Activities
COMMON MINDSCAPE
Number of participants
Objectives
● To express one’s mental and individual images.
● To develop self-expression through the body.
● To encourage active listening skills.
Where does the activity take place within the process (beginning, middle, end)
Duration
Material needed
Preparation
Prepare the room/space so that it is as spacious as it can be, without obstacles.
Step by step description
1. Tell the participants that the purpose of the exercise is to build a shared mental landscape (on a certain theme). The landscape is constructed step by step by stepping onto the ‘stage’ and taking on a posture and movement that represents their own element, and verbally describing what the element represents in the ‘landscape.’
2. Tell the participants that these elements can be living (people, animals, natural objects), inanimate (objects or things from nature), natural elements (rain, wind), or emotions (joy, contemplation, serenity).
3. Let the participants know that the landscape is built piece by piece, i.e. one person at a time. It is important that we listen to each other and build the landscape in peace.
4. When the landscape is complete, and each element is in place, we can admire the landscape for a little while from our own positions, and then the facilitator can ask everyone to step out of the landscape.
The exercise can also be used for giving feedback at the end of the workshop; what kind of experiential landscape formed for us. The most important thing is that the things people express are accepted and seen/heard.
Closing up
Ask participants questions:
● What did you learn from this activity?
● Were you surprised by any of the stories you heard?