Scout Leadership Course Session Activity Notes

Session activity

Speaking and Listening: Paper Exercise

Time to allocate for this activity

15 minutes

Resources required

A sheet of scrap paper for each participant

Activity Notes

This short activity is designed to show how spoken instructions can easily be interpreted different. The activity is quick, simple and illustrative and suitable to be run indoors.

The task (10 mins)

Hand out a single sheet of scrap paper to each participant - size, shape and colour is not important! Ask the participants to close their eyes and listen carefully.

Give the following instructions clearly, without an additional information: 1. Fold your paper in half.
2. Fold your paper in half again.
3. Tear off the top left hand corner.
4. Turn the paper through 180 degrees and tear off the opposite corner.
5. Open up your paper and hold it up in front of you.
6. Open your eyes and look around!

How many different designs can be seen? Discuss why there are so many different results when the same instructions were given to everyone.

Conclusion (3 minutes)

Invite comments from the course about why they feel listening is an important skill. Conclude with the statement from BP: "If you make listening and observation your occupation you will gain much more than you can by talk."