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We've all been in that session, right? You know the one . . . the trainer asks two people to come to the front of the room for a role play. Both are nervous and awkward. They aren't sure what they're supposed to practice, or why. It's embarrassing for them. Not to worry, though, since no one is watching; everyone else is busy updating their facebook status.
Many of us gave up on role play long ago thanks to memories like these.
We want to encourage you to go back through that toolbox and dust off your role play strategies. Role playing has been around for so long because it works. Think about it: our job as workplace learning professionals is to help people become more skillful. And skill is like muscle. It doesn't grow until people use it. Role play, if done right, is a way to build skill -- maybe the best way to build skill in a classroom environment.
So, here are a few tips for doing role play the right way:
- Create a safe environment for learners. This means setting up role plays so that no one is embarrassed, no one is in the spotlight, and no one has to "perform". We advocate having the whole group divide into pairs or triads so everyone can practice at once. This works with a class of 10, or a conference session of 100.
- Be crystal clear about the process -- what are the expectations? what roles are people playing? how much time do they have?
- Use realistic, practical, well built scenarios that are relevant to people's jobs. This may even mean you need several scenarios playing out at once -- one for managers and another for individual contributors, for example.
- Pull it all together with a brilliant debrief. It's your job to mine the group's individual experiences to capture best practices, solve problems, and discuss strategies that worked in the scenario. You carry the weight here, but a good debrief can be helped if you've assigned observers to each role-playing pair.
Next month, we'll talk more about the importance of an observer and how this critical role can help take your role playing to the next level. |
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CaseCard News
We have Role Playing on our minds these days, can't you tell?
We're designing a program about role playing and would love to have your input!
Come see us on Facebook, and let us know your real opinion about role playing. We're curious to hear how people really feel. Take our poll, and also let us know how you are using role play in your work. |
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In the Trenches
How are CaseCards being used in the real world?
This spring, we had been asked to facilitate a session on trust in the workplace. We used an exercise to demonstrate the power of trust, and how performance can really fall apart when there is distrust on a team. Then we talked about the nature of trust, how it can be built and how it can so easily -- and so unintentionally -- be violated. Finally, we identified a list of strategies for restoring trust. What was missing? Skill building. We realized at the last minute that we hadn't designed anything to help participants solve problems in their workplaces when trust was on the line. So . . . we pulled out all four decks of CaseCards, selected the scenarios that hinted at trust issues, and voila -- problem solved! particiaptns had a chance to practice and build skill in a meaningful way and rated this the most valuable part of the program.
The lesson? The cards are designated by category (Peer Feedback, Upward Feedback, Downward Feedback, Influence) but can be used for an endless list of topics. Don't be limited by the names! |
