What is role play?

2. What is role play? • A simulation exercise • An assumed role acted out in a simulated setting • Leading to imprinted learning • Experiential learning

4. Where is role play used? • Interpersonal skills, building rapport, empathy, managing conflict • Persuasion and influencing ability • Ability to act/respond quickly • Planning and adaptability • Customer service ability • Negotiation ability and diplomacy • Verbal communication skills • Listening skills

5. Why Role Play? • Concepts taught can be constructed, experienced and reflected upon • Helps in developing inter-personal skills and communication skills • Conflict resolution • Develop insights into own behaviours and impact on others • Helps move beyond the comfort zone and helps bring on attitudinal and behavioural change to fulfils one’s role • Helps develop all levels of learning viz., cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills) and affective (emotional) • Evidences suggest for higher retention than any other modes of teaching

6. Constructing a role-play • Contextual – what is taught or explored • Define clear aims and objectives • Define setting / placement • Define clear role descriptions • Define time limit • Define observer tasks • Define ground rules of safety and feedback • Define debrief agenda • Define facilitator task

7. Feedback and debriefing principle • Simple rules • Ask participants how it went • Ask about their internal emotions/feelings and how others made them feel • Debrief needs to be succinct and clear • Feedback should restrict to observed behaviour and not judgemental

9. I HEAR AND I FORGET. I SEE AND I REMEMBER. I DO AND I UNDERSTAND. - Confucius

10. Conclusion • Role play is powerful and effective teaching method especially for behavioural change • Also good for practicing communication skills • Key is in construction and delivery with careful facilitation • Good for faculty as it entertains, interactive and reduces learner fatigue

11. Sample role play - The scene • It is Monday morning , 9.30 AM and it is the main branch of ABC bank in Pune. The CBS has crashed due to a cyclone that struck the area where your main server is located. It is informed that it will take some time for the back up server to take over . Right now the branch is unable to use the CBS system

12. Script for Branch Manager You are the branch manager in the main branch of ABC bank in Pune. You have a staff strength of 3 officers and 15 other staff in your branch. Today is Monday morning after the Ganesha festival holidays. You come to the branch and find that the CBS system has crashed. You are unable to use the computer system and things are at a stand still. You are on the phone with your IT dept . Someone there is telling you that due to a cyclone that struck the city where your main systems are located, the CBS system is down. It will take some more time for the back up server to take over. But they are unable to say when. Mean while a long line of customers is beginning to form in the branch. You are wondering whether the Cashier has come as he usually travels to Nagpur for weekends and holidays . His family is in Nagpur. He is also an active union member and his representations to the bank to transfer him to Nagpur have not been successful . You are also thinking of calling the accountant , the young campus recruit officer to tell him about your call to the IT dept. Suddenly you hear raised voices near the cash counter. The voice of your cashier, and that of a customer is heard. You see the customer looking agitated walking towards your cabin. Several of the customers have now gathered behind him

13. Role play Script for Customer It is Monday morning 9.30 AM. This is the Monday after the Ganesha festival holidays also .You are in a hurry to withdraw money from the bank. The money is the exam fees for your son and it is the last date for paying. Due to various commitments over the weekend you could not withdraw from the ATM on Sunday. This morning the ATM in your locality was not working. You have come to the branch on your way to your son’s college and thereafter to your office. You find that the counters have not been opened and there is a general air of confusion. You understand that there is a computer problem but the cashier is hardly helpful. You are getting irritated and raise your voice and the cashier is also shouting back at you . The accountant is trying to talk to you and the teller also . But you see the BM in his cabin and decide to confront him . You are now angry and irritated with the shoddy answers you have got so far . Several customers have also started gathering behind you

14. Role play Script for Accountant • You are the accountant in the main branch of ABC bank Pune. You are a young MBA who has been recruited from the campus . This is your first posting and you feel that things can be done a bit differently around here . Take for example the cashier - he is a union activist and you feel that he is getting away with a lot of things . Every weekend he rushes to Nagpur where his family is located and sometimes he comes late on Monday morning also. You keep thinking that may be you should impress upon him the need to be more dedicated to work. Well even your family is in Mumbai but you don’t rush home every weekend . So why not he also ? • This is Monday morning 9.30 AM. Today is the Monday after the Ganesha festival holidays . The CBS system has crashed. You are unable to use the computer system and things are at a stand still. You were about to discuss the matter with your BM when you hear a lot of commotion near the cash counter . You decide to go there as the Cashier (who else?) is having heated words with a customer . God both of them are really shouting ! You go near the counter and try to talk to the customer .

15. Role play Script for Cashier You are the Cashier in the main branch of ABC bank, Pune . This is the Monday morning 9.30 AM after all the Ganesha festivities. You have travelled from Nagpur where your family is situated . No reservation in trains was available and you came by a bad State Transport bus with hardly any sleep. You are feeling tired . Whenever you come back from your trip to Nagpur you also feel low as the bank is not transferring you to Nagpur despite your representations. You are active in the union and are thinking of asking the general secretary of the employees Union to help you in getting a transfer. On arrival at the branch , you find out that the computer system is not working and already there is a line of customers forming. There is one customer who is raising his voice and asking you when you will start working , what is happening etc. You do not know the reason for the malfunctioning and you were about to go to the accountant to know the same. You give the customer some vague reason , when he starts shouting. You also get very angry . God ! what do these people want - instant service? You feel your anger rising and start to shout

16. Observer’s responsibility • List out what went well • List out what did not go well • Did the players arrive at any solution? If so was it a good solution ? • Could there have been any other solution? • Any particular comment on body language or non verbal communication of the players ? • What did you think about the listening skills displayed in the role play ? • Was there an understanding of the feelings and emotions of the others? • Was there an effort to make the decision acceptable to the other parties ?