I just finished Jonah Lehrer’s bestseller “How We Decide” and was delighted to discover this supporting instance of interactive training in the last chapter:  He cites the fact that since the mid 1980’s, plane crashes due to pilot error have been reduced by over 70%…the reason:  realistic flight simulators.  What used to be “chalk and talk” training has evolved into specifically created environments that give the pilot hours of practice with every possible emergency situation.  The result?  Much safer air travel for you and me.  How does this connect to interactive role play?  It’s not that big a leap to realize that a sales person has their own “mayday” situations with clients and customers, an ER doc needs to know how to handle the person who walks in with a mental crisis – just about everyone who deals with other people on a regular basis, in high-stakes situations, can benefit from a little practice.  And that’s what a Short Fuse training can do:  we create those problematic “bad apple” encounters that your sales force needs to handle in a safe supportive environment….before they have to actually land the deal….the client…the account….. or the plane!   We don’t often get to practice before most critical interactions – I know I could have used a run-through when negotiating with car salesmen, and after 10 years, I STILL think I paid too much!  What situations have you encountered where you or a colleague could have used a “real-life simulator”?