Method guide · Arrange people and ideas
Observed Response Practice
Use for voluntary practice with fictional or generalised situations, behaviour-only feedback and explicit stop and support choices.
- People
- 4–16
- Base procedure time
- 45 minutes
- Recording
- Shared record
Purpose: Build working relationships; Make a decision.
English guide
Text acceptance is not approval of this rendered page, its media, or publication.
How this method works
Practise responses safely and learn from observed behaviour. Participation is voluntary; do not use this for personnel evaluation or make audio, video or verbatim records. The practitioner chooses a fictional or generalised situation that may be disclosed and tries one response with a counterpart. Observers write only behaviour seen this time, the counterpart’s response and alternatives, not personality, attributes or ability. Return feedback only with the practitioner’s permission; the practitioner also chooses which alternative to use. Keep only de-identified practical ideas on the shared sheet and return observation sheets to the practitioner or shred them. This description independently adapts Rhizome’s method under the attribution terms shown by the Commons Library. Do not run reenactments involving trauma, employment evaluation or situations that could cause actual harm.
Phase schedule
Minutes are cumulative from the start of the base plan, not a live timer. Read scaling for any additional time. Phase controls do not advance automatically.
Use the arrow keys, Home or End while these controls have focus. The complete phase schedule remains below, including without JavaScript.
- Set voluntary-participation and reenactment boundaries0–5 minutes from the start (5 minutes)
Action: Bound. Participation: Groups of 4–7.
Shared record
- Define roles and behaviour observations5–10 minutes from the start (5 minutes)
Action: Define. Participation: Groups of 4–7.
Shared record
- Try a response to the chosen situation10–20 minutes from the start (10 minutes)
Action: Try. Participation: One practitioner, one counterpart and 2–5 observers.
Shared record
- Return only observed behaviour20–30 minutes from the start (10 minutes)
Action: Return. Participation: One practitioner and 2–5 observers.
Shared record
- Try an alternative and anonymise learning30–45 minutes from the start (15 minutes)
Action: Retry. Participation: Groups of 4–7.
Shared record
Facilitation steps
- For 5 minutes, check voluntary participation, no evaluation or video recording, stopping, role changes, leaving and the real situations that must not be reenacted.
- For 5 minutes, choose a practitioner, counterpart and observers, limiting observations to behaviour, responses and alternatives.
- For 10 minutes, the practitioner tries a response in a situation with a self-chosen disclosure scope, with stopping possible at any time.
- For 10 minutes, after the practitioner permits it, observers return the behaviour seen this time and the counterpart’s response, one item at a time.
- For 10 minutes, the practitioner selects an alternative to use and retries the same situation just once.
- For 5 minutes, put only anonymous practical ideas on the shared sheet, and return observation sheets to the practitioner or shred them on the spot.
If something changes
If
The practitioner indicates stopping, changing roles, observing or leaving even once.
Then
Stop the enactment without asking why and change to the role they choose. Do not retain this as a disadvantage in participation records or evaluation.
If
At least one observation sheet or oral comment evaluates personality, attributes, ability or past failures.
Then
Stop returning feedback and discard that sheet without showing it to the practitioner. Rewrite only behaviour seen this time, the counterpart’s response and alternatives on a new sheet.
If
At least one situation involving trauma, employment evaluation, actual harm or retaliation is introduced.
Then
Stop the simulation and whole-group sharing without recording the content. At the person’s choice, connect them to the confidential consultation route and safety contact identified beforehand.
Preparation
Materials
- Stop, role-change, observer and exit cards: one set per person
- Original situation cards showing disclosure scope and roles: one per practitioner
- Three-field observation sheets for behaviour, the counterpart’s response and alternatives: 2 per observer per round, including one spare
- One shared sheet per group for anonymous learning only
- Broad-tip pens: one per person
- One opaque collection bag per group for shredding used observation sheets
Room and setup
- Display that practice is voluntary, is not used for personnel evaluation, and involves no audio recording, video recording or verbatim records. People may stop, change roles or leave without giving reasons.
- Observers write only behaviour seen this time and the counterpart’s response, not judgements about personality, attributes, ability or the past. Return feedback orally only with the practitioner’s permission.
- Identify a confidential consultation route and safety contact in advance. Do not reenact real situations involving trauma, actual harm or retaliation.
Adjust for people and time
For 4–7 people, use one group with one practitioner, one counterpart and observers. For 8–12 people, use two groups of 4–6; for 13–16, use three groups of 4–6 with no more than one person’s difference in size. Change roles by personal choice. Do not take enactments, observation sheets or passes outside the group. Optionally return only one anonymous practical idea to the whole group.
Safety and non-applicable situations
Participation, role changes, observation and exit are voluntary and require no reason. Do not use personnel evaluation, audio/video recordings, verbatim records or judgements about personal characteristics. Return feedback only with permission, and return or shred observation sheets. Stop unsafe reenactments and sharing, and offer the previously identified confidential support routes at the person’s choice.
Manuscript's recorded references
These translate the original manuscript's source and rights claims. They remain separate from any current-page notice below; they do not establish new verification.
- Commons Library / Rhizome Facilitation Tools and Techniques: Hot Seat
https://commonslibrary.org/facilitation-tools-and-techniques/
CC-BY-SA-4.0 adaptation; changes made
- Conditions applying to CC-BY-SA-4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Diagram, print, and video language
Original Japanese guide, diagram, and print view. Their labels and print text have not been translated; an English print edition is not provided here.
English video-library navigation. Original Japanese audio, subtitles and transcripts remain labelled Japanese resources. Their translations are separate later work. No remote player is embedded here.
The manual English phase controls are a navigation aid, not a live facilitation timer. Interactive diagram motion remains pending.
Editorial provenance
Japanese source status and logs are provenance only. They do not mean this English text or interface was field-tested. Historical fixed-text acceptance and hold records remain specific to their recorded versions; displaying them neither asserts current acceptance nor resolves source-specific restrictions.