Writing Short-Plays

From Peacebuilding

Contents 1 Purpose 2 Time 3 Participants 4 Materials 5 Process 6 Debriefing 7 Note 8 Handout: Some Help for Writing a Role-Play

Purpose

To have participants writing short/simple scenarios for negotiation role-plays;

Time

At least 1 hour.

Participants

Any number.

Materials

• Copies of the handout “Some help for writing a role-play” (see below);
• Papers and pencils;
• Computers for participants, if available (optional);
• Post It(tm) (optional).

Process

I) Tell participants that with this activity they will be asked to write short role-play scenarios (max 250 words) to practice negotiation. They will be asked to work individually but sharing of ideas between participants is encouraged.

II) Distribute the handouts and allow sufficient time for reading. Make sure the task is understood.

III) Ask participants to take care that others will be able to read their scenarios (calligraphy). Start the writing. Walk the room and provide assistance when needed.

IV) When finished, ask participants to hang their works on the wall (you can prepare in advance a specific space for that).

V) Ask participants to read the different scenarios and vote their preferences (you can assign three Post Itä to each participant and ask to distribute these between the works they like most; alternatively you can ask them to mark these with their pencils).

VI) Count the votes and celebrate the winners.

Debriefing

No debriefing needed.

Note

Alternatives to this process include:

• You can think of a voting system that allows for more than three scenarios to emerge.

• This process will provide several role-plays that can actually be played. The advise is: let participants play the scenarios; use these throughout the workshop.

• You can modify the task: instead of a 250-word scenario you can ask for a 50 or 100 word scenario. Generally, easier scenarios allow for more improvisation from players while more detailed ones can “freeze” spontaneity. Even a two-line scenario can provide action for several hours of debriefing. For instance, you can make a contest between participants on who writes the shortest best scenario for a negotiation role-play. Also you can have several pairs of participants playing the same very-short scenario and conduct in-between debriefing session in order to analyse and improve performances.

• You can ask participants to write multi-party role-play scenarios (with 3, 4, 5 or more parties). Consider that writing scenarios with more the two parties can be quite complicate, thus allow necessary time and provide help.

Handout: Some Help for Writing a Role-Play

Your task

You task is to design a scenario for a role-play between two parties that involves negotiation skills. Your scenario shouldn’t be longer than 250 words, including roles for both parties.

The essential element

Conflict is an essential element of this kink of role-plays. You can create conflict, for instance, by supplying different information to each player, by describing incompatible personalities, attitudes or backgrounds, and by creating contrasting goals or hidden agendas.

One example - A Dinner Quarrel

Role 1, husband

You are Ilyas, 37, agricultural worker. It is 7.00 pm and you have just finished your shift at the farm. A hard day, it’s harvesting season and you have been on a 10-hour shift since weeks. You have just returned back home, to find that dinner is not ready yet. Your wife has just entered with the kids - they too will have to eat. You are damn hungry and it seems like it will take another hour before eating. This has become routine at home. Your wife doesn’t seem to understand that you need to eat at 7.00 pm. Now, you are going to confront her to make sure dinner is ready in time in the future.

Role 2, wife

You are Selma, 34, housewife with a husband and two kids. It has been a hard day. Up at 6.00 AM you prepared breakfast for everybody, dressed up kids and walked them to school. At 8.30 you went to the market, got back home carrying several bags. You washed and ironed clothes, cleaned the house. At 4.00 PM you fetched the kids. On the way back home, you stopped at the park, in order to let the kids meet their friends and play. Then you rushed home, to find your husband quarrelling: “it’s late and dinner is not ready”. This is routine, he doesn’t understand you work hard the whole the whole day. You are going o confront him and make sure he understands it.