Role Playing
Reference model
Role playing lets participants step into others' shoes, building empathy and surfacing ideas that a discussion alone would not.
About this model
A technique where participants act out roles in a realistic scenario to gain insight into different perspectives, motives and emotions, and then debrief to draw out lessons.
Originator not stated.
How to read it
- Define the scenario and assign roles, then act it out and debrief.
- Focus on the insights gained from each role's perspective.
- Look for common themes or conflicts that arise during the role play.
- Test the insights against real stakeholders before acting on them.
What this does
Helps teams explore different perspectives by acting out a realistic scenario, so they understand how each stakeholder sees the issue and decide what to change.
When to use it
Use it when the team needs to understand diverse perspectives or when brainstorming solutions to a complex people-related problem such as a complaint, negotiation or change.
Not when: Do not use it when the team lacks the willingness to engage or when the scenario is too straightforward for role play to add value.
What happens next
Use the Empathy Map to analyse each stakeholder's needs in more depth, then turn the agreed actions into an Insights report.
Golden thread
Builds on ←
- Stakeholder map
- Problem statement
- Customer feedback
Feeds into →
- Insights report
- Empathy Map
Use this tool, free
Sign in to open the worksheet. Your work saves as you type, the AI can draft the parts you have not filled in, and you finish with an analysis and a 30/60/90-day action plan.
Drafted with AI and reviewed by Eccellere on 04/11/2026. Guidance, not advice: apply your own judgement.