Objective:
- To engage learners in wider concepts of communication
- To explore/appreciate their own judgement and decision making skills
- To encourage learner to appreciate non-verbal communication and tools to engage with and understand each other
- To act as an ice-breaker
Overview:
This short task is designed to build the foundations of effective initial communication within a group, by exploring the concept of instant judgement (against knowing more about an individual or situation). It uses non-verbal communication to draw out stereotypes and explore how communication extends beyond verbal to all aspects of presentation (of person, of situation etc).
Activity:
At the start of a session, explain that you would like to them join you in an icebreaker activity and invite them to work with people that they haven't met before and that there is one key instruction: that no one talks to each other (or uses other communication such as texting).
Split the large group onto smaller groups ( 2-4 people in each group) and request each participant to select 3 items that they are happy to show to others, from their bags, pockets, clothes or the room or wider area (leaf; research article; equipment etc). Invite them to place these items selected in the table in front of him/her in a small pile.
Now, within each group, each person writes on post-it what assumptions they have made about the person, and places them around the items (so they made public). These opinions should be formed based on the displayed items by the person. This attempt at "personality analysis" should be gathered from their ownership/possessions of items/belongings.
Once they have completed this task, the group should be invited to talk together and work through each pile of items and comments together. They should be left for a reasonable length of time to talk/explore their assumptions and get to know each other. This stage is important to allow enough time to work through their points and learn more about each other.
Finally conduct a whole group debrief regarding assumptions and non-verbal clues. Ask the group about how they felt undertaking the task, and to recognise their emotions (arriving to a new programme to meet new people) as part of the process.
Skill Development:
The skills developed within this ice-breaker related to confidence, non-verbal communication and assumptions. However they are also exploring their skills of analysis and ability to reach conclusions, together with inter-personal skills as they began their feedback. This required listening to others, acceptance and openness and emotions will have played a part throughout the process.
Resources:
Papers, pens, items owned by individuals