Mentoring Future Leaders

Mentoring Future Leaders
Exercise A:
© Learning Link International
April 2005
Listening Exercises
Ask a partner to describe a recent trip, including details about things that
went well and things that didn’t go so well. As your partner tells you about
the trip, you have to listen to the words and interpret the story in terms of
your own experience. Comment frequently by giving your own opinion.
How would you have done the trip differently? What does this story remind
you of in your own life? What advice would you give your partner? How can
you improve on their story?
After 3 minutes, tell each other person what it was like to listen at level 1
and what it was like to be listened to at level 1. Reverse roles.
Exercise B:
Work with the same partner – and the same story – again for about 3
minutes, but his time make a point of being curious. Ask questions, clarify,
and articulate what you hear. Be alert for your partner’s values as they are
expressed in the story. Stay completely focused on the partner by listening
and responding at level 2.
Again tell each other what the experience was like and how it was different
from the level 1 listening.
Exercise C:
Choose another participant that you don’t know well. This time share
something emotional with each other. Learning partners should regularly
indicate to each other which feelings they have observed in each other.
Test the accuracy of the observations. Spend at least 10 minutes on each
person’s story. Discuss how this experience differed from the previous two.
Notes
Module 4 - Mentoring Skills Page ! 1