Is Anybody Listening?

University College London (UCL) recently reported the results of a study at their Institute of Education that suggests collaborative problem solving skills will be the most sought after skills in the future workplace. This report calls for educators and policy makers to find ways to equip students with skills necessary to collaborate successfully. At ISA Learning, we developed a program specifically designed to teach skills that we believe are the key skills needed for effective teamwork: Listen, Share, Help, and Encourage. By introducing these skills and engaging students in interactive activities to practice them, we are building the foundation for successful collaboration. Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret information from a given source. It involves much more than simply hearing what is said or communicated. Many times we forget that listening is an active process, and without the appropriate skills, the intended message can be lost. By incorporating a few important guidelines for listening that require the listener to be engaged and responsive, the listening process becomes more effective. Whether at home, in school, or in the workplace, there are ways that listening can be improved. At TeamBuilders, we believe that active listening is the foundation for building strong communication and collaboration skills, which is why “Listen” is the first skill we teach in TeamBuilders 2.0. When listening becomes an active process, teachers and students are able to communicate effectively. TeamBuilders 2.0 supports active listening by encouraging the following:

• Facing one another and tracking the speaker using eye contact

• Using body language to lean in to show interest

• Refraining from speaking or interrupting until ideas are shared

• Responding to what is said and giving feedback

We believe that these actions will help teach students to be better listeners and better collaborators. Our TeamBuilders program begins with listening, and builds upon this skill with sharing, helping, and encouraging. When used together, these four foundational skills help develop strong collaborative cultures within classrooms and schools. Learn more about TeamBuilders 2.0 today at www.theteambuildersgroup.com!