Visual thinking practice: Body language

Your body language conveys more than you may be aware. Whether you are happy or cranky, you broadcast your emotions by the way that you sit, stand and move. Your level of enthusiasm and participation in any group activity is easy to gauge, even from a distance.

Visual thinking is about using pictures to enhance your ability to solve problems, think about complex issues and communicate effectively. Are you ready to work on your visual thinking skills? You don't have to be an artist. Pick up a pen or pencil and try the following exercise.

1. Find a public place where people tend to congregate, like a plaza, shopping center, cafe or bar.

2. Take note of peoples' body language, and see if you can capture the essence of their emotion by drawing simple stick figures.

3. Limiting yourself to simple stick figures will help you focus on gesture and pose, rather than getting caught up in the details.

Doing this will improve your skills of observation, improve your sketching skills, and also fine-tune your ability to "read" the body language of others.

Read more about visual communication in visual thinking school.

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