The art of listening

Hi everyone,



I'm sharing an activity I created to work with B2 students. We were talking about feedback, communication and negotiation, and I used this great trailer which synthesizes all these points. The movie is "Carnage" and if you haven't watched, I definitely encourage you to do it. In this class students revised the use of nouns and adjectives.

Here's the trailer:

Here's the activity:

Here's the worksheet and the answer sheet for the listening tips:

Face the speaker and maintain eye contact.  

In most western cultures, it is considered a basic ingredient of effective communication.

Be attentive but relaxed. You can look away now and then and carry on like a normal person.

Keep an open mind. Listen without judging the other person.

Try to picture what the other person is saying. Allow your mind to create a mental model of the information being communicated.

Don’t interrupt and don’t impose your solutions.When listening to someone talk about problems, refrain from suggesting solutions.

Wait for the speaker to pause to ask clarifying questions. When something is unclear to you, of course you should ask for clarification. Ask questions only to ensure understanding.

Try to feel sympathy. Empathy is the heart and soul of good listening.         

Give the speaker regular feedback. Show that you understand where the speaking is coming from by reflecting his/her feelings: “you must be thrilled” “I can see you are confused”, etc.

What do you think?


As always, I await your comments,

Stay tuned,
Claudio