Exercises for Verbal Communication Skills

Training in verbal communication skills will serve a person well in the career world as well as in personal
relationships. After providing groups with the principles of effective communication, give them an
opportunity to put their learning into practice with some group activities. Select exercises that drive home
the points you have made and give everyone an opportunity to listen and speak.

Giving Directions

This exercise encourages the speaker to choose precise language, provide adequate detail and
logically order steps when giving instructions. Make a list of activities that require a series of steps
to execute, such as tying a shoe, wrapping a gift and planting a flower. Write each task on a
separate index card. One person in the group draws an index card and instructs the rest of the
group on how to complete the task, without the use of any gestures and without saying what the
task is. Ask one member of the group to act out the directions exactly as stated. Other members of
the group listen and try to guess what the task is.

Checking Perceptions

By checking perceptions when you are engaged in a conversation, you affirm the person you are listening to.
This perception-check exercise helps with developing good listening skills. The activity is for pairs, so if
you want to do it in a group, have everyone find a partner. The first person needs to talk about any subject,
stating about four to five sentences. The other should listen and, when the speaker is finished, repeat back to
the speaker what he or she has heard, beginning with a phrase such as, “It sounds like…” or, “What I think I
heard you say was…” If any misunderstandings exist, the speaker corrects and clarifies and the listener asks
additional follow up questions, if needed. Then, the two switch roles and repeat the activity.

Eyewitnesses

This exercise shows how a story changes or gets distorted depending on the teller. How the activity plays
out confirms research that indicates eyewitnesses to crimes view events filtered through their own past
experiences rather than with an objective eye, according to the University of New Hampshire. Prepare for
this role-playing exercise by typing up the following story so you can project it on screen at the end of the
activity: 'A southbound truck was turning right while a northbound sports car was attempting to turn left.
When the two drivers figured out they were trying to turn into the same lane, they both honked but
continued to turn without slowing down. In fact, the sports car seemed to speed up just before the crash.'

Send four witnesses and a "police officer" out of the room and then read the scenario above to a witness in
the room, who is not allowed to take notes. Witnesses outside the room should have no knowledge of the
story. Call in one of the witnesses from outside the room and ask the witness who has just heard the story to
tell it to the second witness. After this, call in a third witness and ask the second to tell the story to the third.
Continue until all the witnesses have heard the story. Finally ask the police officer to come in and record
information from the last witness on a white board or chalkboard, if possible. Compare the story the police
officer records to the original story. Ask participants and observers to describe how they felt during this
exercise. Discuss what conclusions they have drawn from this activity.
 /Communication skills activities
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Communication skills activities
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On this page you will find a number of training activities that focus on specific key communication skills
learning points. Feel free to use them as is to support your communication skills training or tailor them
further to suit your specific key learning concepts or audience.

Communication Origami
This is a quick and easy activity that shows how the same instructions are interpreted differently by different
people and highlights the importance of clear communication. Read more about communication origami
activity

The Guessing Game

This simple activity is a fun way to introduce and show the difference between closed and open
questions. Read more about the guessing game activity

Guess the emotion

This is a fun competitive game that’s concerned with getting participants to become more aware of their
feelings or emotions. Participants are split into teams and act out an emotion, such as disgust, affection, fear,
anxiety, embarrassment, anger, determination..etc. Read more about guess the emotion activity

Power of Body Language

Body language speaks louder than any words you can ever utter. Whether you’re telling people that you love
them, you’re angry with them, or don’t care less about them, your body movements reveal your thoughts,
moods, and attitudes. Both consciously and sub-consciously your body tells others what’s really going on
with you. This is a great quick and fun activity that shows how powerful the effect of body language is in
communicating with others. Read more about this training activity

Follow all instructions activity

This is a quick fun activity with a little trick to see how many of the participants will actively listen and
follow the one single instruction you will give them "Read all instructions first" and how many will rush and
start doing each instruction one by one. Read more about this training activity

Effective feedback skill practice exercise

An overview of effective and ineffective feedback and a good activity for practicing giving effective feedback. Read more about this training
activity

The Name game

Instruct each participant to think of a famous person and write it secretly on a post it note. Attach the post it
to the head of their partner. A fun exercise that shows the importance of asking the right type of
questions. Read more about this training activity

Square Talk
This is a challenging activity where participants are all blindfolded and receive instructions from the trainer
that should be strictly followed, the exercise enables participants to recognise the importance of
communicating effectively, and understand the important aspects of communication. Read more about this training
activity

Room 101
The purpose of this exercise is to practice your influential and persuasive skills in a competitive fun debate
focusing on communication skills like choosing positive language, being passionate and enthusiastic about
one's case, showing 'benefits' to others ...etc. Read more about this training activity
Back to back communication
A classic communication skills activity that highlights the importance of asking questions for effective
communication. Read more about this training activity

Paper shapes
A simple activity you can easily incorporate in any communication skills training intervention to show the
importance of two way communication. Read more about this training activity

Memory Test
This can be a great activity for presentation skills or train the trainer classes. Tell participants that you will
read them a list of words to test their memory. Participants will need to listen carefully and cannot write any
of the words you will say down. Read more about this training activity