Skip to main content

6 Ways to make Role Plays Real




Role-plays are a great way of practising new skills. But often workshop participants complain that they don't enjoy the role-play simulations because they don't feel real, making them ultimately learn less. 

Fortunately, as a trainer/facilitator, there is a lot you can do to make role-playing real. Starting with these 6 ways to make Role Plays REAL: 

1. Work with real situations
Role play becomes more real when participants can use their own experiences. I love to work with situations that the participants come up with themselves. The reason is that if someone suffers from miscommunication with a colleague at work, role-playing that exact situation will feel a lot more real than a standardized case scenario.

2. Have the Participant choose his opponent
Let the participant always choose an 'opponent' himself. I promise you he will automatically choose someone who looks like the person he finds it difficult to deal with in real life. By doing that chances are also that the role play will become more realistic. I often see facilitators choose the opponent themselves or ask the group who wants to play the opposite role. Don’t do it! It will take away from the learning experience of the participant.

3. Set the situation as it is
When the participant and the opponent are known, you set the situation as it really is. Are they standing, are they sitting? Is there normally a table, then put it there. If they talk to each other over the telephone, let them sit with their backs together and get some phones. These little things will add to the reality of the role play.

4. Name the opponent by his 'game name'
Call the participant by his own name, but name the opponent by the name of the person he plays. Use that name in the time-out. For example: "What do you see the effect was on Trudy?" This makes the situation more realistic.

5. Correct smiling observants
Sometimes observers laugh. That is OK if something happens that is really funny. But sometimes they also start laughing, because the participant in the role play tries something new that might look out of character. It can take the participant out of their learning experience so stay serious and say something like "Everyone, please keep the focus." Or to the participant: “You are doing great. Keep trying”

6. Recognize that it is not real
After all of this the participant might still say that the role-play exercise did not feel real. In such a case just acknowledge their feelings. "No, of course, it is not real." Afterwards, you ask whether the participant is curious about the feedback:" Do you want to hear what the group thought?" Or,"Shall we see how the opponent has experienced it?“ Acknowledging that it is not real will increase the chance that the participant wants to hear the feedback anyway.

Would you like to bring in a Role Play Professional? Then check out our website to learn more about our Role Play Services. www.interactwa.com.au

Popular posts from this blog

Practice makes you 60% better!

Be honest: when you have a challenging conversation ahead, how much time do you spend practising it? I mean really practising—sitting down, speaking out loud, positioning your hands as you want them, and using the appropriate tone of voice—as opposed to just thinking about how to approach it. I spent nearly ten years in sales, and I used to rehearse my negotiation skills in my car. While I was mentally preparing, I realized that wasn’t real practice. You truly need to say it out loud and act it out. Take it from someone who has spent a lot of time rehearsing like an actor. There are two forms of long-term memory to consider: 1. **Explicit Memory**: This type stores facts, events, people, places, and objects. 2. **Implicit Memory**: This retains perceptual and motor skills, such as riding a bike or typing on a keyboard. To recall explicit memories—like the script of your message—you need to consciously focus on the process of retrieval, which can be challenging. In contrast, implicit m...
Read more

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

We often perceive Leadership Communication as a purely verbal and intellectual exercise, but that’s not the complete picture. Leadership Communication is less about the words you use and more about how you convey them. As you present your message, your physical presence plays a crucial role. Your body sends its own signals through gestures and tone of voice, which can differ significantly from your spoken words. Unfortunately, it’s often your body language that resonates more with your colleagues. This brings us to a fundamental truth: when it comes to body language, actions do speak louder than words. Your body language can either enhance or undermine your Leadership Communication. Your eyes, mouth, hands, head, and various body movements all provide insights into your mental state. While gestures can emphasize your points, excessive or exaggerated movements may come across as overbearing or aggressive when your intention was simply to appear "strong." Certain gestures, like...
Read more

How I Failed in Feedback...

Research is finally showing the link between free-flowing feedback and better business results. In workplaces where managers don’t give and receive feedback, employee engagement rates limp in at 29%. On the flip side, when feedback is regularly exchanged between managers and employees, engagement jumps to 79%. But let’s face it, we’re human — and we find it tough to engage in feedback. Many of us —including myself — get defensive when we hear it, or we assume nobody wants to hear it. So feedback gets chronically buried and put off. But it doesn’t have to.  In my experience, there is a simple principle that can play a key role in unlocking feedback: It’s not who you are, it’s what you do As a communication trainer and role play actor, I assume that everyone wants to, and can, get better. When I take this approach I find myself able to engage in discussions about areas for improvement with an optimistic and open heart. But even though I always try to take thi...
Read more