Minnie:
I'm Minnie. I'm 14 years old and I'm from Bristol.
Walter:
I'm Walter. I'm 15 years old and I'm also from Bristol.
Minnie:
We've come to Bristol City Hall where people come to have their voices heard.
We're here to meet someone who values listening as a way of leading.
Sereena:
I'm Sereena Abbassi. You might already know that commanding an audience when speaking is an important partof being a strong leader.
I'm going to talk about the equally important skill of listening when people talk and doing it with an open mind and a willingnessto change your own perspective.
Walter:
How do I learn to become a better listener?
Sereena:
If you’re ever in a situation where you’re like, I really don't understand that person's perspective, to try and put yourself in their shoes.
It's about having empathy, even if you don't really agree with them.
I can show you how to do this today.
So usually within a debate, there are two strongly held opinions.
I'm going to ask you to have your opinions and then we're going to flip them around and see where we get to.
The debate question for today is:
Is it more important to listen than to be heard?
Minnie:
I'm arguing the motion. It is more important to listen then be heard?
Today, Serena told us about the importance of listening.
This is especially important when someone has a different opinion than yours.
Walter:
I'm arguing against the motion that it is more important to listen than to be heard.
It's really important to feel like someone's listening when you have issues in a company.
Sereena:
Okay, now it's time to switch sides. By switching perspectives, it can sometimes feel quite tricky because you have to let go of maybe your own personal beliefs. And that can be quite hard sometimes.
Minnie:
I think it's really important for people to feel heard because then they have, they feel like they have the space to talk about issues.
Walter:
As people in a company will have different opinions and different perspectives. It is really important to listen to all of them.
Sereena:
So what did it feel like to switch sides?
Walter:*
It felt better to see things from both sides.
Sereena:
So did either of you find that difficult?
Minnie:
I think it was difficult. You have to think of an opposing point of that argument you just thought of.
Why is it so important to be such a good listener as a business leader?
Sereena:
It's really important to be a good listener as a business leader because I see my role as facilitator. So I'm there to contain all the wonderful ideas that the people within the organisation have, and when they're kind of facilitated and held in a safe, caring way and a respectful way, actually leads to greater togetherness.
And also ultimately it creates a happier team and it creates better work as well.
Minnie:
How did you become such a good listener?
Sereena:
My upbringing has had a huge part to play. My parents are very, very distinct personalities and they're also from very different cultural backgrounds as well.
My mother is British-Jamaican and my father is Persian-Iranian. From a young age, I could see that, you know, we all see the world in a different way.
And actually, if we're able to see things from multiple perspectives, that is only going to enhance the way that you move through the world and the way that you're able to lead.
Walter:
Are there listening skills that are useful?
Sereena:
Absolutely. So within the context of a debate, it makes sense that you would listen to respond, but actually there are certain situations where people don't really want a response.
They just want you to kind of hold space and to show that you're engaged and that you care.
Actually, you're taking everything in, and that you're there to support them in whatever way they need.
Walter:
Today I learnt it’s actually really important to listen to everybody so that you can see things from different perspectives.
Minnie:
Today I learnt that when you listen to other people, it makes people feel heard and like they have a say in the future in the company.
Equity and inclusion expert Sereena Abbassi talks about the importance of listening to other perspectives and how this could change the way you do business and the way that you could lead.
Serena talks us about the importance of listening, especially when debating issues which may have opposing views.
Two students debate a question on either side of the debate, after which they switch sides so they can see each other's perspective on the issue.
This short film is from the BBC Teach series Lessons in Business
Teacher Notes
Possible talking points:
Things to check your students know:
- What a debate is
- What empathy is
English:
- Sereena says it can be important to be able to command an audience in her role in what ways can you use presentation skills to captivate an audiences’ attention?
- Why is it important to be good at listening?
- How do you get assessed on your listening skills as part of your English Language GCSE?
- What are the ways we can show people we are truly listening to them?
- What makes a successful debate? Why is it important to be able to debate respectfully?
- What are the challenges and benefits of being able to understand someone else’s perspective?
Careers:
- When might you find yourself needing listening skills in the workplace?-Sereena thinks being a good listener can sometimes mean ‘being a facilitator’ and ‘containing ideas’ – what does she mean by this? Why might it be important as a leader?
- Sereena says being a leader who can listen well to others ‘leads to greater togetherness and a happier team’ – why do youthink this might be?
- Part of listening to others means thinking about your own response to what they are saying – whether this is to help offer advice, or to put across your own point of view – but Sereena says ‘sometimes people don’t actually want a response’ – why might thisbe? What might they want?
Follow on tasks - You could ask students to:
- English:conduct a class debate on the topic the students in the video discuss: is it more importantto listen or be heard?.
- Careers:compare careers in which listening is a high priority skill to careers where it is not.
- Consider how good are you are at listening? What could you do to improve your listening skills? Students could create their owncriteria for what ‘good listening’ looks like and peer assess one another against this criteria.
- Students can read a Bitesize article How listening can help you win at work which gives tips and advice on listening in the workplace.
Curriculum Notes
- This short film is to help stimulate discussion on the following topics: careers, speaking and listening skills
- It is relevant to subjects such covered in careers lessons such English or careers.
- Most suited to 14-16-year-old pupils across the UK in developing their understanding of soft skills needed for successful careers and speaking and listening skills.
- In England, Northern Ireland and Wales it is relevant to GCSE English Language with a focus on speaking and listening skillsand careers.
- In Scotland it is linked to National 4 English Language with a focus on speaking and listening skills and careers.
More from the series Lessons in Business:
Jacky Wright - The importance of collaboration. video
Chief technology officer Jacky Wright talks to two students about collaboration and communication in the workplace.
Asma Khan - Learning resilience. video
Chef, author and restaurateur Asma Khan speaks to two students about building resilience.
Dorothy Byrne - Fighting for your voice. video
Journalist and President of Cambridge College Dorothy Byrne talks to two students about making your voice heard and standing up for what you believe in.
Emma Bridgewater - Turning an idea into a business. video
Ceramicist and entrepreneur Emma Bridgewater talks to two students about business planning.
Indra Nooyi - Using your moral compass in business. video
Entrepreneur, author and former CEO of PepsiCo Indra Nooyi talks about integrity in business.
Jo Malone - Thinking like an entrepreneur. video
Perfumer and entrepreneur Jo Malone talks to two students about thinking as a leader and entrepreneur.
Dame Sharon White - Creative problem solving. video
Chair of the John Lewis Partnership Dame Sharon White talks to two students about problem solving.
