Listening Game Cards - Pay it Forward

Listening Game Cards is not a non-profit organization. Purchasing a “Pay it Forward” set, or multiple sets, is not a charitable donation and probaby cannot be used for tax purposes. Check with a professional tax advisor to confirm applicability to your unique tax situation.

Listening Game Cards is a powerful set of 225 cards split into two bilingual decks: 113 Feelings cards and 112 Needs cards. Combined, they are a powerful tool supporting self-awareness, personal growth, and improved communication and connection with others through emotional intelligence. 

Listening Game Cards are based on the Nonviolent Communication (NVC) principles created by Marshall Rosenberg in the 1960s. They are a way of working with an expanded language of feelings and needs through storytelling. It’s important to know that Listening Game Cards is not NVC practice. Learn about the history of Listening Game Cards here.

Listening Game Cards can be used in many ways and have many applications:

• Collaboration exercise

• Couples’ communication

• Cultivating inclusive cultures

• Difficult conversations

• Icebreaker exercise

• Mindfulness exercise

• Negotiation

• ‘Other’ awareness

• Peer support

• Problem-solving

• Relationship building and repair

• Self-awareness and reflection

• Story sharing

• Strategic HR placement

• Team building

• Wellness exercise

• Workflow planning

• Working with a Therapist

• Workplace conflict management

Fun Facts about using Listening Game Cards:

• The classic in-person method, V1 Feelings and Needs Exploration is played like the classic games of Pictionary or Charades. Players take turns sharing a story for others to listen to with curiosity to understand the storyteller’s feelings.  Listeners are learning to listen without judgment or evaluation. When the storyteller is done, they name the feelings that came up for them while telling the story, placing the feelings cards on the table for listeners to see. Listeners look through their Needs cards to thoughtfully identify needs that might be connected to the Storyteller’s feelings. Listeners are not offering advice, insight, or observations. They offer their needs guesses until the Storyteller says they’ve had enough guesses. There are no wrong guesses! Every guess has meaning. The storyteller selects the top 2 to 4 needs that resonated most for them. The storyteller now has tools for setting goals and working on strategies to meet those needs.  See V1 Feelings and Needs Exploration for detailed instructions, including how this version works online or with lists.

• In the workplace, I keep a set of cards in a tray on my desk that invites conversation. They are also handy for self-care and reflection after an awkward encounter. Colleagues have suggested they may leave them in activity areas for staff to peruse at will or possibly engage in impromptu story-sharing or problem exploration. 

• Because feelings tell us about our needs, identifying the needs connected to any given feeling or group of feelings helps us reach clarity on what is going on for us in any given situation. 

• FMRI studies tell us that properly naming feelings helps us to calm. With 113 Feelings cards, it’s highly likely that you’ll find one or more words to name your feelings properly. Identifying, naming, and connecting the needs underlying those feelings is where the awareness magic happens! People are often surprised at how powerful the experience of naming and connecting needs to feelings is.