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Practicing Listening: Using A News Video Clip
Brief Description/Purpose
To allow participants to practice their listening skills but more importantly to show how what each hears from the same "thing" can be quite different than what other people hear.
Type
Media exercise, group discussion
Age Appropriate
All ages
Ideal Group Size
Any size group
Time For Exercise
About 3 minutes for the video, and 20 minutes or so for debrief
Topic/Subject
Listening, communication skills, subjectivity
Detailed Instructions If Needed
Pick a video clip from the news, or a documentary. Try to pick one that has several main themes. About 3-4 minutes is good.
Show the video, asking participants to watch or listen carefully.
After the showing, here are some debrief questions:
- What was the main point the speaker made?
- Was listening difficult for you?
- What did you hear from the speaker?
- What was the speaker trying to achieve?
- What was the emotional state of the speaker?
- Did the visuals (picture) make it more or less difficult to listen?
Additional Information if Available
This can be a very powerful exercise with a lot of variants. For example, rather than using a video clip, use an audio one, or use one medium, then the other. Try to have people compare what they "heard" to others in the group.
Cautions/Hints