Training modules/Dealing with online harassment/slides/debriefing

After a case: Debriefing

Immediately after a case, you and the group in which you work (for example, local oversighters or the stewards) should gather to "debrief" on the case you just helped to mediate. Ask yourself questions to help with this, like:

• Was the result the best possible given the circumstances?
• What went well in this case? (Perhaps note down some things you did or said which were received well, or which led to progress.)
• What didn't go well in this case? (Perhaps note down some areas where progress was slow, or where processes made things difficult.)
• How could you work to make things better for next time? Are there policies that could be improved or discussed?

While it may seem odd to discuss a case, finish it, and then return immediately to talking about it, this type of debrief is useful to work out better processes, as well as to keep at least an informal record of how things are going. It is best done soon after the case, before people begin to forget details. It should make future cases that are similar easier should they come up, or it might even prevent them from coming up at all. Your debrief doesn't need to be public – it can be done on an email thread or on a platform like IRC. The important thing is to think about whether your processes can be improved, and to start to understand where problems exist.