MODULE
Communication
LESSON
The Wisest People
Don’
tHa
v
eAl
l
t
he
Answers: Learn to
Sa
y
,
“
I
Don’
t
Know!
”
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Module: Communication
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
Table of Contents
Overview ...............................................................................................................3
Teacher Preparation .............................................................................................5
Exercise 1: Pre-Quiz Directions & Answer Key .....................................................6
Ex
er
ci
se1:“
IDon’
tKnow!
”Pr
e-Quiz.....................................................................7
Exercise 2: Quote and Anecdote of the Day .........................................................8
Ex
er
ci
se3:Vi
deoVi
gnet
t
e:“
TheWi
sestPeopl
eDon’
tHav
eAl
lt
he
Answer
s:Lear
nt
oSay
,‘
IDon’
tKnow!
’”
.............................................................10
Ex
er
ci
se4:Admi
tYouDon’
tHav
eAl
lt
heAns
wer
s.............................................11
Exercise 5: Over-confidence Role-Play...............................................................14
Exercise 6: Credit Hogs.......................................................................................18
Exercise 7: Wrap-Up:“
TheWi
s
estPeopl
eDon’
tHav
eAl
lt
he
Answer
s:Lear
nt
oSay
,‘
IDon’
tKnow!
’”
.............................................................23
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 2
Module: Communication
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
Overview
Purpose
To teach students the importance of telling your employer the truth about your
limitations and commitments in the workplace and learn to share credit with
others when credit is due.
National Career Development Standards
Standard 1: Understanding the influence of a positive self-concept.
Standard 2: Skills to interact positively with others.
Standard 5: Understanding the need for positive attitudes toward work and
learning.
National Career Development Benchmarks
Students will be able to. . .
Benchmark 1.b: Demonstrate the ability to use peer feedback.
Benchmark 2.c: Describe appropriate employer and employee interactions in
various situations.
Benchmark 2.d: Demonstrate how to express feelings, reactions, and ideas in
an appropriate manner.
Benchmark 5.e: Demonstrate positive work attitudes and behaviors.
Think and Discuss
1. Why is it important to tell your employer, employee, or customer your
limitations if you do not know something asked of you?
2. Why should you accept credit with humility rather than as a credit hog?
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 3
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
Module: Communication
SCANS
Bl
oom’
sTa
x
ono
my Multiple Intelligences
Fundamental Skills
This lesson uses 8 of the 16 EFF Standards
Basic Skills
Thinking Skills
Personal Qualities
Workplace Competencies
Resources
Interpersonal
Information
Systems
Technology
Equipped for the Future (EFF) Standards
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation
Bodily/Kinesthetic
Visual/Spatial
Logical/Mathematical
Verbal/Linguistic
Musical/Rhythmical
Naturalist
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal







Resolve Conflict and Negotiate
Observe Critically
Listen Actively
Solve Problems and Make Decisions
Cooperate with Others
Guide Others
Take Responsibility for learning

Reflect and Evaluate
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 4
Module: Communication
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
Teacher Preparation
Class Materials
Copy the following exercises for distribution to students:
 Exercise 1: “
IDon’
tKnow!
”Pr
e-Quiz p. 7
 Exercise 4: “
IDon’
tKnow!
”- The Play pp. 12-13
 Exercise 5: Over-Confidence/Arrogance Scenarios 1 and 2 (five copies of
each scenario) pp. 15-16
 Exercise 6: Copies of the Credit-Hog Brain-Teaser Assignments for your
role-play groups (only share the answer to the assignment with the
WONDER KID) p. 21
Overhead templates for teacher use
 Exercise 1: “
IDon’
tKnow!
”Pr
e-Quiz p. 7
 Exercise 2: Quote and Anecdote of the Day p. 9
 Exercise 4: “
IDon’
tKnow!
”- The Play pp.12-13
Key Words
1. Credit Hog
2. Quarter (3 months of a year = 1 quarter)
3. Arrogant
4. Over-Confident
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 5
Module: Communication
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
Exercise 1: Pre-Quiz Directions & Answer Key
Teacher Directions
This exercise should take only 5 minutes with some discussion after each
question. A teacher copy is provided with the answers.
Step 1: Have students take the 6-quest
i
on“
IDon’
tKnow!
”qui
zt
ocheckf
or
understanding.
Step 2: Review the questions with students to correct misconceptions they may
have regarding the importance of honesty in the workplace.
Step 3: Transition to Exercise 2: Quote and Anecdote of the Day.
Answer Key
1. False
2. C
3. A
4. E
5. True
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 6
Module: Communication
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
Exercise 1: “IDon’
tKnow!
”Pre-Quiz
1. The best employees have the answers for every problem they face.
True
False
2. Wheny
out
el
ly
ourbos
s,“
Idon’
tknowt
heanswer
,
”i
tmeans:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
You are an idiot
You are inexperienced
You are honest
All of the above
Only A and B
3. Whi
choft
hef
ol
l
owi
ngshoul
dy
ousayaf
t
ery
out
el
ly
ourboss,“
Idon’
tknowt
he
answer
….
.
”
?(Circle all that apply)
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
“
…buti
fy
ougi
v
emeaf
ewhour
s,Ic
angett
heanswerf
ory
ou.
”
“
…I
’
m sor
r
y
,Ican’
tdoev
er
y
t
hi
ngar
oundher
e.
”
“
…whatdoy
ouex
pectf
r
om me? I
’
m newar
oundher
e.
”
“
….
andIr
eal
l
yf
eelst
upi
dabouti
t
.
”
All of the above
Only A, B, and C
4. If you are confronted with a situation when you could potentially look stupid for
not knowing something, you should NEVER:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Pretend like you do know the answer
Get defensive
Feel stupid
Cry
All of the above
5. If you are someone who likes to hog all the credit and get all the attention, you
wi
l
lmostl
i
kel
yhav
et
r
oubl
et
el
l
i
ngy
ourbosst
haty
oudon’
thav
eas
ol
ut
i
ont
oa
problem.
True
False
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 7
Module: Communication
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
Exercise 2: Quote and Anecdote of the Day
Teacher Directions
You may want to write the quote on the board to focus student thought on
t
he“IDon’
tKnow”l
esson.Di
scusst
hequest
i
onspr
ovi
dedbel
ow wi
t
hyour
students. This exercise should take 5 minutes.
Step 1: Have a selected student read the quote aloud. Ask students the
following question:
What does Shakespeare mean by this quote as it relates to admitting that
you do not have all the answers?
Step 2: Have a selected student read aloud the anecdote from the career
counselor. Ask students the following question:
Why does the career couns
el
oradv
i
seust
oj
ustsay“
IDon’
tKnow”r
at
her
than say responses that appear to be protecting our lack of knowledge?
Step 3: Proceed to Exercise 3: Video Vignette: “
TheWi
sestPeopl
eDon’
tHav
e
Al
lt
heAnswer
s:Lear
nt
oSay‘
IDon’
tKnow!
’”
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 8
Module: Communication
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
Quote 1
"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool."
- Shakespeare, As You Like It
Anecdote 1
“
Justl
i
kemi
l
l
i
onsofot
herst
udent
s,whenIs
ai
d,“
Idon’
tk
now”in school, I was
laughed at, teased, or given a bad grade from my teacher. As youngsters, we
ar
et
r
ai
nedt
oal
way
shav
et
her
i
ghtanswer
.I
fwedon’
thav
et
heanswer
s,we
think we are stupid. When we leave school and begin our work careers, we are
still expected to have answers and knowledge. However, we are not expected to
have information about all of the questions that come our way. In fact, nobody
does. If someone acts like he/she does, then you will know that person is faking
it. You will also notice that when you are working and you ask someone a
question that he/she cannot answer, you might get some interesting responses.
Some people might say:
“
I
nt
er
est
i
ngt
hought
.
”
“
That
’
sagr
eatquest
i
on.
”
“
Inev
ert
houghtofi
tt
hatway
.
”
“
That
’
sauni
quei
ssue.
”
“
Whatapr
obl
em!
”
If you hear people use the responses abov
e,y
oucanbecer
t
ai
nt
hatt
heydon’
t
knowt
heanswerandt
heydon’
twanty
out
ok
nowt
heydon’
tk
now!Thepoi
nti
s,
manypeopl
ewi
l
lav
oi
dsay
i
ng,“
Idon’
tknow.
”Makesur
ey
ouar
enotoneof
those people. You will learn more and gain more respect from others when you
use those three little words instead of pretending otherwise.”
- Career Counselor
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 9
Module: Communication
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
Exercise 3: Video Vignette: “TheWi
sestPeopl
eDon’
tHave
Al
lt
heAnswer
s:Lear
nt
oSay,‘
IDon’
tKnow!
’”
Teacher Directions
Pl
ayt
hevi
deot
i
t
l
ed“
TheWi
sestPeopl
eDon’
tHaveAl
lt
heAnswer
s:Lear
n
t
oSay,‘
IDon’
tKnow!
’” Di
scussi
onshoul
df
ol
l
ow af
t
ert
hevi
deovi
gnet
t
e.
This exercise should take 5 minutes to discuss.
Step 1: Review the video vignette before introducing the video to your class.
Step 2: Show the video and discuss with your class the message provided in the
video.
Step 3: Transition to Exercise 4: “
Admi
tYouDon’
tHav
eAl
lt
heAns
wer
s.
”
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 10
Module: Communication
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
Exer
ci
se4:Admi
tYouDon’
tHaveAl
lt
heAnswer
s
Teacher Directions
Please review this exercise before introducing the topic to your class. This
exercise should take 15 minutes to complete.
Note: In school, the measure of success is to have all the correct answers.
Ev
er
y
onet
r
i
est
oget100% cor
r
ectonev
er
yex
am i
nor
dert
oear
nan“
A+”
.On
the job,i
tdoesn’
twor
kt
hi
sway
.Ther
ei
ssi
mpl
yt
oomuchi
nf
or
mat
i
ont
ol
ear
n
and comprehend; there is no way one single person can, or is expected to know
it all. Individuals who pretend to have all the answers are usually the first ones to
have trouble fitting in. One good rule of thumb is to have the mind-set that
everyone in the company knows more than you do about the job, the company,
the industry, etc. And in 99% of the cases, if you are a new employee, this is
true. Your attitude should be one of a person who is learning and asking
quest
i
onsand,abov
eal
l
,bei
ngcomf
or
t
abl
ewi
t
hadmi
t
t
i
ngt
haty
oudon’
thav
eal
l
t
heanswer
s.NEVERBEAFRAI
DTO SAY,“
IDON’
TKNOW!
”Ast
i
megoesby
,
y
ouwi
l
lf
i
ti
nmor
ebyr
espect
i
ngot
her
s’k
nowl
edgebas
ewhi
l
ebuilding your own.
Step 1: Select 4 volunteers. One will play the role of the boss. 3 others will play
the roles of entry-level minions.
Step 2: Readf
r
om scr
i
ptt
i
t
l
ed“
IDon’
tKnow.
”
Step 3: Process the play by using the following guided questions:
What does the class suppose was discussed between the boss and Jones
in that impromptu meeting?
What could Jones have done in order to avoid the unpleasantness about
to befall him/her?
Step 4: Transition to Exercise 5: “
Ov
er
-confidence Role-Pl
ay
.
”
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 11
Module: Communication
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
“IDon’
tKnow!
”- The Play
Boss: “
Jones
,geti
nmyof
f
i
c
enow.Iwantt
ot
al
kt
oy
ou!
”
Jones: “
Whati
si
t
?”
Boss: “
Whi
chr
egi
onoft
hecount
r
yhadt
hehi
ghestsal
esl
astquar
t
er
?”
Jones: (After thinking to him/herself for a minute:) “
I
twast
heNor
t
heast
Region; t
heyhadabouta37% i
ncr
easef
r
om l
asty
ear
’
st
hi
r
dquar
t
er
.
”
Boss: “
Wow,Idi
dn’
tr
eal
i
z
ei
twast
hathi
gh.Theydi
dqui
t
eat
ur
nar
ound.
”
Jones: “
Ohy
eah,37% i
st
r
emendous!I
fonl
yourot
herr
egi
onsc
oul
ddot
hat
wel
l
.
”
Boss: “
Gr
eat
,t
hat
’
sal
lIneeded.Goodwor
k.
”
Jones: “
Thanks,Boss
!
”
(Jonesget
supandl
eavest
heboss’
sof
f
i
ce.Af
ewsec
ondsl
at
erSmi
t
hi
scal
l
ed
in to see the boss.)
Boss: “
Smi
t
h,geti
nher
e.
”
Smith: “
What
’
sup?”
Boss: “
Howdi
dt
heWest
er
nr
egi
ondoons
al
est
hi
squar
t
er
?”
Smith: “
Idon’
tknowex
act
l
y
.Isawt
henumber
satagl
ance,butIwi
l
lcheckand
getbackt
oy
oui
naf
ewmi
nut
es.I
st
hatokay
?”
Boss: “
Sur
e.
”
(Ten minutes pass. Smith returns to see his/her boss.)
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 12
Module: Communication
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
Smith: “
Ok,her
ei
st
hepr
i
nt
outonthe Western region. It says there was a
sl
i
ghti
ncr
easeov
erl
as
ty
ear
’
snumber
s.Theyonl
yi
ncr
eased1.
5% t
hi
squar
t
er
.
”
Boss: “
That
’
snotv
er
yi
mpr
essi
v
e.Acc
or
di
ngt
oJones,t
heNor
t
heastbl
ewt
he
West out of the water with a 37% increase over last year.
”
Smith: “
Wow,Idi
dn’
tr
eal
i
z
ei
twast
hathi
gh.Ther
es
toft
hecount
r
ysaw
significant decreases in sales. I thought for sure that the 1.5% the West had was
enough to get them the quarterly award of recognition. But it looks like the
Northeast wont
heawar
dt
hi
st
i
me.
”
Boss: “
Lookst
hatway
.I
’
l
lgi
v
et
heNor
t
heastr
egi
on’
ssal
esdi
r
ect
oracal
lnow
andc
ongr
at
ul
at
eherper
sonal
l
y
.
”
(Smith gets up and leaves. Boss is on the phone with the Northeast sales
director.)
Boss: “
Sal
l
y
,congr
at
sona job well-done. You have made me very proud
becausei
ns
pi
t
eofourcompany
’
snat
i
onwi
depat
het
i
cs
al
esr
et
ur
ns,y
ourr
egi
on
has risen above the weak economy. I can remember when you first started with
this company only four years ago. You had so much promise and now it has
come to fruition. In a time when our other sales directors are having such a
difficult time keeping the company afloat, your region is setting a positive
example for those discouraged souls. It will be a true honor to present you with
the Quarterly Regional Sales Award at our national directors meeting in San
Francisco next week. It will be an especially proud moment for me because I
was the person who interviewed and hired you four years ago when you were
only a sales associate. To think; you turned around an entire region by 37%!
Thati
sas
t
oundi
ng!
”
Sally: “
I
’
m get
t
i
ngal
lt
hi
sr
ecogni
t
i
onbecaus
eourr
egi
oni
sdown 37%? I
t
houghty
ouwoul
dbecal
l
i
ngt
of
i
r
eme.
”
Boss: “
Whatar
et
al
k
i
ngabout
?”
Sally: “
The Northeast region is 37% below l
asty
ear
’
snumber
s.Di
dy
ou
act
ual
l
yt
hi
nkwemadeposi
t
i
v
egai
nst
hi
squar
t
er
?”
Boss: “
I
’
l
lhav
et
oc
al
ly
ouback.
”
(Boss hangs up.)
Boss: “
Jones
! Get in here! Iwantt
ot
al
kt
oy
ou!
”
THE END
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 13
Module: Communication
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
Exercise 5: Over-confidence Role-Play
Teacher Directions
Please review the material before introducing the topic to the class. This
exercise should take 15 minutes to complete.
Not
e:Par
tofl
ear
ni
nghow t
oadmi
twhenyoudon’
thaveal
lt
heanswer
si
s
to keep your ego in check. Folks with huge and delicate egos are usually
t
hef
ol
kswhohavet
r
oubl
esayi
ng,“Idon’
tknow”f
r
om t
i
met
ot
i
me.
Learning what it means to be over-confident or“ar
r
ogant
”i
scr
i
t
i
calt
oyour
success.
Step 1: Read the following scenarios to the class and then choose volunteers to
demonstrate them for the class. Explain how others actually perceive and label
someone as arrogant or over-confident.
Step 2: Discuss each of the following scenarios and use the questions after each
scenario as guiding questions. Ask students to think of recent examples of how
they might have acted over-confident or arrogant.
Note: The moral of this exercise is that we have to be aware of our behavior
and the behavior of others. It is imperative that we are not arrogant nor
over-confident in front of others. In addition, we should be mindful of those
individuals who continuously act arrogant and over-confident. Rarely will
you see these individuals succeed; the majority of the time, they end up
creating more problems than they provide solutions.
Step 3: Transition to Exercise 6: “
Cr
edi
tHogs.
”
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 14
Module: Communication
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
Over-Confidence/Arrogance Scenario 1: (3 volunteers)
Employee #1: “
Whatar
ewegoi
ngt
odowi
t
ht
hi
spr
oj
ect
?I
t
’
sduei
naf
ew
hours, andwedon’
teven have a starting point yet!”
Employee #2: “
Iwi
s
ht
heboss would have explained this to us a little more
cl
ear
l
y
.
”
Employee #3: “
Wel
l
,oneofusshoul
dgoandaskhi
m whatt
odo.
”
Employee #1: “
Noway
!Youdoi
t
!I
’
m notgoi
ngt
ol
ookst
upi
d!
”
Employee #3: “
Yout
woar
ebabi
es
.Don’
twor
r
yaboutat
hi
ng.We’
l
lbe
f
i
ne…l
et
’
sgett
owor
k.
”
Guiding Questions and Discussion:
Is this an example of over-confidence or arrogance?
Who was acting arrogant or over-confident in this role-play?
Howcoul
dt
hi
sper
son’
sov
er
-confidence get the group in trouble?
Whatcoul
dt
hegr
oupdot
odef
l
at
et
he“
wr
ong”per
son’
sbehav
i
or
?
Did anyone in the group do or say the right thing at any point in the roleplay?
Can the students relate to this sort of behavior in themselves or others?
Ask someone to describe a similar situation that might have happened to
him/her.
How does it make them feel when someone is acting over-confident or is
arrogant?
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 15
Module: Communication
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
Over-Confidence/Arrogance Scenario 2: (4 volunteers)
Employee #1: “
OK,s
oi
fwet
hi
nkaboutourt
ar
getaudi
enc
ef
ort
hi
smar
keting
plan, we will realize that they are primarily college students ages 19-24.
”
Employee #2: "Right, that means we have to have a marketing plan that will be
colorful, full of energy, andex
ci
t
i
ng.Notf
ul
loff
act
sort
ex
t
.
”
Employee #3: “
Iagr
ee.Do either of you know how to put such a plan
t
oget
her
?”
Employee #2: “
Ihav
en’
tdoneany
t
hi
ngl
i
ket
hi
sbef
or
e,butwecanaskar
ound
andf
i
nds
omeonet
ohel
pus.
”
Employee #1: “
It
hi
nkIr
ememberhear
i
ngSal
l
yment
i
onshewor
kedona
project like this l
asty
ear
.Let
’
sseei
fshewi
l
lgi
v
eussomeadv
i
ce.
”
Employee #3: “
Goodi
dea.Icangi
v
eherac
al
li
fi
t
’
sokaywi
t
ht
her
estofy
ou.
”
(Employee #4 barges into the meeting.)
Employee #4: “
Heyguy
s,whatar
ey
oudoi
ng?”
Employee #2: “
Wor
ki
ngonthe college student marketing plan. We are kind of
st
uck,butwedeci
dedt
ot
al
kt
oSal
l
yaboutaf
ewi
t
ems.Wet
hi
nks
hecanhel
p.
”
Employee #4: “
Badi
dea.WhatdoesSal
l
yknow? I
’
v
ebeendoi
ngt
hi
sst
uf
ff
or
ten years. You guys are in luck, I happent
ohav
eaf
ewhour
sopen.I
’
l
lhang
ar
oundandt
eac
hy
ouat
hi
ngort
woaboutmar
ket
i
ng!Ri
ngt
hebel
l
,school
’
si
n
sessi
on!
”
Employee #1: “
Act
ual
l
y
,we….
.
”
Employee #4: “
Okay
,t
hef
i
r
stt
hi
ngy
ouneedt
odoi
s….
.
”
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 16
Module: Communication
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
Guiding Questions and Discussion:
Is this an example of over-confidence or arrogance?
Who was acting arrogant or over-confident in this role-play?
Howcoul
dt
hi
sper
son’
sov
er
-confidence get the group into trouble?
Whatcoul
dt
hegr
oupdot
odef
l
at
et
he“
wr
ong”per
son’
sbehav
i
or
?
Did anyone in the group do or say the right thing at any point in the roleplay?
Can the students relate to this sort of behavior in themselves or others?
Ask someone to describe a similar situation that might have happened to
him/her.
How does it make them feel when someone is acting over-confident or is
arrogant?
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 17
Module: Communication
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
Exercise 6: Credit Hogs
Teacher Directions
Please review the information before introducing the topic to your class.
This exercise should take 15 minutes to complete.
Note: The Teacher should bring a bag of candy to class for the reward or
“
payment
”f
oraj
obwel
l
-done for the workers. Bring enough candy for the entire
class.
Quite often, when someone has difficulty with admitting he/she does not have an
answer to a problem, he or she is hungry for credit. Credit for a job well-done,
admi
r
at
i
onf
r
om cowor
ker
s,pr
ai
sef
r
om asuper
vi
sor
…t
hesear
eal
lf
uel
st
hat
feed the fire of the CREDIT HOGS. This exercise will demonstrate how wanting
to hog all the credit can get a person into trouble.
Teacher Review of Exercise: Before the exercise begins (best if done before
class), identify one student who will be the CREDIT HOG and another who will
be the WONDER KID. Do this discreetly so the rest of the class does not know
he/she has been chosen. Do this with one student at a time so they think that
t
heyar
et
heonl
y“
pr
opact
or
s.
”I
ti
sver
yi
mpor
t
antt
hatt
heCREDI
THOG and
t
heWONDERKI
Ddonotk
nowt
heyar
eeac
h“
pr
opact
or
s.
”Tel
lt
heCREDI
T
HOG that his/her job will be to act like he/she is the reason all of the work was
completed in the group. The CREDIT HOG will be very loud and very
opinionated about the great job he/she did while the group was working on the
problems.
Tell the WONDER KID that his/her job is to have the solutions to the problems
the entire time the group is working on the problems. At the last minute, he/she
will single-handedly solve the problems and keep the credit for him/herself. The
teacher will provide the answers to the WONDER KID. When the WONDER KID
speaks during the exercise discussions, he/she is to act in an arrogant, betterthan-thou manner.
For the CREDIT HOG, the solutions to the problems are irrelevant, the point is
that the group will NEVER be able to solve all of the problems in the short time
you give them (except for the WONDER KID), but the CREDIT HOG is going to
act like he/she knows how to do the job. The CREDIT HOG is going to fake
having the answers and the CREDIT HOG is going to be over-confident and
arrogant—leaving the rest of the group quiet and uninformed. However, during
the group problem-solving exercise, while the teacher has left the room, the
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 18
Module: Communication
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
credit hog is to remain relatively quiet and does not contribute to the solution of
the problems.
Select 6 volunteers. (One will be the secret CREDIT HOG; one will be the secret
WONDER KID; and four other students.)
Step 1: Ask the 6 volunteers to sit in chairs or on the floor in a circle. The rest of
the class can watch from the perimeter.
Step 2: Tell the group that you are going to give them some problems to solve.
You are the owner of a small company and they are your employees. Tell them
that once you leave the room, it is up to them to get the job done. When you
return, you will be asking for information that pertains to the job. The reward for
a job well-done will be candy from your bag of goodies.
Step 3: Give the team their assignment (see the three “
br
ai
n-t
eas
er
”
assignments below; write them on the board or copy and handout the
assignments to the six students). They are to solve the three problems for you.
Step 4: Tell the team that they have 2 minutes to solve the problems. Leave the
room and return in exactly 2 minutes.
Remember, the CREDIT HOG does not have to participate. He/she can sit
there quietly in order to hide his/her cover. Same with the WONDER KID.
Step 5: Enter the room and ask the group how the project went. This is the
prompt for the CREDIT HOG to take over. He/she is supposed to be bragging
about how he/she has led the group, how he/she thinks that these problems
could have been solved easily, but they needed more time, etc. He can discredit
t
her
estoft
hegr
oupasanex
cuseast
owhyt
hepr
obl
emswer
en’
ts
ol
v
edon
time. He/she should say that the rest of the group kept complaining about how
hard the problems were andhowt
heydi
dn’
tk
nowt
heanswer
s.(
Thi
sout
bur
st
should be a surprise to the WONDER KID because this was his/her time to shine
and astonish the class with his/her expert knowledge).
Step 6: After letting the CREDIT HOG ramble on for a short time, interrupt and
tell the group that you still expect to have some answers.
Step 7: This is the prompt for the WONDER KID to jump up to the board and
magically solve the problems that the teacher has supplied before-hand.
Step 8: Ask the students in the team (the non-CREDIT HOG and non-WONDER
KID students) if the allegations are true.
 Did they not provide any knowledge to the group?
 Ask them if it is true that the CREDIT HOG was the group leader.
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 19
Module: Communication
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
 Ask them who really solved the problems and how they did it.
 This should be the prompt for the WONDER KID to act arrogant and brag
about how smart he/she is.
Step 9: Let the 4 non-prop actors defend their situation. See if they take a
strong stance, if they name call or accuse or blame the WONDER KID or
CREDIT HOG for wrongdoing. While they defend themselves, give the
WONDER KID candy for his/her contributions. Give the CREDIT HOG candy for
his/her contributions. This should make the other team members a little hotter.
Tell them to save their candy, not to eat it just yet.
Step 10: Stop the role-play! Tell the entire class that the WONDER KID and
CREDIT HOG are actors intended to prove a point. Explain how they were given
directions before class to interfere with the group process.
Step 11: Process and Discuss. Have a serious discussion about how the 4 nonprop actors felt.
 How did they feel when the CREDIT HOG took over?
 How did they feel when the WONDER KID came from out of nowhere and
solved the problems without sharing with the rest of the group?
 How did they feel when they were not able to contribute to the answers yet
others were claiming all the credit?
 Ask the same questions of the rest of the class. What did they observe?
 What could the non-prop actors have done to better position themselves in
the group and especially with the boss?
 Now take the candy away from the CREDIT HOG and WONDER KID.
Tell them that the behavior they displayed might get rewarded in the short term,
but ALWAYS gets discovered later. Pass out candy to the entire class!!
Moral of this exercise: Never be a CREDIT HOG nor a WONDER KID.
Step 12: Transition to Exercise 7: Wrap-Up:“
TheWi
s
estPeopl
eDon’
tHav
eal
l
t
heAnswer
s:Lear
nt
oSay
,‘
IDon’
tKnow!
’”
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 20
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
Module: Communication
Brain-Teaser Assignment No. 1
CONNECT ALL 9 DOTS WITH FOUR STRAIGHT LINES WITHOUT LIFTING
THE CHALK OFF THE BOARD (or pen off the paper).
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Brain-Teaser Assignment No. 2
Make the Roman Numeral below (a 9) into a 6.
IX
Brain-Teaser Assignment No. 3
Prove that 6+5 = NINE
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 21
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
Module: Communication
Assignment No. 1 Answer for WONDER KID
CONNECT ALL 9 DOTS WITH FOUR STRAIGHT LINES WITHOUT
LIFTING THE CHALK OR PEN OFF THE BOARD.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
The red line is the first line, green is the second, blue is the third and pink is the
forth. The key to the puzzle ise
x
t
e
n
d
i
n
gt
h
el
i
n
e
sp
a
s
t
t
h
e“
b
o
x
e
sb
o
r
d
e
r
s
.
”
Assignment No. 2 Answer for WONDER KID
Make the Roman Numeral below (a 9) into a 6.
IX
Al
ly
ouneedt
odoher
ei
saddan“
S”i
nf
r
ontoft
heRomanNumer
al
“
I
X”andy
ou
wi
l
lhav
e“
SI
X”
!
!
SIX
Assignment #3 Answer for WONDER KID
Prove that 6+5= Nine
We all know that6a
n
d5e
qu
a
l11.Bu
ti
fy
oubr
e
a
kdownt
hewor
d“
NI
NE”i
n
t
o
individual lines, you will see that it is made up of 11 lines:
There you have it, 6+5= NINE
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 22
Module: Communication
Lesson: IDon’
tKnow!
Exercise 7: Wrap-Up:“TheWi
sestPeopl
eDon’
tHaveAl
l
t
heAnswer
s:Lear
nt
oSay,‘
IDon’
tKnow!
’”
Teacher Directions
This exercise should take 5 minutes.
Step 1: Have students answer and journal their responses to the following
questions:
1.
Why is it important to tell your employer, employee, or customer your
limitations if you do not know something asked of you?
2.
Why should you accept credit with humility rather than as a credit hog?
Final Thoughts
Be honest with yourself and others if you are asked to do something that
you do not have the capability of doing. When we are honest with others
aboutourcapabi
l
i
t
i
eswi
t
hst
at
ement
ssuchas,“Idonotknow t
heanswer
,
butIcangetyout
heansweri
n2hour
s,
”t
hemessagei
soneofhonest
y,
but you also have indicated that you are willing to learn from your
limitations. Employers, peers, and customers appreciate this attribute in a
person. All of us at one time or another will receive inaccurate information
from others because they want to look like they know something when they
r
eal
l
ydon’
t
.I
tcanbeannoyi
ng,i
nef
f
i
ci
ent
,cost
l
y,andsomet
i
mes
dangerous when people do this. Please avoid the credit hog trap at all cost
andsay“Idon’
tknow”whenyour
eal
l
ydon’
tknow.
Copyright © 2004, Marc McCulloch and Troy Behrens for ASCL Educational Services, Inc.
Page 23