12 Listening Toolkit Activities
Full list of listening toolkit activities that help build or support listening skills
Dear collaborative discussion friends,
This week we are sharing the full list of 12 listening toolkit activities for easy reference. These activities help develop or support listening skills. All the activities in the toolkit have an activity key that indicates the level of the activity (beginner or advanced) and other characteristics using icons. Activities that support listening skills are denoted with the following icon.
If you missed the previous activity newsletter, 7 Warm-up Toolkit Activities, you can access it and our other weekly newsletters by subscribing below.
12 listening toolkit activities that help build listening skills
1) Activity 1.4 Understanding Your Identity in Collaboration
Activity 1.4 Understanding Your Identity in Collaboration. There are different ways of thinking about identity ranging from personal to social or perceived to ascribed. This activity encourages participants to reflect on the type of person or identity they bring (or would like to bring) to a discussion.
2) Activity 2.6 Building on the Ideas of Others
Activity 2.6 Building on the Ideas of Others. Improvisational comedy has developed a rule of thinking which is called “Yes, and ….” The idea is that you accept what is said and then you add to it. The “yes” confirms the other speaker while the “and” builds on the idea. This process can create an environment of collaboration rather than competition.
3) Activity 3.1 Critical Thinking in Discussions
Activity 3.1 Critical Thinking in Discussions. We often associate the practice of critical thinking with reading and examining text. How do we practice critical thinking in real time while actively engaging in dialogue with others? This activity is an adaptation of the CLUE approach and designed to encourage critical dialogue.
4) Activity 3.2 Critical Feeling in Discussions
Activity 3.2 Critical Feeling in Discussions. Being aware of the emotional charge of a discussion is important. This involves being aware of personal emotional reactions as well as the reactions of others. This activity helps participants to reflect on their own emotional reactions while also asking questions to better understand the emotions of others.
5) Activity 3.3 Awareness of Context, Bias, & Assumptions
Activity 3.3 Awareness of Context, Bias, & Assumptions. This activity will help participants to identify their own assumptions about an issue and put those assumptions in plain view of others during a discussion. This activity will demonstrate how these judgments affect how we communicate with others.
6) Activity 3.7 Practicing Generosity of Interpretation
Activity 3.7 Practicing Generosity of Interpretation. This activity helps participants develop a practice of patience and generous interpretation during discussions. By crafting and practicing specific “mind tricks,” participants can learn to listen and engage in discussions with a more generous mindset.
7) Activity 4.1 Awareness of Social Identity (Identity Pie)
Activity 4.1 Awareness of Social Identity. This activity helps participants to become more aware of their own identities and worldview. They will reflect on key components of their identity and critically examine how identities are shaped by different experiences and show up differently in group discussions.
8) Activity 4.2 Listening to Understand
Activity 4.2 Listening to Understand. This activity is designed to help participants practice specific listening techniques that can be incorporated in everyday life. This activity can be adapted online but is described here as an in-person process that requires movement.
9) Activity 4.7 Recognizing Power Imbalances in Decision Making
Activity 4.7 Recognizing Power Imbalances in Decision Making. This activity makes visible the ways in which power works in society but more particularly, in the context of joint decision-making. It examines how power reinforces stereotypes, but it also offers opportunities to challenge traditional power dynamics.
10) Activity 5.4 Seeing Communities as Partners
Activity 5.4 Seeing Communities as Partners. This activity helps participants think of communities as partners, rather than recipients of funding, information, or external expertise. Instead of seeing them as having problems that "we'' need to solve, it enables participants to see a community’s existing assets and capacities to solve problems.
11) Activity 5.5 Identifying Knowledge in the Community
Activity 5.5 Identifying Knowledge in the Community. This activity explores where we locate knowledge in our community. Participants examine the different kinds of knowledge they have gained. This activity disrupts traditional notions of how we think about knowledge and where it is located.
12) Activity 5.8 Practicing Deliberation with Others
Activity 5.8 Practicing Deliberation with Others. This activity introduces the concept of legislative juries to participants and gives them the opportunity to practice deliberating in collaboration with others.
Upcoming Events
Mark your calendars! Our next community gathering is this Thursday, June 20th at 12 pm (EDT). During this gathering, we will provide an overview of new CDP website features, including how coaches can create a member account to access member only pages, such as certificate program templates & coach only resources. We will also go over the updated process and requirements for offering certificate programs, the administrative support we provide, and any questions you may have about offering certificate programs. All are welcome! Register here.
We also have a community gathering planned for Thursday, July 18th at 12 pm (EDT). All are welcome! Register here.
Looking forward to collaborating,
Ritu Thomas & the Collaborative Discussion Team