Reflective Listening

Learning Objective:

Participants will learn the basics of reflective listening through direct practice.

Part 1: Quick Introduction

1 minute

“Have you ever felt like someone wasn’t really listening to you when you were talking about something important? Today we’re going to learn a quick technique called reflective listening that helps us truly understand each other.”

Part 2: Main Activity

3 minutes

Demonstrate reflective listening with participant (1 minute):

• Ask them to share one thing that happened to them today
• Model reflective listening by maintaining eye contact and paraphrasing what they said
• Ask them how it felt to be heard

Participant practices (2 minutes):

• Facilitator speaks for 30 seconds about their day
• Participant practices reflective listening, paraphrasing what they heard
• Switch roles and repeat

Part 3: Wrap-up

1 minute

Quick reflection:

“What did you notice about how it felt when someone really listened to you?”

Challenge:

“Try using reflective listening once today with a friend or family member.”

Facilitator Notes:

• Reflective listening means repeating back what you heard in your own words
• This technique helps people feel heard and understood
• It’s a valuable skill for building stronger relationships