TOT 51

WEEK 51

“Group discussion through Brain Storming Exercise”

It is ideal to use this exercise in refresher course or in advanced course. 

How to do this exercise?

1. Choose a topic for brain storming .
2. Form a group of  five or ten  each.
3. Make  one of the participants  in each group to lead the respective  group.
4. Make the objective of the exercise clear.
5. Prescribe the time limit.
6. Ask the leader to note down the inputs given by each member of the group, including the leader.

Duration  of exercise: 15 minutes to 30 minutes.

Ideal Time:  Immediately before or after lunch or at the end of the day.  

Example:-

Topic chosen: Impasse

Exercise 1: Each of the participants may be asked  to give one  instance of impasse which they have come across in their mediation sessions.

Objective: (i) To identify  When and how and where did the impasse arise

Exercise 2 : Facts: Suit for specific performance .Plaintiff wants  the registered sale deed to be executed.  Defendant is agreeable  only for  refund of  advance money. Both are not moving from their positions .

Each of the participants may be asked  to find  a   different option and  also  tell as to   how would that participant as mediator  assist the disputing parties to  come out on their own  with that option ., remembering that mediator cannot give options.

Objective: (ii) How to assist the parties to generate options

Exercise 3 :  Facts: One of the parties does not have an advocate. Said Party does not even communicate properly .Other party is very intelligent. He  is also supported by an intelligent advocate.

Each of the participants may be asked  to suggest how  would he/she propose to take the mediation forward in such situations

Objective:  (iii) To know how to handle impasse  

Benefits:-

1. This exercise helps participants to learn from each other’s experience.
2. An ideal exercise to share and gain through experiential  learning
3. Enhances professionalism
4. Trainer can assess the trainees’  capacity of retention, transference and reinforcement
5. Trainees are exposed to Group Culture
6. Trainer can know how good or bad he/she is in giving instructions to the participants
7. The group leader gets an opportunity to moderate and learns how to get things done from the group.

RISK FACTORS:

If the instructions are not given properly , there will be chaos.

If the objective is not made clear the participants in the group may lose focus,   keep talking  about various things , by   giving unwanted  lengthy explanations.  

Challenge to the trainer;-

1. To note down the instructions to be given to  each group
2. To equip the leader of the group to moderate and collect all inputs, one after the other , in  shortest  form.
3. The see to it that the participants do not traverse beyond the objective.
4. To prepare well in advance, the handout with the details of the exercise and the objective

Suggestion: Trainer’s kit  should have  such exercises on various topics  related to mediation.

“It is better to have enough ideas for  some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.”

                                            Edward de Bono.

(All copyrights reserved by the author S.Susheela)