How do we communicate with each other?
Use the opportunity to introduce the concept Domination Techniques:
A Norwegian sociologist Berit Aas identified almost forty years ago five domination techniques that she says are used by men in order to "keep women in their place".
The five that she identified are:
- Making the speaker feel stupid (for instance laughing at the wrong places when a woman is making a speech, or obviously not paying attention to what she says)
- Making the speaker feel invisible ( the woman's idea is never commented on, but the man who picks up her idea shortly afterwards is the one who gets the praise)
- Withholding information (the men might meet before a meeting or for an informal get-together where the agenda is discussed and plans are made. The woman never gets this information and is therefore less able to participate actively)
- Making people feel guilty (When people say things like "How can you leave your mother at home to do all the work?")
- "You are damned if you do and damned if you don’t" ( People might say to a young mother, "Young mothers should stay at home with their children" and at the same time complain, "Young women never participate in public debates")
These domination techniques are probably used not only by men, and there may be more than these five. The important thing
is to be able to recognise domination techniques when they are being used against yourself or against somebody else. When
you experience that one of these techniques is used, make sure you comment on it in stead of allowing it to affect your self
confidence.
Brain storming:
Ask the participants to come up with more examples of domination techniques
For you the trainer: Write all the ideas on the flip chart, making sure all participants feel that their ideas are welcome. Remember never to comment on a suggestion during a brainstorming. Don't stop the creative flow! You can discuss the ideas afterwards
Aim: To raise awareness about the domination techniques.
The time it takes: 15-20 minutes
This may be done as an oral exercise in the plenary. Talk about the suggestions afterwards.
Listening exercise
Aim: To make participants aware of some domination techniques.
The time it takes: 15 minutes for the stories, 15 minutes to talk about it in the plenary
How: 1. Ask a volunteer to stand in front of the group and tell a short story. The audience is asked to listen attentively.
2. Ask another volunteer to tell another story. This time the audience is asked to turn their backs to the speaker. They are
quiet, but not looking at the speaker
Ask the volunteers to tell how they felt when they were telling their stories.
Communication exercise
Aim: To raise awareness of the way we talk to each other and the way we listen. This is an opportunity to experience different Domination Techniques. (DT)
The time it takes: 40 minutes in the groups plus 15 minutes to talk about it in the plenary.
How: Divide the participants into groups of 4
In each group the participants are given the roles as A, B, C or D
1. Ask person A to tell a short story to the group. (max. 3 minutes)
The group seems to be completely uninterested. They are talking to each other, looking out of the window, reading a newspaper.
Ask A how s/he felt afterwards
2. Person B is asked to tell a short story to the group. The others are interrupting him/her all the time asking questions, commenting, adding their own stories "this happened to me…" s/he never manages to finish the story.
Ask person B how s/he felt afterwards
3. Person C is asked to tell a story. The group is completely quiet, but obviously not listening, just sitting there.
Ask person C how s/he felt afterwards
4. Person D is asked to tell a story: The group is listening, taking notes, asking questions after the story is finished.
Ask Person D how s/he felt afterwards.
Feedback in the plenary: Ask the participants for their comments, feelings, reactions.
Sketches
How many different Domination Techniques can you think of
Aim: To make the participants see different ways of using the DTs and help them recognise when they are being used.
The time it takes: about 60 minutes: 10 min. for the groups to plan and practice the sketches, 5 minutes for each group to act it in the plenary, 5 minutes to comment on each sketch.
How: Divide the participants into groups (5 -7 in each) and ask them to make a short sketch illustrating one or several of the DTs.
Discuss the sketches afterwards. What do these techniques do to us? Who uses them? Only men? Only women? Only old people? Do you?
Debating exercise
A role play
Aim: same as above
The time it takes: 45 minutes
How: Divide the participants into two groups. In each group appoint one third to be Young Women, the rest to be Older Men.
This exercise needs two rooms; the two debates take place simultaneously. You the facilitators act as moderators, one in each room. You are clearly biased, and use various domination techniques against the women.
Before the debates start make sure all the participants understand their roles. Give the participants about 10 minutes to prepare their arguments. The women prepare their arguments in favour of their candidates and the men prepare theirs.
Room A: Election to the leadership of a political party. The women have nominated a young woman as their candidate; the men have nominated an older man.
The two groups present their candidates and lobby for their choice.
Room B: The same type of election, one young woman and one older man are the nominees for the position as Director of the Board at an important NGO
In both rooms one of the trainers acts as the moderator. The moderators are clearly biased, and favour the men and the male candidates. Both demonstrate as many domination techniques as they can. The discussion should not last more than ten minutes.
Your role as the moderator is to wish the group welcome, and give the floor to the participants as they ask for it. You will use as many domination techniques as possible: comment on the way the woman is dressed as she asks for the floor, crack a joke on her behalf, ignore her suggestions, give the floor to the male participants when it is not their turn,… Pretend to be neutral and act as natural as possible in giving support to the men.
Advice to you as the trainer: This may be tough on some of the participants, use the role play only if you think the participants can take it and use the techniques with care.
Afterwards the two groups meet and explain to each other what happened and how the participants had experienced the debates. Make sure you explain carefully that it was really only a game, especially if you think any of the participants were offended.
Brainstorming in the plenary
How can we overcome domination techniques?
Make a list of methods to fight domination techniques. Hang the flip chart on the wall and keep it there throughout the workshop.
Ask all the participants to watch out throughout the workshop and stop the training if one of the DTs is being used. The facilitators might want to deliberately use some of these techniques during the workshop in order to make the participants really aware of them.
These techniques should be used with great care, it is very easy to hurt people, even if they realise that it is "just a game" One way of doing it is by picking a participant who evidently has plenty of self confidence. Make a deal with her/him in advance, so that s/he is prepared.
Pretend that you do not see his hand if he wants to speak, and ignore him deliberately during a discussion. If no one comments on it, make sure you draw attention to it yourself.
Discuss the incidence in the plenary afterwards. How did the volunteer feel? How did the others feel?
