The training methods used within this tool, will enhance learners:

• Understanding on what empathy is and why it is important
• Perspective-taking competences
• Communication - including communicating empathy - skills
• Skills needed for teamwork
• The chosen language skills

After the completion of the activity, learners will:

• Have developed a deeper understanding of what empathy is and why is it important
• Have practiced some qualities of empathy such as perspective taking (cognitive empathy) skills and communicating empathy
• Have improved grammar and vocabulary skills (practicing: present continuous, present simple, future tenses and related vocabulary)

This activity can be most effectively performed by 10 - 25 participants, divided in smaller groups.

For this activity the needed time is 40-50 minutes, structured as follows:

• Icebreaker “Making connections” (5 min) – can be found as Annex 2 of the present tool.
• Introduction to aim and rationale of training materials and content (10 min.)
• Exercise1 - Perspective taking (20 min.)
• Discussion about the exercise (5 min.)
• Close up (5 min)

• Computer with projector; internet connection;
• ppt about questions you are going to pose;
• handouts – (to be found in the resources section of the present tool);
• paper and pen;
• flipchart/whiteboard with pens for taking sum-up notes.

Perspective-taking 


1. Introduce your lesson with an icebreaker which is also built on making connections, finding out some common aspects about each other.
2. Give a short introduction to what is empathy by inviting participants to watch the video on empathy by Brené Brown.
3. Explain the aims of this exercise, i.e. putting oneself in the position of another individual and empathizing with that individual and the problem they are experiencing. This exercise creates a safe place to empathize with others and feel others empathize with your problem (R. Powers & K. Kirkpatrick, personal communication, April 25, 2009)
4. Divide the participants into groups of three or four. Have them sit in a circle.
5. Make sure each trainee has half-sheet note cards.
6. Have each group member write down a problem/issue/conflict that they are currently dealing with in their lives on the card.
7. Have them drop the cards in a pile in the middle of the group and then have each member randomly pick a card from the pile.
8. Taking turns each group member has to read the contents of the card as if the problems were their own.
9. After each card is read all group members are then to give advice and feedback, including the member whose problem was being presented, to the person speaking.
10. The person speaking should act like this is their problem the entire time that they are receiving advice. It is important that they know that for the entirety of this exercise this is their problem. At no point should group members reveal themselves as the owners of a problem that was read by someone else. This would defeat the purpose of the exercise.

• Tips for trainers
• Round up this exercise by discussing with the group about the following:
  
  
  • How did it feel to take on someone else’s problem as your own?
  • How did it feel to hear someone else living your problem?
  • What was it like giving advice on your own problem?     
  
  As you are using this exercise in a language teaching lesson, the aim of this lesson could be practicing empathy, feelings related vocabulary, alongside improving grammar skills. For example, present [A1] continuous tense could be used while trainees are writing down their problems they are currently dealing with, present simple to be used, while trainees are presenting the content of the card and future tense while team members are trying to solve each other’s problems. Trainees at the end of the lesson would have gained perspective-taking competences.

The exercise can be done without dividing the group in smaller teams but in this case, will take much longer.

• Exercise 1
• The PMI – Plus, Minus and Interesting exercise is taken from Edward de Bono's book de Bono's Thinking Course. It is a highly effective and elegantly simple three-minute exercise which can well fit in your lesson.
  
  It entails having teams spend
  - one-minute identifying as many pluses, or good points, as they can about a certain idea, emotion or situation; then
  - another minute identifying all the minuses, or negative points; and finally
  - a third minute identifying aspects of the idea, emotion or situation that are neither positive nor negative—but rather interesting.
  
  So first, you need to divide your learners in smaller teams. Define the idea, emotion or situation they are going to identify the pluses, minuses and interesting things about. In your language lesson, you can also set which parts of the lesson should also be practiced through this exercise. You can also outline the certain vocabulary for the idea, emotion or situation learners are identifying the PMIs for, but in order to practice, choose one from the previously used ones.
  
  Going back to the exercise, at first it may appeal, that you are already doing a good job by considering ideas from multiple perspectives, but de Bono suggests otherwise. He thinks that we are prone to support and justify primarily the opinion which we understood already and we are familiar with. By favouring our general perception, we become closed to opposing viewpoints. Why consider other views after all when we know we're right?
  
  But nevertheless, completing this exercise might lead to completely changing one’s viewpoint in relation to certain things, emotions. Having one minute per round may seem too little time, but the brevity of the exercise is one of its strongest features. Participants attention becomes focused on carrying out the task and the one-minute time allows just enough time to jot down answers without analysing or thinking too much about them. For this reason, it is very important not the change to time limits within the exercise.
  
  Through this exercise change in mindset without no outside intervention or influence can be achieved. A PMI might be just the exercise to help shed light on alternatives.
• Exercise 2
• The purpose of this exercise is to promote listening, and taking on the other person's perspective when disagreement occurs. It should be done in pairs, and it takes around 15-30 minutes.
  
  The subjects/topics you can cover with this exercise are conflict, communication, listening, perspective taking, understanding others, managing disagreement. In addition to that, you can define the grammar and vocabulary topics you would like to practice with your students within this exercise.
  
  Begin by letting learners to pick partners and choose a topic from a previously prepared list.
  
  Encourage them to choose a pair of topics where they have pre-existing and opposite viewpoints. They should tackle the topic from both sides, each member of the pair taking his/her point of view.
  
  For example, one person believes the toilet paper should roll over the top while the other believes the paper should roll from the bottom. Once a topic is agreed upon and it has been decided which partner will take which side of the argument, give them their objective. Make sure that they understand that they need to gain a thorough understanding of each other’s viewpoints. The task they will need to perform afterward is, that in the big group, eventually, each partner will take on the other person’s role – the role that it is opposite of his/her own position.
  
  In order to play the other role convincingly, participants should interview each other. They should be able to find out as much as possible about the other viewpoint as to get into character when it comes to play the role of the opposing viewpoint. Emphasize that you will be expecting them to make the rest of the group believe their character.
  • QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON AT THE END OF THE ACTIVITY
  • • When you were asking questions to research your part, how well did you listen?
    • How was this listening different from the way we usually listen?
    • When we have opposite beliefs, do we usually take the time to understand the other person’s viewpoint? If not, why not?
    • What did it feel like to engage in dialogue? Where can we use this skill?
    • Where your vocabulary and grammar skills development exercises implemented as planned?
    • Did your students use the pre-set vocabulary and verb tenses?
    • Did your trainees improve?