SkillRise Spark · Harbor Hotel · Facilitator sheet

What Does the Guest Need?

Separating an accessibility requirement from preferences and friendly background detail in a long guest message. Estimated 30–45 minutes (not yet classroom-validated).

Open activity →

Learning outcomes (observable)

Aims to listen for in discussion. Learners are not rated; writing on the learner sheet is optional.

Identifies the people, facts and competing responsibilities in What Does the Guest Need?.
Explains what one possible action protects, what it risks and a realistic next move.
Drafts a specific sentence or check they could adapt outside the fictional scenario.

Competency focus (SkillRise descriptions)

Practices: Reading Comprehension, Professional Communication, Customer Service. Internal mapping, not an external standards alignment.

Communication. Learner chooses or drafts what to say, then explains why that wording fits. Review: The exact line chosen on the evidence card and any drafted sentence on the learner sheet.

Preparation

Play the activity once yourself (about 15 minutes, estimated).
Print or display the learner sheet; decide whether learners work alone, in pairs or as a group.
Read the safety note below and agree that passing or writing silently is always allowed.

Safety or role boundary

Treat an accessibility requirement as operationally important and protect the guest's personal information. Confirm what can be provided rather than assuming or promising.

Session plan

0–5 min	Frame the fictional practice, read the opening prompt and make passing or writing silently explicit options.
5–20 min	Play What Does the Guest Need?. Pause at the first decision to separate known facts from assumptions.
20–32 min	Compare two defensible choices. Name who each protects, who carries the risk and any fixed boundary.
32–40 min	Use the learner sheet to draft one clear next move. Sharing remains optional.
40–45 min	Close with the optional real-world step and explain how to reopen an evidence card if one was saved.

Delivery options

Individual: Play independently, pause before each choice to note a reason, then complete any learner-sheet prompt privately.
Paired: Share one screen. One person reads and one tracks facts, assumptions and affected people; switch roles after the first decision.
Group: Project the activity, collect choices by show of hands, written vote or silence, then invite reasons without asking for personal disclosure.

Opening prompt

“How can the order of a message distract from the request that most needs action?”

Discussion questions

Which detail was a requirement, which was a preference and which was background?
Who was affected if the accessible room was not assigned before arrival?
What confirmation would be useful to send the guest?

Optional real-world practice step

Take one long message and mark: action required, preference, question and background detail.

Follow-up

At the next meeting, invite learners to say whether they tried the optional step or noticed a similar decision. Passing is always allowed.

Companion · optional “Try it your way” practice

Separate what you know from what you don't

Purpose. Discuss reading, clear communication, accessibility and avoiding unsupported assurances.

Durable skills explored: Reading comprehension, Professional communication, Customer service.

This is a different guest from M. Alvarez, with a dinner booking in the hotel restaurant. Their email uses 24-hour time, so it's quoted as written.

Source material (as learners see it)

Shared inbox · restaurant booking

“We are arriving at 18:00 with a wheelchair user. Is there a step-free route from the entrance to our table and an accessible toilet?”

Venue record: entrance-to-table route verified step-free. Toilet access not yet checked. The manager can confirm facilities.

Discussion prompts

Which parts of a reply can the venue record support, and which can't it?
Why might “fully accessible” be a risky phrase here?
Once there's a step, whose decision is it whether the visit works?

One possible response

“Thank you for letting us know. The route from our entrance to your table is step-free — we've checked it. We haven't yet confirmed access to the accessible toilet, and I'm checking that with our manager now. I'll let you know what we find.”

The example is one possible response. It separates the verified route from the pending check and avoids promising an update time the scenario does not supply.

What changes if…?

The manager reports a step on the toilet route.

Say plainly that there is a step on the route to the toilet, before the guest relies on it.
Let the guest decide whether that works for them — don't decide for them or assume what they can manage.
You could ask whether they'd like information about alternatives, without asking about anyone's diagnosis.

Participation options

Individual:: Learners mark the two questions and draft a reply, or think it through without writing.
Paired:: One partner drafts; the other reads it as the guest and points to anything that sounds more certain than the record.
Group:: Display the email and venue record. Sort statements into “confirmed” and “not yet checked,” then introduce the changed condition.

Writing is optional; learners may think privately, discuss, or skip. Nothing is graded or collected. Source: Blueprint v3.0 · Section 33 · guestneed · p. 115.

Discussion prompts

Discussion prompts only — learners are not rated, graded or ranked. Learners can think privately, write if they wish, speak or pass. Pairs and groups can explore different choices without reaching agreement. Nobody needs to share personal experiences.

Recognizing the workplace issue: What pressures were in play at that moment?
Who else was affected, and what did they need?
Considering options and consequences: What might each option protect, and what might it risk?
Who would carry the cost of each choice?
Explaining a reasoned decision: What made your choice make sense to you?
What is the strongest case for a different choice?
Identifying a practical next step: What is one thing someone could say or check next?
How might that step change in a different workplace?

Facilitator reminders

Invite reasoning, not disclosure. Ask what the character could do and why. Never require learners to share personal experiences; offer 'think about it privately' as a normal option.
Allow disagreement and silence. Different choices are expected. Silent participation, written answers and passing are all legitimate ways to take part.
Separate judgment from personality. Talk about actions and reasons, not character traits. 'You checked before promising' rather than 'you're cautious'.
Ask who bears the consequences. For each option, ask who gains, who waits and who carries the risk — customers, coworkers, the business or the worker.
State safety boundaries clearly. Some lines are not matters of style: allergens, machine guards, privacy and unsafe lifting. Name the boundary plainly before or after play. Never demonstrate an unsafe workaround.
Not an employment screening tool. Do not use choices, reflections or evidence cards to select, rank or assess people for jobs or placements. The scenarios are fictional practice.
Describe evidence cards accurately. An evidence card records the choices a learner made and anything they wrote in a fictional scenario. It is not a grade, credential or proof of workplace competence, and it is saved only in that learner's browser.