I use a lot of roleplay in my work as a trainer, and as an actor/roleplayer I provide realistic situations for recruitment, training, formal assessment and promotion events.

Participants often go through three stages when they first hear they’re going to be roleplaying:

• It begins with ‘Oh no … I really hate roleplay …’
• Then it progresses to ‘I’m really nervous …do I have to?’
• And after the event, it’s ‘that was really useful! Can we have some more?’

Professional actor/roleplayers can be a real asset for your training, assessment and recruitment events.

Roleplay is useful for practising interaction and skills, especially awkward situations such as handling complaints and emergencies, holding difficult conversations and gathering information. So many skills including customer service, management, performance reviews, coaching, interviewing technique and professional procedures can all be taught and tested using roleplay. Running a realistic scenario is a practical way to to demonstrate procedures, practice in private, and to test how a person might behave and react in real situations.

There are very few ‘cons’ to using roleplay. The main issue is nerves as participants may suffer stage fright, especially when being watched and assessed. I’ve frequently worked with people who work in very demanding and often life-threatening situations – yet who are visibly shaking with nerves at being asked to do a roleplay. You may need a lot of roleplayers working in small groups, each with an assessor, and time and space for the event can be difficult to arrange.

You also have to ensure that the roleplayers are consistent in their performances – which is where the skilled professional actor/roleplayer comes in.

The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages as there’s no substitute for realistic practical experience. The trainer can give the theory then immediately consolidate with practice. Having a go is the best way to understand a new process, and repetition will always improve performance. Doesn’t it make you feel more confident in doctors, barristers and counsellors knowing that they have first practised on roleplayers – and not on you?

Not everyone reacts well to sitting in a classroom being talked at. Roleplay gives the activists among the group the chance to learn if they don’t do so well in a classroom, while it encourages the reflectors and theorists to come out from behind their books and computers and try their hand.

I’ve frequently been told how unexpectedly enjoyable a roleplay event has been, allowing for some fun, laughter and consequence-free mistakes as they put complicated theory into understandable practice, and initial nerves do subside as they get to grips with the exercise.

The facilitator can then give instant positive feedback, to help build confidence and iron out any problems.

Good professional roleplayers will be thoroughly prepared, understanding the character, the script and the situation. They’ll listen and observe behaviour and respond flexibly and appropriately. As actors, they can truthfully maintain characters, emotions and attitudes in sometimes very difficult scenarios, and as experienced roleplayers they can deliver objective feedback as you require.

Professional actor/roleplayers can be a real asset for your training, assessment and recruitment events.