Nonverbal Communication
Activities exploring body language, facial expressions, and other nonverbal cues as critical components of effective communication.
Worth Reading
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When I Say This, Do You Mean That?
Enhancing Communication
Cherie Kerr; Julia Sweeney
Improvised Theatre and the Autism Spectrum
A Practical Guide
Gary Kramer; Richie Ploesch
Acting Through Improv
Improv Through Theatresports
Lynda Belt; Rebecca Stockley
The Improv Illusionist
Using Object Work, Environment, and Physicality in Performance
David Raitt
Improv Ideas
A Book of Games and Lists
Mary Ann Kelley; Justine Jones
Spontaneous Performance
Acting Through Improv
Marsh Cassady
Related Exercises
Observe
Exercises in careful observation of verbal and nonverbal cues, developing awareness of what others communicate beyond words.
Group Order
Group Order is a nonverbal exercise in which all players must arrange themselves into a specific sequence -- by height, birthday, shoe size, or another criterion -- without speaking. The exercise forces creative, nonverbal communication and collaborative problem-solving in real time. It builds patience, observation, and comfort with nonverbal interaction while revealing how a group self-organizes when verbal shortcuts are removed.
Complete Bodies
Complete Bodies is a physicality exercise in which players practice using their entire body to communicate rather than relying primarily on face and hands. The exercise challenges performers to express emotional states, status, and character through the spine, torso, hips, and legs as well as through their more habitual expressive channels. It builds physical range and presence for scene work and performance.
Move and Speak
Move and Speak is an exercise exploring the relationship between physical movement and dialogue. Players alternate between moving without speaking and speaking without moving, learning to separate and then integrate the two channels. The exercise reveals how movement informs vocal delivery and helps performers make more deliberate choices about when to let their bodies lead.
Gibberish Commands
Gibberish Commands is an exercise in which a facilitator gives instructions entirely in gibberish -- an invented, wordless language -- and the group must interpret and execute what they believe was communicated. The exercise sharpens nonverbal reading: tone, gesture, pacing, and physical demonstration carry meaning in the absence of recognizable words. The group discovers how much information travels through channels other than vocabulary, and develops responsiveness to a speaker's full communicative presence.
To the Point
Activities for practicing concise, clear communication, eliminating filler and getting to the essence of a message.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Nonverbal Communication. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/nonverbal-communication
The Improv Archive. "Nonverbal Communication." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/nonverbal-communication.
The Improv Archive. "Nonverbal Communication." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/nonverbal-communication. Accessed March 17, 2026.
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