SCRIPTING FOR THE CLASSROOM Development In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 18, 1991 141 SCRIPTING FOR THE CLASSROOM E. Nicholas Maddox, Stetson University Walter J. Wheatley, University of West Florida ABSTRACT The efficacy of guided imagery techniques is established in the training and educational literatures. However, little guidance has been provided on ways to most effectively use such scripting techniques in the classroom. This article supplies background information on and guidelines for guided imagery scripting and usage as gathered from both practice and research on the topic. INTRODUCTION Increasing attention is focusing on social cognitive dimensions of management especially as related to organizational learning and decision making. Imaginal and guided imagery methods are receiving attention as powerful tools for learning and skill acquisition. Various imaginal techniques have been used in Policy and O.B. classes to enhance student learning. This paper details how these methods can be more effectively used by management educators. IMAGINAL TECHNIQUES AND GUIDED IMAGERY Imaginal techniques include activities that use mental imagery episodes to help students acquire new knowledge and skills. Guided Imagery is of special significance to this article. With CI, a facilitator guides students through a script that prompts imaginal scenes or behavioral scenarios. This format engenders an internal focus, a quieting of thoughts, and increased attentiveness to skill or knowledge acquisition. SCRIPTING AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING Effective use of guided imagery depends upon the relevance of the imaginal script to students and upon their previous comfort and experience with imaginal techniques. Internal scripts or schemas are intrapsychic conceptual or relational models that frame overall cognitive functioning. Schemas develop over time as a result of learning. External or guided scripts are prompted by a facilitator and serve as stimuli for development and elaboration of students’ internal scripts. Guided imagery is one of the most frequently used techniques for integration of internal and external scripts. GUIDELINES FOR SCRIPTING AND APPLICATION Identified below are general guidelines for script development and use in management learning. These guidelines have evolved from our use of imaginal techniques and from research on their use in various learning contexts. The Scope of Scripts - An open-ended script is one where minimal directive cueing is provided. It is best used for creative/divergent learning tasks. In contexts where objectives are more defined, directive scripts are necessary. Utilizing Metaphors in Scripts - Metaphoric language within G.I. scripts can suggest implicit relationships that help students reform a perception or evolve a new insight. Metaphors also elicit rich and vivid images while promoting flexible, original thinking that unfreezes habitual patterns of thought and behavior. Personalization of Scripts - Trainees must be able to visualize themselves within script dynamics thus the use of personal pronouns enhance script relevance to students. Ill Effects of Pejorative Terms - The use of pejorative words can detract from script impact. Even seemingly neutral cues can distract/upset students from focus and can produce negative reactions, which cancel technique focus. Presentation Format - The following guidelines can assist in developing a positive training ambience. I) Pacing - Scripts should be presented in a consistent, well-modulated tone. Pacing is enhanced through prior familiarity with the script and through practice readings before sessions. 2) Timing/Pausing - Periodically, within a script, pauses should be embedded to allow students to explore their imagery and impressions. 3) Wording - Words should be selected to promote vivid imaginability of scenarios. This is accomplished when strong noun-verb linkages and powerful adjectives are frequently used. 4) Multi-Modality - To insure that scripts are highly imaginable, use cues that help trainees see, feel, smell, taste, sense and touch the imaginal terrain into which you guide them. 5) The Training Environment - Training sessions should be conducted in quiet, dimly-lit, and well-ventilated locations. Any “noise”, environmental or interpersonal, will compromise the effectiveness of a guided imagery session. 6) The Use of Background Music - The use of soft classical, “new age, or environmental sounds music can be a positive addition to imaginal practice sessions. Subtle music has a soothing effect that enhances student relaxation. 7) Length of Sessions - Guided Imagery sessions should be limited to about 15 minutes. This appears to be the optimal length of time that trainees can comfortably maintain an internal focus without boredom or sleep. CONCLUSION Guided imagery is one of the better methods to help students use their mental imagery for learning and skill mastery. Anecdotal and empirical evidence suggests that guided imagery training, when properly used, can facilitate training outcomes and performance. In this paper guidelines have been provided to help management educators use such tools in their classrooms. Table of Contents Volume 18, 1991 Personality Types and Total Enterprise Simulation Performance Using DIS 'n DAT as a Decision Support System for a Marketing Simulation Game Theoretical Derivation of a Market Demand Function for Business Simulators The Ethnographic Case Study: An Experiential Approach to Teaching Retail Management Electronic Bulletin Board Systems (BBS): Support Software for Computer Simulations The New Budget Game Negame: A Cross-Cultural Role-Play to Introduce Students to the Familiarization Stage of Negotiations Modeling Short-Run Cost and Production Functions Using Sheppard's Lemma in Computerized Business Simulations Increasing Simulation Realism through the Modeling of Step Costs Predicting Simulation Performance: Differences Between Groups and Individuals A Facility Location Case to Stimulate Classroom Interaction Educational Effectiveness of Business Simulation Gaming: A Comparative Study of Students and Practitioner Perspective Ethical Dilemmas in Experiential Learning: Issues and Strategies A Critical Review and Assessment of ABSEL's Award-Winning Procedures and Protocols Political Risk: A Simulation for Business Practitioners Upside Down: A Cross-Cultural Game in Experiential Learning Gorby's Dilemma: From Communism to Free Enterprise in Two Hours Strategic Market: Planning with the COMPLETE Product Portfolio Analysis Package: A Marketing Decision Support System Career Concepts and Total Enterprise Simulation Performance Experiential Learning in Human Resources: A Performance Appraisal Application Managerial Motivation and Realism Among MBA Student as Viewed through The Looking Glass, Inc. Simulation An Experiential Approach to Teaching Data Analysis Using MYSTAT: Rationale, Procedures and Results Practicing What Was Preached: A Sequential Learning Model put to the Test Student Attitudes about Policy Course Simulations An Investigation of the Relationship Between Simulation Play, Performance Level and Recency of Play on Exam Scores The Effect of Leadership and Cognitive Processing Styles upon Peer Performance Evaluation: Implication for the Utilization of Simulations in Business Pedagogy On the Transfer of Market Oriented Business Games to Socialist Cultures An Application of Financial Analysis of the Business Firm in a Simulated Competitive Environment Collective Bargaining Simulation: An Exercise based on a Familiar Theme Making Business Policy a Strategic Management Experience A Student Exercise for Intergrating the Concepts of Power and Motivation The Boundaries Extended: An Experiment Comparing Dialectical Inquiry, Devil's Advocacy and Consensus Using the Executive Game Using a Simulation Package to Develop a Simulation Exercise in Cost Accounting Success Factors in Experiential Training for Creative Problem-Solving Teams An Experiential Approach for teaching Quality management Critical Success Ratios: A Comparison of Two Business Simulations in a Multi-Year Environment Stocklogs: A Classroom Exercise for Teaching the Logistical Relationship of Location and Inventory The Organizational Leadership Program Simulating Business Decision-Making: Using Statistical Cases for Classroom Exercises Scripting for the Classroom Upgrading the Business Strategy and Policy Game Developing Student Team-Building and Leadership Skills Using Computer-Aided Experiential learning Strategies Organizing and Outward Bound Field Trip An Architecture for Extensible Simulation Games Performance in the Capstone Business Course: What is the effect of Pedagogy, Learning Styles, and Student Motivation? Operational Strategy with Participant-Modifiable Parameters An Example of a Personal Selling Case Transformed into a Role Play Scenario Instructional Software: It's Evolution and Current State of the Art in the Business Curriculum Ascertaining Performance Variables for use in Determining Student's Grades in Courses Employing a Business Simulation Designing Management Seminars Using Business Simulations The Accounting Information Systems Course: Bridging the Gap between the Classroom and the Real World The Good Cooks Guide to Training Excellence: Working with Passion A Demonstration on Multiple Data Collection Methods: Seeing Strategic Issues Through the Looking Glass Simulation Systems Analysis and Design: Why Undergraduate Education gets a Failing Grade Accommodating Organizational Culture: An Evaluation of Management Development Delivery Modes in Varying Organizational Cultures Modeling Total Quality into Business Simulations The Political Futures Game Meeting Meeting Objectives