9.2 Active Listening In Class Activity

Overview

This exercise is a great way to emphasize the importance of active listening and memory at work. It emphasizes and fosters discussion about the fact at work, you never know what information might be relevant, and when on the clock it is important to pay attention to the little details as well as the task at hand.

Grade

No grade, or can be factored into in class participation marks.

Learning Outcomes

-Practice active listening

-Foster stronger communication

-Engage in new ways of thinking about information

What is Needed

No items are required for this activity.

Activity

At the start of class, and make sure it is officially the start of class, do not begin before the clock says it is class time, talk about something random, like you are still having small talk, or general engagement. Talk about a new recipe you tried, housekeeping tips, the history your favourite sports teams, why zombie movies represent culture of the moment, etc. Just three or so minutes of seemingly inconsequential conversation. Then begin the lesson on memory and active listening. About thirty minutes later tell students to pull out a piece of paper or open their computers, and say pop quiz. Ask them 3 questions about the rambling you did at the start of the class and give them five minutes. It is important to say nothing else during that time.

Ask for answers and then go into a discussion about the pop quiz.

Discussion

Ask the students if that was a fair exercise? Is it fair for say a boss to expect an employee to remember a casual hallway chat? How important at work is it to actually pay attention to the people around you. Point out that you should never assume. You said pop quiz, but nothing else, not that they couldn’t talk to each other, or look up answers, or even challenge the validity of the test. Remind them it is important in business communication to not presume, but to double check everything.