Reasoning
Key message/Summary
The objective of this exercise is to find a lot of reasons (arguments) for or against something spontaneously. We train to take a clear position by saying a ‘pro’ or a ‘contra’ argument. This shows how different the fields (“topoi”) can be, where reasons for something can be found.
LessKey message/Summary
The objective of this exercise is to find a lot of reasons (arguments) for or against something spontaneously. We train to take a clear position by saying a ‘pro’ or a ‘contra’ argument. This shows how different the fields (“topoi”) can be, where reasons for something can be found.
Key message/Summary
The objective of this exercise is to find a lot of reasons (arguments) for or against something spontaneously. We train to take a clear position by saying a ‘pro’ or a ‘contra’ argument. This shows how different the fields (“topoi”) can be, where reasons for something can be found.
- Duration
- 15 min
- 30 min
- Module
- Prevention
- Group size
- small
- medium
- large
- Group age
- 16 - 19
- 20 - 24
Exercise Category: Activities / Exercises
CC - Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Purpose
- Learn how to argument
- Recognize both “sides of the coin”
- To learn how to think from the other perspectives
- To understand the point of view of others
- Overcoming limiting beliefs
Description
The participants stand in a circle. The facilitator asks the question and gives a ball/stone to the person to her right. She has to find a pro – reason then she passes the ball to the girl to her right and she has to find a contra-reason. This continues in this way. The goal is that the ball goes around very fast.
Pro and contras for different issues:
- Opinion about daily issues: “Chocolate-Ice-Cream is good/bad, because…”
- Opinion about a known person: “I like/dislike xxx (for example. the pope, Madonna, a politician of your country, ...), because s/he …”
- Opinion about the actual situation: “We should/not/do this exercise for the next 20 minutes, because …”
- Opinion about this group: “We should/not/do the next workshop session on a sailing boat, because …”
- Opinion about a concern of society: “In our country young women should/ not/have the same duty to go to the military, as young men do, because…”
Variations (advanced level):
To articulate the premise you make, the person used / To relate to the premise the person said before / To have two balls going around
Feedback
- Did you find it easy to find a “Pro” and “Contra”-Reason?
- How do the questions relating to the issues leading to the formulation of our reasons differ?
- What are issues and what are situations when is it not productive to think in “pro” and “contra” arguments?
Materials needed
Ball / Stone
Methodology
Group dynamic exercise
Advice for Trainer
The “We should /not/ do”- issues are the ones, which have the potential to be discussed in the debate. Make the group aware of this in the feedback-round to prepare the following.
Source / Literature
Women without borders. (2006). Young Women Fit for Politcs. Retreived from www.women.without.borders.org