How to Teach Reflective Listening Skills
- 1). Read examples of conversation to students, and have them paraphrase the conversation in their own words. For example, if training sales employees, read sample comments from a customer in need. The student then rewords the comment, illustrating that they understand the customer complaint.
- 2). Engage in role play by having students act out examples of body language that bad listeners employ. This game is silly and appeals more to children, and is an effective way to teach good listening body language by illuminating what not to do.
- 3). Take advantage of conflict to demonstrate real-life applications of reflective listening. Students who argue can come to understand each other's perspectives when they are required to listen to and repeat the things that angered each other. Instruct the students to use what they have heard to suggest resolutions for conflict.
- 4). Sit two students back to back, and give one a picture and the other a blank piece of paper and pen. Have the student with the picture describe the picture they are holding, while their partner draws a replica of the picture. The partner must use their listening skills to understand and reproduce the picture. At the end of the exercise, compare pictures and discuss what was said and how it was interpreted.
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