Short Fuse

SFI Best Practice with Role Play…..

shortf — Sat, 15 May 2010 01:12:31 +0000

I was talking to a friend and colleague about a possible training, and he got me thinking about our best experience of role play in a particular training we did for conflict mediators. I remember thinking at the time that this particular training brought out the best of what SFI has to offer.

We were to depict a series of real-life disputes for a group of 200 or so dispute resolution professionals, and a number of them would then try to resolve the dispute using some specific resolution methodologies. At any juncture, the action could be stopped by participants, and either the mediator, or the role players would be questioned as to what was going on for them. Our job was to both be within the emotional reality of the dispute, as well as being cognizant of how the mediation was playing on us. It was a fish-bowl situation for everyone.

One of the disputes involved a divorce with child custody and quite a lot of money at stake. Neither of the parties was giving an inch on their “entitlements”, and the mediator at one point pushed himself quite abruptly away from the table and, without speaking, flung up his hands – which he kept in the air as if he were using every ounce of self-control he had to keep from strangling us. There was something powerfully parental in the gesture, and I remember being suddenly very aware of how childishly my “husband” and I were behaving. The personal truth of that gesture changed the entire dynamic in the room, and provided much discussion afterward among the participants.

The feedback we got that day was off the charts positive, and many of the participants told us that that training day was one of the most valuable they had ever experienced.

I’m curious what other stories and contexts might be out there about times when role play really worked. We’d love to hear your thoughts and responses!

Kym

Interactive Employee Development takes to the Skies!

shortf — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:08:24 +0000

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”?

Role Play: the dreaded beast of interactive training

shortf — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:28:32 +0000

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!

Mathmatics of Metaphor

shortf — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:16:58 +0000

It isn’t everyday you get to see those two words in the same sentence. Those of you who know me know that metaphor is my mantra – also the cream in my coffee and the alphabet in my soup! I could go on ad nauseum but I won’t because the following link is what you need to see and hear

James Geary puts math in the metaphors re: Nation building, the Housing Crisis – and Elvis! It’s about 9 minutes long and yes you have time because it’s worth it! Big Bucket of Thanks to Bill Maxwell for turning me on to this one! Let me know what you think and put it in a metaphor!