Week 5: Nonverbal Communication & Congruence
Nonverbal Charades & Analysis
Session Agenda
| Duration | Activity |
|---|---|
| 10 min | Opening: Silent introduction exercise Students pair up and try to communicate basic information (name, major, mood) using only nonverbal cues |
| 20 min | Emotion charades competition Teams take turns acting out emotions using only facial expressions and body language; other teams guess. Debrief: Which cues were most helpful? |
| 15 min | Congruence/incongruence demonstrations Volunteers deliver the same message with congruent vs. incongruent nonverbal cues; class discusses impact |
| 15 min | Space and touch discussion Facilitated discussion on cultural and personal differences in proxemics and haptics; students share their comfort zones |
| 10 min | Personal nonverbal goal setting Students identify one nonverbal habit they want to develop or change; share with a partner for accountability |
Materials Needed
- Emotion cards for charades (happy, angry, nervous, excited, bored, confused, etc.)
- Scenario scripts for congruence demonstrations
- Discussion prompts for cultural nonverbal norms
- Goal-setting worksheet for nonverbal improvement
- Timer for activities