Embodied Statement

What if understanding each other could start before we even use words?

Embodiment offers a simple, low-pressure way to explore ideas from the inside. By trying a stance or posture related to a concept, we notice reactions we don’t have to invent — they’re already there. This exercise uses that spark to kick off a real conversation — grounded, and open. A small shift in posture can create a big shift in perspective.

Steps For Carrying Out This Method

1. Prepare your concepts

Depending on your setting, come up with certain concepts that will be explored. You can use the same statement [ex. Does everyone deserve a seat at the table?] or different ones [ex. Stability - Adaptation - Disruption]. Same statement offers space for discussion on diverse perceptions of the same matter and different, yet related statements, create more impressions and a multi-dimensional conversation where a matter is seen from multiple angles.

Write down your prompts on separate pieces of paper.

2. Divide the participants in teams

Create teams of 3-5 people and hand each of them a prompt that they will embody. Make sure the teams do not share with each other verbally their statement/question. Also, make sure to instruct them that they should not indulge in a discussion of the given prompt, but rather, work with their intuition and express themselves with movement, gestures, postures, facial expressions, etc.

You can decide wether the instructions will be to create a still or a dynamic picture.

3. Embodiment time

The teams now have 5-10 minutes to create their image.

4. Present and discuss

One by one, the teams "take the stage" and show how they have embodied their concept. After each of them, the rest of the teams, which are observing, are given the space to express their impressions, thoughts, assumptions and anything that comes up while watching the "act".

The idea here is that the performing team does not try to approve or disprove the suggestions, thrown at them. All thoughts are welcome and simply observed, in that way allowing for discussions to take unlimited directions. After some time, the performing team can share what thoughts and feelings came up while simply listening to all the assumptions. How did it feel to step in their role and interact with the others?

The concepts still remain unrevealed.

You can be creative here, sense the room and guide the conversation by asking additional questions. Example:

Are there any follow-up movements that the performing team wants to make? If yes, what do they mean?
Is there anyone else in the room who would like to join the current act? How?

Play around with it and see where the exercise takes you.

In the end the statements can be revealed. See if that evokes more movement or discussion. Have fun!

“I felt represented. The embodiment really helps getting everybody "involved" and seen through the scene"

"It was very inclusive, we all had similar visions and agreed on the best one while adding more ideas."

“It would be helpful if you would give a few example reflection questions. That way there would be a stronger discussion.”

tools2connect

This method was designed by the creators of Tools2Connect.