Toolkit – Soft skills

Demo roleplay

You invite the customer into the shop, and ask questions about what they are interested in buying, paying attention to concretize further what the customer wants.

E.g. the customer says they need self-confidence, the shopkeeper (you) can say they have this product range, but need to know what kind of self-confidence? When does the customer want to use it most? Etc.

After choosing the exact product (e.g. self-confidence when speaking in front of a group of strangers), time to come up with a price: what are you willing to give for it? You should negotiate, and not accept the first answer if that’s a too low price. In the above example the customer might pay this way: ‘I will practise 2x a week in front of a mirror’ and ‘The next week I’ll look for a group where I have the opportunity to speak, like a language exchange’

Role-play in pairs

After the scene, you explain that now that they have seen this business model, they can open their own shops. Participants are put in pairs. One is the shopkeeper, the other is the customer. They repeat the scene, buying and selling skills, attitudes etc. After 5-10 minutes they reverse roles. After the second round everyone can share what they bought and at what price; this part is optional. Group members can say if they already have items others bought (and shared it with the group), and how they acquired them.

Collage making

Give every participant blank paper, a pair of scissors and paper glue. Prepare some magazines with pictures on them which they can use to create a collage.

The collage should then show them having paid the price of their ‘goods’ and they are in full possession of them; e.g.; the goal they want to achieve with the “bought product”.

At the end, everyone can put their own artwork on the ground and the participants observe each other’s without commenting.

Closing round – Ask them “what has been the most significant for you in this activity? Is there anything you are happy/unhappy about?”

Give everyone some masking tape, and demonstrate how they can use it to make an empty frame on the floor. When showing an example, make sure the size of the frame is big enough to fit personal objects in them.

When everyone completes their own empty frame, tell them to create a self-portrait in them. For this they can only use objects that they have in their pockets and bags, no writing or drawing is allowed. Give the group enough time so that everyone can finish their image.

When everyone is ready, provide everyone with a marker. Tell them that they have some time to go around the room and observe all the portraits. They are invited to give every image a title, and write it on the frame (the masking tape) with their marker.

Let everyone read the titles they have been given by the group, and hold a group discussion about the process and the titles. Suggested questions for the discussion:

• How was the activity?
• How much do you think your portrait reflects you?
• Which titles that you received do you like most?
• Are there any titles that you don’t like?
• Would you like to change anything in your portrait?

Explain the rules to the participants. You can use the online tutorial too in the participants’ language.

Play the game.

You can link this activity to other CirculART-e activities such as the Business Logo Design. Players can choose one of professions they “gained” during the game and create their business logos related to it.

Sharing stars & expanding self-knowledge

After having completed the star individually, participants are invited to “go around, stop with another person and tell each other about your own star. If the other person mentions a strength that belongs to you and that you had not thought of, you can add it to your star and mark those that are the same”.

Short debriefing (15’)

Ask participants how this first phase was: was it easy to write down your own qualities? How was it to listen to others’ stars?

Sense-making qualities – individual work

Invite participants to look at their own star individually and analyse the strengths identified using the questions in the sheet

Sharing strengths in pairs

After the individual self-reflection, participants are invited to come into pairs and tell each-other the result of the sense-making work (previous individual process). This might help participants to clarify their ideas on how to approach new steps.

Depending on the people attending the workshop, you will choose the most useful technique to form pairs (randomly, decided by the group, decided by the facilitator)

One will play the role of star-teller, the other the listener. Inform participants that after 15 minutes you will ring a bell (or any other sign) to switch the role.

Before starting you can offer some suggestions on how to approach the role of the listener, by making a small simulation (you can use the handouts – Tips for active listening)

Debriefing

Sit in a circle, whoever wants is invited to share the experience of sharing as a couple: “how did you feel?”, “was it easier to listen or tell?”, “did you discover something new?”, “has your perspective on your future goals changed as a result of this workshop?”, “what do you take home from this workshop?”

What are strengths? Watch this video