Crossing the Line (a non-verbal exercise)

1. The group is divided into partners, preferably male/female. Each team is given a strip of masking tape and asked to create a line between them, with partners positioned on opposite sides of the line. The task is to get one's partner to cross the line. This must be done non-verbally and three minutes are given to "resolve the conflict." Note that the key to the success of this exercise is the manner in which the instructions are given, because the task must be defined in an open-ended way.
   
   
2. A number of styles emerge in this exercise. Often one person will attempt to persuade another (frequently with bribes and manipulation) to cross the line. Sometimes there will be a show of force as one person attempts to pull the other over the line. (Coercion may also be exercised by one who simply refuses to yield, leaving the other to solve the problem.) One partner may walk away and avoid the conflict, whereas another will cross over simply to accommodate "rather than fight about it." Collaboration is seen when each partner changes sides, or when the line is straddled. There is often a period of negotiation before that takes place. The body language can tell whether the partners have been able to support each other in the process or whether one or the other feels that he or she has "lost."
   
   
3. One of the most creative solutions is simply to remove the line, by picking up the tape. The "line" of disagreement may be to a greater or lesser degree arbitrary! Participants may come to realize that all conflicts involve partnerships. In the debriefing of this exercise people have a chance to share their own decision-making process and it is a good opportunity for some laughter and a shift of mood.

The way in which each of us personally deals with conflict will probably shape the way in which we view transpersonal conflicts. Do we think conflicts should be avoided, confronted, or eliminated? Do we see those with whom we disagree as partners with whom we need to negotiate or as enemies to be destroyed?