One of the problems faced when running an employee workshop is getting the employees involved in role plays and other such interactive techniques.  There always seems to be some sort of stigma attached to these sort of exercises - no matter how the employee workshop is run, as soon as you mention role play, people start to become anxious and worried about what might happen.  This is not due to any lack of perceived value in the role play (indeed, most people will admit that role play helps them), but rather through the fear of a possibility of humiliation.

So how can this fear be overcome?  The answer is quite a simple one really - use actors in place of employees.   This allows employees to see what is happening and understand what is required, and allow them to become enthusiastic and want to become involved without any perceived pressure.  It allows people’s natural enthusiasm to get out, without making them feel conspicuous or embarrassed.  Quite often, you will find that employees become a lot more involved if there are actors to start the role plays off, than if there were just other people that they work with involved.

Using actors may seem like an elaborate solution to getting people more involved in employee workshops, but it works better than any other solution available, and must be considered when planning workshops involving roleplays.

Related posts:

1. How To Plan An Employee Workshop
2. Experiential Training - More Information
3. Making Sure That Training Role Plays Are Relevant

Comments