Galactic Activity 14

Deliver arguments for all sides of a moral dilemma, ensuring a balanced approach identifying the pros and cons of each point, and then come to a reasoned conclusion.

Activity 14 – Moral Dilemma

Duration: 5 mins
Applicable Streams: Personal challenge, Inspiration/Motivation, Leadership

Aim

In this activity you are aiming to:

Present the arguments for and against a moral dilemma

Objectives

To do this, you will need to keep the following objectives in mind:

  1. Provide context.
  2. Outline the options available.
  3. Discuss the pros and cons of each option.
  4. Come to a conclusion.

The Why…

We are often presented with situations in the workplace that provide us with a ‘moral dilemma’ – meaning we have a difficult decision to make that make crosses the boundaries of what is ‘legal’ or ‘required’ by the workplace, and what is ‘morally’ the ‘right thing to do’. For example, consider these scenarios, and then consider – what should I do?:

    1. Your boss is a wonderful person who has offered you a promotion but you’ve found out information about them that may be detrimental to the organisation and you’re not sure whether you should divulge this to H.R.
    2. Your organisation’s policy states that no relationships are allowed between employees; however, you’ve fallen in love with a person in a different department that you don’t actually work with on a daily basis.
    3. You’re on an interview panel, and one of the interviewees you recognise from a long time ago. Unfortunately what you remember of them is an incident in which they were dishonest – you would not tolerate that kind of behaviour in a current employee, but this situation was over 20 years ago.

Where do I start?

Consider the scenarios listed out above, and either choose one of them or something else that has either happened to you in the past, or someone else close to you. You don’t need to divulge whether or not it’s a true story – let your imagination run wild!

The How

Specific guidelines on how to tackle this activity.

Essentially this activity involves weighing up all sides of a situation and deciding on which to do and why. If you follow the objectives above, you’ll have the structure on how to execute this short speech. Here are some additional notes that may assist:

  1. Provide context: how much of the backstory does the audience need to know to understand the implications of the options available in this dilemma?
  2. Outline the options available: consider the top three options and no more – otherwise there won’t be time to go through all the pros and cons of each option.
  3. Discuss the pros and cons of each option: consider structuring this section so that the weakest options come first, and the cons are clear, and finish up with the strongest option (which you’ll end up choosing as the conclusion).
  4. Come to a conclusion: wrap up all the arguments and why you’ve dismissed the options you’ve dismissed and the single most important reason you’ve come to the conclusion you have.

Variations:

  1. Leading a discussion (combine with “Facilitate A Discussion” Orbit Program activity 9)
  2. Have two people discussing the dilemma each with a different view
  3. Impromptu or prepared presentation

Tips and traps

TRAPS:

  • Getting stuck in the backstory for too long, and not giving enough attention to the pros and cons.
  • Having too many options and getting confused by which ones are best and why.

TIPS:

  • Be clear on your top 3 options only – too many options will confuse you and your audience and weaken your conclusion.

Guidelines for Program Director:

Ensure the scenario is not heavily ‘taboo’ or offensive to any members of the club. Consider the lives of the people in the room and anything they’ve been through – is the scenario chosen appropriate to be discussed with this group of people?