thinking about how they communicate. and focus only on one another for these chats. The couple should feel free to get creative here! The couple should agree to try this exercise together and follow these instructions: Another great exercise from Racheal Tasker is focused on using positive language with one another. The creation could represent a personal characteristic, a goal, a hobby, an accomplishment, or a value that is personally meaningful. Although weve mostly focused on verbal communication and communications via body language, facial expressions, and touch, there is another form that we havent mentioned: written communication. A short explanation of the Active Listening skill being developed and why it's important to our discussions. That makes it a great game for car rides, waiting in restaurants, or standing in a long line. The questions and answers might fit well together or they may result in absurd combinations! To play The Top Three, couples should follow these instructions: This game gets couples to practice vocalizing their appreciation and expressing gratitude, two things that are not necessarily in everyones daily communications but can have a big impact on a relationship. You can find this exercise at this link (Activity #3). Were your muscles relaxed or tight with tension? This game is another one that can be frustrating for the couple but ultimately provides a great opportunity to build effective communication skills and unite the two in a common goal. In which scenario did you feel more comfortable, angry, or happy? One person (probably an adult) starts the game by giving out one wordit can be any word, it just needs to be one that every family member knows how to spell. Playdates are not just for kids or puppiesthey are a great idea for couples as well! They might come up with things like: Close your eyes and take several slow deep breaths, Talk silently to yourself and repeat a soothing phrase, such as Keep calm or I control my feelings. Bring the other group back in, put all the participants into pairs, and tell them to get started. Repeat each of the following words slowly, pausing briefly between each word: When you finish reading the list of words, distract your participants by talking about something else for at least one full minute. The next time you and your partner are talking about something important or sensitive, put these tips and techniques into practice: It can be tough to be truly open with our emotions, but its vital for effective communication and a healthy relationship. What do you feel like specifically, when you are upset? Tell your group that this is a game that requires their full concentration. Use one of the recipes below to make your own play dough as a family. It requires children to listen carefully, concentrate, filter out distractions, remember what the adult has said, process the directions in their minds, and then put those instructions into practice on paper. For the first half of the activity, one group will be screenwriters and the other group will be actors. They set a timer for somewhere between 3 to 5 minutes. Draw a simple design using geometrical shapes and lines in one square. Theres nothing like traveling with someone to work on your communication skills! To follow the instructions, obey only 1, 2, 20 & 21 not mean to be more of. In a romantic relationship, these 17 exercises are a great place to start drawing offers a way see... To go, blindfold one partner and bring them into the room with their towards. On their own or collectively with their team off the TV and discuss what you think your! 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Are four situations presented and space to write out your own assertive response to each inform. And lines in one square it can be directed through the circle into 4 parts. Person face-to-face, did a lack of non-verbal messages, allow the teams to bartering! For kids or puppiesthey are a great way to help older kids the... Were some of the recipes below to make your own Play dough as family! Participants into pairs of & quot ; speakers & quot ; and & quot ; speakers & quot ; &. You spoke to the story a personal characteristic, a hobby, an accomplishment, or standing in romantic! Group that this is a great way to see how many of the words they remember... They kept their eyes open or were allowed to ask questions is when families take the time just! You will test them later to see how many of the words they remember! The challenge here is for the first square groups are split into pairs &. Or readinga student may understand what they put into any relationship is not what we do, it! Other, did a lack of non-verbal messages you do to be more of... Feet in length put into any relationship is not what we do, but the scenarios be! Member can be directed through the maze doing so often interferes with the other group back,... Exercise at this link ( activity # 3 ) to think about how vital communication really is and... Participants into pairs of & quot ; clap from the leader ( you ), them... But you are going to be to look at the foot of the page split group... To download our three positive communication exercises ( PDF ) for free size and take one outside! Your awareness of non-verbal messages you do to be more aware of non-verbal messages you do to be R. and! Directed through the circle, dividing the circle, dividing the circle into 4 equal parts card! Lessons from this exercise at this link ( activity # 3 ) group that this is a great idea couples! Timer for somewhere between 3 to 5 minutes left it will mimic real-life conditions, where distractions abound with assessment.