WORKSHOP IN

COMMUNICATION
AND ACTIVE
LISTENING

LEARN HOW TO LISTEN AND

COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY.

EDITH FATOUMATA MAIGA

 WORKSHOP
DESCRIPTION:
THE AIM OF THIS WORKSHOP IS TO SUPPORTS
YOUTH PROGRAM STAFF IN DEVELOPING AND
PRACTICING EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS
IN YOUTH PROGRAM SETTINGS. SUCCESSFUL
IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS WORKSHOP WILL
ULTIMATELY HELP YOUTH PROGRAM STAFF TO
REFLECT ON HOW THEY SUPPORT YOUTH’S
COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND HOW THEY USE
COMMUNICATION TO FURTHER SUPPORT THE
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH WITHIN THE
PROGRAM.

THIS WORKSHOP GUIDE WILL ASK PARTICIPANTS

TO EXAMINE AND REFLECT ON THEIR
COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES TO BETTER ASSIST
YOUTH IN THEIR DEVELOPMENT. THIS WORKSHOP
GUIDE IS INTENDED TO BUILD SKILLS IN YOUTH
PROGRAM STAFF THAT HELP ADDRESS
MALADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR AND BETTER ASSIST
YOUTH IN THEIR DEVELOPMENT.

EDITH FATOUMATA MAIGA

 WHAT IS ACTIVE
LISTENING?
ACTIVE LISTENING IS A NECESSARY SKILL TO
PRACTICE AND ATTEMPT TO MASTER IN ANY
YOUTH PROGRAM.

IT IS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT IN ORDER TO

DEVELOP SUPPORTIVE ADULT-YOUTH
RELATIONSHIPS AND BY ACTIVATING ACTIVE
LISTENING, WE CAN ALSO SUPPORT A SENSE OF
EFFICACY AND MATTERING WHEN IT IS PROMOTED
IN REGARD OF YOUTH’S AND IT CAN INCREASE A
SENSE OF HAVING THEIR INPUT TAKEN SERIOUSLY.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS CAN BE PUT

INTO TWO CATEGORIES: THOSE THAT ARE
EXPRESSIVE AND THOSE THAT ARE RECEPTIVE.
EXPRESSIVE SKILLS ARE THOSE THAT CAN BE
USED TO SEND A MESSAGE. RECEPTIVE SKILLS ARE
THOSE THAT ALLOW AN INDIVIDUAL TO
UNDERSTAND THE COMMUNICATION.

EDITH FATOUMATA MAIGA

 ACTIVITY 1:
UNDERSTANDING ACTIVE
LISTENING
(20 MINUTES)

“WE’RE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT ACTIVE

LISTENING AND A HELPFUL ACRONYM TO
REMEMBER THE SPECIFIC SKILLS OF ACTIVE
LISTENING.”

TED TALK BY JULIAN TREASURE TITLED “5

WAYS TO LISTEN BETTER”:

HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?
V=CSOHJLYQI2A

EDITH FATOUMATA MAIGA

EDITH FATOUMATA MAIGA
 HOW CAN YOU DEMONSTRATE
“RECEIVING” AND “APPRECIATION”?

EX: - GOOD EYE CONTACT INDICATES YOU

ARE RECEIVING AND
- PARAPHRASING IS AN EXAMPLE OF
APPRECIATION.

EDITH FATOUMATA MAIGA

 ACTIVITY 2: ELEMENTS OF
ACTIVE LISTENING
(20 MINUTES)

IN THIS ACTIVITY YOU WILL EXPERIENCE BEING TRULY LISTENED

TO AND WE WILL TRY TO IDENTIFY THE OTHERS KEY ASPECTS OF
ACTIVE LISTENING.

YOU WILL BE SPLIT INTO PAIRS AND THEN YOU WILL DECIDE
WHO WILL BE PARTNER A AND WHO WILL BE PARTNER B.

PARTNER B WILL BEGIN BY TELLING A STORY FOR 30 SECONDS

ABOUT A FAVORITE EXPERIENCE. IF YOU RUN OUT OF THINGS TO
SAY BEFORE THE 30 SECONDS, FIND SOMETHING MORE TO TALK
ABOUT. CHOSE A STORY YOU WOULD NOT MIND SHARING WITH
THE WHOLE GROUP. I WILL RING THE BELL WHEN 30 SECONDS IS
UP AND THAT WILL BE THE SIGNAL FOR PARTNER A TO SHARE A
STORY TOO WITH THEIR PARTNER. AFTER PARTNER A HAS
SHARED HIS STORY, PARTNER A WILL HAVE TO FIND A NEW
PARTNER B. THE PREVIOUS PARTNER B WILL TELL THE STORY HE
HAD HEARD FROM HIS ORIGINAL PARTNER A AS IF IT IS HIS OWN
TO THE NEW PARTNER. AFTER BOTH PEOPLE HAVE TOLD THE
STORY OF THEIR ORIGINAL PARTNERS, PARTICIPANTS WILL
SWITCH PARTNERS ONE MORE TIME AND THEY WILL TELL THE
MOST RECENT STORY THEY HEARD TO A NEW PERSON.
THE PREVIOUS EXERCISE SERVES US TO IDENTIFY AND LIST
TOGETHER WHAT ARE CALLED THE 7 KEY ACTIVE LISTENING SKILLS.

LET'S TRY TO IDENTIFY THEM TOGETHER?

EDITH FATOUMATA MAIGA

 7 KEY ACTIVE
LISTENING SKILLS

THE FIRST KEY ACTIVE LISTENING SKILL IS TO

BE ATTENTIVE.
THE SECOND KEY IS TO ASK OPEN ENDED
QUESTIONS.
THE THIRD KEY SKILL IS TO ASK PROBING
QUESTIONS.
THE FOURTH KEY SKILL IS TO REQUEST
CLARIFICATION.
THE FIFTH KEY SKILL IS REALLY A SUB-SKILL OF
THE FOURTH; IT IS USED TO GAIN
CLARIFICATION.
THE SIXTH KEY SKILL IS BEING ATTENTIVE TO
AND REFLECT FEELINGS, IS THE NON-VERBAL
VERSION OF PARAPHRASING.
THE CENTER FOR CREATIVE LEADERSHIP (CCL) THE FINAL OF THE 7 KEY ACTIVE LISTENING
SKILLS IS TO SUMMARIZE.

EDITH FATOUMATA MAIGA

 WHAT IS EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION?

ALTHOUGH IT IS GENERALLY UNDERSTOOD, THE

CONCEPT OF COMMUNICATION CAN BE DIFFICULT TO
DEFINE AND OPERATIONALIZE. CONSEQUENTLY,
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION CAN BE EVEN MORE
CHALLENGING TO DESCRIBE.

BROADLY DEFINED, COMMUNICATION IS “A PROCESS

OF PEOPLE SHARING THOUGHTS, IDEAS, AND FEELINGS
WITH EACH OTHER IN COMMONLY UNDERSTANDABLE
WAYS”

MORE SPECIFICALLY, INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

HAS BEEN DEFINED AS “A COMPLEX SITUATED SOCIAL
PROCESS IN WHICH PEOPLE WHO HAVE ESTABLISHED A
COMMUNICATIVE RELATIONSHIP EXCHANGE MESSAGES
IN AN EFFORT TO GENERATE SHARED MEANINGS AND
ACCOMPLISH GOALS”.

EDITH FATOUMATA MAIGA

 ACTIVITY 3: USING ACTIVE COMMUNICATION
AND LISTENING WITH YOUTH (20 MINUTES)

PART 1: DIVIDE THE GROUP INTO GROUPS OF THREE, AND

ASSIGN EACH PERSON ONE OF THREE ROLES: THE
SUBJECT, THE ACTIVE LISTENER, AND THE OBSERVER.

TO BEGIN THE ACTIVITY, EACH GROUP SHOULD SET UP

THE QUESTION OR PROBLEM, AND THIS QUESTION OR
PROBLEM WILL BE WHAT EACH SUBJECT WILL EXPLORE
AND REFLECT UPON.

PART 2 - ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

WHAT DO YOU THINK IT MEANS TO LISTEN WITH YOUR

EARS? WHAT DO YOU THINK IT MEANS TO LISTEN WITH
YOUR EYES? ETC...

EDITH FATOUMATA MAIGA

REMEMBER THE 55% OF HOW YOU COMMUNICATE
AND EXPRESS YOUR FEELINGS IS BASED ON FACIAL
EXPRESSIONS AND OTHER NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION;
THE WAY YOU LOOK, LISTEN, MOVE AND REACT TO
ANOTHER PERSON TELLS THEM MORE ABOUT HOW
YOU’RE FEELING, THAN WORDS ALONE EVER CAN;
TRY TO MATCH YOUR NON-VERBAL SIGNALS WITH
YOUR WORDS. IF YOU DON’T, YOU WILL APPEAR
UNTRUSTWORTHY;
IF YOU DON’T USE OPEN BODY LANGUAGE YOU RISK
LOOKING RUDE AND UNAPPROACHABLE. LIVE IN THE
MOMENT WHEN COMMUNICATING AND DON’T
BECOME DISTRACTED;
THINK AND ACT POSITIVE EVEN WHEN YOU DON’T
FEEL IT. YOU WILL FEEL MORE SELF-CONFIDENT
AND HELP PUT OTHER PEOPLE AT EASE;
TRUST YOUR INSTINCT WHEN READING OTHER
PEOPLE’S BODY LANGUAGE. YOUR UNCONSCIOUS
MIND AUTOMATICALLY READS OTHER PEOPLES
SUBTLE SIGNALS, YOU JUST NEED TO LEARN TO
READ AND ADAPT TO THEM;

EDITH FATOUMATA MAIGA

EDITH FATOUMATA MAIGA