Title: Sound Action Circle

Exercise Type: Personal Growth

Time Required: 10-20 minutes

Group Size: Small: 6-20

Suggested Age Group: Children, Teenagers, Adults

Activity Level: Light

Keywords: Awareness, Listening, Timing

Materials Needed: None

Venue: Typical Room

Purpose/Outcome: Tuning into the group and being totally present.

Activity Description:

• Group is standing is a large circle. Leave enough room for people to have"flailing" room.

• Leader does a sound (non-verbal) and action (choosing something that everyone can do easily) combination ; holding the ending position.

• The person to their immediate right instantly mirrors both the sound and action, also holding the ending position.

• And so on around the circle till it is back to the leader and everyone is in the same ending position. The Leader repeats their initial sound/action which concludes their turn.

• The person to the right initiates a new sound and action moving from the endingposition of the previous sound/action; holding the new ending position.

• The next person to their right instantly mirrors that new sound/action; also holding the ending position.

• This pattern continues till the Leader calls a halt -- usually after twice around the circle, encouraging more speed and overlap the second time around.

• The goal is to create a smooth, almost over-lapping wave action around the circle.

Side Coaching:

• Quickly; be ready; overlap to make it smooth with no empty spaces.

• Conclude your turn.

• Think wave-like.
  

Variations:

• Name Sound Action Circle: Using your name for the sound, adding tones or attitude plus an action. Everything else the same as above.

• Singing Sound Action Circle : The sound is sung; can be your name or a short series of notes. Focuses on the sound aspect of the game. Good for music workshops: listening, matching pitch.

• Directional Sound Action Circle: Starts off the same, except it keeps going with the same sound and action until someone does a new sound/action which reverses it with the new combination. Initiators can face the new direction, in which case make the circle large enough that people won't be in each others' faces.

• Sound Action Toss: Leader faces someone in the circle and does a sound action combination; that person quickly mirrors it and instantly sends a new sound action to someone new, who quickly mirrors it and instantly sends a new sound action to someone new. And so on. Encourage the group to pick up speed.

Debrief/Facilitator Notes:

• How present were you?

• What, if anything, pulled your attention?

• What other comments and observations do you have?

About the Author: Sue Walden is the Founder and Director of ImprovWorks, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to building Life Skills through Improvisation. Her experience includes a BA in Education and 26 years of teaching, performing and adapting and widely applying the techniques of improvisation. She approaches improv training as a powerful and joyful way to peel away constraints, restraints and inhibitions, allowing the naturally expressive, collaborative and creative self to emerge. Visit Sue's website at www.improvworks.org.