[Eikei University] Workshop on 'Facing Communication' Held with Oriza Hirata, President of the Professional University of Art and Tourism

## 'Facing Communication' Workshop: Think, Act, Think

On Saturday, May 16, 2026, Eikei University (President: Mutsuhiro Arinobu, Naka-ku, Hiroshima) hosted a workshop for its first-year students featuring Oriza Hirata, Director of the Aomori Museum of Art and President of the Professional University of Art and Tourism. The workshop aimed to enhance communication skills through theatrical methods and explore the questions, 'What is communication?' and 'What is the power of communication?'

The objective of this workshop was to foster an understanding of communication and expression, which lie at the core of all frameworks of knowledge, and to deepen interactions among first-year students.

## Experiencing Communication and Expression Through the Body

The session began with games such as forming groups based on specific criteria, such as 'a group of four including people wearing glasses or masks,' and finding peers who thought of the same things based on themes like 'things you associate with Hiroshima.' The first-year students used their bodies and language to think about how to coordinate with others to ensure everyone belonged to a group meeting the conditions while keeping the whole picture in mind.

Students also experienced activities such as standing up while back-to-back in pairs, learning how to communicate to adjust their mental images and movements for physical tasks.

After a break, they played games like matching up with peers who thought of items with similar sizes based on numbers written on distributed cards. This exercise required students to express their own mental images to others and read the intentions behind the words expressed by their partners.

## The Importance of Reading Context and Others' Feelings

Finally, the group reflected on communication design and interacting with those who hold different values and cultures. Hirata explained through concrete examples that communication gaps occur if one does not imagine the background, values, and feelings of others, and understand the context, even when using simple language. He delivered the message that it is important to align contexts and deepen communication by correcting mistakes, even after experiencing gaps or misunderstandings. He also provided concrete examples on the importance of creating environments where it is easy to communicate.

Through this workshop, students polished their imagination for understanding others and developed the ability to understand their counterparts by repeatedly aligning contexts, even when communication gaps arise.