Using actors to bring role play learning to life

Role play learning is making a comeback! Trainees can either act out a scenario together, or they can watch two or more professional actors. A third option involves one actor working with participants individually. In this situation, trainees don’t have to act, they just have to be themselves. What are the benefits of role play learning and which skills does it develop?

What is actor-based role play training?

Role play in business training involves creating realistic scenarios that replicate specific moments in the workplace. By stepping beyond theory and developing skills in practice, participants get to try things in a safe environment where mistakes are part of the process. Learning by experience gives them valuable confidence, allowing people to trust new skills in real-world situations.

Employees sometimes feel nervous about taking part. Many find it easier to get involved when they can respond to the realistic prompts of an actor, who perhaps plays the part of a challenging character. In this form of one-to-one role playing, participants don’t have to do any acting; they just have to be authentically true to who they are.

Guided by a training facilitator and responding to an actor, participants in one-to-one role play learn to develop appropriate reactions and behaviours. They learn too by observing colleagues taking their turn in role playing. And they also learn by giving and receiving feedback. This rounded approach to role play provides a valuable, interactive experience.

Why use professional actors in business training?

Professional actors bring a level of expertise to role playing. They are skilled in improvisation, timing, and maintaining momentum. Trainees simply need to respond in the way they would in a real-world situation.

Without actors, employees need to fill the gap, which can only be done by those willing or able to rise to the challenge. In this situation, for some people role playing can be an energy-sapping distraction that disrupts the process of learning.

Professional actors ensure that a training session remains just that, skilfully keeping the action going and helping trainees deliver realistic and timely responses.

Other benefits of using actors include:

Authentic emotions: Actors are skilled at portraying complexity in emotions, making role play scenarios feel more like real-life situations.

Suspension of disbelief: Participants are less likely to question the realism of events when actors are involved, allowing them to fully immerse themselves in the training.

In the moment: Actors help keep participants focused on the scenario and avoid distractions or switching in and out of the simulated environment, maximizing learning.

Which skills can role playing help to develop?

Role playing is particularly suited to nuanced abilities in communication, problem solving, and decision making. Once known as ‘soft skills’ but better understood as human skills, these typically rely on empathy and emotional intelligence. They lie at the heart of training courses in topics such as leadership, negotiation, presenting, critical thinking, and managing difficult conversations.

Instead of relying on a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution, human skills shape a response that’s appropriate to the moment. Their complexity means they are best developed through practical experience.

What are the benefits of actor-based training?

One of the key benefits of role play is that it allows participants to see other people’s perspectives. Empathy helps participants shape narratives, tackle stumbling blocks, and anticipate challenges. When presenting ideas, pitching to clients, or negotiating contracts, a grasp of alternative perspectives makes it easier to reach an objective.

Role play is not the purpose of a training session, it is only one of many training techniques including guidance and feedback. Nevertheless, evidence demonstrates that scenario-based role play can be an “effective method” for teaching skills.

New topics can be introduced to participants in introductory talks, but trainees develop a practical understanding when they role play competent responses, nuanced judgements, and immediate reactions.

Other benefits of role play include:

Reinforcement of learning: Role play helps students solidify their understanding and retention of knowledge, inspiring them to actively engage with the material and practise skills in a realistic context.

Increased self-confidence and social skills: Participating in actor-led role play can boost students’ confidence and help them develop their social skills, which is especially beneficial for shy or quieter trainees.

Learning in a safe and supportive environment: Role play allows people to practise hypothetical situations in a safe and supportive atmosphere where they can experiment and learn without fear of failure.

Tips for effective role playing

Role playing works best when the purpose is well explained and the objective is clear. In designing a relevant scenario, trainers may focus on something that participants experience in their work, such as collaborating in a team or marketing a new product.

Other key tips for effective role playing include:

Create realistic scenarios: Make the scenarios as realistic as possible, incorporating real-world situations and challenges.

Define roles clearly: Provide trainees with clear instructions and expectations for their roles, including their goals, limitations, and relationships with other characters.

Encourage collaboration and feedback: Create an environment where students can collaborate, offer constructive feedback, and learn from each other’s experiences.

Debrief and reflect: Provide time for debriefing, allowing people to reflect on their experiences, share their perspectives, and discuss the learning outcomes.

What are the challenges in role play training?

Role playing is a social activity that puts people on the spot, in front of colleagues. Some might find it hard to think of something in the moment. Or they may be intimidated by a request to demonstrate skills they haven’t yet mastered. Mistakes are part of the experience. But they are harder to swallow when made in front of an audience.

The artificial nature of a role playing exercise can be eased by creating a safe space to work in. Psychological safety encourages a level playing field by encouraging trust and respect, and ensuring that everyone is treated equally. Feedback should be positive, offering areas to be developed next time rather than focusing on flaws in previous attempts.

AI role play for business training

Remote and hybrid working patterns mean that it’s not always possible to bring the team together. However, AI now allows participants to take part in role playing training sessions even when working alone at home.

For example, Q – a skills-based learning platform – allows individuals to log on to a specific course which guides them through a range of fictional scenarios involving characters, tasks and challenges.

Interacting with characters, participants are asked to provide solutions (similar to ‘prompts’ in ChatGPT). Q offers hints and feedback allowing people to develop their skills as they work their way through the course. They can then improve their score immediately by going into another scenario and putting their feedback into practice.

Q’s AI-powered interactive experience offers more than ‘static’ (ie unresponsive) e-learning alternatives. Courses can be completed within 20 minutes and provide measured analysis of performance.

Whether in-person or with AI, role playing is an effective learning tool. A practical halfway point between classroom theory and real-world application, role playing with actors helps to quickly bring a group of trainees to a credible level of proficiency. And AI helps those unable to join the session.

At Working Voices, many of our expert trainers have professional acting experience, combining skills drawn from both the classroom and the theatre. They support the course facilitator by using role play to enhance engagement, promote collaboration, and develop capability. Experiential learning need not be about expecting trainees to try their hand at show-business. Actors can help ease the pressure, deliver long-term results – and bring a little fun along the way.