Listening To Learn presentation prepared for Wood Badge Course S5-420-17. Designed to be printed and used as a flip book for patrol presentation as Troop Guide.

1. Listening to
Learn
Patrol Presentation
Wood Badge Course S5-420-17
John Green

2. Speaker
Notes
Time Allowed: 50 minutes
Objectives:
•Become aware of how we listen
•Explore good listening as a communication skill
•Practice the skills of active and empathetic listening
•Examine the relationship between listening skills and the receiving
and giving of feedback.

3. Speaker/Listener Role-
Play

4. Speaker/Listener Role-Play
1. Pair off the participants:
• Speaker & Listener
• If odd # of participants, the den chief can join as a speaker.
2. Give each of the listeners one instruction card.
• Listener will keep the card’s message hidden from speaker.
3. Instruct speakers to talk 1-2 min. about a recent trip or vacation.
4. Each listener responds with behavior determined by the assigned
message:
• Interrupt the speaker
• Give the speaker advice before he or she is done speaking
• Give the speaker a blank look
• Be bored

5. Listening to Learn
Discussion of
Speaker - Listener
Role Play
What is listening?
Why is listening
such an important
part of learning?

6. Speaker/Listener Role-Play - Speaker
Notes
Speakers:
What did you just experience?
How did the reactions of the listeners affect you?
Listeners:
How did the speakers respond to your particular listening behavior?
Patrol:
What is listening?
Why is listening such an important part of learning?
Listening is an essential part of communication, yet we take it for granted.
Don’t teach it in our schools – writing, public speaking, YES but seldom
focus on the skill of listening.
This Wood Badge session does focus on that skill. When you are aware of
the importance of listening and the ways we listen, you can use listening as
a tool for learning and for leadership.

7. Why Is Listening a Key
Skill of Leadership?
Habit #5

8. Why Is Listening a Key Skill of
Leadership?
“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”—Stephen Covey
Listening is a critical element of communication and a primary means for
connecting with other people.
Sharing ideas and experiences: creates bonds, grows trust, and develops
understanding. Knowing others strengths and skills—the building blocks of
friendships and teamwork.
Listening can be especially powerful with youth. Many Scouts find it unusual
to have adults truly pay attention to them. Listening with care and
understanding is meaningful for both youth & adults.
Listening provides the means to make decisions and solve problems.
Listening is: the glue that holds a team together, the doorway through which
ideas pass, the window in which solutions appear.

9. Two Parts of Effective Listening
Active Listening
Reflects what a
person is saying to
confirm
comprehension.
Empathetic
Listening
Sincere attempt by a
listener to
understand in depth
what a speaker is
saying.

10. Two Parts of Effective Listening: Active and
Empathetic
Active listening requires the listener to fully concentrate, understand, respond, and
remember.
Reflect what a person is saying to confirm comprehension. “What I understand you
to be saying is this. . . .” Reflection confirms that the message has been correctly
received. No value judgments. Ensures what they heard the speakers say, and
confirms that their message got through.
Empathetic listening is a sincere attempt by a listener to understand in depth what a
speaker is saying. Empathetic listeners pay attention to more than just the words
they hear.
Speaker’s body language, tone of voice, and emotional sense are all considered as
part of the message the speaker is sending.
Empathetic listening requires listeners to:
•Put themselves in the speaker’s place
•Imagine things from the speaker’s point of view
•Try to understand how the speaker feels.
Effective listening is active and empathetic.

11. Exercise in Effective Listening
Try these listening styles:
1.Pay close attention. Acknowledge the message simply by
saying, “I got it.” Offer no further feedback or judgment.
2.Pay close attention. Respond by rephrasing the message.
3.Rephrase the message. Share any deeper understanding
of the speaker’s feelings. Consider body language, tone of
voice, facial expressions, and other spoken and silent
signals that will help enhance understanding.

12. Exercise in Effective Listening
Have participants form into speaker & listener pairs.
Speakers talk several minutes about something they enjoy (hobby, sport,
or family activity)
Listeners will try out different listening styles:
1.Pay close attention and acknowledge a speaker’s message simply by
saying, “I got it.” Offer no further feedback or judgment.
2.Pay close attention and respond by rephrasing the message.
3.Rephrase the message & share any deeper understanding of the
speaker’s feelings. The listener should consider the speaker’s body
language, tone of voice, facial expressions, and other spoken and silent
signals that will help enhance understanding.
Listeners and speakers trade roles and repeat the exercise.

13. Monitoring Our Listening Level
How do we respond…
•To something we don’t
want to hear?
•When a speaker is
angry?
•When we are tired or
hungry?
Be aware of your
Listening Level,
the state of your
own awareness.

14. Monitoring Our Listening Level
How do we respond when we are hearing something we don’t want to hear?
When a speaker is angry? When we are tired or hungry?
To effectively listen be aware of your current situation, energy level, and
interest. Are you upset about something? It will affect how you listen.
Being drowsy affects our attention span. Are you chilly, too hot, late for another
appointment? Be aware of your state of hearing awareness to adjust and grasp
the message. Know when to increase your focus.
Call a time-out - put on a sweater, have snack, take care of distracting matters,
or let your emotions cool. Then try again with the speaker under conditions that
are more conducive to good listening.
Ideal - but we can’t pick and choose every listening situation. Often we’re in
situations that make communication difficult. However, good listening skills are
powerful tools for calming adversarial situations and finding solutions to
problems.

15. Listening in Adversarial
Situations Role Play

16. Listening in Adversarial Situations Role
Play
Volunteer plays role of a Scout who is angry about the way others in his unit are
treating him. Den chief plays the part of a Scout leader
1. As the “Scout” expresses his or her complaints and frustrations, the “Scout
leader” uses the skills of good listening to acknowledge that the message is
being received.
•“I got it,” is an appropriate response.
•So is, “This is what I hear you saying . . . .”
•Encourage the Scout to keep talking, but offer no judgment or feedback.
It is very likely that the Scout will focus on the negative, complaining about what
he or she doesn’t like. That’s fine, it is often the way people who are upset
express themselves.
2. The Scout leader says, “I hear what you don’t want. Now tell me what you do
want.”
•Encourage the Scout to keep talking, but focus now on positive aspects of the
situation rather than negative ones.

17. Listening In Adversarial
Situations
What did you
observe in the
“Listening in
Adversarial
Situations”
role-play?

18. Listening in Adversarial Situations
Discussion
What did you observe in the role-play?
Be sure they hit on:
•Speakers respond to how others listen to them.
•Acknowledge but don’t immediately judge their complaints (“I got it . . .”) No
enabling by a listener makes complaints seem smaller & more manageable.
•Take a negative & flip it to a positive - listener can structure a more
productive framework for finding solutions.(“I hear what you don’t want. Now tell
me what you do want.”)
•A conversation cast in a positive light naturally involves more empathy and
support.
•Body language of listeners and speakers becomes more open, and chances for
resolution are greatly enhanced.
Listeners should always strive to:
•Create a positive present as opposed to a negative past.

19. Giving and Receiving Feedback
Receiving feedback
can sometimes be
difficult.
For feedback to be
helpful, both parties
must use the skills
of effective
listening.

20. Giving and Receiving Feedback
Receiving feedback can sometimes be difficult. But effective
listening skills in a feedback situation can turn it into a positive
experience.
•Have you ever had someone give you advice about something?
•How did it feel to be receiving feedback?
•Have you ever been in a position to tell people how they can do
something better?
•Or, how they might make a positive change in their behavior?
•How did it feel to be offering feedback?
All of us find ourselves giving and receiving feedback. It’s a basic
part of team development, of leadership & of friendships and family.
For feedback to be helpful, both parties must use the skills of
effective listening.

21. Tips on Giving Feedback
1.Consider your motives. Feedback should
always be helpful.
2.Find out if the other people involved are
open to receiving feedback.
3.Deal only with behavior that can be
changed.
4.Deal with specifics, not generalities.

22. Tips on Giving
Feedback
1.Consider your motives. Feedback should
always be helpful; otherwise, there is no
reason to offer it.
2.Find out if the other people involved are
open to receiving feedback. Listen
carefully, then rephrase what they say to
be sure you understand them.
3.Deal only with behavior that can be
changed.
4.Deal with specifics, not generalities.

23. Tips on Giving Feedback
5. Describe the behavior; do not evaluate it.
6. Let the other person know the impact the
behavior has on you.
7. Use an “I” statement to accept responsibility for
your own perceptions and emotions.
8. Make sure the feedback was understood, ask
them to rephrase it.

24. Tips on Giving
Feedback5. Describe the behavior; do not evaluate it.
6. Let the other person know the impact the
behavior has on you.
7. To make sure the recipients of feedback have
understood your message in the way you
intended it, ask them to rephrase what they
heard you say.
8. Make sure the feedback was understood, ask
them to rephrase it.
You can give caring feedback without a good technique, but
the slickest technique in the world will not hide a lack of
caring.

25. Tips on Receiving
Feedback
1. Seek out feedback.
2. Listen carefully.
3. Listen actively
4. Listen empathetically
5. Check your ego.
Consider feedback to be a gift. It truly is.

26. Tips on Receiving
Feedback1. Seek out feedback – will provide you with information that will
help you improve.
2. Listen carefully. Receiving feedback requires a heightened
awareness of yourself and the person offering the feedback.
3. Listen actively. Reflect the feedback in your own words to
confirm understanding.
4. Listen empathetically. Observe body language, tone of voice,
and emotions. Consider the reasons for offering feedback.
5. Check your ego. Becoming angry or defensive can cloud your
ability to listen effectively.
Consider feedback to be a gift. It truly is.

27. Listening To Learn
Summary
1. Effective listening is a skill that each of us can learn and
can constantly improve upon.
2. Listening plays a vital role in forming relationships,
developing teams, and finding solutions.
3. The best listening is both active and empathetic.
4. Listening can be a tool for turning a negative situation
into a positive one.
5. Listening well is an important part of both receiving and
giving feedback.

28. Listening To Learn
Summary
1. Effective listening is a skill that each of us can learn and
can constantly improve upon.
2. Listening plays a vital role in forming relationships,
developing teams, and finding solutions.
3. The best listening is both active and empathetic.
4. Listening can be a tool for turning a negative situation
into a positive one.
5. Listening well is an important part of both receiving and
giving feedback.