


There should be a 15- to 30-second pause before the other person starts sharing. Practice compassionate listening exercises: You and a partner can each take three to five minutes to share a personal story.Practise your English and get ready for your Cambridge English.
#Listening vs hearing activities free
However, little gestures such as putting your phone face down so you can’t see messages or notifications come through or turning away from your computer screen can help you be more focused and attentive. Learn English with our free online listening, grammar, vocabulary and reading activities. Put away distractions: This can be difficult since we are constantly surrounded by distractions.However, this can be quite invalidating to people because a lot of the time they just want to be understood and listened to. We often want to help others which is why we’re quick to offer solutions. Give advice only if required: Don’t try to solve the problem or give advice unless that is what the person is asking for.Try to validate: While giving someone your undivided attention can be validating in and of itself, being able to acknowledge how someone’s thoughts and feelings are understandable given their history or current circumstances can be quite meaningful.Use nonverbal gestures: Using nonverbal cues, such as making eye contact and occasionally nodding your head, can communicate that you are listening and paying attention.If you’re not sure what to ask, you can try to think of who, what, when, where, or how questions. Ask questions: Asking relevant, open-ended questions shows that you are listening and responding in a thoughtful way.Summarize what you are hearing: Repeating in your own words what you heard the other person say can communicate that you’re engaged and gives the other person an opportunity to clarify any misunderstandings.Letting go of judgments and assumptions will also help you become more curious. Students will learn about active listening by discussing an audio clip and participating in an exercise to experience what if feels like to listen and have. Let go of judgments and assumptions: When you judge and assume things, you essentially close the door to new information which means you are less likely to pay attention and listen.In doing so, you might notice that you automatically become even more curious and interested in what the person is saying. Be curious: Adopting a curious mindset allows you to truly listen and understand.You can practice it simply by noticing what has your attention in the moment is it the person speaking to you or something else? If your attention is on something else, you can gently redirect your focus back to the person by noticing the changes in their voice, the words they use, and their nonverbal expressions. Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness helps you be more present.Set an intention to improve: Setting a clear goal to work on your listening skills can help you think more concretely about how, when, and who you can practice with.
