Social+Problem+Solving

Welcome to our workshop on Social Problem Solving!



Today we are going to teach you some strategies that you can use to solve a lot of different social problems you might run into in your everyday lives. Social problems are problems that happen between you and other people. These can be problems with your teachers, peers, parents, siblings or anyone else you interact with. These problems can happen at anytime for a lot of different reasons which can make it hard to know what to do or how to solve the problem. That's where we come in...

Step One: Noticing Social Cues Social cues are hints we use to figure out what someone else is feeling or thinking when we are interacting with them. Sometimes we are so worried about what we are going to say to someone or how that person is going to react to what we say that we forget to take the time to look at the person's body language, facial expressions, or vocal cues. Practice noticing facial expressions in photographs and magazines  Listen to vocal cues in movies or audio recordings   Practice observing body language cues while watching others interact or in movies   Practice noticing your own social cues through narratives or role playing then ask your partner to tell you what cues you were showing   Make an effort to focus and make eye contact when interacting with others   Pause your verbal dialogue to notice non-verbal cues Some common things to look for: How close is the person standing to me? Check the body: arms crossed? hand gestures? eye contact? long stares? Check the voice: inflection, tone?

media type="youtube" key="JYV2_AdiZJQ" height="315" width="560" Activity Time! Break into your pre-assigned groups  Find examples of body and facial cues in these magazines   Cut out some of the best examples and place them in your notebooks   Label these images with how your group interprets these cues Step Two: Interpreting Social Cues

How we interpret social cues really changes the way we might respond to any given situation or problem. If you interpret someone as being mad but they are really just confused this could cause an even bigger problem. Know that it is okay to check your perceptions:  This means asking questions like "Are we okay?" "Are you okay?" "Did I do something wrong?" "Are you thinking what I think you might be thinking?" Create a social cues reference guide including examples of body language, facial cues, and notes on vocal cues  Always think about the way emotions and cues are related Step Three: Formulating Social Goals Social goals help us to figure out how we are going to respond in order to get the best result.

Break it down: Set achievable goals that handle one situation, one problem at a time then build from there Plan it out: Think about how you would respond to a variety of situations before they happen Work with a teacher or other trusted adult to figure out appropriate responses Work with friends to brainstorm types of responses

Step Four: Problem Solving Strategies

Having planned strategies can really help when you get into a situation you are not sure how to handle.

“Avoid and Escape.” For kids who are bullied:“Avoid the people who bully you and situations where you get bullied. If you find yourself in one, escape as soon as you can. Get out of there. In fact, the best way to deal with any threatening situation is avoid and escape. You avoid the situation: don't sit at that lunch table. Or you escape: Don’t be the victim. Get up and go to another table.” The Turtle Technique- stop, take a long deep breath, state the problem and how you feel Role Playing- Practice reacting to different situations with people you trust Problem Solving Steps:  State the problem, gather information from self and others, think of possible solutions, evaluate each solution,   choose the best, mutually acceptable solution, try out the solution, evaluate the solution, decide what to do next time. Activity Time! We are going to practice with some strategies! In your groups we are going to give you a type of social conflict  Role play how your group might have this problem    Give feedback on what worked and what didn't work

Step Five: Evaluate Effectiveness of Strategies It is important to take the time to make sure the strategy you chose was the best fit for the problem. If you are having a fight with a close friend but you choose the avoid and escape strategy, you will most likely lose your friendship altogether. “Let’s Try an Experiment…”    Next time try doing this...see what happens? What were you hoping would happen? What else can we try? Step Six: Enact Response An important part to handling problems better in the future is taking what you learned from past problems and using that information to respond more effectively in the future. View mistakes as learning opportunities and don't get too caught up in what you did wrong. Think about how you can fix it and what you can do better next time!

Positive Self-Talk Journal Reflections