Just like your  very first skydive … or  root canal – your first role-play in a training was probably  an experience you will never forget.  ”I felt like I was drowning”, “Suddenly everything was in slow-motion, like a car-wreck”, or “Wow! This is great! Maybe I’ll quit my job and become an actor!” Even if that last response was yours – the question remains…what did you and the people watching really take away from this role-play in terms of LEARNING?  In my company, we have learned to never let go of the desired outcomes of a training.  Yes, role-play is effective as an attention grabber, and in trainings where behavior is the focus: sales, customer service, leadership, it has proven instrumental in telling the story, illustrating emotional ramifications, getting people engaged in the action.  But, like any methodology, it needs to be done right.  A couple of common mistakes to avoid:

Drafting your colleagues into a role-play: Even if they are up for some fun, brilliant actors and very enthusiastic, (where do YOU work?!) there will always be the first 5 – 7 minutes where the “audience” is critiqueing the performance, and NOT getting the material you so carefully crafted.  Hiring role-play pros from outside your company makes this much less of a distraction.

Unrealistic Expectations of what Role Play can provide: Just because people see behaviors they recognize in a training doesn’t guarantee behavior change.  The facilitation and debrief is at least as important, if not more.  How will the training get participants into the action – even if they are not onstage?  In my experience, there are LOTS of ways to get them involved.  Some of the best experiences we have had are the “bad apple” trainings (I got that term from a friend at the Muskie Institute, and it fits!)  We portray your worst nightmare customer, you remember that one don’t you?  Only this time, you are going to encounter that high maintenance patriarch/hysterical mom/egotistical jerk in an atmosphere of learning and support – mistakes are encouraged – we LEARN from them, and you get to stop the interaction at any time.  See reactions from our clients here

“Don’t we have an app for that?” Maybe - and if you don’t there are some great online learning programs out there.  Here’s a site I highly recommend as a place to find out more.  Keep in mind that e-learning for behaviors is not quite as impactful (yet) as it is for more left-brain skills, but there’s nothing like a new web-based training to get the HR techies excited!

What do YOU think?  We’d love to here from you – add a post!