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1.5
The Role of Values in Collaborative Discussion
Submitted by Jack Byrd Jr.
This activity encourages participants to reflect upon and identify their personal values and to explore the role that values play in group discussions.
Learning Goals
Identify different kinds of values that are commonly embedded in a discussion.
Better understand how personal values can inform contributions in discussions.
Instructions
Set Up: Prepare for the Activity
Organize participants into small groups (5-6 ppl).
Begin by introducing the learning goals of this activity.
Step One: Craft Three Individual Value Statements (10 min)
Offer a few minutes for each participant to quietly craft their own value statements.
Share the following prompts:
What values are most important to you as a person? For example, maybe it is self-sufficiency, environmental sustainability, or justice. Write down your top values.
Take your top three values and craft value statements. For example, “I value personal responsibility. I believe that I, alone, am responsible for my actions.”
Step Two: Share Value Statements (10 min)
Within small groups, ask participants to share their value statements with at least one other person. Discussion partners can ask questions about value statements but they should not make comments or share judgments. For example, discussion partners might ask:
Where does this value come from? Was it taught to you or did you learn it some other way?
Can you share with me a time when you acted on this value?
Step Three: Practice Listening for Values in Discussions (30 min)
Craft a discussion prompt that is relevant for your group, or select one from the list of What IF… Scenarios.
In small groups, encourage participants to engage in honest discussion for about ten minutes. Allow enough time for everyone in the group to respond to the prompt.
Ask each group to pause the discussion and take a step back. Instruct participants to not worry about who was most convincing. Instead, as a group, ask them to identify which values informed their opinions. Prompts:
Which values informed the perspectives of people in your group?
How might someone else, not present in your group, respond to the prompt? What values would be informing their opinion?
Step Four: Debrief as a Full Group (10 min)
Discuss:
How does shifting the focus on values change the way you engage with others in discussion?
Which values seem most common and which seem to be outliers or less common? What does this tell us about our group?
TIME
60
min
MODULE
Introduction to Collaborative Discussion
This activity can be completed by any discussion group.
This activity can be used to build trust and interpersonal connection.
This activity can be used to support facilitation skills. See Sample Facilitation Certificate Program Design to illustrate sample sequencing.
This activity is suitable for professional or more formal learning environments.
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0 Comments
YD
November 29, 2022 at 6:21:35 AM
Activity 3.6 in an innovative activity that encourages detailed thinking about and evaluation of proposed solutions by thinking of not just the intended, but also unintended consequences.
YD
November 29, 2022 at 6:15:22 AM
Activity 3.5 uses visual aids and worksheets to explore a topic in detail from multiple angles. Pretending you are an alien to look at an issue from new perspectives is fun!
YD
November 29, 2022 at 6:11:26 AM
Activity 3.4 uses detailed prompts and twists to encourage participants to move beyond binary thinking, which allows to them to recognize the grey areas of decision-making.
YD
November 29, 2022 at 6:07:44 AM
Activity 3.3 uses visual methods to uncover assumptions and biases, as well as help practice "suspending" these assumptions during a discussion.
YD
November 29, 2022 at 6:05:57 AM
Activity 3.2 uses visual cues to easily bring awareness to the emotions of participants in a discussion and help them understand the changing flow and impact of emotions in a discussion..
YD
November 29, 2022 at 5:59:34 AM
Activity 3.1 offers a very detailed step-by-step process to evaluate your thinking in real time while discussing an issue.
YD
November 29, 2022 at 2:20:17 AM
Activity 2.8 is a fun and engaging activity that helps develop a positive, hopeful and empowering way of thinking by using an innovative method to break free of constraints on imagination and recognize the potential that exists in the present situation, which could lead to the ideal future or solution. It also offers a method to imagine the actionable steps on a pathway from the present to that future.
YD
November 29, 2022 at 2:13:29 AM
Activity 2.7 uses metaphors to explore the place of imagination and humor in exploring difficult or unfamiliar topics.
YD
November 29, 2022 at 2:10:50 AM
Activity 2.6 is another fun activity that encourages flexible thinking and a method of communication built on validation and respect, resulting in an environment of collaboration.
YD
November 29, 2022 at 2:02:30 AM
Activity 2.5 is fun activity that helps you let loose and unleash your playful side to help demonstrate how play is very useful to broadening perspectives.