Chapter 13: Critical Listening
ACTIVITY #13.1: ACTIVE LISTENING EXERCISE. (To help students develop their listening skills.)
PREPARATION: In the class before you do this exercise, ask every student to think of a story of a frustrating
experience they’ve had. Let them know that they will be asked to tell the story to someone else, so it
STEP 1: Divide students into groups of three. Have each group identify one student as #1, another as #2,
and the third as #3. Tell them the instructions for the rest of the exercise.
STEP 2: Person #1 tell person #2 the story of the frustrating experience.
Person #2 do your best to be a good listener: Remind everyone of ways to be a good listener by
Person #3 observe the listener and identify what he or she did well and what might be done better.
ACTIVITY #13.2: CRITICAL LISTENING. (To help students learn to listen critically.)
PREPARATION: Get a variety of short video recordings of people presenting information of trying to
persuade. Commercials, news stories, and current event panel shows make good subjects. Be familiar
with them so you can identify what a critical thinker would think about for each.
STEP 1: Have students form groups of four.
STEP 2: Tell students that you will show them video clips, and they are to critically listen to them to evaluate
As you discuss the exercise, try to relate the students’ experience with the ideas in the text about
barriers to listening and improving listening.
ACTIVITY #13.3: CONVERSATIONAL PREFERENCE PROFILE. (To help students understand what others
prefer during conversations, and to help them understand that everyone doesn’t prefer the same things.
STEP 1: Have students individually complete the Conversational Preference Profile (below).
CONVERSATIONAL PREFERENCE PROFILE
When I’m having a conversation
2. The other person to look at me while we talk.
4. The other person to do almost all the talking.
6. The other
person to ask me questions about what I’ve said.
me.
8. The other
person to look around the room while we talk.
9. When I tell the other person how I feel, the other person to tell me I shouldn’t feel
that way.
ACTIVITY #13.4: HURIER LISTENING PROFILE. (To help the students understand their own listening strengths
and weaknesses.)