| Aim | The aim of this activity I to gain confidence to initiate small talks during our everyday social situations. |
| Trainee profile | Any. People with special needs can participate as long as they are able to express themselves. |
| Learning Objectives | To cooperate in talking through a social problem.
To accept and act towards potential solutions to social problems. To practice communication and social skills in a safe, non-threatening environment. |
| n° participants | The ideal number is 12 people |
| Duration | 25 minutes |
| Materials | A board with written questions (specified below) |
| Preparation | Prepare the space so that the participants are able to discuss it in groups. |
| Implementation | 1. Discuss with the participants whether it is difficult for them to start a discussion during certain social situations (workplace, party, school, etc.). Explain that the following activity is a role play for social situations to practice such discussions. Facilitate a discussion for 5 minutes.
2. Divide the participants into groups of four people and give them one category of social situations: “Workplace”, “At a party” and “One on One”. 3. Provide the following questions to the groups to get inspired on their respective topic: Workplace “How was your commute in this morning?” “Do you have any ideas to help kick off this project?” “What are your priority tasks that need attention right now?” “Is there anything I can do to help you with project?” “I could really use your input/advice on project.” At a party “How do you know (host’s name)?” “Are you enjoying yourself?” “I really like your outfit. Where did you get it?” “This music is interesting. What kind of music do you usually listen to?” “Let’s head over to the food/drink table.”
One on One “How are you doing?” “Are you enjoying your day/week?” “How did you get involved in (activity).” “The weather is today.” “What are you up to today?” “Hope you’re staying safe and well.”
Replies (valid in all settings) “That’s good.” “Really?” “That sounds interesting.” “Thanks for the feedback/insight.” “Good, glad to hear it.” “Wow.”
4. Have the groups prepare and roleplay a similar social situation of 3 minutes. Invite them to imagine the situation is set in a real context. 5. Ask the groups to discuss and identify others, they replied they would have liked to say to better their social interaction. |
| Debriefing | Have all participants gathered up in a circle and discuss the following questions:
Do you think it is helpful to practice social discussion as a role play? Do you usually practice it with friends? How can role play help us build social skills? How can these apply in our everyday life? |
| Tips and hints | Keep track of the time and remind the participants. |
| Safety measures | Select a quiet space. |
| Added value | Participants increase awareness on their personal attitude by practising everyday social situations. |
| Variances | A more advanced role play could be about finding solution to a social problem. The group defines a social problem and then brainstorms on solutions. Then, they rank the effort for each solution (1-easy, 5-hard) and then decide what to apply. |
| Suggested readings | https://s4eg.eu/communication/
Role play scenarios: https://busyteacher.org/classroom_activities-speaking/roleplays/ https://www.niu.edu/citl/resources/guides/instructional-guide/role-playing.shtml |