8 Responses

1. Some previous posts on listening
   You may find something useful in the following posts although I don’t think phone listening was mentioned.

   https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=125189

   https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=135235

   It might be worthing searching for other listening posts on TrainingZone.

   I have a couple of listening exercises which could probably be adapted so that the listener can’t see the person speaking.

   Email: ewn1@cant.ac.uk

2. Listening Games
   Hi Evan

   I know that this subject have appeared here several times before and some good ideas were given.

   I too have a few games that I can email to you if you are interested?

   email – neil@train2develop.com

   All the best

   Neil

3. Web site resource
   There are telephone listening skills exercises and role-play at http://www.businessballs.com/teambuildinggames.htm

   You will need to scroll down about 25% of the page, or better still use the ‘Find on this page function’ if using Internet Explorer.

4. WAIT
   Hi Evan
   Just one short exercise I use in my coaching practice which keeps ME from talking too much: Get your people to write down – W A I T

   W hy
   A m
   I
   T alking

   Best wishes
   Barbara StClaire

5. Listening Technique
   Hello

   Here is a technique I picked up from another training forum and successfully used on a couple of occasions.
   (Apologises to the original contributor – but I cannot remember your name!)

   (I believe it is taught as part of yoga)

   When you are ready to speak you have your tongue against the back of your upper teeth. (It is like this most of the time.)
   When you are prepared to listen you have your tongue behind your lower teeth. It should be relaxed in the lower part of the mouth. Usually when you are supposed to be listening to someone, you have your tongue behind your upper teeth. This means you are always ready to butt in as quickly as possible. If this is the case you aren’t listening as well as you could be.
   The trick is to practice listening with your tongue in the correct position. It really does work!

   Lucy

6. Ask Questions
   I learned a technique for listening in a coaching class. When you are listening to someone, respond only with questions. This helps to keep you from thinking about your own experiences and responses and forces you to focus on the other person and what he is talking and thinking about.

7. An exercise in threes
   Hi Evan

   An exercise that works well with those who have both face to face as well as phone listening.

   Split the group into trios, one speaker, one listener and one observer – they do the exercise 3 times, switching roles each time. The speaker is asked to speak on any topic s/he chooses for 3 minutes, with no interuptions whatsoever. The listener is therefore forced to concentrate only upon what is being said. The same speaker then is asked to speak for a further 3 minutes on a different topic, but this time the listener may ask questions as they like. The observer notes the differences in real communication between the other two. For the first 3 minutes the observer should be especially looking for non-verbal signals from the listener that s/he really is listening. In the second 3 minutes there should still be non-verbal listening indications, but more importantly how well did the listener’s questions indicate his/her listening.

   After all 3 have played all three roles, get a sample (at least) of observers’ feedback.

8. Listening Exercises
   Hi,
   If you have not been able to sort this yet, do please feel free to call me on 07702433284 and I should be able to help as it seems an easy fix.
   Kind regards
   Wayne