Dr Paul Donovan, Maynooth University School of Business, has recently had some of his research into learning accepted for publication in Management Teaching Review. He co-authored this paper The Role of Debate in Moving Minds with John Townsend, formerly CEO of the Master Trainer Institute in Geneva.
This paper shows a case study where role debate enabled call agents to gain a greater grasp of their organization’s customer service policy. In role debates participants, working in pairs, take up opposing stances on a given issue. After a few minutes debating, participants switch roles and argue the opposite to their initial stance. This allows for issues to be considered from many perspectives and for attitudes to adjust. Role debate has a wide applicability for teachers and facilitators in numerous settings.
Instructions on how to design and conduct as well as several examples of role debates are given.
Further information on Dr. Paul Donovan's research can be found here.