1,000 Words

Improving communication skills with tangrams

Materials:

Paper, pencils, tangram printouts

Activity:

Pair up or (if short on time) have one pair of outgoing people do the activity in front of the group. One person has a picture made up of geometric shapes (like a tangram) and must describe it to someone else who cannot see the picture. The second person draws the picture by listening to the first person's description. Give group members five minutes to complete the activity.

If they are stuck:

  • Suggest different ways to explain the picture, such as "There are two rectangles put together in an L shape."
  • Encourage the person drawing to ask questions.

Debriefing Questions:

  • How closely did your pictures match?
  • What was it like to be the person holding the picture? How did you feel?
  • What was it like to be the person drawing? How did you feel?
  • What worked best to get the idea across?
  • How can frustration affect our communication?
  • How can we communicate more clearly in our small group, at work, and at home?

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