This exercise aims to practice and experience mindful listening. Participants reflect on the most important thing learned from training and discuss it with a colleague. They observe thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations when speaking and listening. The goal is twofold: to reflect on past training and familiarize with mindful listening, which involves listening completely without interrupting or thinking ahead. Mindful listening can create stillness for both speaker and listener by allowing the speaker to feel free of prejudices and the listener free of inner chatter.

1. Exercise: Mindful Reflection
Think about the most important thing you learned during this training

2. The goal of this exercise, as follows:
“We often think about the past or future when listening to another person talk. When we do that, we are
actually not listening at all. Instead of being in the moment and fully absorbing both the words and content
from the speaker, other activities occur in our minds, such as planning our reply or thinking about what we
should have said. In this exercise, you are going to practice and experience what mindful listening means.”
Think about the most important thing you have learned during this training. In 2 to 5 minutes, reflect on your
insights, tell a colleague about what you have learned. Ask them to tell you what they have learned : one story
at a time, listen carefully to what the other person has to say.
Pay attention to how it feels to talk about your personal experiences. Observe your own thoughts, feelings,
and body sensations both when talking and listening.
Exercise: Mindful Reflection

3. REVIEWING THE EXERCISE
• How did you feel when speaking during the exercise?
• How did you feel when listening during the exercise?
• Did you notice your mind-wandering?
• If so, what was the distraction?
• What helped you bring your attention back to the present?
• Did your mind judge while listening to others?
• If so, how did “judging” make your body feel?
• How did your body feel right after speaking?
• What are you feeling right now?
• Do you think mindful listening would change the way you interact with others?
THE GOAL OF THE EXERCISE
The goal of this exercise is twofold. First, this exercise requires you to reflect on the past seven training sessions. Second, this exercise familiarizes you with
mindful listening. Mindful listening is an important skill. In general, people thrive when they feel fully “heard” and “seen”. Mindful listening means listening
completely to the other person. Instead of interrupting the person, trying to tell one’s own story or thinking ahead, the listener is fully present in this moment.
Mindful listening involves a form of self-regulation in which the focus on the self is set aside. Mindful listening can create an inner stillness in both parties, as the
speaker may feel free of the listener’s preconceptions and prejudices while the listener may be free of inner chatter.
Exercise: Mindful Reflection

4. Exercise: Mindful Reflection
think about the most
important thing you
learned during this
training
How did you feel
when speaking
during the exercise?
How did you feel
when listening during
the exercise?
Did you notice your
mind-wandering?
If so, what was the
distraction?
What helped you
bring your attention
back to the present?
Did your mind judge
while listening to
others?
If so, how did
“judging” make your
body feel?
How did your body
feel right after
speaking?
What are you feeling
right now?
Do you think mindful
listening would
change the way you
interact with others?

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In order to download your homework sheets