Lesson 1A Business Skills Development Activity – Global Version
Activity: Getting to Know You with the Talking Stick
Note: You may substitute any other object that fits your culture or area that serves the same purpose of allowing your students to speak and listen to each other.
Questions
- Describe what it’s like when you cannot find a way to say what you want to say. How does that make you feel?
- Describe what it’s like when you have difficulty hearing what someone else is saying. What do you do when this happens?
- What is a rule that would help in these situations?
- Hold up the talking stick. What am I holding? How is it used?
This is called a Talking Stick. A variety of groups of people in North America, Africa, Britain, China, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East used Talking Sticks anciently to ensure that everyone could be heard and respected in councils. When a person had the Talking Stick, it was their turn to speak. Everyone else listened. The people sat in a circle, suggesting that they all had an equal voice in the exchange of ideas.
This Talking Stick works in our class as a tool to help us have an opportunity to speak and to listen to others. Using it will also help us practice today’s business skill: Active Listening. This is a skill that will be helpful for working with others in school and work—for the rest of our lives.
Instructions
- Turn to the person next to you so you each have a partner. Tell each other 3 things: your name, your favorite color, and why.
- When your partner is speaking, listen carefully and make sure you understand why they like their favorite color.
- Raise your hand when you finish. When we’re all ready, I’ll call on one of you and give you the stick to say what you learned about your partner. Then give the stick to your partner to tell us things about you.
- I’ll call on another pair of partners to do the same, and so on (staying within the time limit).
Skill Development Questions:
- How did you feel when your partner was fully listening to you?
- What was something hard about practicing active listening?
- What was something your partner did well when listening to you? (Discuss some important parts of active listening, such as eye contact, body language, or responding thoughtfully. This may vary by culture.)
- What is one area of your life that you think active listening might be useful?
Lesson 1B Business Skills Development Activity – Global Version
Activity: Active Listening Role Play
Instructions: Invite two student volunteers to come to the front of the class, one who is willing to talk about their day and one who is willing to listen. Ask them to demonstrate an example of listening where the student does everything opposite from how it should be when practicing active listening. Then invite them to demonstrate an example where the listening student uses key skills in active listening.
Questions:
- What did you notice?
- In which example do you think the listening student understood what the speaking student was saying?
- How do you think active listening would be a helpful skill in your life?
Lesson 1 Business Skills Development Activity – Additional Business-Focused Resources
Activity: Voices at the Table
Divide the class into small teams of 3-5 students. Assign each team as a department (e.g., Marketing, Customer Service, Design, Sales, Product Development, Finance) of the same company. Present the class with a business challenge and assign them to present a solution based on their department (see example challenges below).
Listening Round:
Each person shares one idea while the rest listen without interrupting. After all ideas are shared, the team discusses the ideas, asking questions and paraphrasing to show understanding.
Create a Plan:
As a team, choose the best idea(s) and develop a 3-step plan. Each member must contribute to the final plan equally. Afterward, each group will present their plan.
Questions:
- How did you make sure everyone had a voice?
- Was it hard to listen without interrupting?
- How did your group ensure equal respect for each person’s ideas?
Example Business Challenges
“Your café is losing customers to a new café across the street. How can you stand out?”
“Your company wants to launch an eco-friendly product but doesn’t know where to start.”
“Workers are feeling stressed and overworked. What can the company do to help without lowering productivity?”
“Your team now works from home. How can you keep people connected and make sure communication stays strong?”
“Customers are returning your product due to defects. How do you fix the problem without losing trust?”