MW1

1. Mentoring skills
Workshop: Listening Skills

2. Key topics / learning outcomes
2
of this Workshop
By the end of this workshop you should be able
to:
• Explain what is meant by active listening
• Evaluate your own performance as a listener

3. 3
Task
• First step: Person 1 will talk for one minute about any topic of
their choice.
• Person 2 will listen for that minute and then report back to
Person 1 one key point from the topic.
• Second step: Then switch, and Person 2 will talk for one
minute and Person 1 will listen. Person 1 will then say thank
you at the end of the minute.

4. How was it? How difficult was it? Share your
successes or failures with another pair and
write down the things that helped your active
listening and the things that hampered it.

5. Third step:
How did you listen? Explore how people
listen. Go into depth about the mental
process which is taking place. Describe what
was happening in your head.
Highlight any techniques people use:
visualise, rapid repeat, talk to themselves,
etc.

6. There are several reasons for listening being inhibited. The following are
some examples.
• Preparing what you want to say next
• Going into a daydream
• Guessing what is coming next
• Knowing you are right
• Changing the subject
• Finishing the person’s sentence
• Judging the person or what they are saying
• Interrupting a person in full flow
• Assuming you have the answer
• Monopolising conversations
• Half listening – thinking about other issues

7. Summary
During this workshop you have looked at how listening
takes place and how listening can be inhibited. In your
role as a mentor, you will need to be aware of your
weaknesses as a listener and try to actively compensate
for them.