Take aways may include: practicing empathy, trying on new communication styles, gaining new understanding about how you and others communicate

Parameters: An even number of people, can be done in person or online in breakout rooms

The purpose of this game is to communicate in pairs as an actor/talker and the reflection/listener. Pair up and, facing each other, assume a similar stance - sitting at the same height, standing, etc. Whatever is most accessible to the pair.

In your pair, choose who is the actor and who is the reflection and discuss how touch, sight and sound will be used to communicate. It may include:

• being close enough to feel each other’s warmth but not touching,
• staying outside each other’s personal bubbles,
• touching hands,
• eyes closed or limited sight,
• not looking directly at each other,
• looking into each other’s eyes,
• following audible directions,
• verbalizing what you’re doing
• silence

Start out moving slowly, the reflection mirroring the actor's movements. After a while, switch actor and reflection roles. Discuss if the communication rules should change. If there’s time, try communicating with a few different partners.

After the exercise, ask discussion questions about communication styles.

Variation: give a prompt like “do an action you would normally do in front of a mirror like brush your teeth or a camera like strike a pose”

Variation: introduce new elements like “you are a fun house mirror, exaggerating instead of reflecting; you are an opposite mirror.”