I found the “Label activity” to be thought provoking and appropriate for use when students are being introduced to a new culture. The non-verbal design of the activity makes it suitable in situations where you may find a possibility for miscommunication like when visiting a new country where a different language is spoken. When we encounter people that are different from us, most of us tend to shy away from interacting for various reason. We may be afraid that the people we meet will not like us or that we will have nothing in common to talk about. As the activity demonstrates, this reluctant behavior can be sensed by others even without saying a word. Nonverbal communication, especially our body language can reveal so much about us. The people on the receiving end can senses this behavior and they are likely to respond in a similar manner, by creating a barrier, almost like a defense mechanism to avoid feeling isolated. As a result, both sides may feel isolated and like they are not being accepted by the other person. All this without saying a word. This is all too common when cultural borders are crossed. Every time we interact with someone from a different culture, we take a risk of being accepted or feeling rejected. These barriers occur even without crossing borders; every new encounter with a stranger presents an opportunity to feel accepted or rejected.

This activity can help students to better understand how to use nonverbal communication to communicate with people from different cultures.