The Galli Method(R)
Successful Conflict
Prevention and Resolution
by
JOHANNES GALLI
Copyright 2011 Galli Publishing
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1. edition 2003
All rights reserved.
ISBN 0-9730790-3-7
Translation, layout, design:
Dr. Tatjana Maya
Editing:
Virginia Gillespie
Cover Photograph:
Georg Nemec
2003
Galli Publishing
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Contents
The Seven Phases in the Galli Method
1.
Identifying the Conflict
2.
Choosing the Actors
3.
The Real-life Play
4.
The Transformational Play
5.
The Solution Appears
6.
The Solution is Played in a Real-life Scene
7.
Applying the Solution in Real life
Three Case Studies Using the Body language Play
Three Case Studies Using the Reinforcement Play
Three Case Studies Using the Film Play
Three Case Studies Using the Fairy Tale Play
Three Case Studies Using the Space and Time Play
Three Case Studies Using the Kellerkinder Play
Three Case Studies Using the Clown Play
It is obvious that we need to solve conflicts. Life is an ongoing challenge to solve conflicts on all levels. If we resist solving a conflict, then this conflict will soon come back on a different level, appearing in a different way. From there it will urge us to become aware of it and finally solve it.
The more we deny a conflict, the more painfully this conflict wants to be solved.
Each conflict has its origin in our subconscious and that’s where also the solution lies. Therefore our task is to reach our subconscious, because it is only from there that we can really find the solution. Spontaneous acting is the core of the Galli Method, because in acting, deep levels of our unconsciousness can be reached.
The Galli Method—Successful Conflict Prevention and Resolution shows clearly how the Galli Method can be applied in conflict resolution.
As the Galli Method is since 2001 applied worldwide, I chose a large number of case studies from my international training seminars.
Johannes Galli, M.A.
Johannes Galli was born near Frankfurt, Germany in 1952. He studied literature, philosophy, and history at the University of Freiburg in Breisgau. He put his philosophical ideas on stage and pursued an artistic career as an actor and quickly progressed in European theatre and on the cultural scene. In the 1980s, he was known throughout Europe as Clown Galli.
Early in his training he realized, “In acting, the genuine person appears.”
This became the core of his philosophy that has been developed into the Galli Method (the body language awareness training), which uses the lightheartedness and liveliness of spontaneous role-playing as the basis for personal growth and conflict resolution in the work and private environment. His diverse creative and artistic work as a clown, actor, director, musician, philosopher and author has inspired people worldwide and filled them with enthusiasm.
Johannes Galli’s method, his books, CDs, videos and theatre scripts are designed to unleash people’s creativity and empower their communication skills.
Additional information about the Galli Method can be found in many books Johannes Galli has authored. See Galli Publishing for additional Galli publications.
Meet the author at: www.johannesgalli.com
A universal tool, the Galli Method only requires the courage to open oneself to the process of “acting it out”.
The Galli Method revitalizes obsolete processes. It breaks through hardened structures, dissolves them, and presents surprising alternatives for seemingly insoluble conflicts. In short, the Galli Method brings life to all of the processes it contacts.
In an intercultural training seminar participants of different cultural backgrounds find a way to connect with each other through understanding and respect, communication processes are brought back to their natural energy flow, or unexpected creativity arises in the clarification of new structures, the Galli Method always points out the right direction by inviting: act out whatever is restricting you, and in the process experience it consciously!
To make it short and simple: Act it out!
When a conflict or problem is identified and acted out in a holistic way, using the body and all of its senses, a real solution appears.
The Galli Method is very appropriate for initiating healing processes and in education for effective teaching and learning.
A universal tool, the Galli Method only requires the courage to open oneself to the process of “acting it out”. Transformation happens by acting freely and easily away from the constraints of real life.
The actor of a conflict—removed from the heavy burdens of day to day responsibility—is freed to discover the solution in a light hearted manner, transforming from a person to a personality. In the process one gains more liveliness, authenticity and success in many levels, the Galli Method energizes any process.
How does it work?
The Galli Method starts where all intellectual strategies are no longer useful. The key word is acting.
Spontaneous solutions are revealed when a conflict, problem, or process is “acted out” in a short theatrical scene. The limitations of the intellect are broken through.
The playing, or the acting-out of scenes, forces the participant to establish the distance needed for reaching the solution. It is that simple. But, a further explanation can be added. To act out a process, principally means to copy it so that it may be reproduced. This is an enormous act of consciousness. The player has to recall a course of action, which takes place in daily life, and simultaneously portray it. The participants have to exchange their internal experience for an external experience. They have to observe themselves from the outside and they achieve extraordinary things. They break out of their automatic behaviour and also confront this behaviour by interpreting it with their acting.
To summarize: the players are able to objectively observe themselves and that is why they are successful in portraying a situation. By confronting themselves, the participants are able to penetrate their inner world of experience.
The technique helps break through the intellectual strategies individuals unconsciously employ to mask true feelings in their daily lives.
The enormous tensions created on stage force participants to play truthfully, with no time for pretending, and, in the process, discover the truth and solutions within. These truths and solutions are often already known but hidden behind the assumptions of who people think they should be. Instead, the highest level of performance is achieved—by playing themselves.
For some people one Play Scene experience is already enough to say: “It was a light bulb moment!” This is the ideal case.
Sometimes, however, the participant is so caught in the conflict that simply acting out the scene is not enough and does not reveal the solution. In this case it is useful to put the Play scene on another level to get away from the real life situation. A large field opens for creative ideas.
In the following, the seven phases of conflict resolution in the Galli Method are presented, as well as seven possibilities for transposing the conflict to another acting level in order to increase creativity and invite a solution.
The Galli Method works as a successful technique by using the effect of spontaneous acting: solving a conflict is combined with the pleasure that arises in everyone when they are allowed to play.
No matter in which area of life the conflict is situated, a solution becomes possible when the conflict is acted out authentically.
There is not just an assertion, but also an experience. Through acting solutions can be found:
• In any problems in private life, especially in relationships
• In business life communication conflicts, partnership problems or hierarchical issues
• In intercultural misunderstandings between two different ethnic cultures or even different corporate cultures
The transfer of the solution into “real life” may not be obvious in the beginning, but the Galli Method has developed useful guidelines to overcome those difficulties.
The seven phases of conflict resolution in the Galli Method are described hereafter.
Hopefully all readers will feel motivated to gain more experience by starting to apply the method. It is very extraordinary how the Galli Method works.
I have included numerous case studies to provide more clear and vivid examples. I chose three case studies for each Transformational Play. They are all drawn from my international workshops, training seminars and lectures from 1999-2002.
The case studies are described in conjunction with the seven phases and are a helpful orientation for learning the Galli Method.
By applying the method for oneself as well as for helping others, the maxim is always:
“In acting, the genuine person appears!”
The
Seven Phases in the
Galli Method
The seven phases are the basis for discovering how to permanently resolve any conflict.
The Galli Method is very easy to apply. There is the old saying: “everything that is effective has to be simple”, or just “Make it simple!” The Galli Method is so simple that it needs little more than trust, courage and the firm intention to really want to solve the conflict or problem.
Besides courage and trust we need the following agreements, which will be outlined before we go on with the seven phases.
Situationally, one first needs to establish an area agreed to as “the stage” such that persons who enter are “the actors”.
Secondly, seats should be provided in front of the stage for “spectators”, and finally, the “trainer” assumes the role of a competent facilitator.
If participants now act out their roles openly and honestly, the Galli Method will be a real success.
An overview of the seven phases:
Phase 1: Identifying the Conflict
After a conversation between the participant and the trainer the conflict is described so that everyone understands it.
Phase 2: Choosing the Actors
Motivated actors are chosen for the upcoming Play scene.
Phase 3: The Real Life Play
The conflict is acted out as realistically as possible with the necessary number of actors.
Phase 4: The Transformational Play
The conflict is acted out again by the same actors, but on a different level.
Phase 5: The Solution Appears
Through close observation of the Play scene, sometimes through repeating it, the solution appears.
Phase 6: The Solution is Played in a Real Life Scene
Once again, the conflict is played as realistically as possible, but incorporating the solution.
Phase 7: Applying the Solution in Real Life
Strategies are developed for applying the solution in daily life.
On the following pages the seven phases are described in more detail. They are the basis for discovering how to permanently resolve any conflict.
First
Phase:
Identifying the Conflict
The trainer has to listen carefully to recognize the real problem and to understand why the participant wants to hide the essence of it.
In the first phase it is important to grasp the conflict and describe it clearly, so that it can then be acted out.
The trainer has the role of a “midwife”.
Often the participants talk about their conflict in a dramatic way, and the trainer now has to remove the emotions and describe it clearly. This process is important in order to develop the story line for the real life Play scene.
Finding the real conflict a person has is very time consuming. Hardly anyone likes to admit that they have a problem that they cannot solve on their own. Often the participants want to maintain the illusion of infallibility and will therefore diminish the problem.
The trainer has to listen carefully to recognize the real problem and to understand why the participant wants to hide the essence of it. Facts and interpretations are easily mixed up.
Often we blame other people for the conflict we have. The difficulty therefore is not in finding the right Play Scene, but in extracting the real conflict from the cover-up tactics and accusations.
When the trainer has finally managed to grasp the true conflict through acquiring more and more details, the Play scene can be developed. This process is easier than it seems. Once the person with the conflict has finally described it, the scene is played according to this description.
Is there a problem between the boss and the secretary?
Does someone fear an examination?
Does someone want to stop smoking?
Is a person about to become an entrepreneur and now fears the responsibility?
Does an old boss conflict with the dynamic energies of the young employee?
Does a mature woman have problems with her longing for sensuality and a fulfilled sex life?
There are many possibilities for conflicts and they all end up in a relationship network. These are all ideal premises for Play scenes.
The trainer should ensure that the conflict is always based on a definite real life situation.
We all know those moments in life when the energies erupt and the conflict ensues. This climax should be the basis for the play scene. This is a great opportunity: in life we try to avoid highly charged and difficult situations. The stage is the right space for them to unfold.
Second
Phase:
Choosing the Actors
An emotional distance is crucial to be able to act spontaneously.
After the conflict has been identified, and an idea for a Play scene has evolved, more conditions have to be set. The actors for the Play scene are chosen.
It is important to find participants who empathize with the conflict. Perhaps they have experienced something similar.
We have to consider that by now many people have a lot of thoughts churning. They might not hear their inner voice calling them on stage. It may happen that no spontaneous cast is found for the Play scene. In his case we have no general solution, but have to develop a new one every time.
Who plays which role?
There are three ways to find out.
1. The protagonist decides the cast for the Play scene himself. Intuitively choosing those audience members who are appropriate to play the conflict and pointing to them and inviting them on stage.
2. Audience members spontaneously put up their hands, because they wish to play the scene.
3. The trainer determines who will be part of the cast. This may sound autocratic, but generally participants find it a pleasing experience and are often thankful for being “ordered” on stage—sometimes needing a gentle push to make the leap. In almost every case the protagonist wants to be involved in the play too. That’s good! However, sometimes there are conflicts, which are still too close, and the protagonist lacks the objectivity towards it to be able to act it out himself. An emotional distance is crucial to be able to act spontaneously.
Whenever the protagonist hesitates to go on stage, this generally indicates that they are over-challenged. In this case the trainer should not try to convince them to act, but should rather look for a “substitute” actor. The substitute understands the conflict and can play it with emotional distance. The “originator”, the person who brought up the conflict, can watch the performance and see how his conflict is resolved in the Play Scene.
Of course there are many ways to put together the right cast.
It is important that the trainer facilitates a smooth selection of the actors so that no fear of playing evolves. I, myself, have always found the perfect cast for acting out the problem, thus leading to a resolution of the conflict.
Third
Phase:
The Real Life Play
The more relaxed the actors get during the play, the funnier and joyful the play becomes. This is what guarantees a solution for the conflict.
Let me share my experience with you. As soon as the play begins and all participants act out their roles, we are no longer able to distinguish whether this is a play or real life. All of a sudden the conflict appears, and you get involved whether you like it or not. That’s what is so extraordinary about acting spontaneously. The more you get involved in the play, the more the boundaries between the play and reality dissolve. So it seems very likely that if the solution is experienced in the Play Scene, it can be applied to real life without any problems.
But more about that later!
It is remarkable to see how the impromptu cast presents the theme as well as the humour that comes through with a little exaggeration.
This helps the trainer and the spectators tune into the conflict. After a while we realize that we no longer concentrate on the acting skills of the presenters, but that we are slowly drawn into the conflict as if it were our own. Each one of the spectators also helps to “work out” a solution.
The more relaxed the actors get during the play, the funnier and joyful the play becomes. This is what guarantees a solution for the conflict. Thunderous applause rewards the actors after the play. Everyone realizes that something special has been created that we never see in the media industry. We are touched deeply and because we empathize with the actors we also transform as they do. Everyone feels it was not only the conflict of the single person being portrayed, but also the conflict of all.
After the Play scene, the trainer should initiate a digestion phase by opening a conversation about the acted out conflict. Everyone who wants to share something is welcome to do so. The trainer should be aware that everyone identifies with the process and so many emotions arise.
The trainer now has the task of a facilitator and is responsible for encouraging people to share their feelings, but not to flog the conflict to death. With the Galli Method intellectual strategies are not useful for solving conflicts that are rooted in the emotional field.
The Galli Method trains our emotional intelligence.
I use the term “emotional intelligence” because it is well known nowadays and is therefore useful, though I personally prefer the word “intuition”. Intuition reaches those deep layers in our psyche, which evade the constructs of the mind. It is the place where iridescent images—in the form of remembrances and experiences—spread out like an ocean. Our intuition dives into this ocean and catches the solution from the depths.
Fourth
Phase:
The Transformational Play
Because the Galli Method is used with different target groups, it is easy to understand that different transformational plays should be provided for the participants.
In the fourth phase the Play scene is acted out on another level. This time the joy of acting is important and the conflict is not that immediate anymore. Instead, it is acted out in a disguised way.
In this phase the trainer needs of all his or her intuition and has to decide on which level the conflict should be acted out.
As previously mentioned in the introduction the solutions may have already appeared spontaneously and the actors realized on a deep level how they got themselves into their different situations—and also how to get themselves out of it.
If this has happened in the third phase, the Real life Play, then the fourth phase is not necessary and can be skipped, as well as the fifth and the sixth phase.
In the seventh phase “applying the solution to real life” the trainer is challenged again. By offering an exercise for consciousness, the trainer gives the actor a useful tool to integrate his experience in the energy flow of daily life.
If, however, the solution has not yet appeared in the third phase, then the conflict is acted out on another level. The trainer’s intuition and experience are challenged to choose the right Play Scene. In my experiences throughout decades, as a facilitator of Play scenes, I have developed seven transformational plays. Because the Galli Method is used with different target groups, it is easy to understand that different transformational plays should be provided for the participants.
In the following you will find an overview of the seven transformational plays and then detailed descriptions.
1. The Body Language Play
Body language signs, breath, and timing become so exaggerated during a conversation, that the true meaning becomes clear.
2. The Reinforcement Play
To achieve a quick climax in the play, one actor is standing behind the other in order to challenge him forward.
3. The Film Play
The conflict is acted out as a film scene: a thriller, western, a romance, or a musical.
4. The Fairy Tale Play
The conflict is acted out as a fairy tale. Scenes from well-known fairy tales are chosen that represent the source of the conflict.
5. The Space and Time Play
The conflict is shifted chronologically, either backwards or forwards.
For the past, scenes from the Stone Age, or from ancient Greece or Rome are very suitable. The Play can also be shifted into the future. The vastness of outer space is especially useful to bring solutions because the imaginary locations are far away from the conflict.
6. The Kellerkinder Play
In this play the conflict is posed in the world of the Kellerkinder. We very often suggest a Kellerkinder Constellation.
7. The Clown Play
In this play all actors change into clowns by putting on red clown noses. This is how they allow themselves to act freely without inhibition and a solution appears.
The seven transformational plays are described in more detail on the following pages. If we know how to apply them in the right way, we have the key to successfully using the Galli Method.
The goal of any body language training is to become aware of one’s own body language and that of one’s opposite in any decisive communication.
The body language play provides a situation where the actors don’t have to have big acting skills. It works well for groups, where there are many people who “don’t have anything to do with acting”.
It is easy to describe this target group more precisely. Those are people, who have good jobs, they are successful, and now want to find out how to get even more successful through the use of body language techniques.
In training seminars conducted for managers from different levels within a corporation, the body language play is the right thing to offer.
Still there are exceptions. Sometimes it is very useful, in training with international top managers, to conduct a space-time play, or a film play, or even a clown play! But more of that later.
In the Body language Play, the trainer stops the play by actually saying, “Stop”, whenever he senses that a break is useful. The actors freeze in position. The trainer gives the actors feedback on their body language signals. Quite often people have an emphany when they realize what they “really” expressed. This reality is very often the opposite of what they used to say and think about themselves. It is a sudden insight.