Effective communication improves most areas of your life. Better communication at work can advance your career. In the classroom, it can help you learn. With family and friends, communication can help you develop closer relationships. However, like any skill, communication requires practice and even some training. Many communication skill exercises are free. All you need is a group or partner to work with. Some communication games and exercises are even fun.
Word Ball
The word ball game encourages spontaneous communication and helps relax a group of people. You'll need a ball and enough participants to form a rough circle. Someone throws the ball and says a word. The next person has to catch the ball and say a related word. For example, the chain might go: SKY - BLUE - OCEAN - WATER and so on. Once comfortable with this process, try doing the same thing but building a story. This makes people focus on what the previous person says and make fast connections.
Body Language
Body language can communicate as much or more than your words. An exercise from the University of Illinois Extension suggests focusing on negative body language. Work in pairs. One person should talk about something they enjoy doing, such as a hobby. The other person, without speaking, should use body language to convey a negative response, such as crossing her arms, looking at something else, fidgeting, and rolling her eyes. After a minute or two, switch roles and repeat. At the end, discuss how it made the person speaking feel. Focusing on negative nonverbal responses helps you to become aware of them in your own behavior and to avoid them when communicating.
Speaking Mirror
It takes concentration to really listen and understand what someone is saying. The speaking mirror is an exercise for two people to try and demonstrate real attention and understanding. Nominate one of you as person A and one as person B. Let A tell a story about his last holiday. While A speaks, person B should silently act out what he is saying. This helps on two levels. First it forces person B to really understand what's being said so she can act it out. Person A, on the other hand, has to speak clearly and slowly enough to be understood.
One-Way and Two-Way Communication
This is a blindfold exercise that shows the difference between one-way and two-way communication. Participants pair up and label each other A or B. The "A" people leave the room and put on blindfolds. "B's" are told that when the A people return, they must guide them around an arranged route, such as out to a nearby tree and back. However, A people cannot talk. B's explain this to the A people. When they return, A and B people swap roles and decide on a new route. However, this time they are both allowed to speak. This is a free effective communication skill exercise you can use to build trust and foster teamwork.
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