Active Listening
What does it mean to be an active listener?
Answer:Paying attention, listening carefully, and showing the speaker that you are interested in what they are saying.
Name three emotions a person might experience.
Happiness, sadness, anger, fear, excitement, or anxiety.
What does it mean to communicate assertively?
Expressing your thoughts, feelings, and needs clearly and respectfully.
What is a conflict?
A disagreement or problem between two or more people.
What is nonverbal communication?
Communicating without words through facial expressions, gestures, posture, and other cues.
What should you do when someone is speaking to you?
Answer: Avoid interrupting, pay attention, and let them finish before responding.
What is one healthy way to manage anger?
Take deep breaths, walk away briefly, count to ten, or talk calmly about the problem.
What is one respectful way to say no?
“No, thank you,” or “I'm not comfortable doing that.”
What should you do when you disagree with someone?
Listen to their perspective, stay calm, and explain your own point of view respectfully.
Name two examples of nonverbal communication.
Answer: Smiling, nodding, facial expressions, hand gestures, or posture.
What can you say if you do not understand what someone is telling you?
Answer: "Can you explain that again?” or “Can you help me understand what you mean?”
What is the difference between feeling angry and acting aggressively?
Answer: Anger is an emotion. Aggression is a behavior that may involve threatening, intimidating, or hurting someone.
“No, thank you,” or “I'm not comfortable doing that.”
Passive communication avoids expressing needs, aggressive communication disrespects others, and assertive communication respects both yourself and others.
Why is yelling usually unhelpful during an argument?
It can increase tension, make people defensive, and prevent them from listening to each other.
Can your tone of voice affect how someone understands your message?
Answer: Yes. A message can sound friendly, angry, sarcastic, or disrespectful depending on the tone.
What does it mean to paraphrase?
Answer: Repeating someone's message in your own words to make sure you understand them.
Complete this statement: “I feel upset when _____ because _____.”
Answer: For example, “I feel upset when I am interrupted because I feel like my opinion does not matter.”
Someone keeps interrupting you. What can you say assertively?
“I would appreciate the chance to finish what I was saying.”
Two roommates disagree about cleaning their shared space. What is one way to resolve the conflict?
Discuss expectations, divide responsibilities fairly, and agree on a cleaning schedule.
Why is it important to pay attention to another person's body language?
Answer: It may provide clues about how they feel, although body language can be interpreted differently and should not be used to make assumptions.
Your friend says, “Nobody understands what I'm going through.” What is a good response?
Answer: “It sounds like you're feeling misunderstood. Do you want to tell me more about what's going on?”
You are frustrated, and you feel like yelling at someone. What should you do before responding?
Answer: Pause, take a few deep breaths, give yourself time to calm down, and respond respectfully.
Your friends pressure you to do something you do not want to do. How can you stand up for yourself?
Clearly say no, explain your boundary if you wish, and do not let pressure force you to change your decision.
Someone says something hurtful to you. How can you address the problem without escalating the situation?
Explain how the comment affected you, use a calm tone, set a boundary if needed, and listen to their response.
Someone is looking away while talking to you. Does that automatically mean they are lying or ignoring you?
Answer: No. They may be distracted, nervous, uncomfortable with eye contact, or simply communicating differently.