7 sheets · US Letter · Print the whole pack, or select pages 2–4 for learner cards.
SkillRise Spark · Facilitator guide · 1 / 7
Rise & Co. Homeware
Retail — home goods · Northgate Rise
A return, uneven workloads and a new hire give learners three ways into the unwritten rules of a retail team.
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 silently, or a volunteer reads it aloud. Separate known facts from assumptions; learners may think privately or jot notes.
- Decide · about 12 minutes. Play the selected workday, or discuss the printed opening offline. In pairs, alternate decision-maker and observer; partners can choose differently and don’t need to agree. 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. Offer the optional closing reflection. Learners may think privately, write, speak or pass; do not require personal workplace disclosures.
Keep the boundary clear
Check refund authority before promising an exception. Do not present an unwritten habit as policy; clarify uncertainty with the person responsible.
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 / 7
Rise & Co. Homeware · Workday 01
The Return
Saturday · 11:40 AM
Saturday late morning, the store's busiest window. You're on the register, Marcus is somewhere in bedding, and there are three people in line behind the woman currently unpacking a slow cooker box onto your counter.
you: How can I help?
The slow cooker is used — there's a faint film on the lid and a receipt dated six weeks ago. The laminated returns sheet taped by the register says thirty days, unopened, with receipt.
What do you say to her?
- “I'm sorry, this is past our return window, so I can't refund it.”
- “I can't do a cash refund, but let me see if I can offer store credit.”
- Process the refund anyway, to keep the line moving.
- “Can you give me a minute? I want to check with my manager.”
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.
skillrisespark.com/work/rise-and-co/the-returnSkillRise Spark · Learner scenario card · 3 / 7
Rise & Co. Homeware · Workday 02
An Ordinary Tuesday
Tuesday · 8:55 AM
A delivery pallet of cookware sits half-broken-down in the stockroom. You were supposed to open with Aaliyah, but last night at 9:04pm Denise texted the group chat moving you to close instead, and moving Toby to open, with no real explanation.
Toby: Did you get the schedule change too? I'm confused about who's opening.
It's not a disaster. It's just Tuesday: boxes to break down, shelves to face, a schedule that shifted after most people were already asleep.
What do you do first?
- Text Denise asking for a bit more notice next time, kindly but plainly.
- Spend a few minutes getting Toby oriented before starting your own list.
- Say nothing and get through your own task list.
- Quietly finish off Aaliyah's unfinished section yourself.
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.
skillrisespark.com/work/rise-and-co/an-ordinary-tuesdaySkillRise Spark · Learner scenario card · 4 / 7
Rise & Co. Homeware · Workday 03
Teaching What You Weren't Taught
Thursday · 1:10 PM
Denise: Can you train Toby on the damaged-stock write-off process this week? He needs to know it before the weekend rush.
you: Sure — remind me how it actually works?
Denise: You've done it before, right? You'll be fine, just show him.
You have done it before — once, three weeks ago, when a box of glassware arrived cracked. Marcus talked you through it over his shoulder while doing three other things, and you've never had anyone check whether you did it right.
Denise is already walking toward the stockroom for something else.
What do you do?
- Just teach Toby what you remember and hope it's close enough.
- Call after Denise and tell her honestly you only half-know this yourself.
- Tell Toby you'll teach him tomorrow, and quietly confirm the process first.
- Teach Toby what you know, but tell him upfront it might not be complete.
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.
skillrisespark.com/work/rise-and-co/teaching-what-you-werent-taughtSkillRise Spark · Discussion & reflection · 5 / 7
Bring the decisions into the room
01 · The Return
What could you offer the customer while checking who can authorize an exception?
02 · An Ordinary Tuesday
How would you raise a workload imbalance without assuming why it happened?
03 · Teaching What You Weren't Taught
How much uncertainty could you share with a new hire while still giving useful direction?
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 Return: Boundary setting · Judgment under pressure · Communication
- An Ordinary Tuesday: Reliability · Noticing patterns · Speaking up
- Teaching What You Weren't Taught: Honesty about limits · Teaching under uncertainty · Self-advocacy
Optional closing reflection
What could you say when a customer request sits outside policy and a supervisor is unavailable?
“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, partner or private responses, and let anyone pass; never require reading aloud, 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.
SkillRise Spark · Companion · 6 / 7
Companion · optional “Try it your way” practice
Talk about workload without judging anyone
Purpose. Discuss teamwork, perspective-taking and self-advocacy when workload feels uneven.
Durable skills explored: Teamwork, Perspective-taking, Self-advocacy.
This is a separate practice situation on a different Tuesday at Rise & Co. The coworker isn't named and isn't anyone from your workday. You know only what's listed below.
Source material (as learners see it)
What you saw this hour
- You handled eight counter requests.
- Your coworker handled two.
- Your own stock task is still unfinished.
- The manager hasn't set priorities for the afternoon.
You don't know anything about your coworker's health or personal circumstances.
Discussion prompts
- Which statements are observations, and which are interpretations?
- How can a workload request stay about tasks rather than people?
- After the new information, what changes and what doesn't?
One possible response
“I handled eight counter requests and still have the stock task. Can we agree what takes priority and who covers the counter for the next twenty minutes?”
The example is one possible response. Look for observable facts, a request about priorities and coverage, and no claims about the coworker's character, health or circumstances.
What changes if…?
Later, the manager tells you the coworker had been assigned an urgent stock count. You hadn't seen that task.
- You only learned about the stock count now. It wasn't something you knew during the hour.
- It may change how you see the coworker's two requests.
- It doesn't change your own workload. Your stock task still needs time, and agreeing coverage and a realistic deadline is still a fair request.
Participation options
- Individual:
- Learners sort observations from assumptions and draft a request, or think it through without writing.
- Paired:
- One partner plays the manager and responds only to what the request says; then introduce the stock count.
- Group:
- List statements on the board and sort them into “saw” and “assumed,” then reveal the changed condition and discuss.
Writing is optional; learners may think privately, discuss, or skip. Nothing is graded or collected. Source: Blueprint v3.0 · Section 30 · R2 An Ordinary Tuesday · p. 91.
SkillRise Spark · Companion · 7 / 7
Companion · optional “Try it your way” practice
Teach three checks, then find out if it was clear
Purpose. Discuss explaining, supporting others and checking understanding using a verified source.
Durable skills explored: Explaining, Supporting others, Checking understanding.
This is a separate practice situation. It's about returns, not the damaged-stock write-off from your workday, and the new hire isn't Toby. The store policy below is fictional and used only for this practice. It isn't a statement of anyone's legal rights.
Source material (as learners see it)
Verified training card · returns
- 1. Check the receipt date and the item's condition.
- 2. Work out whether staff or a manager can authorize it.
- 3. Record the approved action.
- For this practice situation, use the fictional policy below.
- Fictional store policy: within 30 days, unused items with a receipt can be refunded by staff.
- Later returns need manager review.
- Staff can't guarantee an exception.
The new hire says they learn best from seeing an example.
Discussion prompts
- Why teach from the card rather than from memory?
- What do the 20-day and 35-day examples show side by side?
- What would tell you the new hire understood, other than a nod?
One possible response
“First, check the date and condition. Then, who can approve. Then, record what was approved.”
“A 20-day unused item with a receipt: staff can refund it. A 35-day one: that needs the manager to review it, and we can't promise the outcome.”
“Can you tell me what you'd do with a 20-day unused item and a receipt?”
The example is one possible response. The policy is fictional and makes no claim about legal rights. Look for the three checks in order, contrasting examples and a teach-back question. Don't treat viewing the example or ticking a box as evidence that anyone understood.
What changes if…?
The new hire says, “So all receipts mean refunds.”
- A receipt is only part of it. The date and the item's condition matter too.
- Compare 20 days (staff can refund an unused item) with 35 days (manager review, no guarantee).
- Then ask them to work through a new example themselves. Seeing an example or nodding along doesn't show it was understood.
Participation options
- Individual:
- Learners write an explanation or rehearse it privately. Nothing is recorded as audio, and no partner is required.
- Paired:
- One partner teaches; the other plays the new hire, then says “all receipts mean refunds” for the changed condition.
- Group:
- Show the training card. Volunteers offer unused-item examples near the 30-day line; the group decides who can authorize each.
Writing is optional; learners may think privately, discuss, or skip. Nothing is graded or collected. Source: Blueprint v3.0 · Section 30 · R3 Teaching What You Weren't Taught · p. 92 (policy from R1 The Return · p. 90).