Communication Games and Active Listening Activities for Teams

What you need

• Plain paper or a shared text document.
• Optional neutral scenario cards and timer.
• No personal stories, physical contact, special equipment, or software required.

How to play

1. Choose one practice card and read the scenario in advance. Replace any example that resembles confidential or sensitive work.
2. Explain the communication move the activity will practice and demonstrate the time limit. Tell participants they may pass, observe, or switch to writing.
3. Form pairs or small groups by choice. Give everyone a moment to read the prompt before discussion starts.
4. Run one short round, then let participants switch roles only if they want to. Keep comments focused on the task rather than evaluating a person.
5. Close with one optional reflection question about the instructions or the conversation pattern. Do not use the exercise to rate employees, diagnose listening, or infer a team outcome.

Practice one move at a time

Active listening in this guide means a simple observable action: let someone finish, summarize what you heard, ask a clarifying question, or check whether your summary matches. The activity does not claim to measure empathy or predict how a team performs. It offers a low-stakes way to try a conversation structure.

Choose one card rather than combining several rules. Give participants the full instruction before starting so the task does not become a surprise test. If the prompt feels too close to real work, use one of the fictional examples or skip the card.

Keep scenarios neutral

Use made-up event planning, a public sign, or a fictional schedule. Do not ask people to discuss conflict, performance feedback, family, health, identity, or confidential projects. If a participant begins sharing something private, pause the activity and let them decide whether to continue.

A person can participate as speaker, listener, note-taker, observer, or host. A pass is complete and does not require explanation. For an accessible alternative, let people write a summary or question before anyone speaks.

Facilitate without scoring

Do not award points for accurate paraphrases or call a person “good” or “bad” at listening. In a short exercise, the task, wording, time limit, and familiarity all affect what happens. Ask what instruction made the exercise clear instead of interpreting a result.

If the activity produces a revised message or summary, treat it as a draft. Keep it only if the group wants to use it; otherwise discard it at the end.

Printable host script

“We will try one short communication practice. The scenario is fictional. You may speak, write, observe, or pass. We are not scoring people or assessing work skills. Focus on the one conversation move on the card, then we will stop.”

At the end ask: “What part of the instruction helped you follow the task?” Participants can answer, write, or pass. Close by thanking the group and moving to the next agenda item.

Use the eight activity cards

The cards cover summaries, clarification questions, sequencing, neutral rewriting, and listening before proposing a solution. Each can be run with paper or in an existing meeting. The durations are planning estimates; add thinking time or stop early when participants prefer.

For hybrid groups, give remote participants a written prompt and a clear way to contribute by audio or chat. Avoid side conversations that people on the call cannot hear.

All cards and prompts

For games with secrets, keep this page with the host.

1. WG04-001

   Paraphrase and check

   Show answer

   Group: pair. Materials: none. Time: 8 minutes. First scenario: Speaker A describes a fictional community event using three facts—the event is indoors, it has two activity tables, and it ends at 4 p.m. Listener B gives a one-sentence summary, then asks “Did I get that right?” A corrects or confirms. Switch roles for a second scenario: a public workshop starts at 2 p.m., has three demonstration stations, and uses the west entrance. The new listener summarizes and checks.

   Use only the supplied details. The aim is to try a summary and check, not to infer feelings or score accuracy.

2. WG04-002

   Clarify before choosing

   Show answer

   Group: 3–6. Materials: paper. Time: 10 minutes. Read this fictional note: “Move the display near the front before lunch.” The group writes at least three questions that would clarify the location, deadline, and person responsible. Only after the questions are listed may the group propose a plan.

   There is no hidden answer. Keep the exercise about what information is missing, not who should have known.

3. WG04-003

   Three-step summary relay

   Show answer

   Group: 3–5. Materials: host reads a short fictional sequence: “A visitor arrives, asks for the printed guide, takes a seat, and later joins a demonstration.” Time: 10 minutes. Person one summarizes the sequence in one sentence; the next person adds one detail that was left out; the host rereads the original. Repeat with roles if desired.

   Participants may write instead of speaking. Do not rank summaries or compare memory.

4. WG04-004

   Question before suggestion

   Show answer

   Group: pair. Materials: scenario card: “A fictional community event has fewer chairs than expected.” Time: 10 minutes. Speaker describes the situation for one minute. Listener asks one open clarifying question before offering any idea. Speaker answers only what they choose; listener repeats the constraint they heard, then the pair switches roles.

   This is a practice turn, not a real logistics recommendation. A participant may pass or use a written response.

5. WG04-005

   Rewrite a vague notice

   Show answer

   Group: 3–6. Materials: paper and pen. Time: 12 minutes. Start with the fictional notice “The room is ready soon; please bring the things.” Rewrite it to say who should arrive, where to meet, when, and what to bring. Mark any detail that cannot be inferred and leave it as a question instead of inventing a fact.

   The activity practices clarity in a made-up message; it does not rate anyone’s writing.

6. WG04-006

   Fact, assumption, question

   Show answer

   Group: 3–6. Materials: three column headings on paper. Time: 12 minutes. Read: “The community display opens Friday. A poster mentions a short welcome. Some visitors may arrive early.” Place each statement in fact, assumption, or question. Add one question before deciding what the host should do.

   Accept reasonable differences if a sentence is ambiguous. The purpose is to surface uncertainty without blaming a speaker.

7. WG04-007

   Listening without interruption

   Show answer

   Group: pair. Materials: neutral topic card, such as “plan a fictional book fair table.” Time: 8 minutes. Person A speaks for up to 60 seconds about one choice for the table. Person B listens without interrupting, then summarizes one detail. A may correct the summary or pass. Switch roles.

   The speaker may use the supplied scenario and need not share personal information. No eye contact or camera use is required.

8. WG04-008

   One instruction, two readings

   Show answer

   Group: 3–6. Materials: written sentence: “Place the small sign beside the table after the welcome.” Time: 10 minutes. Each person privately writes what they think the instruction means. Compare answers, then list words that could be more specific. Rewrite one sentence together and leave any unknown details as questions.

   There is no right interpretation when the instruction is ambiguous. Keep the revision fictional and do not connect it to an employee’s performance.

Hosting questions