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Guess the emotion

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Guess the emotion

Guess the Emotion

This simple, energizing activity helps participants explore nonverbal communication and emotional awareness. It’s a fun and effective way to build empathy and highlight how people send and interpret emotional cues — even without saying a word.

Purpose

To demonstrate how tone of voice, body language, and facial expressions influence how we perceive emotion — and how misunderstandings can happen even when we think we’re being clear.

What You’ll Need

  • A list of 10–15 emotions (printed or on slips of paper)
  • A small bowl or box to draw from (optional)

How to Run the Activity

  1. Ask for a volunteer to pick an emotion from the list (or draw it randomly from a bowl).
  2. Without naming the emotion, the volunteer must express it using only tone, body language, and facial expressions. No words or sounds allowed.
  3. The rest of the group observes and guesses the emotion.
  4. Once someone guesses correctly (or after 3–4 tries), reveal the actual emotion.
  5. Rotate to a new volunteer for the next emotion.

Suggested Emotion List

  • Excited
  • Frustrated
  • Confused
  • Proud
  • Embarrassed
  • Worried
  • Bored
  • Joyful
  • Disappointed
  • Shy

Debrief & Discussion

  • How did you choose to express the emotion?
  • What clues helped you guess others’ emotions?
  • Was anything misinterpreted? Why?
  • How does this relate to how we read people in real life?
  • What happens when we rely too much on our own assumptions?

Trainer Tips

  • Use this as a warm-up for emotional intelligence or active listening workshops.
  • Encourage a safe and judgment-free tone — people express emotions differently across cultures and personalities.
  • If someone feels uncomfortable acting emotions out, offer the option to pass.

Optional Variations

  • Pair Guessing: One person acts out an emotion while another person privately guesses before the group does.
  • Workplace Version: Instead of single words, give them short phrases like: “You just missed a deadline,” or “Your team praised your leadership.” Let them act the emotion behind it.

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