Calming the (often inevitable) hiccups: Strategies for anticipating and dealing with problems that arise when running an existing exercise for the first time

Integrating a new experiential exercise into one’s course requires some extra planning and effort – in particular, when the exercise was designed by someone else, as it takes time to adjust to and perfect the mechanics of running an activity. As one’s experience and comfort with the dynamics of an activity increase, adaptation “on the fly” becomes somewhat routine. However, “hiccups” that occur during the first uses of a new activity can be stress-inducing. In this roundtable provocation session, we will draw on the collective experiences of participants to identify common strategies to both anticipate and mitigate potential hiccups. In so doing, we aim to identify shared best practices that experiential educators using a new exercise for the first time can build into their preparation. Through the roundtable discussion, we also aim to elucidate pathways through which educators who develop teaching notes for experiential exercises can simultaneously support others through those (often inevitable) “hiccups.”