Active Listening Techniques and Activities for the Workplace

Poor communication has been demonstrated to have a tremendous cost—approximately $62.4 million per year for large firms and $420,000 per year for smaller ones.

These team-building exercises are comparable to games that promote communication, dispute-resolution techniques, and connection-building.

What is Active Listening?

Active listening is an important soft skill within good listening practices. It involves fully taking in the information shared and then showing your understanding of the information absorbed through body language, tone of voice, and relevant questions.

This skill goes beyond just hearing someone; it focuses on truly understanding what is being said. Active listening helps build trust and rapport with colleagues, family, and friends.

Like critical thinking and problem-solving, active listening is one of the top communication skills that employers and organizations look for in their team members.

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Why is Active Listening Important?

Good listening skills are beneficial in all aspects of life but are especially crucial in the workplace for both employers and employees. Active listening can significantly improve workplace dynamics by addressing common issues arising from poor listening. Here are the three main problems caused by inadequate listening activities in the workplace:

1. Damaged Professional Relationships

Not listening to others is disrespectful and can damage relationships. Poor communication erodes trust and creates misunderstandings, leading colleagues to question each other's abilities and dedication. It also negatively impacts customer and stakeholder relationships.

2. Reduced Efficiency

Misunderstood instructions and unclear communication waste time and effort. Employees who feel ignored or undervalued may become demotivated and unproductive. This confusion causes stress and low morale, which can lead to higher turnover rates. Creating a supportive work environment where staff feel heard can significantly boost productivity.

3. Poor Decision-Making and Costly Errors

Miscommunication often leads to mistakes, confusion, and frustration, resulting in costly errors. Ignoring feedback or ideas can also mean missed opportunities for innovation and improvement.

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Essential Active Listening Techniques for the Workplace

Be Fully Present

To truly engage in conversations, eliminate distractions like phones, emails, and multitasking. Focus on being actively involved. Use nonverbal cues such as eye contact and nodding to show your attentiveness, and make sure to acknowledge and repeat what people say to ensure understanding.

Show Empathy and Understand

Listening is more than hearing words; it involves recognizing and validating emotions and perspectives. This can be challenging, as it requires picking up on cues from tone and body language. Putting in the effort to understand the speaker's emotions fosters a safe and open communication environment.

Engage with Open-Ended Questions and Feedback

Productive conversations are a two-way street. Encourage deeper discussion by asking open-ended questions and seeking clarification. Provide constructive feedback that acknowledges the speaker’s perspective and adds insights or suggestions. Active participation creates a more meaningful dialogue.

Summarize and Paraphrase

Summarizing and paraphrasing can enhance conversations. Restate key points in your own words to demonstrate understanding, and ask the speaker to confirm or correct your interpretation. This shows you’re engaged and reinforces the main takeaways of the discussion.

Pay Attention to Non-Verbal Cues

Understanding non-verbal cues is essential, as up to 65% of communication is unspoken. Fast talking can indicate nervousness, while slow speech might suggest fatigue or careful word choice. During active listening, your non-verbal behaviors are just as important as what you say. Use open body language: avoid crossing your arms, smile while listening, lean in, and nod at key points.

Keep Good Eye Contact

Maintaining eye contact is crucial in active listening exercises. It shows that you are present and focused on the speaker. However, too much eye contact can be uncomfortable. Follow the 50/70 rule: maintain eye contact for 50% to 70% of the conversation, holding it for four to five seconds at a time before looking away briefly. This balance helps convey attention without making the interaction awkward.

Reflect What You Hear

Reflecting on what you've heard is an important active listening technique. After someone speaks, paraphrase their message to ensure you've understood correctly. For example, you might say, "So, you're feeling frustrated about this situation." This technique validates the speaker's feelings and minimizes misunderstandings.

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Improve Your Workplace Communication with Active Listening Exercises

1. The Drawing Challenge

The Drawing Challenge is an excellent way to enhance participants' listening skills and can be adapted for both small groups and large groups. This activity is engaging and can be done in person or virtually.

Instructions 

• Pair Up: Split participants into pairs and have them sit back-to-back.

• Describe the Drawing: Give one participant a simple drawing and instruct them not to show it to their partner.

• Ask Questions: The second participant has three minutes to ask questions about the drawing. The first participant must answer accurately without showing the drawing.

• Recreate the Drawing: The second participant attempts to draw the picture based solely on the descriptions provided.

• Compare and Discuss: After the activity, both players compare the original drawing and the replica. Then, hold a team discussion about the communication challenges they encountered.

Virtual Option:

• Set Up Online: Have participants join a video call on a platform like Zoom and grab a pen and paper.

• Describe and Draw: Describe items for participants to draw. Participants can then take pictures of their drawings and share them in a group chat.

• Review Together: Compare the drawings and discuss how listening and understanding played a role in the activity.

For more structured and professionally facilitated drawing experiences, consider platforms like Teamland’s Instant Artist event. This service offers guided sessions that can help participants improve their listening skills while engaging in fun and creative drawing active listening activities.

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2. Green Light, Red Light

Inspired by the suspenseful "Squid Game," "Green Light, Red Light" is a fun and effective way to enhance listening activities in the workplace. This game combines excitement with valuable lessons in communication.

Instructions 

• Gather the Group: Assemble your colleagues in an open space where everyone can move freely.

• Assign Roles: Select one person as the "Leader" and the rest as "Followers." The Leader stands at one end of the space, while the Followers line up facing them.

• Start the Game: The Leader starts by saying "Green Light" and walking away from the Followers. This is the cue for the Followers to move towards the Leader. At any moment, the Leader can shout "Red Light" and turn around. Followers must immediately freeze. Anyone caught moving is out of the round.

• Winning: The game continues until one Follower reaches the Leader without getting caught moving. The first person to do so becomes the new Leader.

• Discussion and Rotation: After each round, discuss the importance of listening carefully to verbal cues. Rotate roles so everyone has a chance to lead.

For a more immersive and professionally guided experience, consider Teamland’s Squid Game. This event offers a structured environment to engage in similar activities that improve listening skills and team dynamics.

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3. Listening Bingo

Listening Bingo is designed to help participants enhance their active listening skills by focusing their attention on specific words during a speech.

Instructions

• Prepare Your Speech: Choose or write a short speech on a relevant topic, such as marketing, software development, or any other subject related to your participants' work. You can also use a passage from a book or magazine.

• Create Bingo Cards: Make bingo cards that include words from the speech. These cards can be printed or distributed electronically if you're conducting the activity online.

• Distribute Materials: Hand out a bingo card and a pen or marker to each participant.

• Explain the Rules: Tell participants that as they listen to the speech, they need to mark off words on their bingo cards when they hear them.

• Conduct the Activity: Read the speech aloud. Participants mark their cards as they listen.

• Declare a Winner: The first person to mark off all the words on their bingo card shouts "Bingo!" and wins.

• Discussion: Conclude the game with a discussion on the importance of listening.

For a more interactive and engaging experience, consider using Teamland's Virtual Bingo. This platform provides a fun and professional setting for conducting the game, making it easier to facilitate and more enjoyable for participants.

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4. Virtual Murder Mystery Relay

Imagine engaging in a virtual murder mystery with your colleagues, piecing together clues and crafting the narrative one step at a time. This activity, called the Murder Mystery Relay, is a fun and effective way to enhance active listening in the workplace.

Instructions

• Set Up Your Virtual Meeting: Gather your team on a video conferencing platform. Make sure everyone can see and hear each other clearly.

• Introduction: The game begins with a brief introduction to the murder mystery scenario. One person starts by setting the scene with a sentence about the mystery.

• Passing the Story: The next person adds a sentence, continuing the mystery narrative. Each contribution should logically follow the previous one, adding details or clues.

• Building the Mystery: Continue around the virtual "circle," with each participant adding to the story. The goal is to create a cohesive and engaging narrative.

• Active Listening: Participants must listen carefully to the story as it unfolds, ensuring their sentences fit seamlessly into the narrative.

• Conclusion: Continue until the mystery reaches a natural conclusion or a predetermined point. The story should feel complete, with all clues coming together.

For a structured and professionally guided experience, consider using Teamland’s Virtual Murder Mystery.

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5. Sound Off

Imagine a fun and lively game where colleagues guess various sounds made by their teammates. This activity, called Sound Off, is a great way to improve listening skills while having a good laugh together.

Instructions

• Gather Your Group: Assemble your team, either in person or virtually, using a video conferencing platform.

• Explain the Game: Introduce the game by explaining that one person will make a sound, and the others must guess what it is. Sounds can range from animal noises to everyday objects.

• Taking Turns: If playing in teams, each team takes turns making and guessing sounds. The person making the sound can use their voice or any available items to create the noise.

• Guessing the Sound: The rest of the team listens carefully and tries to identify the sound. The first team to guess correctly earns a point.

• Rotate Roles: Continue rotating roles so everyone gets a chance to make and guess sounds.

• Laughter and Fun: Enjoy the laughter and fun that naturally arise as colleagues make silly noises and attempt to identify them.

For a more structured and professionally facilitated experience, check out Teamland’s Sound Off. This platform provides an organized and fun way to conduct the game, ensuring everyone is engaged and having a great time.

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6. Differing Viewpoints

The Differing Viewpoints activity is a fantastic way to improve active listening skills in the workplace. This exercise is suitable for both small and large groups and can be conducted in person or virtually.

Discussion Topics

• Dogs vs. cats
• Early bird vs. night owl
• Coffee vs. tea
• City life vs. country life
• Working from home vs. working in the office
• Digital books vs. physical books
• Beach vacation vs. mountain vacation
• Sweet snacks vs. savory snacks
• Board games vs. video games

Instructions

• Divide Into Groups: Split participants into small groups or pairs.

• Choose Topics: Select two conflicting items or topics for discussion. Examples include tea vs. coffee, mountains vs. beach, or more challenging topics like politics.

• Debate: Each group discusses why their chosen item is superior. Encourage respectful dialogue and active listening.

• Reflect and Discuss: After the activity, bring everyone together to reflect on the discussions. Focus on the challenges faced and how they practiced active listening.

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7. Team Personality Training

Through a series of engaging activities, team members will not only learn about their own personalities but also gain insights into their colleagues' behaviors and motivations. This deeper understanding can lead to more cohesive teamwork and a more harmonious workplace environment.

Instructions

• Introduction: Begin with a brief introduction to different personality types (e.g., Myers-Briggs, DISC, etc.).

• Personality Assessment: Have each participant complete a quick personality assessment.

• Group Discussion: Discuss the results as a group, highlighting the strengths and potential challenges of each personality type.

• Role-Playing Scenarios: Conduct role-playing activities where participants must work together on a task, taking their personality traits into account.

• Reflection: End with a reflection session where participants share what they’ve learned and how they can apply it in the workplace.

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8. Team Beats

‍Team Beats is a fun, rhythm-based activity that encourages teamwork and coordination. Using simple percussion instruments, participants create and perform rhythms together. This activity not only brings energy and excitement but also requires participants to listen to each other and synchronize their efforts, much like how effective teamwork operates in the workplace.

Instructions

• Introduction: Start with a brief introduction to the instruments and the importance of rhythm in teamwork.

• Warm-Up: Conduct a quick warm-up exercise to get everyone comfortable with their instruments.

• Rhythm Creation: Divide the group into smaller teams and have each team create their own rhythm.

• Practice: Allow time for teams to practice their rhythms.

• Performance: Each team performs their rhythm for the group.

• Group Rhythm: End with a session where all teams come together to create a unified rhythm.

By participating in this musical exercise, offered as a Teamland event, team members can break down communication barriers and build a stronger sense of unity.

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9. Spelling Bee

A classic Spelling Bee competition focused on specific topics relevant to your team or industry. This activity not only sharpens participants' spelling skills but also enhances their knowledge of important terminology and concepts related to their work. It’s a great way to mix learning with a bit of friendly competition, making it an enjoyable and educational experience for everyone involved.

Instructions

• Topic Selection: Choose topics relevant to your workplace or industry (e.g., technical terms, company jargon, industry-specific vocabulary).

• Form Teams: Divide participants into small teams.

• Spelling Competition: Each team takes turns spelling words from the selected topics. Teams can confer before answering.

• Challenge Rounds: Include rounds with more challenging words or phrases.

• Final Showdown: The top teams compete in a final round to determine the winner.

Enhances vocabulary related to your field, fosters a competitive spirit, and encourages team collaboration.

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10. Omit the Obvious

If you’re seeking virtual active listening activities, Omit the Obvious is a particularly choice. In this example, with the list of planets, participants should identify that Mars was omitted. This activity helps teach the importance of active listening and reinforces memory. Omit the Obvious is one of the effective active listening exercises that can be conducted before a presentation or during a work break. It is one of many active listening games for the workplace that helps enhance focus and attention.

Instructions

• Choose a Topic: Select a topic familiar to all participants.

• Online Meeting: Gather everyone on an online collaborative platform.

• Read the List: Recite a list of related items but intentionally leave one out. For example, list Venus, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Neptune, and Uranus, but omit Mars. Optionally, repeat one word, like Saturn.

• Discuss a New Topic: Spend up to five minutes discussing an unrelated topic, such as international cuisine.

• Identify the Missing Item: After the discussion, give participants ten seconds to recall and name the missing item from the original list.

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On That Note

Engaging in enjoyable active listening exercises can foster collaboration among teammates and develop communication abilities. Adults can strengthen their connections and develop better listening skills by engaging in these active listening activities.  

Our picks for the best active listening exercises include a range of possibilities, from basic to complex ideas ideal for group discussions. You can assist your team in developing more effective communication skills by implementing active listening concepts into work-related interactions. 

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FAQs

What is active listening in the workplace?

Active listening in the workplace involves fully concentrating, understanding, responding, and remembering what is being said in conversations or meetings. It goes beyond just hearing words; it requires engagement and interaction, ensuring that the listener accurately comprehends the message being communicated.

Why are active listening activities important for teams?

Active listening activities for the workplace are crucial for teams because they help improve communication, foster better understanding, and build stronger relationships among team members. These activities, such as active listening exercises and active listening games for the workplace, encourage employees to practice and refine their listening skills, leading to more effective collaboration and problem-solving.

What are the benefits of practicing active listening in the workplace?

Practicing active listening in the workplace offers numerous benefits, including:

• Enhanced Communication: Ensures clear and effective exchange of ideas.
• Improved Relationships: Builds trust and rapport among colleagues.
• Better Problem-Solving: Facilitates understanding and resolving issues more efficiently.
• Increased Productivity: Reduces misunderstandings and errors, leading to smoother workflows.
• Employee Satisfaction: Creates a supportive environment where team members feel heard and valued.

How can active listening activities be a part of team meetings?

Active listening activities can be easily integrated into team meetings to make them more engaging and productive. Here are a few ways:

• Start with a Listening Exercise: Begin meetings with a brief active listening exercise to set the tone.
• Incorporate Active Listening Games: Use games like "Sound Off" or "Storytelling Relay" to break the ice and improve focus.
• Discussion Sessions: Allocate time for open discussions where team members can practice summarizing and paraphrasing what others say.
• Feedback Rounds: Encourage feedback sessions where participants actively listen and respond to each other's input.

What are some simple active listening activities for remote teams?

• Virtual Role Play: Assign workplace scenarios for team members to role-play while others listen and provide feedback.
• ‍Two Truths and a Lie: Each team member states two truths and one lie about themselves, and the others guess the lie.‍
• Listening Circles: One person shares a story, and each subsequent person summarizes it before adding their thoughts.
• ‍Echo: After someone speaks, the next person summarizes what was said before adding their input.