TOT 122: “Handling Unexpected – Uncomfortable Situations”

How people go mad when they meet with situations that are completely unexpected and uncomfortable is something that cannot be ignored. During the training, mediators have to be given first-hand experience of a glimpse of such situation/s in order to understand and empathize with persons who would have undergone /be undergoing the chaos – turmoil in their lives.

TOT 122

WEEK 122

“Handling unexpected – uncomfortable situations”.

How people go mad when they meet with situations that are completely unexpected and uncomfortable is something which cannot be ignored. During the training, mediators have to be given first hand experience of glimpse of such situation/s in order to understand and empathise with persons who would have undergone /be undergoing the chaos – turmoil in their lives.

Short simulation exercises are used for this.

Example

On the third or fourth day of the training program, the training room should be kept purposely locked. Trainees should not be able to find any source of information as to why the room is locked. How each of the trainees behaves is to be watched. If possible video recording has to be done. Even one or two trainers can be standing with the trainees, expressing their own anxiety (without letting anyone know that everything is stage-managed). After ten minutes, the concerned person should be requested to come and open the lock.

Display the recording and ask relevant questions 

After all the trainees are comfortably seated, the trainer can play the video on the screen. Request the participants to watch.

If video recording could not be done, ask each trainee what did he/she do/said? 

Ask the following or any other relevant questions 

1. Ask each of them whose behavior could have been different
2. Whose behavior was disproportionate 
3. Ask each one to identify their own emotions or feelings (Angry, disappointed, surprised, frustrated, annoyed, humiliated, etc..) 
4. Did anyone ever think that the whole thing was stage-managed? 
5. If not, why did not they think along those lines?

Debriefing 

Tell them the purpose of the exercise

1. How do different human beings respond /react differently to the same situation?
2. How do they proceed to think vertically than thinking laterally? ( Thinking out of the box)
3. How emotions take over reasoning and make an individual helpless and at times foolish 

Checks and balances

1. This simulation exercise has to be done very professionally.
2. The trainer must spend quality time with the authorities concerned to arrange for this practical exercise.
3. Someone should have been requested to videography everything without making participants know about it. 
4. Before displaying the video, the trainer has to inform the participants that “it is only for learning purposes the video was taken and not to hurt anyone.”
5. Questions must be kept ready and displayed on the screen for participants to answer one by one.

When is this exercise used? 

In a session on handling emotional outbursts

Or understanding emotions.

In a session on the difference between reacting and responding. 

In a session on lateral thinking.

“Experiential learning helps one understand what one is and is not”.

Slamw

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(All Copyrights reserved by the author S.Susheela)