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Training Activity
Body Language Charades 
To increase awareness of body language cues as well as our tendency to respond to other people's emotions from those signals. This is a great exercise when introducing communication topics, conflict resolution or customer service training.
Logistics:
Time Frame: 15 minutes
Space: Indoors or outdoors. Exercise can be done around a boardroom table or utilizing space in a training room.
Group Size: 6 - 15 participants preferable
Preparation:
Prepare a set of emotion cards with the following emotions. Feel free to add additional emotions or states of mind not listed.
Confident Happy
Excited Preoccupied
Irritated Frustrated
Impatient Angry
Nervous Stressed
Bored Skeptical
Victimized Depressed
Delivery:
- Ask participants to sit on one side of the room so if someone is standing on the other side, they can all see him.
- Ask for a volunteer.
- Give an "emotion card" to the volunteer.
- Ask him to leave the room and then come back with the body language that represents the emotion written on the card, effectively role playing it.
- When the volunteer is back in the room, the rest of the group should guess how the volunteer feels by reading his or her body language. Most often, people don't have any problem reading the body language and the emotions. They are also quick to respond in the same way and feel the same.
- Get the volunteer to confirm the emotion and discuss accordingly.
- Ask for another volunteer, give another card and repeat the process.
- Continue until everyone had a chance to role play a body language signal.
Debrief:
- How easy was it to role play emotions using body language signals ?
- How easy was it to read it?
- How did you feel when confronted with a person with such emotion? For example when someone was angry, did you feel concerned or potentially angry as well?
- Did your mood change as a result of the other person's strong emotions?
- How can you control your emotions to avoid affecting other's emotions or being affected by their negative emotions?
*As always, tailor your question to the both the focus of the training and the feedback from the group.
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The Coaching Corner
 Body language is a form of human non-verbal communication, which consists of body posture, gestures, facial expressions, and eye movements. Humans send and interpret such signals almost entirely subconsciously.
Reading body language is something we do instinctively or perhaps it is something we learn through our experiences. But have you ever thought about the messages you are sending. Our body language can have a tremendous impact on our relationships in the workplace ... it can intimidate, irritate, or even repel others. It can also invite, inspire or motivate. What kind of messages are you putting out there? Is you stance and posture approachable ... or are you sending a more negative message like "don't bother me, I'm busy".
As a leadership coach I work with many people who have good intentions, but their communications with staff and peers come across as rough and abrupt. The 1st step to improving these types or perceptions is by increasing our own awareness of the body language we are emitting. Here are a couple of suggestions to improve your self-awareness:
- Take a day to notice other people's body language. Write down your observations on a small pad of paper as you see them.
- Think about your body language and your physical positioning throughout the day in various situations. Make conscious observations and keep a log of what you notice.
- Video tape yourself & others. With all the smartphones, webcams and iPads at our disposal, it's easy to make a short tape to replay and observe.
- Ask a trusted peer to share feedback on their observations of your body language.
- From you observations identify your hot spot areas where you could improve. Begin to take notice and take action!
Modifying our body language is a process that takes time. Like anything, the way you come across with others will improve with practice and focus. Working with a coach or a peer-partner can be helpful for staying on track.
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Relationship Repair 
- Is there a person at work that you have difficulty working with: Your Boss? Your Employee? A Co-worker?
- Does the friction impact your ability to get things done?
The Coaching Compass offers Mediation and Relationship Repair sessions to help you resolve differences, improve productivity and move forward. Call us today to schedule your session. 949-387-3436
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