Life Skills and Leadership Manual - Peace Corps

Life Skills & Leadership: Unit 1, Session 1: Me and My Assets | Page 11 of 128

Which listening skills felt the most comfortable or were the easiest to use?

What are some other situations when it would be helpful to use these skills?

Which listening skills would you change so they work better in your culture?

How often do you think people use these skills in general and what might help them to use the

skills more often?

What is one skill you would like to use more often?

B. Summary
Conclude the activity by saying:

“All of these skills will become easier and feel more natural the more you can practice and use them in

your everyday life.”

V. Assessment (15 minutes)
Materials:
(None)

A. Mixer
Participants review the skills of active listening.

1. State that you’d like people to have a chance to review what they have learned. Say:

“In a moment I’m going to ask you to stand and move around randomly among each other. When I say

‘freeze’ (or ‘stop’) I’d like you to turn to the person closest to you and, when I give the signal, use your

body in an appropriate way to show that you are listening. You can be thinking about what you will do

as you are walking around.”

Note: Walking without worrying about where you will end up is one way to stimulate creative thinking. While moving

randomly around the learning space, participants can focus more on the response they will give when you ask them to stop.

Be sure to allow time for this type of thinking before asking participants to display the action to a partner.

2. Ask people to stand and begin mixing.

a. Tell them to freeze and turn to the nearest person. Make sure everyone is matched with a partner

(it’s all right to have a group of three).

b. Give a signal and have people demonstrate the action from the list below to their partner

simultaneously.

c. Give them another action from the list below.

d. Have them mix among each other again. Continue this process with all the actions on the list.

Note: With the help of your co-facilitator (if you have one), watch for well-executed examples of the listening actions you

have suggested. Invite those participants to demonstrate their response for the whole group.

Using only your eyes and where you are looking, show that you are listening.

Ask a question that clarifies what a speaker might say.

Say something that describes the feelings a speaker might be having.