MAN3655 – TRAINING SESSION PLAN
Title
Employ active listening and responding skills
Target
Audience
ASK Workplace Learning and Development Consultants
Purpose
Delivery
approach &
location:
Provide trainers with the tools and techniques to listen actively and respond to
learners in order to better transfer learning in their training sessions
Off-the-job/face to face - Company Training Room at Head Office
Trainee #s
10 - 12 people
Instructor
Sharon Broad
Session 8
Session #
Ask Trainers Skills Training
Program
Prerequisites ASK Staff Induction
Date
23 September 2011
Duration
1 hour
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the training session, participants should be able to:

describe the 5 elements of the SOLER technique for active listening without reference to
any learning materials; and

Identify active listening and responding techniques through observation without
reference to any learning materials.
Practice Opportunities:
 practice of SOLER technique in pairs
 group discussion after responding technique demonstrations
Assessment Method:

Identification of techniques in video role play – participants will watch a 8 minutes video
role play from YouTube of two people engaged in a discussion with different viewpoints.
They will be asked to identify active listening and responding techniques, including
elements of the SOLER technique. They will write these down and submit to the trainer
at the end of the class for marking.
Resources:
 Laptop and data projector
 Whiteboard, markers and eraser
 Handouts:
o Active listening tips
o SOLER technique
Time – 5 mins
Introduction
Methods & Aids
5 minutes
Introduce myself and brief background giving
credibility to knowledge of subject
PPT 1 - Dilbert video
Icebreaker – use of Dilbert video to give show with
humour the problems with ineffective listening
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAp9n3y
Bjyo
Interest
How to effectively listen
Need
As trainers we need to speak and
listen effectively. By listening
PPT 2 – Introduction
carefully to participants you can
 Need
determine how well the training is
going, how well participants
 Outcomes
understand the material and many
 Assessment
problems they may be
experiencing
Topic
Active Listening and Responding
to Learners
Range
SOLER technique
Techniques for responding to the
Learner
describe the 5 elements of the
SOLER technique for active
listening without reference to any
learning materials; and
Outcomes
Identify active listening and
responding techniques through
observation without reference to
any learning materials.
Assessment
identification of techniques from
observation of role play
Ask for hands up from the class whether they have
prior knowledge of the subject through other
classes/training courses – for those with hands up
ask where and how, and use this to adapt the
training session to suit the participants level of prior
knowledge
Time – 50 mins
5 mins
Body
Activity
Methods & Aids
Group question - How do you
know someone is listening to you
PPT 3“How do you know someone is listening to
you”
list responses from trainees on whiteboard
8 mins
Explain
SOLER technique
S sit or stand squarely, facing the
learner - focus on their verbal/nonverbal communications
O open friendly posture - express
PPT 4 – SOLER
 S – sit or stand squarely
 O – open friendly posture
 L – Lean forward
interest and support in what they
are communicating
L lean forward - to indicate to the
learner they have your attention
E Eye contact - as appropriate for
the learners characteristics
 E – Eye Contact
 R – Respond
Handout – SOLER Techniques
R respond - let them know you
have heard and understood what
they said
Give handout of SOLER
technique
Allow time for questions by trainees
10 mins
Activity
Split into pairs - each person tell
the why they chose training as a
career choice
Listeners practice the SOLER
techniques.
Pair is person sitting next to them
3 minutes each person speaking
2 minutes each of feedback on use of
SOLER technique
After each has told, they feedback
their observation of the others use
of the SOLER techniques
7 mins
Explain
Responding to Learners
PPT 6 – Paraphrasing
 Listen intently
Explain each of the responding
techniques:

Paraphrasing

Reflecting

Challenging
Allow time for questions by trainees
 Represent your idea of the
speakers statement back to them
PPT 7 – Reflecting
 Listen for feelings
 Genuinely acknowledge the
speaker’s feeling
 Don’t be sidetracked by the
speakers feelings
PPT 8 - Challenging
 ask a challenging question
 trying to get speaker to explore and
expand on a thought
10 mins
Activity
Role play using prepared case
studies
One trainee reads the pre-pared
conversation
Trainer demonstrates
“paraphrasing” technique in
response
Another trainee reads a different
pre-prepared conversation
Pre-prepared conversation paragraphs
(based on workplace training issues)
Trainer demonstrates “reflecting”
technique in response
Finally a 3rd trainee reads another
pre-prepared conversation
Trainer demonstrates the
“challenging” response technique
Group discussion of the elements and points of
the different techniques
10 mins
Assessment
Review role play video and
trainees take notes of active
listening concepts demonstrated
in the video.
Active Listening Role Play video - from
10.52 onwards of attached clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AxNI3P
hvBo
At the end of the video, each
Trainees need pen and notepaper
trainee provides one example of
an active listening and
responding technique to the whole
group
Papers collected for assessment
by trainer
Time – 5 mins
5 mins
Conclusion
Outcomes
Feedback
Methods & Aids
Today we looked at how to
actively listen and respond to
learners. We used the SOLER
technique and explained the
different techniques used to
respond when actively listening.
PPT 9 – Conclusion
Give out handout of “Active
Listening Tips”
Handout – Active Listening Tips (taken
from Jeffery Bernam lecture
Advise on trainees’
demonstration of learning via
performance in the final activity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AxNI3P
hvBo
 SOLER Technique
 Paraphrasing
 Reflecting
 Challenging
Check if any questions
Future
Now that we’ve learnt the tools
and techniques of effective
training we move onto the next
skills required of a trainer – how to
provide constructive feedback.
Finish
Training Template© 2011 JenMar. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License