Gesturing-Mirroring Exercise This exercise can provide a good addition to the opening segment of dialogue sessions about the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict and related issues. You may wish to use it after establishing communication agreements and before asking participants to share their hopes for the dialogue. Each participant performs two gestures that symbolize what they want to bring into the conversation and what they want to leave out. Then the other participants mirror their gestures. Time: Around 5 minutes, depending on the number of participants Group Size: 10 or fewer participants Supplies Needed: None Purposes: The exercise helps to establish a foundation for dialogue in several ways:
It helps participants to become more aware of their emotional state and what might enhance or detract from their experience. The exercise can help participants to remain mindful of their feelings and to engage with them effectively throughout the dialogue. Asking participants to mirror each others gestures encourages them to pay close attention to one another and to empathize with each other. In addition, the exercise gives each participant an experience of being seen and heard. It allows participants to see that they may share some hopes and concerns about the dialogue. Because the exercise asks participants to move their bodies, it can energize them and reduce tension. By inviting participants to communicate non-verbally, the exercise gives participants another way to connect with each other. It can also help to put at ease participants who feel less articulate or less comfortable speaking about their views.
Directions 1. Ask participants to stand in a circle and think of two non-verbal gestures. The first gesture should represent what the participant wants leave behind when they enter into the conversation and the second should represent what he or she wants to bring in. 2. Explain that participants will each state their name (optional) and perform their gestures and that the rest of the group will repeat their name (optional) and mirror the gestures. Welcome the participants to make gestures that are large, energetic, or complexengaging their whole bodies or involving multiple stepsor much smaller, using just an arm, a hand, or a finger. No gesture is any better than another.
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3. Participants should watch each gesture carefully. When mirroring, they should repeat the gestures as precisely as they can, without commenting on them. Encourage participants to do their best to mirror accurately, but reassure them that they dont need to worry about making mistakes. Some people find this easier than others, and the activity is not a competition or a test. 4. Clarify how the activity will be structured: One participant will make his or her gestures, the others will mirror that person, and then you will move on to the next person. Tell the participants either that you will go around the circle in order or that they can perform their gestures whenever they are ready. 5. Passing: If you plan to go around the circle in order, make sure to tell the participants that they are welcome to pass. If they arent ready for their gesture when their turn comes, you can skip over them and move on the next person. You will come back to them at the end. If they would like to perform a gesture then, they are welcome to do so, but they can pass again if they prefer not to. 6. Before asking a participant to perform their gestures, you may want to demonstrate a pair of gestures yourself and then ask the participants to mirror you. Examples of gestures that JDG have performed include: standing rigidly with her feet together, looking down, and covering her eyes with her hand changing to a looser posture with feet space more widely, looking around, and opening her arms in gesture of welcoming tapping his chest very quickly to simulate a rapid heartbeat tapping his chest much more slowly to simulate relaxation gritting her teeth, raising her hands next to her face, and shaking them to simulate frustration swiveling slowly to look at one person and then another, nodding her head gently each time to indicate understanding
7. Give the participants 30 seconds or a minute to come up with their gestures. You may want to pose one or more additional questions for them to think about while they are coming up with their gestures: What do you want to bring into the dialogue today? What do you want to leave out of the dialogue today? What will help you grow? Where can you push yourself?
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What might detract or distract you from fully participating today? 8. Ask a volunteer to start by stating his/her name (optional) and presenting his/her gestures. Once the participant has done both his/her gestures, lead the rest of the group in repeating his/her name and mirroring the gestures. Then go on to the next person. 9. After everyone has had a chance to take part, you may want to invite participants to request or offer explanations about the gestures. Participants may find it helpful to unpack gestures that seemed particularly intense or charged. 10. Conclude the exercise by having participants shake out their bodies and then take a couple deep breaths to settle into the next activity.
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