# The Listening Ladder — Start Here

> One page, thirty seconds, then print and run.

**What this is:** Three rounds of listening that climb from the words, to the feeling under them, to what was left unsaid — a third person holds a two-faced validator card and says only *landed* or *not yet*. Pairs or trios · 15 min · offline · with a pre/post measure that scores the pair, never a person.

## Pick your lane

- **Just run it (5 min):** print one prop-card set per trio, read the run-sheet timings, run rounds A → B → C, debrief from the questions. No account, no projector.
- **Measure it:** run the pre-measure before pairing and the post-measure after the debrief — score at pair level with `the-listening-ladder-assessment.json` (5 items, one reverse-scored). Offline scoring needs no tool; `SKILL.md` carries a copy-paste method.
- **Go online (optional):** lift the same 5 items into a live pre/post form — see the folder's *make it live* block. The paper version is complete without it.

## What's in the folder

| File | What it is |
|---|---|
| `the-listening-ladder-prop-cards.pdf` | Poker-spec print sheet: Speaker / Listener / Validator role cards + three round cards, with branded backs and blanks |
| `the-listening-ladder-guide.md` | The run sheet: objectives, the three rungs, setup and materials, minute-by-minute script, failure modes and rescues, variations |
| `the-listening-ladder-debrief.md` | 6 debrief questions with what each targets, 4 failure modes of the debrief, scoring cues |
| `the-listening-ladder-assessment.json` | The pre/post measure spec: 5 Likert items, constructs, one reverse-scored |
| `the-listening-ladder-paper-form.pdf` | A4 pre/post answer sheet — print-and-fill, no device (`-Letter.pdf` is US Letter) |
| `the-listening-ladder-workbook.pdf` | Participant workbook — plain intro, per-round notes, action page (`-Letter.pdf` is US Letter) |
| `the-listening-ladder-slide-deck.html` | Presenter deck — present from any browser, one key per point, speaker notes + run-of-show timer + built-in QR |
| `the-listening-ladder-slide-deck.pdf` | The deck as a printable PDF, one idea per slide |
| `the-listening-ladder-run-sheet.pdf` | Run sheet + debrief bound as one A4 document with bookmarks; `-Letter.pdf` is US Letter |
| `the-listening-ladder-activity-poster.pdf` | The whole activity on one A3 wall sheet |
| `the-listening-ladder-start-here.md` | This page |
| `SKILL.md` | Skill manifest for AI agents — the runnable prep |
| `the-listening-ladder.zip` | The whole folder, one download |

## Print list (per trio)

One prop-card set, one workbook per person, two answer sheets per person (pre + post). The deck needs no print — open the HTML on any laptop.

## License, in one line

CC BY 4.0 — run it, adapt it, translate it; keep the attribution line. Details: `the-listening-ladder-license.md`.