Theoretical input – basic moderating skills (Mini lecture and role play) • Active listening: Providing participants with verbal and non-verbal feedback as they speak to affirm that you understand what they are saying, as well as summarising key points. • Asking probing questions: Asking participants questions in order to clarify the information that they are providing for the rest of the group, as well as highlighting the key, underlying concerns in the statements that they are making. • Summarising: At key points in a meeting, providing concise descriptions of what has been discussed and concluded by the dialogue group in order to move them forward. • Reframing/laundering: Restating or reinterpreting statements by individual participants so as to help others to hear and understand them in a way that enables progress to be made, often in a less emotional light. • Reading body language and interactions: Observing the non-verbal way participants behave in order to better understand their feelings on specific issues and relationships. • Identifying the personality types of the participants: It is important for moderators to identify the personality types of the persons that they will be dealing with. In this way, they will be able to develop strategies to deal with each type in a distinct way. As indicated in this module, there are three basic personality types, namely bystanders/ apathetic citizens, victims/aggressors and problem solvers. Objective: Practical application of the skills The trainer should develop a series of activities that will help participants to practise these skills. The activities below allow participants to practise all of them simultaneously. Trainers should choose one of the two activities, based on the availability of technical equipment. It is recommended that the trainer design the materials used for these exercises specifically for each group being trained. Alternatively, a series of individual games could be assembled to practice each skill individually. Exercise / ‘Observing speakers’ STEP 1: Divide the participants into groups of two or three. STEP 2: Show participants a video clip, with the sound turned off, of someone speaking on a topic. STEP 3: Ask participants to discuss and answer the following questions: • What does this person’s body language tell you about him or her? • What does the body language tell you about the topic being discussed? • How do you think other participants might respond to him or her? STEP 4: Show participants the video again, but now with the sound turned on. STEP 5: Ask participants to discuss and answer the following questions: • How do you read this person’s body language now? What emotions is this person displaying? Module 3: Dialogue in community healing » 59 3