The Common Ground Network for Life and Choice Manual

Appendix 4.5
FACILITATOR TRAINING ROLEPLAY HANDOUTS:
Practicing Fostering Communication and Dealing with Emotion
These handouts are intended to be used with the role-playing exercise described in the
preceding Workshop Facilitation Training Plan (paragraph VIII of Appendix 4.4.)
Paragraph numbers refer to the numbered paragraphs in Appendix 4.1, General
Guidelines for Facilitation Part 5, “Fostering Communication and Dealing with
Emotion.” The idea is for facilitators to practice using the specific technique described in
the lettered paragraph with the kind of statements and feelings that might come up in a
dialogue on abortion.
PARTNER A
Reflecting the Speaker’s Feelings [emotion, not content] [Para. b]
(Read with feeling)
1) The girls coming to the clinic are afraid, embarrassed, some are crying. They are so
vulnerable. I could just belt them when angry pro-lifers shout and scream at these poor kids.
All they want is a little peace.
2) I'm supposed to ignore the appalling violence going on inside the clinics. That's legalized
murder; and I'm powerless to stop it.
3) When I hear male clergy or male politicians making grand pronouncements about what's
happening in my body, it makes my blood boil.
4) I feel like an alien in my own country. There are no morals. Nobody cares what kind of
values our children are being taught. It's a desperate situation. This country's going to pot
and we've got to do something!
Turning Accusatory and Provocative Questions into Genuine Questions [Para. c]
1) You want the government to take over women’s lives, don’t you?
2) Don’t you care about babies being murdered?