Active Listening: Activities EGB

Objective: Reinforce paying attention and showing that you are listening using body language.
Instructions:

• Divide the class into two teams. One team will act out a short scenario (e.g., a teacher explaining a lesson, a student giving a presentation) while the other team listens carefully.
• After the performance, the listening team must answer a series of questions related to the content and the speaker’s body language (e.g., “How did the speaker show they were paying attention?” or “What feedback did the listener give?”).
• The acting team must give cues through body language and expressions, but no words are allowed. This emphasizes the importance of listening carefully to both verbal and non-verbal cues.
• Gamification Twist: The acting team gets 1 point for each accurate body language cue the listening team identifies. The listening team gets 1 point for every correct answer.

Objective: Practice paying attention and providing feedback during a conversation.
Instructions:

• Listen to a short audio or video clip (such as a brief conversation or a short speech).
• After the clip, you will have a quiz with multiple-choice or true/false questions about the details of the conversation (e.g., “What did the speaker say about their plans?” or “How did the listener respond?”).
• After answering, discuss the correct answers with the class and explain the active listening components in the context of the audio/video.
• Gamification Twist: Set a timer for each question. Each team that answers correctly within 10 seconds gets an extra point. The team with the most points wins!

Objective: Apply the components of active listening in a fast-paced setting.
Instructions:

• You will work in pairs. One student will be the “speaker,” and the other will be the “listener.”
• The speaker will have 1 minute to explain a simple topic (e.g., “Describe your favorite hobby” or “Talk about your last vacation”).
• The listener must practice active listening by focusing on the speaker, using body language (nodding, eye contact), and giving feedback. Once the speaker finishes, the listener will answer questions like, “What were the main points?” and “How did the speaker show interest?”
• After each round, switch roles.
• Gamification Twist: Each listener gets 2 points for correctly identifying the key details, and an extra 1 point for showing they used feedback correctly (e.g., saying “I see!” or “That’s interesting!”). The team with the most points at the end of the rounds wins!