Susan was adamant, “My people do not like role playing.” We had been discussing a training program for her team of Customer Service Reps. She had a litany of reasons. “It makes them freeze up. They are uncomfortable. They would rather be poked in the eye with a sharp stick.”

She continued to describe a typical scene in the conference room where unprepared team members are met with a slick trainer, intent upon mild embarrassment.

“I agree with you,” I responded. “I would hate that, besides, I don’t think anyone learns anything valuable. Let’s try role playing in a different way.”

The major benefit of role playing is having team members practice predictable scripts and behaviors so they can consistently repeat them in real life. This means role players should be completely prepared knowing exactly what to say, following a pre-determined script or checklist. The point is to have them practice the words you want them to say, over and over.

Most role play scenes should be short, 90 seconds or less. They should have a very specific objective and create repetition. I don’t want participants to be cute or funny. I don’t want them to think on their feet. I want them to respond in a way that has been proven (by testing) to be effective. I want them to solve problems by the book and make sales with predictability. -TF