To speak of the Fake It Make It methodology is to speak of innovation, theatre, originality, empowerment and a host of attributes that were recognised in the pilot programmes carried out at the end of this Erasmus+ project in each of the cities of the participating partners: Matera, Melfi, Lulea, Sheffield, Madrid.
The success of the pilots was general in all the cities of the Consortium. The two pilots organised by the Employment Agency of Madrid were so well received that several organisations that attended them asked us to teach the methodology to the staff of these entities but with a much shorter duration. Thus, the Fake it Express was born: a 4 hours long’s workshop in which dramatization, theatre and multiple intelligences activities were carried out. And these skills are the key for the development of competences needed for the job search, as we will see later on.
Initially, doubts were raised about the effectiveness of this “compressed workshop”, but after the results of more than four editions, we can assure you that, despite its reduced format, the Fake It methodology continues to be transformative.
What is the format of this Fake It Express?
In this reduced version, the workshop is divided in two parts of two hours each.
The first part consists of, warm-up exercises, dramatization, corporeality and proprioception, the Portrait and the Train of multiple intelligences activities.
For the Portrait, the participants, in groups of 5 or less, depending on the total number of participants in the workshop, draw each of the members of their group, without looking at the paper and using only eye contact, so that at the end of the activity, each of them receives 4 portraits. Each participant chooses 3 of the drawings that represent, in their opinion, their past, present and future. In this case, due to time constraints, each participant will then comment on only one of the drawings.
This first part ends with The Multiple intelligences Train: Participants are asked to stand in 2 rows facing each other so that each has a partner with whom, after a brief explanation of multiple intelligences, they will exchange opinions on the following questions:
How do I organise my wardrobe? and I want to go on a trip, what is the first thing I do, how do I organise myself?
After the exchange of opinions on the first question, participants will move one place to the right or to the left so that the person in front of them is different.
At the end of the activity, a link is provided so that they can access more information about multiple intelligences and learn about their dominant intelligence(s).
The second part is dedicated to Storytelling, Performances and Reflection on the workshop.
Stories: participants are asked to describe in 5 lines a dream to be realised or an unfair situation they have experienced or known. When they have finished and anonymously, they will leave their paper face down on the floor.
In this reduced format of the Fake It method, 2 volunteers are asked to each take a sheet of paper at random and read the contents. The rest of the participants are asked to listen carefully to their two companions and after the reading, they are told to stand next to the text they liked or were most interested in and, depending on the number of participants, each of the two groups is subdivided into two groups: two groups for each text and then they will elaborate a performance based on phrases or ideas from each of the texts. The performance can take the form of a mini-play, dance or mime.
Performances: once they have decided on the activity and rehearsed it, they will perform it in front of all their classmates.
Reflection: After the performance and applause, a round of reflection on the workshop begins.
After four hours of dramatization exercises, the individuals work on their values, roles, imagination and body perception. They become aware of their own potential and that of others in order to optimise it as much as possible. Despite the limited time, a climate of trust and group security is created.
Through reflection during the work process, the participants enhance independent thinking by observing their weaknesses and visualising their potential. The work with others in the performance enhances their own creativity, leaving their comfort zone and through the staging, all the skills that will be key in the job search are put on stage and valued: self-knowledge, autonomy, initiative and leadership, flexibility, adaptation to change, creativity, confidence, teamwork, conflict resolution, planning, organisation, time management, active listening and dealing with stage fright, among others.
Once again, the experience of this innovative method, albeit in a reduced format, makes participants feel that something has changed without being aware of it. That is the magic of Fake It and the value of Fake It Express.
