Five sheets · US Letter · Print the whole pack, or select pages 2–4 for learner cards.
SkillRise Spark · Facilitator guide · 1 / 5
Kettle & Quire Books
Retail · Independent bookshop and event space · Ashfield
An event rush, a quiet morning and one more shift-swap request put attention, care and personal limits in the same room.
Before learners arrive
Choose one of the three cards. Read its opening and try that workday online so you can discuss the consequences. Print one card per pair; keep this guide and the discussion sheet for yourself. No account is needed.
A 35-minute session
- Frame · 3 minutes. “We are practicing decisions, not grading people. Explain what you would do and what it might cost.” Do not announce the skills beforehand.
- Notice · 5 minutes. Read the card independently or aloud. Separate known facts from assumptions; allow a private written response.
- Decide · about 12 minutes. Play the selected workday, or discuss the printed opening offline. In pairs, alternate decision-maker and observer. Offline cards cover the opening only, not branching consequences.
- Discuss · 10 minutes. Use the matching question on sheet 5. Invite two defensible approaches, then name the trade-off and the boundary.
- Reflect · 5 minutes. Use the exit reflection. Learners may pass or write privately; do not require personal workplace disclosures.
Keep the boundary clear
Do not promise coverage or authority you do not have. A coworker's genuine need does not remove your right to set limits; recurring gaps need a staffing conversation.
Observe without grading
Listen for a learner distinguishing facts from guesses, explaining who is affected, and naming a next action. Record only what was actually said or chosen, not confidence, personality or assumed competence.
Suggested timings are flexible. Most practice scenarios take about 12 minutes; exploration and reflection add optional time.
SkillRise Spark · Learner scenario card · 2 / 5
Kettle & Quire Books · Workday 01
The Signing
Thursday · 5:40 PM
Chairs are half set up, the register drawer is still at the counter where you left it, and you're threading extension cords under the poetry table when the front bell goes.
It's the author. Forty minutes early. She's got a tote bag, a water bottle, and an expression that says she's used to things being ready.
you: Hi — we're just finishing setup, the event's at seven.
Behind you, Davion is at the register still counting the float. Noreen is in the back on the phone with the caterer about a delivery that hasn't shown.
The author looks at the half-arranged chairs, then at you.
What do you do first?
- Walk her to a quiet seat and get her water while you finish the room
- Interrupt Noreen's call to hand this off
- Tell her plainly what's still left to do and ask what she needs most
- Drop the cords and rush the chairs so the room looks done fast
My next action and why: __________________________________
What it protects — and what it costs: ________________________
What I still need to check: __________________________________
No grades. Real consequences. Explain your reasoning; safety and privacy boundaries still apply.
skillriseapp.lovable.app/work/kettle-and-quire/the-signingSkillRise Spark · Learner scenario card · 3 / 5
Kettle & Quire Books · Workday 02
Nothing To Do
Tuesday · 9:55 AM
You've dusted the new releases table twice. The shelving cart from yesterday still has about forty books on it, sorted loosely by section but nowhere near reshelved.
Abram is in the poetry aisle, the same three books in his hand as fifteen minutes ago. He's not really reading them.
Noreen is in the back doing the order for next week's event. Davion doesn't start until noon.
What do you do first?
- Start working through the shelving cart
- Go talk to Abram
- Ask Noreen what she'd like you to focus on
- Straighten the counter and wait to see what comes up
My next action and why: __________________________________
What it protects — and what it costs: ________________________
What I still need to check: __________________________________
No grades. Real consequences. Explain your reasoning; safety and privacy boundaries still apply.
skillriseapp.lovable.app/work/kettle-and-quire/nothing-to-doSkillRise Spark · Learner scenario card · 4 / 5
Kettle & Quire Books · Workday 03
What It Costs
Sunday · 4:10 PM
This is the fourth time this month Wren has asked. The first two were easy — you had nothing going on. Last time you said yes and regretted it a little, quietly.
Wren: I have a lab practical Wednesday morning I didn't know about until today. It's worth 20% of the grade.
Wednesday is the one evening this month you'd already promised to something that matters to you — a friend's thing you can't easily move, or a second shift at your other job, depending on what's true for you.
Wren: I get it if you can't. I just don't know who else to ask. Davion's maxed out and Noreen's away.
What do you tell Wren?
- “Okay, I'll cover it.”
- “I can't this time — I already have something Wednesday I can't move.”
- “I can do part of it, not the whole shift.”
- “Text Noreen too — this might need more than a swap.”
My next action and why: __________________________________
What it protects — and what it costs: ________________________
What I still need to check: __________________________________
No grades. Real consequences. Explain your reasoning; safety and privacy boundaries still apply.
skillriseapp.lovable.app/work/kettle-and-quire/what-it-costsSkillRise Spark · Discussion & reflection · 5 / 5
Bring the decisions into the room
01 · The Signing
During the signing, whose need would you address first—and who would wait?
02 · Nothing To Do
What makes a quiet task worth doing when nobody has called it urgent?
03 · What It Costs
When does helping a coworker become a pattern that the manager needs to address?
When the group disagrees
Ask: “What is the strongest case for the other option? Who carries its cost? What fact would change your mind?” Explore the reasoning without endorsing unsafe action. State the relevant boundary plainly.
Reveal the skills after practice
Ask learners to name a skill in the action they actually chose. These are discussion connections, not automatic evidence:
- The Signing: Working under pressure · Prioritization · Clear communication
- Nothing To Do: Judgment in ambiguity · Customer service · Self-direction
- What It Costs: Boundary setting · Weighing tradeoffs · Honest communication
Exit reflection
What could you say to decline a shift swap while acknowledging the other person's need?
“In this practice, I chose to ______ because ______. Next time, I would check ______.”
Adapt to your learners
Read aloud or allow silent reading. Explain unfamiliar terms without choosing for learners. Offer spoken, written or partner responses; never require acting or personal disclosure. Use one card for a short session, or compare workplaces in a longer class.
Evidence, not a credential
Separate skills practiced, actions demonstrated in actual choices, and areas still developing. Offline discussion does not generate a platform evidence card. Neither a discussion nor an online evidence card proves real-world competence or awards a certificate, credential or grade.