Time required
Approximately 15 minutes
Preparation
Privately share one of the following emotions with each person so they all have a unique word. If doing this virtually, you can email or text a word to each participant or send it privately in chat.
Depending on the number of participants you have, you may need to add emotions or duplicate the ones listed.
- Angry
- Sad
- Frustrated
- Overwhelmed
- Happy
- Excited
- Anxious
- Suspicious
- Humiliated
- Bored
- Exhausted
- Surprised
Suggested wording
We all know effective communication isn’t limited to the words we say. Our non-verbal communication includes posture, eye contact, eye movement and facial expressions.
Effective communication should clearly express your ideas and feelings in a respectful and authentic way. It’s important to be aware that, no matter what you say, your communication can be misinterpreted if your body language contradicts your words. Our body language can be affected by many things including our current physical and mental health, hunger, heat or cold, life circumstances and our stress level.
Our body language includes our:
- Posture
- Eye contact
- Movement of the small muscles around the eyes
- Attention versus distraction
- Facial expression
- Gestures
- Level of intensity and muscle tension
For the first activity I am going to give each of you a word that describes an emotional state. Your will be asked the question: “How are you?” Don’t say a word, but use your body language to demonstrate the emotional state. We will note what we see and share it with you afterward. Simply concentrate on feeling the emotion you are given. You don’t need to exaggerate. Just feel it and let your body react.
[Hand out the papers, or send the text or email or somehow provide each person with their emotion. Select a volunteer to go first]
Who will volunteer to go first?
Okay, everyone please record what you notice about this person’s facial expression, eye movement, posture, positioning, and any other body language you notice after I ask them the how they are feeling. When you’re done, write out the emotional state you think they are feeling.
[Ask the first volunteer] How are you feeling today?
[The individual should change their body language]
[When everyone has finished writing]
Let’s talk about what we noticed, but don’t share the emotional state you think was going on just yet. Who wants to go first? What did you notice about this person’s body language?
[Take up the answers and comment on similarities and differences. When everyone has shared…]
Let’s now share the emotional state you originally thought might be happening.
[When everyone has shared, select the next volunteer and go through the process until everyone is done]
Notice that we sometimes misinterpret body language. What is important about this is understanding that others can misinterpret our body language as well.
Our non-verbal communication is just as important as what we say and can impact our message. Remember to be intentional about how your body language, tone of voice, eye contact and facial expressions reflect what you want to say.
Remember also to confirm whether your interpretation of someone else’s body language is correct or not. We can do that simply by saying, you look angry, sad, excited or whatever. Then give them a chance to say whether you are correct or not.
Find more activities like this at Team building activities.