Conversation tips and Active listening

CONVERSATION TIPS: aCTIVE LISTENING AND FILLER WORDS

TOOL BOX

OBJECTIVES

CONVERSATION SKILSS

ACTIVITY

fILLER WORDS AND FILLER SOUNDS

nO POSSIBLE CONVERSATION ACTIVITY

Famous quote

ACTIVE LISTENING

LET'S RECAP:Quiz

Tips to practice

production

improving conversation

Active listening

Some activities

objectives

• To identify and apply tips to have active listening.
• To realize of the use of filler words and sounds and use them in the right situations
• To recognize the importance of conversational abilities

• To roleplay a conversation applying the tips of the lesson.

CONVERSATION SKILLS

Conversation is not always that easy. Take a minute to think about the following questions.

• How often do you have conversations with strangers?
• Do you prefer taking the lead in a conversation or just following the other?
• Do you consider yourself a talkative person?

Now please click the picture and watch the video.

“Like” and “you know” are common filler words we use to give examples or just to connect two ideas. Sometimes they are useful but most of the times they are not necessary. Watch the following video of an interview with Ariana Grande and count how many times Ariana uses them.

59 TIMES

30 TIMES

20 TIMES

1

HOW MANY TIMES DOES SHE SAY "LIKE" AS A FILLER WORD?

GREAT JOB!

NEXT QUESTION

Strike!

2

2 TIMES

30 TIMES

13 TIMES

HOW MANY TIMES DOES SHE SAY "YOU KNOW" AS A FILLER EXPRESSION?

NEXT QUESTION

GREAT JOB!

Strike!

3

NO, THEY ARE NOT

YES, THEY ARE NECESSARY

WHAT IS A WORD FILLER

ARE THE FILLER WORDS SHE USED NECESSARY FOR THIS COMMUNICATION?

NEXT QUESTION

GREAT JOB!

Strike!

4

FALSE, SHE IS NATIVE AND SHE USES THEM

TRUE, NON NATIVE SPEAKERS DOUBT A LOT

NON NATIVE SPEAKERS USE ONLY FILLER SOUNDS

ONLY THE NON NATIVE SPEAKERS USE FILLER WORDS AND SOUNDS BECAUSE THEY DO NOT KNOW THE LANGUAGE

WELL DONE!

BACK TO THE MENU

TRY AGAIN

oh,No!

FILLER WORDS AND SOUNDS

• There are plenty of expressions you can use as filler words.
• Filler words may distract the listener and cause to loose the meaning.
• Filler words are part of language, but should be used with control.

• Sometimes some sounds could be used in order to fill gaps in communication.
• These sounds have a meaning and a purpose.
• Using too many sounds will affect your fluency.

well: could be useful to start an idea, but it may show hesitation or doubt very, really, highly: they are adverbs of degree, but should be used just when necessary like: it is pretty used to give example or report something just: sometimes it is overused in context it is not totally necessary you know, you see, right: sometimes useful to empathize I mean, I guess, I suppose: they are common but show no confidence totally, literally, seriously: they may become filler word when they are not necessary in the sentence

um, uh, oh, er, ahDid you know every language has different sounds? For example the "hesitation sound" is different in Spanish and in English? English: um, mm ... Spanish: eh, esto ... Try them!

No possible conversation

Do you think communication just with filler words is possible? Get in pairs and recreate a situation where only filler words and expressions are used.Then come back and talk about your experience with the group

“I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I’m going to learn, I must do it by listening.”

Larry King

ACTIVE LISTENING

What do you need to be a good listener?Active listening is a way of listening and responding to another person that improves mutual understanding. Watch the video and participate in the activities.

ACTIVITY 1

ACTIVITY 2

ACTIVITY 3

Speak at the same time Say what is your favorite TV show, series or movie when the instructor gives the instruction. Try to catch what your partners say.

Follow-up questions Introduce and talk about yourself and ask follow up questions to the your partners when they are speaking.

LET'S RECAP

Conversation tips and Active listening

START

TRUE

FALSE

1. Filler words are useless and do not give any important information

1/5

2. What kind of information could be understood when using filler words and sounds?

2/5

Feelings or other cognitive processes

Important data like numbers and concepts

No information

3/5

3. Active listening is a skill that can be improved by…

Listening to music in English

Chatting a lot via text message app

Understanding the rhythm of a conversation

4. Which of the following options is NOT an active listening tip

Paraphrase for understanding, so the other confirms we are getting the idea.

Be quiet while the other speaks and then ask if you did not get something clear.

Make quick assumptions and not allowing the other finish their ideas

4/5

5. Which of the following questions can be considered a good “follow-up question”?

Okay, and how does it affect me?

So you feel disappointed about that situation, right?

I do not care. Do you have anything else to say?

5/5

Quiz completed!

Great job! Now it is time to practice more active listening and conversation tips.

Back to content

try again!

Time to practice

Situation 1 A customer is mad in anger because the internet is not working. This customer is an old person and does not know much about technology. The agent must show great active listening and try to calm down the customer and help.

Video example https://youtu.be/xbyEs7DJshw

Situation 3Your 6-year-old son/daughter is destroying toys and does not want to play with friends. As a parent, you will try to apply active listening to find out what is happening. (He / She may be sad because a friend is gone)

Video example

Situation 2 Your coworker is upset and shows deep sadness. You try to cheer him/her up, and little by little he/she starts to tell you what is happening. (He / She may be sad because got fired or was not approved for a salary improvement)

Video example

How to improve conversation?

Hacks

Steps to talk

jenga quiz

How to keep a conversation in English language? 1. Ask open-ended questions. Asking open-ended questions encourages the other person to talk more and keeps the conversation going. 2. Show genuine interest. Showing genuine interest in the conversation and the other person helps keep the conversation going. 3. Be an active listener. Listen carefully to what the other person is saying and follow up with relevant questions or comments. 4. Talk about yourself. Share something about yourself that is relevant to the conversation. This can help keep the conversation going. 5. Ask for opinions. Asking for the other person’s opinion can help keep the conversation going. 6. Use humor. Using humor can help lighten the mood and keep the conversation going. 7. Use body language. Use body language such as nodding, smiling, and open posture to show that you are engaged in the conversation. 8. Be mindful of cultural differences. Be aware of cultural differences and adjust your conversation accordingly. 9. Be prepared. Think of some possible topics beforehand to help keep the conversation going. 10. Don’t dominate the conversation. Allow the other person to talk and don’t monopolize the conversation.

Steps to start and close a conversation in English language? Starting a Conversation: 1. Greet the other person with a friendly smile and appropriate salutation such as “Hi”, “Hello” or “Good morning/afternoon/evening”. 2. Ask the other person an open-ended question to encourage conversation. 3. Show interest in the other person by actively listening and responding to what they say. 4. Use small talk to initiate a conversation and make it interesting. Closing a Conversation: 1. Summarize the conversation to ensure that both parties have the same understanding of the topic. 2. Bring the conversation to a natural conclusion. 3. Show appreciation for the conversation, if appropriate. 4. End with a polite farewell such as “Goodbye”, “Take care” or “Have a nice day”.