NLDLine 

What Does Speaker and Listener Look Like?

by Susan Diamond, M.A. CCC-SLP

Play the following game:

      1.  Talk or listen to the child without looking.  What's wrong.

           That's right, when you talk or listen you must look at the person.

      2.  Talk to the child without pauses (non-stop).  What's wrong?

           That's right, the speaker must check for head nod and let listener ask questions.

      3.  Talk to the child at the same time he/she is talking.  What's wrong?

           That's right, you need to wait for the speaker to pause or finish.

      4.  Talk or listen to the child and change topic.  What's wrong?

           That's right, we were talking about ______.  I need to talk about it.

      5.  Talk or listen to the child and move body around.  What's wrong?

           That's right, I need to keep my body still.

      6.  Listen without head nod or question clarification.  What's wrong?

            That's right, I need to nod my head to show I understood or ask questions to keep the conversation going.