Active Listening Lab
Practise listening so people feel heard
How this tool worksFour short exercises that build the habits behind good listening: hearing someone out without planning your reply, reflecting back what they feel, and staying present when it gets hard.Hide
Four short exercises that build the habits behind good listening: hearing someone out without planning your reply, reflecting back what they feel, and staying present when it gets hard.
Use it when
Use it when people tell you that you jump in with advice, when your mind wanders while others talk, or before a conversation where someone needs to feel heard. It suits beginners, and it is a good follow-on from the Active Listening module.
How to use it
- Listen without planning. Play or read a friend talking about work stress, notice when you start preparing a reply, then answer a few reflection questions.
- Choose a reply. Read what two people say and pick the reply you would give. Each choice shows how it is likely to land and why.
- Rate the attention anchors. Read four quick ways to bring your mind back to the speaker and rate how well each would work for you.
- Listen through difficulty. Work through criticism aimed at you and views you disagree with. Note what you felt and what you understood about their side.
- Review your summary. See what stood out, everything you wrote and a challenge for this week. Copy it or download it to keep.
What you'll come away with
You finish with a few personal insights about how you listen, your go-to way of refocusing when your mind drifts, your written reflections and one small challenge to try in a real conversation this week.
Choose an exercise
Start with exercise 1 and work through in order, or jump to the one you need. Each takes 5 to 10 minutes.
Listen without planning your reply
Practise turning down your internal narrator and giving all your attention to what you hear.
Choose the reply that shows you heard the feeling
Pick the reply that shows you heard both the words and the feeling underneath them.
Find your attention anchor
Four quick ways to bring your attention back when your mind wanders.
Listening when it's hard to hear
Practise staying present when what you hear is hard to hear.