Roleplays perfectly fit our definition of interactive storytelling. In a roleplay, the participants are presented with a backstory and assigned characters. They co-create the continuation of the story through suitable dialogues.
Merely asking a couple of participants to act out the roleplay does not produce effective learning. This is why we use the Rotating Roleplay that provides equal opportunities for all the participants. We have been successfully using this roleplay activity to explore interpersonal skills for the past 10 years.
The sample described below uses the topic of training activities.
Purpose
To persuade skeptics about the effectiveness of training games and activities.
Synopsis
Divide participants into two teams and assign the roles of skeptics and change agents to these teams. Conduct a brainstorming session within each team to get ready for a roleplay. Conduct two sessions of one-on-one roleplays. Reverse the roles and repeat the process. Conduct debriefing discussions within teams and across teams.
Participants
Minimum: 6
Maximum: 20
Best: 12 to 20
Time
30 to 50 minutes.
Supplies and Equipment
- Timer
- Whistle
Flow
Divide the participants into two equal-sized teams. If you have an odd number of participants, assign the role of an observer to one of the participants.
Assign the role of skeptics to one team. Explain to the team members that they resist the use of games and other types of training activities. Ask them the brainstorm a list of objections to the use of these activities. Announce a 3-minute time period for the brainstorming session.
Assign the role of change agents to the other team. Explain to the team members that they are enthusiastic about the use of games and other training activities. Ask them to brainstorm techniques for persuading the skeptics. Announce a 3-minute time period for this brainstorming session.
Arrange the skeptics in a circle, facing out. Tell them that each skeptic is about to participate in a roleplay with a change agent.
Have the change agents to pair up with each of the skeptics. These change agents will form an outer circle, facing in and getting ready for a conversation with a skeptic.
Conduct a roleplay discussion. Invite the participants to begin a one-on-one discussion between the change agent and the skeptic. Encourage the participants to stay in their role and respond to each other.
Rotate the skeptics. After about 2 minutes, blow a whistle and ask the change agents to move one space in the clockwise direction. Invite the new pairs of participants to begin another round of discussion in the same roles.
Prepare for a change of roles. After about another 2 minutes, blow the whistle again and ask the members of the two teams to gather in separate locations. Announce that there will be additional roleplays with the roles reversed: Change agents will assume the role of skeptics (and vice versa) during the subsequent conversations.
Brainstorm strategies for the next round. Ask the new skeptics to think back on the objections used by the earlier skeptics and select the most resisting and pessimistic ones. Also encourage them to come up with their own ideas for expressing their skepticism. Encourage the new change agents to share the best practices used by members of the other team during the previous round. Encourage them to brainstorm additional techniques for persuading the skeptics. Announce a 3-minute time limit for this brainstorming activity.
Conduct another round of roleplay. After 3 minutes, blow the whistle to announce the end of the brainstorming session. Ask members of the new skeptics team to stand in a circle, facing out. Ask the new change agents to pair up with each skeptic. Invite each pair to have a conversation in their new roles. As before, rotate the change agents after a 2-minute period.
Conduct a team debriefing. Blow your whistle after two round of conversations. Ask the two teams to regroup in separate locations. Tell the teams to discuss their experiences and come up with a list of effective techniques for persuading skeptics to accept training activities. Remind the participants to focus on working effectively in the role of change agents--and not in the role of skeptics. Announce a 3-minute time limit for this discussion.
Pair up and share idea. After 3 minutes, blow the whistle and ask the members of the two teams to pair up with each other. Encourage the participants to pair up with someone they had not talked with during the earlier rounds. Ask each pair to share their techniques for persuading skeptics.
Conclude the activity. After about 3 minutes, blow the whistle and assemble all participants. If you had an observer, ask this person to share his or her thoughts about the persuasion techniques worked effectively. Add your own recommendations on what to do and what not to do to overcome the objections from skeptics.
Variations and Adjustments
Too many participants? Divide them into groups of 12 to 20 and let each group divide themselves into two teams of skeptics and change agents. Let the groups conduct the roleplay in a parallel fashion.
Not enough space for forming circles? Use colored dots to differentiate the skeptics and the change agents. Ask the participants to pair up with a person who has a different colored dot, find a suitable location, and hold the conversations. When the whistle blows, ask everyone to find a new person to have the next conversation.
Not enough time? Conduct a single conversation between pairs of skeptics and change agents. Skip the rotations and reversals and immediately proceed to the final brainstorming of suitable change management techniques.
Applying this Activity to Other Training Topics
This game plan for Rotating Roleplays shows the structure of this activity:
| Steps | What the Facilitator Does | What the Participants Do |
|---|---|---|
| Assign roles. | Create two equal sized teams. Assign different roles to each team. | Discuss your role and come up with strategies. |
| Arrange two circles. | Ask one team to form the inner circle, facing out. Ask the other team to form the outer circle, facing in. | Stand facing a member of the other team. |
| Conduct a roleplay. | Announce a time limit. Ask the members of each pair to start a conversation. | Begin a conversation and keep it going. |
| Rotate the roleplayers. | Ask the members of the outer circle to move one space in the clockwise direction. | Stand facing a different member of the other team. |
| Repeat the roleplay. | Ask each pair of participants to conduct a new conversation. | Begin a new conversation and keep it going. |
| Change roles. | Ask the members of the two teams to move away from each other. Change the roles of the teams. | Think back on the previous roleplays and come up with strategies suited to the new role. |
| Conduct roleplays. | Form the participants in two circles as before. Conduct a roleplay. | Carry on a conversation in the new roles. |
| Rotate the roleplayers. | Ask the members of the outer circle to move one space in the clockwise direction. | Stand facing a different member of the other team. |
| Conduct another round of roleplays. | Ask the participants to begin a new roleplay. | Conduct the roleplay in the assigned role. |
| Conduct debriefing. | Ask the two teams to move away from each other and conduct a debriefing conversation. | Reflect on the experiences during the four roleplay sessions. Share insights. |
| Pair and share. | Ask members of each team to pair up with a member of the other team. | Share your insights from the roleplays. |
| Conduct a final discussion. | Ask the observer to report his or her insights. Add your own comments. | Listen to comments. |
Rotating Roleplays can be used as a template for training the participants on different types of interpersonal skills. Here are some roles and scenarios that we have used recently:
| Roles | Scenario |
|---|---|
| Consultant and manager | The consultant is helping the manager plan a deep cut the departmental budget. |
| Coach and employee | The employee has performance problems at work. |
| HR person and employee with a grievance | The employee is planning to bring sexual harassment charges against his or her manager. |
| Sales person and a potential customer | The salesperson is attempting to close a sale while the customer raises several objections. |
| Customer Service Representative (CSR) and unhappy customer | The CSR politely rejects the customer’s request for a refund. |
| Manager and employee | The employee disagrees with the constructive feedback from the manager. |
Adapt this roleplay activity to help your participants explore interpersonal principles and procedures. Enjoy designing facilitating the activity