HeHeHe Posted March 8, 2017 Report Share Posted March 8, 2017 Hello all, I just have a couple questions regarding the acting stations: 1) Is there any way to practice and get better at these? I understand that life experiences are essential to dealing with people, but I am curious if there are any ways to fine tune these stations. 2) If the actor is emotionally charged (angry or sad) and repeats insulting you, are we expected to just keep acknowledging their frustration and come up with possible solutions? Example You and the actor get into a car accident. You are at fault. Both of you get out of your cars. Enter the room. Actor: I can't believe you hit my brand new car, you're so incompetent! Me: I understand your frustration, are you okay? Is there any way I can make things better? Actor: No, you're so incompetent! You'd probably mess that up too. Me: I would be frustrated if someone hit my brand new car as well, especially since I just got it. My insurance will cover the damages to your car and you will have a brand new looking car again in no time. Actor: Do you know how long that is going to take? Do I need to spell it out for you? Ugh you're so dumb. I need my car now! Me: Is there somewhere you need to get to right now? Actor: Why do you care? But yeah I needed to get to my daughter's recital. Now I'm going to miss it because of you. Me: I apologize that this is going to make you miss your daughter's recital. What grade is she in? Actor: It doesn't matter, I'm going to miss it because of you. It's all your fault. Me: Again, this must be very frustrating for you. I am sure she will understand that you couldn't make it because of this accident. Would this be the correct way to handle the situation? How would you approach it? How would it change if the actor was at fault and blamed you. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snazij Posted March 8, 2017 Report Share Posted March 8, 2017 I think what you have is pretty good. You might want to add in more reflection of his emotions. Also, you can vary the way you do the reflection..."I can see you're very " is a good way to do it, but another one that works is "It can be.." Ex: "It can be very irritating when blah blah blah happens. I am sure you're feeling very stressed." The first problem in this scenario is the car itself, and you resolve it through reflecting his emotions and finding the solution. But you want to repeat the same steps for the second problem (the recital) Ex. "It can be so frustrating when unexpected things like this happen. No one wants to have their schedule moved around. Do you think there's anything we can do to try to get you there on time?" If there is nothing, then say something like: "I really wish I could do something to make it better. If there is anything I can do, please let me know" If the actor blamed you, then that definitely complicates things. These are just some ideas: "I can see you're very upset. Car accidents are very stressful situations. Would you be able to tell me a bit more about what you feel happened?" He tells you. Then you want to invite him to sharing your side of it. "Thank you for sharing that with me. I am really sorry you feel that way and for the distress this is causing you. Unfortunately, I remember the story a bit differently. If you would like, I could share my side of the story with you". Tell him what happened and then you can be like "what are your thoughts? does any of that sound familiar?"Only say that though if his anger has calmed a bit. You could also be like: "It seems like we both understand it differently. We can hopefully look at the traffic cameras to try to resolve this solution" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1994 Posted March 9, 2017 Report Share Posted March 9, 2017 Me: I understand your frustration, are you okay? Me: I would be frustrated if someone hit my brand new car as well, especially since I just got it. Me: I apologize that this is going to make you miss your daughter's recital. What grade is she in? Me: Again, this must be very frustrating for you. "I can see you're very upset. Car accidents are very stressful situations. Would you be able to tell me a bit more about what you feel happened?" "Thank you for sharing that with me. I am really sorry you feel that way and for the distress this is causing you. Unfortunately, I remember the story a bit differently. If you would like, I could share my side of the story with you". I can see a lot of the dialogue above being interpreted as robotic and/or patronizing from an interviewer's perspective. What are everyone's thoughts on this? It just seems too artificial. But then again I'm not good with acting stations and perhaps not being overly kind is what sunk me in the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted March 9, 2017 Report Share Posted March 9, 2017 I can see a lot of the dialogue above being interpreted as robotic and/or patronizing from an interviewer's perspective. What are everyone's thoughts on this? It just seems too artificial. But then again I'm not good with acting stations and perhaps not being overly kind is what sunk me in the past. that is the main problem with initially practicing - it will come off as robotic until you do it so much it becomes more automatic and natural. Not sure if it helps but I always remembered that this scenarios are basically a game. The person screaming at you is not actually angry at all of course, and you are quite above it all in a sense. No matter what you do they are not going to stop being angry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lothrandir Posted March 10, 2017 Report Share Posted March 10, 2017 At my acting station where I had to take an action, I was sitting right next to the table where the prompt was and midway through the acting I wanted to double-check the context, so I spent ten to fifteen seconds reading the prompt again and then resumed acting. Not sure if that would count as a screw up, but It was awkward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 10, 2017 Report Share Posted March 10, 2017 would suggesting that you can drive them to the daughter's recital be a good thing to mention? or is that crossing some kind of boundary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2MD Posted March 10, 2017 Report Share Posted March 10, 2017 Hello all, I just have a couple questions regarding the acting stations: 1) Is there any way to practice and get better at these? I understand that life experiences are essential to dealing with people, but I am curious if there are any ways to fine tune these stations. 2) If the actor is emotionally charged (angry or sad) and repeats insulting you, are we expected to just keep acknowledging their frustration and come up with possible solutions? Example You and the actor get into a car accident. You are at fault. Both of you get out of your cars. Enter the room. Actor: I can't believe you hit my brand new car, you're so incompetent! Me: I understand your frustration, are you okay? Is there any way I can make things better? Actor: No, you're so incompetent! You'd probably mess that up too. Me: I would be frustrated if someone hit my brand new car as well, especially since I just got it. My insurance will cover the damages to your car and you will have a brand new looking car again in no time. Actor: Do you know how long that is going to take? Do I need to spell it out for you? Ugh you're so dumb. I need my car now! Me: Is there somewhere you need to get to right now? Actor: Why do you care? But yeah I needed to get to my daughter's recital. Now I'm going to miss it because of you. Me: I apologize that this is going to make you miss your daughter's recital. What grade is she in? Actor: It doesn't matter, I'm going to miss it because of you. It's all your fault. Me: Again, this must be very frustrating for you. I am sure she will understand that you couldn't make it because of this accident. Would this be the correct way to handle the situation? How would you approach it? How would it change if the actor was at fault and blamed you. Thanks in advance. I was fortunate enough to be able to work with one of the world's experts on the multiple mini interview during my preparation when I was going through my interview for Mac last year. For the role playing scenarios, the best advice I was given was not to rush. Your first line " I understand your frustration, are you okay? Is there any way I can make things better?" sounds rushed which might get you into trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted March 11, 2017 Report Share Posted March 11, 2017 I was fortunate enough to be able to work with one of the world's experts on the multiple mini interview during my preparation when I was going through my interview for Mac last year. For the role playing scenarios, the best advice I was given was not to rush. Your first line " I understand your frustration, are you okay? Is there any way I can make things better?" sounds rushed which might get you into trouble. well that training sounds excellent - care to share anything else that might be use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacGrad19 Posted March 15, 2017 Report Share Posted March 15, 2017 Probably a weird question, but for acting stations, should we start acting the moment we open the door or after we introduce ourselves? (I'm guessing after introductions because you have to give them your sticker with your ID on it so they can evaluate). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimethoprim Posted March 16, 2017 Report Share Posted March 16, 2017 No, you bust in there assuming whatever role is required for that station Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaplin Posted May 3, 2017 Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 Bumping up this thread, How badly do you screw up if you cant take an action specified in the prompt due to time? I recently had an acting station where I had to take an action regarding the conduct of the actor, after acquiring all the background info and veracity of the allegations made against them, the bell rang when I was just about to take that action? Did I screw up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S. pneumoniae Posted May 3, 2017 Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 Bumping up this thread, How badly do you screw up if you cant take an action specified in the prompt due to time? I recently had an acting station where I had to take an action regarding the conduct of the actor, after acquiring all the background info and veracity of the allegations made against them, the bell rang when I was just about to take that action? Did I screw up? I think it certainly depends on the context. For example, in one of my MMI acting stations, the prompt said I "MUST" do X to one of my employees (you can probably infer what I had to do!). Other times it might be more ambiguous, but I understood "must" to be a pretty extreme term. Then again, if you have a clear progression and logical thought process but don't reach the final action, I don't think that's necessarily a big deal, even in a "must" situation. I could be wrong, just my two cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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