Eye contact

The aim of the activity is to learn about the importance of eye contact and body posture. Non-verbal communication is an important part of successful communication. In relationships, it is therefore important how we communicate non-verbally. Participants will pay attention to their body, what it is telling them, listen to it and use it in relationships.

1. Invite participants to sit in pairs so that the backs of the chairs are touching and the people in the pair cannot look each other in the eye.
2. First, one of the pairs should talk for two minutes about what they have been doing in the last week. The other listens and asks no questions and make no comments. After two minutes, they switch roles and the other person starts talking about the same topic.
3. When both have finished, ask the first speaker to stand up and walk towards the member who is still sitting. Now they can look at each other. The member who is standing should talk again for two minutes about where he/she would like to go and what he/she would like to do on the next holiday. The other member still does not ask or say anything, just listens. Then the roles are reversed and now the other person has the opportunity to talk about the same topic.
4. When the participants have finished the exercise, they return to the circle. The facilitator ask the members to say how they felt in both roles, what difficulties they had, when they felt comfortable most. They should try to find out the point of the exercise.
5. They should try to say what the other person said to them to see how much they remembered and what they were paying attention to during the conversation.
6. Discuss the importance of eye contact in communication.