Fundamentals of Management 7th Edition by Ricky Griffin

Exercise 18

Nonverbal Communication in Groups
Purpose: The role of nonverbal communication in organizations can be just as important as oral or written communication, but is often overlooked. This activity will make you more aware of the power of nonverbal communication and give you some practice in using it.
Instructions:
Step 1: Your instructor will break your class into groups of about 20. Change your seat as needed until the group members are sitting fairly close and facing each other. Count the exact number of members and agree upon the count as a group.
Step 2: Count out loud, one at a time, from 1 up to the total number of group members. The group must do this without discussion or planning about who will say each number. Members may not use any verbal or physical signals, for example no pointing, nodding, or touching. Each member must say exactly one number, and no number may be repeated. No two people may speak simultaneously.
Step 3: If any of the rules are violated, begin the task again from the number 1. Continue until the group successfully completes the task. Then answer the follow-up questions.
Follow-Up Questions:
Can you think of examples of situations that could occur in business organizations in which nonverbal communication might play an important role?