Step 5: Roleplay

The participants reenact the micro-aggression they reflected on at the start of the training. They have discussed how they were feeling, what they have learned, what they could do better, and what they want to do better in the future. This is their moment to practice that with the tools and phrases they have produced while brainstorming (10 minutes, 5 minutes per round).

The facilitator describes the script as follows:

1. Participant A is the target, and they inform participant B that what they have done was hurtful and offensive to them (does not need to be made explicit, it is clear in the mind of the participant and the other participant can use imagination to play their part).
2. Participant B uses new insights, tools, and phrases to respond in a non-defensive way, validate the target, give them what they need, then take a moment to process their own feelings away from the target.
3. Once participant B has processed their feelings, the roles are flipped for the participants, and they start at 1 again.