Scenario: Bathroom Breaks

As an action learning coach, how would you handle the following situation: The session has been going for a long stretch and participants start stepping out to use the bathroom.

Tags: Action Leaning, Action Learning Coach, WIAL, WIAL Action Learning, WIAL Talk

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Comments (24)

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    Savath Kuch

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    First, I would like to ask do we have a consensus as a team, yes, no or quite close?
    Then I will ask what can we do to help the team come to full participation?

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    Catherine Sandler

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    I would intervene to observe that we have now been working for XX hours/minutes and that I have observed that some people are leaving the room, most likely to use the bathroom. I would ask the group whether they would like to take a short break. If they say yes, I would ask them how much time they would like to take. If they decide on a break that is long enough to disrupt the session’s schedule and not leave enough time for the problem to be fully addressed, I would ask them what the impact of a XX minute break will have on their ability to solve the problem? In other words I would put the decision in their hands while asking them first to consider its impact on their work.

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    Karina Colpaert

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    As an Action Learning Coach, if the bathroom-break has not establish at the beginning of the session, I will ask: “I have observed that one person left to go to bathroom, how the group would like to handle this situation?”. But if the group agreement coffee or bathroom break rules, and ok leave the group for these, I wouldn’t say anything.

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    Nattawan Sangswang

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    I would intervene right when I saw first participant stepped out to use the bathroom. I would ask the team that “Team, we have seen that a team member needs a bathroom break. How would the team want to continue our session? Would you like to wait for him/her to return or would anybody wants a break, too?” I will ask every team members and let the team decide their consensus. If they decide to take a break, I would then ask next question “How long would you need in considering that we need to help PP solve the problem in next remaining xx minutes of our session?”.

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    Patrícia Ansarah

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    As an Action Learning Coach, I would intervene by saying that I have observed that we are working for a X period of time and that some of the participants are leaving the room mostly to use the bathroom. Then I would ask : Have anyone else observed it? Then I would ask : What is the impact of having people leaving the room while some participants are still working on the process? After hearing all the answers, I would ask : What could be our agreement on bathroom breaks?

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    Arthur LV

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    In the first place, before a long session of 90min, it’s good to do a reminder to go for a bathroom break at the beginning of the Action Learning session. However, if there are obvious situations that one or two participants went for bathroom break, then I shall intervene by asking participants’ observation of any situation (S) in the session. If they realize there were participants leaving the session for toilet breaks, I think it’s a learning opportunity and then ask them what they think are the impacts (I) for the happening. Finally, I shall ask them for the their decision whether the session is too long and would they want a short break.

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    Limin Miao

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    I would simply ask participants for their observations on any happening during the session. Assuming participants discover people are starting to use the bathroom. This can be followed with me asking them what would be the impact if the situation carry on. Finally, as a learning coach, I could simply ask them for the decision whether there should be a short break before they carry on the action learning session.

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    Wang Juan

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    When the team appears uncooperatively, I ask the following questions. I noticed that the team members would leave the meeting from time to time. Did you notice that?
    What would happen if someone was working on a tough problems and the team worked in such a way?
    How can team members limit and reduce this behavior?

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    Borin Buoy

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    I would intervene by asking the following questions:”Team, I noticed that some of members stepped out of the session, what is happening? (team members share ideas). What is the impact of not full participation from all team members? (team members share ideas). What can we do to improve for full participation? (all team members to decide)”

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    Savin Oeun

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    Being as a coach, I would intervene by asking team the question that “Hi Team, per this situation how can we ensure that every one are in the process together?”.

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    Thomas Ernst

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    I would intervene and state that we have been working for a while and I have noticed some team members stepping out of the room. How does this impact your ability to problem solve? What would the team like to do about it at this point”? If they want to take a break I will ask for how long. If they want to continue, I may ask “How would you like to proceed with getting members up to speed while they are out?” I believe consensus may achieves afterwards to take a break

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    Joaquim Braga

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    I probably wouldn’t do anything if it was just one person who stepped out. After a second person left the room, however, I would ideally wait until that person was back (so he/she could be part of the conversation, so as not to have an intervention behind their backs) and I’d say something to the effect of: “I’ve noticed that a couple of group members have stepped out of the room. What’s the impact this is having on the group? How would the group like to handle this? What does the group need?” – I would leave it up to the group to make a collective decision in regards to whether or not they wanted to take a break, go a bit further before stopping, or simply allow people to come in and out as needed to use the restroom.

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    Desdra Bascombe

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    As an Action Learning Coach, recognizing that bathroom breaks are part of life I would try to establish the ground rules with the participants at the beginning of the session.. If this was not done I would draw the group’s attention to the fact that persons are leaving the sessions to presumably take a bathroom break. Then I would ask the group to decide among themselves how the propose to handle disruptions. They may opt to set aside a time for a break during the ninety minute session. This would be a group decision

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    alicia wellington

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    For varying reasons, bathroom breaks may be necessary for some participants even during a 90 minutes session. I will intervene and do a group check-in indicating that we have been working for (number of minutes), and I have noticed that several participants have stepped out to use the bathroom, on a scale of 1-10 how do you feel we are ding as a group thus far? What are we doing well? Anything else? What could we do better? Anything else? Why is it important that we minimize the number of disruptions? How can we make that happen in this team?

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    YUE TAN

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    I ’ll find out whether there are more than one participant be going to the bathroom and say: “We have been working for quite a while, How do you feel our current energy level? If we score our measurement on a scale of 1-10, what’s the score you would give?” Then refer to the team score ,I will ask ” OK then,Let ’s make a choice,continue our agenda or take a break right now, what’s your decision? ” Let the team make their own decisions,and learn to manage their schedule.

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    YUE TAN

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    YUE TAN: I ’ll find out whether there are more than one participant be going to the bathroom and say: “We have been working for quite a while, How do you feel our current energy level? If we score our measurement on a scale of 1-10, what’s the score you would give?” Then refer to the team score ,I will ask ” OK then,Let ’s make a choice,continue our agenda or take a break right now, what’s your decision? ” Let the team make their own decisions,and learn to manage their schedule.

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    Aryuwat Chongcharoenchaikul

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    As I am a coach This will empower team members to make decisions. I will question the team members that now there are three members in our team wanting to go to the bathroom. In addition, I would like the team members to consider the learning that will occur within the team members. As I am a coach I will using question to create double loop learning in team members.

    Point of learning in this scenario is The learning of everyone in the team is more important than the team members can solve the problem.

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    Izabela Maciejewska

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    As an Action Learning Coach, I would say: I noticed that there are not all members of our group. Has anyone else noticed it? How does this affect our work? What standard should we agree for breaks?

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    Alex Hoang

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    I will use SID for this scenario. (S) “I noticed one member went out for xx minutes” Or “What is happening?” – (I) What will happen to the team if we continue? – (D) What can we do to improve?

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    Celine Sugay

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    There are two ways thing I can think of in terms of this.
    The first is I can prevent this from happening by allowing the group to set norms for breaks before the A.L. session.
    If this already happens, like the scenario shows, this is how I will intervene:
    Surface: I noticed a number of people have been stepping in and out of the room. What do you think is causing this behavior?
    Impact: What impact will this have if this continues on?
    Do: What can we do differently?
    If the group agrees to eventually go on a break, I will resume the session by asking the group what norms they would like to set if the group eventually needs a break again.

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    Phi Angelina

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    Before a 90-minute session, make a reminder that the team should use it in the bathroom before the start of the Action Learning session because if any of the members go outside it maybe affects the outcome of the whole team.
    However, there is still one of two clear situations where someone still wants to go out. I will intervene by asking:
    – Hi Team, per this situation how can we ensure that everyone is in the process together?
    – If participants are leaving the session to take a rest break, what do they think about the impacts of the incident?
    – Do you want to take a short break?

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    stephanie parry

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    I would intervene to point out that several people are needing a break, what would the group like to do about this? Is there a need for a break and if so how long. Either in that moment (depending on the energy), or on returning I would ask the group “now you have had this experience of working together how would you like to manage breaks going forward so you can manage your energy and physical needs?”. I would want to make sure that this is a safe space where if someone has a physical need to use the bathroom they are not forced to wait or to feel shame for stepping out of the meeting.

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    Delong Chai

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    Team, what is the participation level? What is happening? What is the impact to our learning? What can we do to increase the level of participation?

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    THO THO

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    – As a Coach, I will ask the team:
    _ What is happening to our team?
    _ Do we need breaktime for team to use the bathroom? 15 minutes or 20 minutes?
    _When the team agress to take a break, the Coach will inform for team to take breaktime, then everyone returns to the meeting to continue doing the team’s Action Learning practice session.
    _ After the team has finished taking a breaktime, the Coach will say “As a Coach, when the above problem occurred, Myseft learned that it is necessary to change the plan to allocate time in a more reasonable session, insert a break in the middle of the session so that the whole team can have a reasonable time to use bathroom”.
    _ Coach will continue to ask the team:
    _ How will the quality of the action learning session be affected by the members’s constant going out?
    _ How to prevent this from happening again?
    _Follow the process.

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