Appendix: Exercise Guidelines and Materials

APPENDIX

Exercise Guidelines and Materials

This appendix provides general guidelines for exercise participants about how to perform role-plays, observe, and give feedback. It also contains some exercise debriefing notes for the class to refer to after completing some of the chapter exercises. The Instructor’s Manual provides specific guidance and materials for the instructor when conducting and debriefing the chapter exercises. The Instructor’s Manual also contains additional exercises, reinforcement exercises, and supplementary lectures. There are two types of exercises: modeling exercises and group exercises. Modeling exercises are done in front of the class. They provide an opportunity to observe participants performing specific skill behaviors and to learn from that observation. Sometimes students are more comfortable playing the role in a triad instead of in front of the entire class. If students are hesitant to volunteer for a modeling roleplay in front of the class, triads can be used. After observers have debriefed the role-plays, a class discussion of the most common areas of strength and weakness can be conducted. Group exercises are done in small groups and provide opportunities for all members to practice and obtain feedback on their interpersonal skills. Groups may consist of dyads, triads, or more, depending on the particular exercise. Following are some general guidelines for participating and observing the exercises. More specific guidelines are often provided with individual exercises.

GUIDELINES FOR ACTORS

Actors in a role-play read the background information on the exercise and their own role. They do not read the other actors’ roles—doing so will lessen the effectiveness of the exercise. The role description establishes your character. Follow the guidelines it establishes. Don’t change or omit the facts you’re given, but feel free to behave in ways that you feel would be relevant. Remember that role-playing is acting, so you need to project yourself into the character you are portraying and act out your thoughts and feelings as if you were in the real situation. Once you are familiar with the role, review the relevant skills on the Observer’s Rating Sheet and plan how you can demonstrate them in the role-play. These are the behaviors that you are seeking to model correctly. They are also the behaviors that observers are rating and will provide you feedback on at the end of the exercise. After an exercise has been completed, the actors will evaluate their performance of the relevant skills on the Observer’s Rating Sheet. Then the class observers will compare their ratings and discuss the participants’ performance, starting with the strong points and followed by areas that could be improved.

GUIDELINES FOR OBSERVERS

If you’re an observer in an exercise, you should read everything pertaining to the role-play: the situation, all roles, and the Observer’s Rating Sheet. Your job is to note the role-players’ effective and ineffective application of the relevant skills and then offer feedback based on these observations in a constructive manner so that the role-players and class members can learn from the exercise. During the time the roleplayers plan and organize, observers should review the behavioral criteria and think about how to perform the exercise if they were in the actor’s role. During the role-play, observers evaluate the actor’s

skills using the observer’s rating sheet and make notes of examples of particularly good behaviors and those that need improvement to share during the debriefing. During the debriefing, observers provide examples of effective skill applications and constructive feedback about how to improve.

DEBRIEFING INSTRUCTIONS

After the role-play exercise is completed, the debriefing starts by having the role-players evaluate their own behavior on the Observer’s Rating Sheet that follows the exercise. The observers then provide their ratings of each role-player’s skill behaviors. This will confirm or provide feedback about discrepancies regarding self-perceptions. After the first role-player has shared and received feedback, the process is repeated for other role-players if they are also applying relevant behavioral skills.

STUDENT-CREATED SCRIPTS

As an option to any of the group exercises in the skill chapters, students can create their own scenario and scripts for a 5-minute role-play demonstrating application of relevant chapter skills. Another alternative is to have half the class create and demonstrate role-plays in which actors demonstrate the right way to apply skills and the other half of the class demonstrates the wrong way. While actors in one group are demonstrating either the right or the wrong way, the other groups can act as observers and identify which of the behaviors in that skill are correctly applied or violated for debriefing.

CHAPTER EXERCISE MATERIALS

Following are debriefing notes, suggested answers, and answer keys that support the exercises in Chapters 8and 14. A guide to keeping journals about what you learn in the exercises is also provided. A guide to e-mail etiquette and alternative exercises, cases, and suggestions are provided for each chapter in the Instructor’s Manual.

ATTENTION!

Do NOT look at anything in the following section until told to do so by your instructor.

Chapter 8:Communicating across Cultures

GROUP EXERCISE 1: DEBRIEFING NOTES Cross-cultural conflicts are examples of different action chains based on cultural “recipes” that have a sequence of actions leading to a particular goal. In this case, the action chains didn’t match. Yoshio and Chip come from cultures that have different ways of expressing discomfort. Chip’s background is white working class, and he expresses conflict directly, immediately, and verbally. Yoshio tries to be quiet or give an apology. Because they have different “scripts” about conflict, they didn’t pick up each other’s cues very well. Language is central to culture and identity. Language is a core part of who you are, a boundary between groups. Both these students generally pick friends who come from their own cultural and language background. In this case you could see how language differences created friction and distance between the roommates. It may be difficult to “talk out a problem directly” when the other person comes from a culture where you don’t do that.

GROUP EXERCISE 2: SUGGESTED ANSWERS

1. Instead of: That’s not the point.

Use: That’s an interesting point. That’s another good point. 2. Instead of: I think we should.

Use: I have one possible suggestion. What do you think of this idea? 3. Instead of: What do you think, Mr. Cato?

Use: Does anyone else have any suggestions? Have we heard all the opinions? 4. Instead of: Those figures are not accurate.

Use: I have some other figures here. Those figures may be slightly old. 5. Instead of: You’re doing that wrong.

Use: I would do it like this. Have you tried doing it this way? 6. Instead of: I don’t agree.

Use: I have another idea. What do you think of this idea? May I make a suggestion?

GROUP EXERCISE 3: CLEANING THE VAN CASE—POSSIBLE ANSWERS

The Americans probably thought/felt: •Why clean the van when it doesn’t need it? Stupid. Illogical. Make work. Waste of time. •Cleaning the van that thoroughly is overkill anyway—who cares if a camp van is super clean and shiny every day? •Why are the men students sitting around making the women and American students work? Not fair. •Unreasonable expectations of hard labor. •Don’t feel like a real member of this group. •Isn’t this a day off? •He’s belittling us, singling us out, punishing us, on a power trip. •If he’s treating us like that, I’m not going to “behave.” •If you don’t agree with something it is okay to refuse to participate. •Japanese are rigid, stupid, arrogant (men), humiliatingly obedient (women).

The Japanese senior male students may have thought/felt:

•Responsible for these American kids learning how to behave appropriately in Japan. •We had our turn at the bottom of the heap—our senior year is a time to enjoy a few privileges. •Everyone has their jobs, their roles. Women cook and clean. Men are responsible for the whole program. •Each group has tasks to do and it is important that they do it seriously and well. •Maturity means following form without asking childish questions. •Outward cleaning is connected to inner purity of motive, heart. •Japanese are doing more than their fair share of the work. •Americans are lazy and soft. Self-indulgent. Challenging authority when they are newcomers who know nothing.

The Japanese woman student may have thought/felt: •Important to do assigned work without complaining. •May have just expected Americans to show up and work. •Have to show Americans the right attitude, the right way to do things. •Quiet humbleness is the right attitude to take.

•Didn’t want to interfere with men’s roles as leaders. •(If she was unhappy with situation) didn’t want to instigate conflict with the leaders in front of the

Americans.

Chapter 14:Applying Leadership Style

ANSWER KEY AND RATIONALE FOR GROUP EXERCISE 2: LEADER ADAPTABILITY EXERCISE

Situation 1. A. Emphasize the use of uniform procedures and the necessity for task accomplishment. Rationale: This action (HT/LR) provides the directive leadership needed to increase group productivity in the short run. Situation 2. A. Engage in friendly interaction but continue to make sure that all members are aware of their roles and standards. Rationale: This action (HT/HR) will best facilitate increased group maturity. Although some structure is maintained by seeing that members are aware of their roles and standards, increased consideration is shown by friendly interaction with the group. Situation 3. D. Encourage the group to work on the problem and be available for discussion. Rationale: This action (HR/LT) allows the group to derive its own solution to the problem but makes the leader available to act as a facilitator in this process if necessary. Situation 4. C. Allow the group to formulate its own direction. Rationale: This action (LT/LR) would maximize the involvement of this mature group in developing and implementing the change. Situation 5. C. Redefine goals and supervise carefully. Rationale: This action (HT/LR) provides the directive leadership needed to increase group productivity in the short run. Situation 6. D. Get the group involved in decision making but see that objectives are met. Rationale: This action (HT/HR) best facilitates beginning to humanize the environment. Some structure and direction from the leader are maintained, and socioemotional support and group responsibility are increased gradually by moderate involvement in decision making. If the group handles this involvement well, further increases in socioemotional support become more appropriate.

A GUIDE TO KEEPING JOURNALS

Keeping a journal of your key interpersonal experiences should be a continuing exercise. It is perhaps one of the most important exercises you can do.

Why?

Taking the time to think and write about your interpersonal experiences increases the likelihood that you will be able to look at them from different perspectives and learn from them. Putting experiences into words shifts emotional reactions into more objective analyses. Reviewing entries provides a valuable autobiography of your evolving thinking about interpersonal relations and significant events in your life. Reviews may also enhance your understanding of your own behavior and stimulate thoughts concerning new ways of behaving that you may want to try out. Journal entries can provide a repository of ideas that you may later want to use more formally for papers, pep talks, or speeches. Your journal will help you develop an agenda for personal growth in future interactions. It will save time, help you avoid missing opportunities, and help you achieve your goals.

When?

Write your journal entries as soon as possible after each class session. You should not write journal entries during group meetings because it detracts from the process. Briefly jotting down key words or phrases to serve as a reminder for later reflection can be helpful, however, if done discreetly and briefly.

What?

Try to recapture what happened and why it was significant to you. Include your reactions, feelings, and ideas for application relevant to the interpersonal skills being experienced in the interaction. You can learn from both good examples and bad ones. As a general guide, journal entries should cover: •What happened •The consequences of the interaction •Your feelings and reactions •Insights you gained •Plans for applying your insights in the future In addition to what you learned about the specific skills being focused on during a specific class session, your journal entries can help you track your interpersonal development in general and facilitate the preparation of agendas for future meetings. As you review your journal, make some decisions on what you want to accomplish in the next class meeting. Each weekly log should conclude with a practical agenda for the next class meeting. Make your entries relatively brief and concrete. Ask yourself whether you can use what you write at the next meeting. For example, you might include the following: • Experiences: “Jane ignored me the whole meeting. In general she seems indifferent toward me. Check to see what is going on.” • Behaviors: “I asked John a lot of questions but really did not make much of an effort to understand him. I noticed during the week that I do that quite a bit. I think others should challenge me more when I act like that.” • Feelings: “I’ve been on a high from the last meeting; everyone in the group contacted me, but no one dealt with me as if I were a ‘case,’ even though I cried. I don’t want to be a blubbering slob, but I want to be able to cry at times without feeling I’m betraying my manhood.” • Tracking Establishing and Developing Relationships: For instance, you might write in your log: “I don’t talk to Jane at all, because I think she is rather indifferent to me and I’m attracted to her. I don’t like this combination.”

In general, your interpersonal entries should help you determine what you want to work on, how you can put effort into achieving your goals at each meeting (e.g., not avoiding people who seem distant to you), and keep track of your progress. Some participants keep excellent logs but then fail to use this material in the class meetings. If you are having difficulty using your log material, perhaps it would help to share this with others and let them help you introduce the material into class discussions.

How?

How much you write and how you write it is up to you. Journals are for your own learning, so different people will use different styles. Writing as freely as possible about your own involvement helps you learn about yourself (e.g., what you said or did, why, consequences, etc.). Not feeling involved, or holding back when you want to act, are also worth exploring. Try to determine what implicit assumptions, feelings, underlying motivations, and so on, seem to be “causing” your feelings, thoughts, and actions.

Your journal will be useful for your learning to the extent that you are really searching as you write, and being as open and honest as possible. Explore your feelings, perceptions, evaluations, and questions as much as you can. The journal gives you a chance to reflect and experience more fully and deeply than you may have been able to at the time of the events. It is your private diary for your use only. Be as honest with it as you can.

JOURNAL ENTRY EXAMPLE

Following are some examples of some journal entries related to the interpersonal skill of leadership. They provide a variety of experiences and applications. •I went skiing this weekend and saw the perfect example of a leader adapting her leadership style to her followers and situation. While putting on my skis I saw a ski instructor teaching little kids to ski. She did it using the game “Red Light, Green Light.” The kids loved it and seemed to be doing very well. Later that same day, as I was going to the lodge for lunch, she was teaching adults, and she did more demonstrating than talking. But when she talked she was always sure to encourage them so they did not feel intimidated when some little kid whizzed by. She would say to the adults that it’s easier for children, or that smaller skis are easier. She made the children laugh and learn, and made the adults less self-conscious to help them learn too . . . •Today may not exactly be a topic on leadership, but I thought it would be interesting to discuss. I attended the football game this afternoon and could not help but notice our cheerleaders. I was just thinking of their name in general and found them to be a good example (of leadership). Everyone gets rowdy at a football game, but without the direction of the cheerleaders there would be mayhem. They do a good job of getting the crowd organized and the adrenaline pumping (though of course the game is most important in that too!). It’s just amazing to see them generate so much interest that all of the crowd gets into the cheering. We even chant their stupid-sounding cheers! You might not know any of them personally, but their enthusiasm invites you to try to be even louder than them. I must give the cheerleaders a round of applause . . . •I’ve been thinking about how I used to view/understand leadership, trying to find out how my present attitudes were developed. It’s hard to remember past freshman year, even harder to go past high school. Overall, I think my father has been the single most important influence on my leadership development—long before I even realized it. Dad is a strong “Type A” person. He drives himself hard and demands a great deal from everyone around him, especially his family and especially his only son and oldest child. He was always pushing me to study, practice whatever sport I was involved in at the time, and get ahead of everybody else in every way possible.