Speaking Tips

In this archive of past tips-of-the-month, you'll find answers to client questions, unique practice ideas, book recommendations, and links to some of our favorite outside resources. Feel free to browse!

Develop Attentive Listening

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We often use the “True or False” exercise in our workshops to help people develop the skill of attentive listening. Students are divided into groups of four at separate tables. Each person must tell two stories about themselves, one true and the other untrue. Listeners must guess which story is true and which is made up.

After all the stories are shared, I tell them the real purpose of the exercise. It was purely to get them to pay attention to each other. Typically, when people take turns telling stories, they don’t really listen. They spend most of their time rehearsing in their heads the story they plan to tell.

But when participants are tasked with telling fact from fiction, suddenly they focus on every word that’s said. They notice every gesture and nuance. The lesson, of course, is to use this same level of attentiveness in all of your communication interactions.

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