Listening to Learn

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Listening to Learn
Insert your Totem here

• Your Name
• Troop Guide
• NE-II-159

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Listening to Learn

• Provide ground rules
• Distribute handout
• Encourage note taking
• Feel free to ask questions at any time

The most important leadership skill is
Communication. The most important communication
skill is Listening. Have you ever been in a
situation where people werent listening? Or you
thought they were, but they misunderstood? Or
perhaps you misunderstood? Or perhaps you
understood what they said, but you didnt fully
appreciate the importance to them? Do you know
how to listen effectively? Effective listening
is key to many of the other leadership skills, so
it is the first one taught in Wood Badge.
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Learning Objectives

• Upon completion of this presentation you will be
  able to
• Become aware of how we listen.
• Explore good listening as a communication skill.
• Practice the skills of active and empathetic
  listening.
• Examine the relationship between listening skills
  and the receiving and giving of feedback.

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Learning Objectives

• Upon completion of this presentation you will be
  able to
• Become aware of how we listen.
• Explore good listening as a communication skill.
• Practice the skills of active and empathetic
  listening.
• Examine the relationship between listening skills
  and the receiving and giving of feedback.

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Role Play
Lets talk about a recent trip or vacation!
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Role Play Instructions group into pairs, one
speaker/one listener. Speaker talks to listener
for 1-2 minutes about a recent trip or vacation.
Listener is given behavior card to follow.
Behaviors are Interrupt the speaker, Give advice
before speaker is done, Give blank look, Be
bored. Discussion Put answers on flip
chart Ask the speakers What did you just
experience? How did the reactions of the
listeners affect you? Ask the listeners How did
the speakers respond to your behavior? Ask What
is Listening? Ask Why is listening such an
important part of learning?
Listening is an essential part of communication,
yet we take it for granted. We dont teach it in
our schools. There are courses on writing and in
public speaking, but seldom does a course focus
on the skill of listening. This Wood Badge
session is designed to change that. By making
ourselves aware of the importance of listening
and the ways in which we do it, all of us can
more effectively use listening as a tool for
learning and for leadership.
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Why is listening a key skill of leadership?
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Why is listening a key skill of leadership?
Solicit responses and put on flip chart.
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Why is Listening a Key Skill of Leadership?

• Listening is a primary means for connecting with
  other people.
• Listening provides the means to make decisions
  and solve problems.
• Not all people are good at conveying their
  thoughts

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Why is Listening a Key Skill of Leadership?
Listening is a primary means for connecting with
other people. Sharing ideas and experiences
with one another creates a pool of familiarity
among us. From that grows trust, understanding,
an awareness of strengths and skills - the
building blocks of friendships and teamwork.
Listening can be powerful when young people are
involved. For many of Scouting age, it is
unusual to have adults truly pay attention to
them. Listening to them with care and
understanding can be very meaningful for young
people and also for the adults.
Listening provides the means to make decisions
and solve problems Listening is the glue that
holds a team together. It is the doorway through
which ideas pass. It is the window in which
solutions appear. Not all people are good at
conveying their thoughts
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Seek first to understandthen to be
understood -Stephen R. Covey,
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
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Seek first to understand then to be
understood -Stephen Covey
Stephen R. Covey is chairman and founder of Covey
Leadership Center. He is author of The Seven
Habits of Highly Effective People, with over 12
million copies sold in 32 languages. Known
internationally as an author, lecturer, teacher
and leadership mentor. Trained thousands of
leaders in business, industry, education and
government in the principles of management and
leadership development. There are two types of
effective listening active and empathetic. What
do you think active listening means? Board them.
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Two Parts of Effective Listening

• Active Listening
• Reflects back
• Rephrases
• No value judgments
• Strives to hear the message

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Two Parts of Effective Listening Active Listening

• Reflects back what a person is saying to confirm
  comprehension What I understand you to be
  saying is this
• By rephrasing the information and bouncing it
  back to the speaker, the listener confirms that
  the message has been correctly received.
• Listeners doing this are not making value
  judgments.
• They are simply making sure they are hearing what
  the speakers have to say and they are letting the
  speakers know that their messages are getting
  through.
• Q Now we know what Active Listening isWhat is
  Empathetic Listening? Put answers on flip chart

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Two Parts of Effective Listening

• Empathetic Listening
• Sincere attempt to understand
• Pays attention to body language, tone of voice,
  emotional sense
• Imagines things from the speakers point of view

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Two Parts of Effective Listening Empathetic
Listening

• Sincere attempt on the part of a listener to
  understand in depth what a speaker is saying.
• Empathetic listeners pay attention to more than
  just the words they hear. They also take care to
  notice a speakers body language, tone of voice,
  and emotional sense and consider them part of the
  message package the speaker is sending.
• Empathetic listening requires listeners to
• Put themselves in the speakers place
• Imagine things from the speakers point of view
• Try to understand how the speaker feels
• Effective listening is active and empathetic.

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Exercise in Effective Listening

• Simply say I got it.
• Respond by rephrasing the message.
• Rephrase the message, and also share any deeper
  understanding of the speakers feelings.

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Exercise in Effective Listening
1) Participants form pairs one speaker, one
listener 2) For several minutes, the speakers
will talk about something they enjoy (hobby,
sport, or family activity) 3) Listeners will try
out different listening styles - Pay close
attention and acknowledge a speakers message
simply by saying, I got it. Offer no further
feedback or judgment. - Pay close attention and
respond by rephrasing the message. - Rephrase the
message, and also share any deeper understanding
of the speakers feelings. Listeners should take
into consideration the speakers body language,
tone of voice, facial expressions, and other
spoken and silent signals that will help enhance
understanding. 4) Listeners and speakers trade
roles and repeat the exercise. Now ask - Which
style was the most effective?
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Effective Listening Active and Empathetic
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Effective Listening Active and Empathetic
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Monitoring Our Listening Level
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Monitoring our Listening Level
How do you respond when

• you are hearing something you dont want to
  hear?
• a speaker is angry?
• you are tired or hungry?

• A key to effective listening is being aware of
  our current situation, energy level and interest.
• If we are upset, it may affect how we listen.
• Being drowsy will impact our attention span.
• What if you are chilly, hot, or late for
  another
• appointment?

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Monitoring Our Listening Level
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Monitoring our Listening Level
Being aware of our own state of hearing awareness
can help us adjust to better grasp the message of
a speaker? It may be a matter of focusing more
on what is being said. Often, though, it may
require calling a time-out to put on sweater, get
something to eat, take care of something
distracting you, or let your emotions cool down.
Then you can get back together under conditions
more conductive to good listening. Can we control
every listening situation? Often we are in
situations that make communication difficult.
However, good listening skills are powerful tools
for calming adversarial situations and finding
solutions to problems.
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Good Listening Skills

• Are powerful tools for
• calming adversarial situations
• finding solutions to problems.

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Good Listening Skills

• Are powerful tools for
• calming adversarial situations
• finding solutions to problems.

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Role Play
Listening in Adversarial Situations
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• Ask for volunteer You are to play the role of
  a scout who is very angry about the way others in
  his unit are treating him.
• 1) So, what seems to be the problem? (Encourage
  the scout to keep talking)
• 2) I see. OR I hear you saying..? (Offer no
  judgment or feedback)
• 3) Is there anything else?
• 4) Now I hear what you dont want (give some
  examples), now tell me what you do
  want(focus on positive aspects rather than
  negative ones)
• Lead discussion ask..
• What did you observe?
• How did the scout react to the leader listening?
  
• How did the leader show the scout that he was
  listening?
• Speakers respond to how others listen to them.
  Acknowledge but dont immediately judge their
  complaints (I got it). If there is no enabling
  by the listener complaints will seem smaller and
  ultimately more manageable.
• By taking a negative and flipping it around to a
  positive, a listener can also structure a more
  productive framework for finding solutions. (I
  hear what you dont want now tell me what you do
  want.)
• A conversation cast in a positive light
  naturally involves more empathy and support.
  Body language of listeners and speakers becomes
  more open, and chances for resolution are greatly
  enhanced.

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Listeners should always strive to create
a positive present as opposed to a negative past.
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Listeners should always strive to create
a positive present as opposed to a negative past.
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Giving Receiving Feedback
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Giving Receiving Feedback
Receiving feedback can sometimes be difficult.
However, by using effective listening skills, a
feedback situation may be turned into a positive
experience. ASK Have you ever had someone give
you advice about something? How did it feel to
be receiving feedback? Have you ever been in a
position to tell people how they can do something
better or how they might make a positive change
in their behavior? How did it feel to be
offering feedback? From time to time, all of us
find ourselves giving and receiving feedback. It
is a basic part of team development, of
leadership, and of friendships. For feedback to
be helpful, both parties must use the skills of
effective listening. Show slide on Tips on
Giving/Receiving Feedback. Also in handout form
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Giving and Receiving Feedback

• Ask questions to build rapport.
• Use open-ended questions.
• Who? Why? How?
• Listen to their message.
• Be aware of your body language.
• Be aware of their body language.

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Giving and Receiving Feedback

• Ask questions to build rapport.
• Use open-ended questions.
• Who? Why? How?
• Listen to their message.
• Be aware of your body language.
• Be aware of their body language.

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Tips on Giving Feedback

• Be helpful.
• Is recipient open to feedback?
• Deal only with changeable behaviors.
• Deal with specifics, not generalities.
• Describe the behavior DO NOT evaluate it.
• Describe the impact to you.
• Accept your responsibility.
• Check understanding.

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Tips on Giving Feedback

• Consider your motives. Feedback should always be
  helpful otherwise there is no reason to offer
  it.
• Find out if the other people involved are open to
  receiving feedback. Listen carefully, then
  rephrase what they are saying to be sure you
  understand them.
• Deal only with behavior that can be changed.
• Deal with specifics, not generalities.
• Describe the behavior do not evaluate it.
• Let the other person know the impact the behavior
  has on you.
• Use an I statement to accept responsibility for
  your own perceptions and emotions.
• To make sure the recipients of feedback have
  understood your message in the way you intended
  it, ask them to rephrase what they heard you say.

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Tips on Giving Feedback
You can give caring feedback without a good
technique, but the slickest technique in the
world will not hide a lack of caring.
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Tips on Giving Feedback
You can give caring feedback without a good
technique, but the slickest technique in the
world will not hide a lack of caring.
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Tips on Receiving Feedback

• Seek out feedback.
• Listen carefully.
• Listen actively.
• Listen empathetically.
• Check your reaction.

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Tips on Receiving Feedback

• Seek out feedback. It will nearly always provide
  you with information that will in some way help
  you improve your performance.
• Listen carefully. Receiving feedback requires a
  heightened awareness of yourself and the person
  offering the feedback.
• Listen actively. Restate the feedback in your
  own words so that the speaker knows that the
  message you are receiving is the same as the one
  the speaker intended to send. Ask clarifying
  questions.
• Listen empathetically. Put feedback in its
  proper context by observing the speakers body
  language, tone of voice, and emotions. Consider
  the speakers reasons for offering feedback.
• Check your own feelings. Notice how you are
  felling when someone offers you feedback.
  Becoming angry or defensive can cloud your
  ability to listen effectively.

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Tips on Receiving Feedback

• Consider feedback
• to be a gift.
• It truly is.

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Tips on Receiving Feedback

• Consider feedback
• to be a gift.
• It truly is.

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Summary

• Effective Listening is a skill that each of us
  can learn and can constantly improve upon.
• Listening plays a vital role in forming
  relationships, developing teams, and finding
  solutions.
• The best listening is both active and empathetic.
• Listening can be a tool in turning a negative
  situation into a positive one.
• Listening well is an important part of both
  receiving and giving feedback.

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Summary

• Effective Listening is a skill that each of us
  can learn and can constantly improve upon.
• Listening plays a vital role in forming
  relationships, developing teams, and finding
  solutions.
• The best listening is both active and empathetic.
• Listening can be a tool in turning a negative
  situation into a positive one.
• Listening well is an important part of both
  receiving and giving feedback.

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Learning Objectives

• With the completion of this presentation you
  should now be able to
• Become aware of how we listen.
• Explore good listening as a communication skill.
• Practice the skills of active and empathetic
  listening.
• Examine the relationship between listening skills
  and the receiving and giving of feedback.

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Learning Objectives

• With the completion of this presentation you
  should now be able to
• Become aware of how we listen.
• Explore good listening as a communication skill.
• Practice the skills of active and empathetic
  listening.
• Examine the relationship between listening skills
  and the receiving and giving of feedback.

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Thank You !
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Change Controldelete this slide for actual
course presentation
version Date Who Description of changes
1 3/26/06 Fred Stringer Draft - source from NE-11-130
2 3/26/06 Kathy Koping Edited
3 4/20/06 Kathy Koping Updated formatting and content.