Soft Skills through Theatre

Some held activities aimed at developing soft skills for participants through theatrical exercises.

These exercises with variable duration and number of participants requires no specific materials but a room big enough to allow participants to move freely without any risks.

Description of the activities

Catch the attention just with the look

Participants stay in half circle, with an arm raised; one participant stays in front of the semicircle, trying to keep the eye contact with everybody. Who is in the half circle and does not receive the eye contact from the participant, put the arm down slowly. Once he/she receive the look of the participant in front, he/she raise up again the arm. Once one participant has the arm down, it is over.
☛     With this exercise you work on the ability to keep the attention of you audience just with the look.

The castle

Two participants will play the role of two guardians of the castle; they stop anybody from entering in the castle. Participants, one by one, will try to enter in the castle, pretending they have to meet the king; they have to convince the guardians to let him/her come in. According with the motivations each participant will offer to the guardians, they will let him/her enter or not.

☛       With this exercise you work on the capacity to argue and to defend each one own opinion.

Circle of hands

Participants will stay in a circle, just touching each other’s palms of their hand. They will close the eyes. Music will start, and they will move following the music (it is not a dance, but movements according with the music). Participants have to keep always the contact with the palms of the hands. Once they feel they can, they start as well not just to move the arms, but as well the body, exploring the space, always with the eyes closed and without loosing the hands contact. They will try to communicate with the others just with the hands contact. Once the music is over, they will stop, they will stay for a moment with the eyes closed, trying to “feel” the group, and finally they will open the eyes, seeing how the group is.

☛       With this exercise you work on non-verbal communication and on the capacity to express each one own needs without talking/arguing.

©Images INCA Catalunya



Reflection & Evaluation

These exercises are just an example of how to work on soft skills through theatrical exercises. In general, we can say that theatrical activities help to develop many soft skills, mainly those ones related with the relationship with other people (communication, leadership, etc.), and those ones related mainly with self-esteem. 

Comments

It is very important to create, before starting with these exercises, the right mood in the group; for this reason, we strongly encourage to realise some “warm-up” activities before starting with the following exercises.

Expected outcomes

Development of specific soft skills in participants, according with the exercises done.