Please note that I am not suggesting that the Understander in Cooperative Development proper should remain silent. Simply, in these particular activities, we are focusing on non-linguistic responses. Activity 5.1 Most importantly, make an effort to observe consciously the way that people sit, stand and move their hands, arms and legs. Stereotypically, it is said that crossed arms and crossed legs represent barriers which we put up when we want to block something out. A hand to the mouth or chin suggests critical evaluation.
Clenched fists signal frustration and possible aggression.
So, observe yourself and others. My aim is to be myself, but to be as aware of myself as I can. There are more comments on this activity in Chapter 15. Activity 5.2 Collect pictures of people talking to each other in which you think there are obvious comments to be made about some aspect of the body language involved. Invite colleagues to comment first, and see if your assumptions agree with theirs.