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Listening Games for Adults

Active listening is a conscious activity that requires the ability to focus on, process and evaluate the sounds we are hearing. While hearing is automatic, true listening only occurs by paying attention to the sounds around us. Listening games and activities are beneficial for teaching adults to focus, maintain attention and stay present.

Follow the Leader
- This game teaches adults to listen with total concentration. Gather the adults and pick one person to be the leader. Instruct the leader to relay instructions to the group, such as one clap means touch your head, two claps means raise your hands and three claps means stomp your feet. The leader then begins to clap, alternating between one, two and three claps, eliminating each person who fails to carry out the instruction. The last person remaining wins the game.
Tell a Story
- This game shows how small distractions can interfere with active listening. Divide the participants into two groups and advise the group that you are going to read a story. Instruct one group to keep count of each time you smile and advise the other group to listen. Read the story and ask each participant to answer three questions about the story. Typically, the group that kept a tally of the total times you smiled will not be able to answer the questions because they were distracted while you were reading the story.
Talking Over
- This game not only displays how difficult it is to listen while others are talking, but also demonstrates the value of listening to others. Separate the group into pairs. Instruct the groups to talk simultaneously about a certain topic, such as what hobbies each participant enjoys. After a few minutes, gather the group and ask each participant to repeat their partner̵7;s hobbies and pastimes. Typically, each participant will be able to recount a small amount of information because he was not actively listening.
Gossip
- This game is useful for demonstrating how drastically a story or accounting of an event can change when individuals do not practice active listening. Arrange the group in a circle. Have the first person start by whispering a single sentence into the next participant̵7;s ear. Continue with the whispering until reaching the last person. Instruct the last person to tell the group what he heard. Typically, the final story is completely different from the original.

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