Eye contact
What do our eyes and ears together show the speaker?
That we are interested and paying attention.
What is personal space?
The area of space around each person that they need to feel comfortable.
How do we show we are listening?
With our eyes, our bodies, and by making comments back.
What is a passive listener?
Someone who hears the person but isn't showing they are paying attention.
What is a connected comment?
A comment or question that connects to what the speaker just said, so the conversation stays on topic.
True or False: Making eye contact feels comfortable for everyone.
FALSE. Eye contact can be hard or uncomfortable for some people. It's okay to say, "Maintaining eye contact doesn't feel good to me," and use visual referencing instead.
"The way our voice sounds when we speak" is called ___.
Tone of voice.
Name the 3 things we use to show others they have our attention.
Our face, eyes, and body.
Not listening can make people feel ___.
Bad, like you don't care about them.
Connected or disconnected?
Jasmine: "I went to the lake with my cousins this weekend."
You: "I got a new video game."
Disconnected. A connected comment would be: "That sounds fun! Did you go swimming?"
About how many seconds can you look at someone before it starts to feel like staring?
About 4 to 5 seconds. Then glance away for 1 to 2 seconds, then look back.
What is posture?
How we hold our body: our shoulders, our head, and standing up straight.
Your friend turns his body to face you. What does that tell you?
He is ready to listen, so it's okay to start talking.
Active or passive?
Your friend stares at his phone while you ask, "Have you seen Luca today?" He says, "Wait, what?"
Passive. People feel frustrated when they think we weren't paying attention.
Name 3 sentence starters for connected comments.
Any three: "That sounds...", "I didn't know that...", "Me too! I...", "What happened next?", "How did you feel when...?", "Tell me more about..."
Name the 4 visual referencing skills.
1) Glance at the speaker and take breaks
2) Look in their general direction
3) Face your body toward the speaker
4) Put your comfort first
What is body language?
The movements of our face and body that show our mood without words.
Why should we keep our hands and feet quiet while someone is talking?
It shows the speaker we are focused, so they know it's safe to keep talking.
Besides looking and facing the speaker, what should we stop and make sure our brains are doing?
Focusing on the other person's words, so we understand what they said.
Leo says, "My dog chewed up my shoe last night." Give a connected comment or question.
Examples: "Oh no! Was it your favorite pair?" or "My dog does that too. How old is your dog?"
Staring or not?
(A) Maya looks at a classmate across the lunchroom the whole time he eats.
(B) Leo glances at his friend while she talks, looks away, then looks back.
(A) Maya is STARING because she looks too long.
(B) Leo is NOT staring. He glances, looks away, and looks back.
Jasmine seems excited, but she hasn't said so. Name 4 clues you can look for to tell how she feels.
Body position, arms, eyes, and facial expressions
Name all 6 active listening skills.
1) Look at the speaker
2) Face your body toward them
3) Nod your head
4) Show an interested facial expression
5) Keep hands and feet quiet
6) Use connected comments or ask questions
If you show someone you are listening, will they want to talk to you again? Explain why.
Yes. They feel like you care about them and are interested, which helps build friendships.
Maya looks worried and says, "I was really nervous about my math test." Which fits better: "Cool!" or "That makes sense. How do you think it went?" Why?
"That makes sense. How do you think it went?" Her face shows she is worried, so we use visual referencing clues to pick a comment that fits her feelings.