2. Key Topics Covered
Reflective Listening
-
Pause — Give space before
responding.
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Minimal Encouragement — Short
cues like "uh-huh" or "I see".
-
Mirroring — Repeat a few words
to encourage elaboration.
-
Labelling — Name emotions to
validate the speaker (e.g., "You sound
frustrated").
-
Paraphrasing — Restate in your
own words to check understanding.
-
Summarizing — Pull together the
main points for alignment and closure.
Interactive Game: How to Mess Up Communication
Roll a die (1–6). Each number maps to a
communication mistake (examples below). Participants
act the behavior to learn recognition and avoidance:
- 1 — Interrupt constantly
- 2 — Change the subject
- 3 — Give unsolicited advice
- 4 — Ignore emotions / be dismissive
- 5 — Dominate the conversation
- 6 — Withhold feedback / stay silent
Discussion: Oversharing & Time Checks
Oversharing can derail focus and exhaust listeners.
Introduce gentle time checks to
keep conversations balanced and productive (e.g.,
"We have 5 minutes left — let's summarize").
3. Integration with Chris Voss Techniques
-
Mirroring & Labeling — Core
Voss tools that build rapport and encourage
flow.
-
Tactical Empathy — Deep
listening that acknowledges the other party's
perspective.
-
Accusation Audit — Anticipating
and naming potential objections to lower
resistance.
-
Use of "No" — Reframing "no" as
a step toward more honest conversation.
4. Takeaways & Suggested Actions
-
Practice one reflective listening skill per week
(e.g., week 1: mirroring).
-
Use the dice game as a workshop exercise to
build awareness of bad habits.
-
Assign one book or video as pre-work for the
next meeting.
-
Introduce time checks in longer discussions to
prevent oversharing.