Skip Navigation

Nonverbal Communication

Time Frame

1 class periods of 45 minutes each

Authors

Esther Larson

Summary

Explore the concept of "love currency" through activities.


Materials

  • There need to be 5 to 6 sets of cups. Each set should contain 6 large plastic cups labeled one through six. There need to be 5 to 6 rubber bands with six pieces of yarn tied to each one. The yarn should be about 1-1/2 feet long. Each piece of yarn should be marked at 1 foot from the rubber band.
  • Body Language worksheet
  • Foreign money
  • Love Currency Worksheet


Background for Teachers

Nonverbal communication is the way a person expresses him/herself through movement, posture, and facial expression. It is possible to send one type of verbal message and at the same time, a different type with body language. Nonverbal communication is powerful. Seventy percent of the time, a woman's nonverbal communication initiates dating and guides the pace of the relationship.

A woman's "Interested" body language:

  • Pouting lips
  • Hair flipping
  • Glances
  • Pushing hair behind the ears
  • The use of aroma (perfume)

A woman's "Not Interested" body language:

  • Yawns
  • Frowns
  • Sneers
  • Hands staying in pockets
  • Arms staying crossed across the chest

A man's "Interested" body language: Holding eye contact longer than necessary

  • Accidental contact with a girl
  • Arranging the tie or sleeves
  • Keeping hands in front of the pants with the thumbs locked inside the belt
  • Fiddling with something
  • Moving in closer


    Instructional Procedures

    1. (5 min.) Divide the class into groups of five or six. Give each group 6 large plastic cups, stacked and labeled 1through 6. The cup labeled 1 should be at the top. Also give each group a rubber band with 6 pieces of 1-1/2 foot-long yarn tied to it. The task: The groups must arrange their cups into pyramids using teamwork. Each team grabs a piece of yarn (not touching the yarn from one foot where it is marked to the rubber band.) The rubber band is used to lift the cups and arrange them. The teams cannot otherwise use their hands and they cannot talk! Repeat the activity, but this time let them talk.

    2. (5 min.) Discuss the activity. Questions to ask:

    1. How did you communicate to your team members when you couldn't talk.
    2. Which time was easier?
    3. What factors made your team successful?
    4. What are some things that happened to make your team less successful?
    5. Which do we believe more--what people say or what they do?
    6. How powerful is nonverbal communication?

    3. (15 min.) Hand out the body language worksheets. Let the class go through the worksheets in groups, then as a class.

    4. (5 min.) Introduction to "Love Currency". Show the class foreign currency. Have each table guess how much money is represented. Reward the table that is the closest. Questions to ask:

    1. Do we have money in the United States?
    2. Why is it so hard to figure out how much foreign currency is worth? It's just money.
    3. How do we use money?
    4. If you take money to Michigan, will it be accepted and worth as much?
    5. What if you take money to Canada or Mexico? How familiar would they be with United States currency?
    6. What if you took your money to an African village? How familiar would it be there?

    5. (5 min.) Explain the concept of "love currency". We all give love and appreciation in different ways. For example, some people may buy gifts while others may simply say, "I love you." Maybe your family shows love by playing games together or attending each other's after-school activities. But if we don't recognize how other people give love and encouragement, it would be like having Korean money--it will be without value. We all communicate our love for each other in different ways. We may feel hurt because someone is not expressing love to us, but in reality, they may be expressing love in a different "currency". What we need to do is figure out how someone else gives love and appreciation.

    6. (5 min.) Hand out the Love Currency worksheet. Have students color a picture representing how they, their families, and a friend show love.

    7. (5 min.) Conclusion. Love currency is a type of nonverbal communication. We express love sometimes without saying it. That is really what can make nonverbal communication so confusing; different people interpret things in different ways.


    Bibliography

    1. Brent Barlow


  • Created: 05/06/2003
    Updated: 02/24/2021
    45049
    />