Debriefing the Debrief

33 Pages Posted: 18 Apr 2013

See all articles by Ellen E. Deason

Ellen E. Deason

Ohio State University (OSU) - Michael E. Moritz College of Law

Yael Efron

Zefat Academic College - School of Law; Mitchell Hamline School of Law; Hebrew University - Faculty of Law; University of Missouri

Ranse William Howell

Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR)

Sanda Kaufman

Cleveland State University

Joel Lee

National University of Singapore (NUS) - Faculty of Law

Sharon Press

Mitchell Hamline School of Law Dispute Resolution Institute

Date Written: April 16, 2013

Abstract

The debriefing process is a critical element of simulation exercises, which are a common technique used in negotiation and mediation education. The debriefing step provides the opportunity for self- and group-reflection that enables students to turn a “game” into a learning experience. This chapter considers this aspect of negotiation pedagogy from both theoretical and practical perspectives. It emphasizes the importance of developing goals, not only for each exercise, but for each debrief. It outlines the characteristics of an effective debrief, contrasting an inductive approach with a deductive approach. Based on the authors’ experience in multiple teaching and training settings, the chapter identifies common challenges to debriefing and suggests ways to approach them, including ideas for designing debriefing structures. As an organizing technique, it provides a series of functional steps for conducting a debrief. The chapter concludes with a section on ideas for tailoring debriefing for the context of university education and executive workshops and for specific audiences based on the academic discipline, background of participants, native language, and culture.

Keywords: negotiation, mediation, simulation, simulated exercise, experiential learning, debrief, ADR, negotiation pedagogy

JEL Classification: K40, K49

Suggested Citation

Deason, Ellen E. and Efron, Yael and Howell, Ranse William and Kaufman, Sanda and Lee, Joel and Press, Sharon, Debriefing the Debrief (April 16, 2013). Ohio State Public Law Working Paper No. 202, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2251940 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2251940

Ellen E. Deason (Contact Author)

Ohio State University (OSU) - Michael E. Moritz College of Law ( email )

55 West 12th Avenue
Columbus, OH 43210
United States
614-688-5794 (Phone)
614-688-8422 (Fax)

Yael Efron

Zefat Academic College - School of Law ( email )

11 Jerusalem St.
Zefat, 13206
Israel

Mitchell Hamline School of Law ( email )

875 Summit Ave
St. Paul, MN 55105-3076
United States

Hebrew University - Faculty of Law ( email )

Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, 91905
Israel

University of Missouri ( email )

307 Hulston Hall
820 Conley Avenue
Columbia, MO 65211
United States

Ranse William Howell

Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) ( email )

London
United Kingdom

Sanda Kaufman

Cleveland State University ( email )

Cleveland, OH 44115
United States

Joel Lee

National University of Singapore (NUS) - Faculty of Law ( email )

469G Bukit Timah Road
Eu Tong Sen Building
Singapore, 259776
Singapore

Sharon Press

Mitchell Hamline School of Law Dispute Resolution Institute ( email )

875 Summit Ave
St. Paul, MN 55105-3076
United States
651-290-6436 (Phone)

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