Active Listening

This module teaches Level Three Listening ??? deep, values-focused listening that goes beyond downloading and factual listening ??? using the "Platinum Rule" of reflecting back what matters most to a speaker. Participants first check their own level of presence, then learn the three levels of listening (Downloading, Factual Listening, Deep Listening) and the behaviors that signal Level Three. They practice through paired exercises: a Two Minute Reflection, where one partner shares a recent challenge and the other reflects back a summary, what mattered most, and the values it revealed; and a Peak Experience exercise, where partners share a proud or fulfilling work moment and the listener identifies the values it illustrates. Discussion afterward connects this reflective listening technique to giving feedback and holding themselves and direct reports accountable.

This module teaches how to keep audiences engaged when presenting virtually, where speakers can't rely on the visual cues of an in-person room. Participants learn to use Engagement Prompts ??? questions set up at the start of a presentation that tell listeners how and why to pay attention, then get checked mid-presentation and revisited at the end ??? and practice writing their own for a real or planned presentation topic. The module also includes the Color/Advance exercise, a paired storytelling drill where listeners actively steer a storyteller toward more detail ("Color on...") or move the story forward ("Okay, advance"), followed by a discussion on applying this to asking for feedback on messaging in virtual settings.

This module is part of the Active Listening deliverable and focuses on reading and using non-verbal cues???body language, facial expressions, tone, and eye contact???to communicate clearly and pick up on what others are really saying. Participants first discuss how to be more expressive in person and on video calls, then break down the core elements of body language (gestures, posture, facial expressions, eye contact, open position, leaning in, head nods) and how context, clustering, and congruence shape their meaning. Practice includes a mirroring exercise where partners express and match emotions through facial expression alone, plus two improv-style gibberish exercises ("Greetings, Lost Friend!" and "Home Shopping Network Translator") where participants use only tone, gesture, and expression???no real words???to convey meaning, including one built around a mock TV sales-pitch scenario that generalizes to any situation where body language must carry the message.

This module builds active listening skills through partner-based storytelling exercises. Participants practice retelling stories they've just heard???first in their own words, then in first person, and eventually while mirroring the original speaker's body language???to build the focus and mindfulness required to accurately absorb and relay what someone else has communicated.