tejasheartbeat@yahoo.co.in
155

One of the main difficulties with assessing the effectiveness of a training program is the inability to measure how much information learned in the program has been retained and applied to the learner’s everyday work life. Unfortunately, there are many variables that can influence whether the training material gets used, or is used properly. One variable may be the lack of management support of the training material. Another variable may be lack of continuous opportunity to practice and reinforce these newly acquired skills and abilities. Fortunately, there are steps employers can take to ensure that training employees be worth the time, money and effort invested into them. One such way is through e-Roleplay.
What Is e-Roleplay?
e-Roleplay is an online training tool that gives employees a chance to practice what they have learned in training sessions. Through a combination of live online interactions and telephone sessions, learners are given a chance to rehearse (and repeat if necessary) their newly acquired skills until they have "perfected" it. e-Roleplay can be used to practice any type of activity that involves the use of interpersonal skills, but is most often used to prepare for sales and product presentations, performance appraisals, customer service, and interviews.
How Does e-Roleplay Work?
Individuals who have completed the workplace training program can take advantage of e-Roleplay by practicing their skills in a variety of different scenarios, with a variety of different "customers" or "clients." Each scenario is unique and ranges from friendly and simple, to hostile and complex. At the end of each session, the trained role player provides positive feedback, constructive criticism, and coaching tips to the learner.
Using their unique login and password information, participants can also access a number of different features including:
A schedule or calendar of their upcoming and completed practice sessions
A progress report of the individual´s development (what needs improvement and what has been successfully achieved) coupled with the evaluation criteria by which each role player bases his/her evaluation
An option to connect to the role player, via Internet telephony or voice over IP technology, to their role player in real time e-Roleplay also offers the capability of customizing the application to mimic the look and feel of your company´s website or Intranet, and can develop role-play scenarios specific to your corporate culture and client base. In addition, e-Roleplay is able to incorporate any other training material, such as videos, literature, and PowerPoint presentations, into the application.
What Makes e-Roleplay Unique?
e-Roleplay is about practice and self-directed learning. It is important for learners to experience real-life training, and to apply what they have learned to real-life situations. By giving the learner a chance to do this with a variety of different trained role players, learners are able to gain confidence and perfect their skills before they are "tossed into the fire" in a real-life workplace situation.
The role players, who are each screened and trained by e-Roleplay consultants, are able to provide feedback, coaching, and reinforcement to the learner from the perspective of the customer. This is important because it gives the learner a chance to get a better understanding of the customer’s real reaction to a situation, as opposed to a reaction from a fabricated scenario by the trainer or another learner. Learners are also given the chance to progress through the various scenarios. Thus, if they had difficulty with a particular situation or customer, they are able to continue practicing this scenario until they are comfortable with moving on to another one.
THE VITALS
Documentation, Training, & Support
There is essentially no training required for users of e-Roleplay because the whole purpose of the program is to practice the skills that they acquired through their own training program.
Since e-Roleplay is ASP-based, the entire application is hosted and run by e-Roleplay. All users need is an Internet connection and browser. e-Roleplay consultants provide a short training session for employers who have enrolled their trainees into the e-Roleplay program.
Pricing Information
The cost of e-Roleplay really depends on the number of individuals each company would like to participate in the program. The basic pricing structure is five 15-minute tutorials in which the learner works with the role player. This package costs about $200 per learner, but is lowered as the volume, or number of participants/learners increases.
System Requirements
Users will only need an Internet connection and Internet browser to take advantage of e-Roleplay. It is recommended that users have a cable or DSL Internet connection and Internet Explorer 4.x (or higher) or Netscape Navigator 4.0 (or higher).
Users who have the hardware and software equipment can also take advantage of IP telephony (voice over IP), Microsoft NetMeeting, and video downloads.
OVERALL EVALUATION
What I Liked
The best feature of e-Roleplay is that it gives people a chance to practice and improve the skills they have acquired in their training program. What is more, e-Roleplay allows them to enhance their interpersonal skills in general. Since each role-play session is kept confidential (only the role player and the trainee know how well/poorly the trainee is doing), this helps to further build confidence and reassurance. Users can gain the experience needed to handle a variety of different on-the-job situations in the workplace.
One other notable feature of e-Roleplay is that it is very reasonably priced. The trained role players work with the trainee until he/she has mastered the desired skills. This saves time and money both on the part of the trainee and on the part of the individual who may be forced to watch over the trainee and provide on-the-job training.
Limitations
Although trainees are given a chance to practice the skills that they have acquired through the training program, it is important to remember that the trained role players who are going through these practice sessions with them are not employees of the company themselves. Thus, there can still be a gap in what the organization’s real needs and objectives are, and the objectives that the company has expressed to the role players. In light of this, the role players may not have the ability to provide the same feedback or criticism as someone who is experiencing the training firsthand within the company may be able to provide.
HR comments
You´ve all heard the saying "practice makes perfect" right? Well, this phrase is the foundation upon which e-Role-play is based. More often than not, training programs are "wasted" because the material learned cannot be applied to the actual work environment. On the other hand, there are also cases where trainees are thrown into the fire after a training program and expected to perform exactly as the trainer dictated without ever having experienced it in reality. What we need to do is find a balance. e-Roleplay, and services similar to it, provide trainees with a chance to gain confidence in their abilities before actually performing the task. This ability speaks volume for a person´s self-esteem, since it could potentially lead to better performance and greater job satisfaction.

From India, Mumbai
sajid_rasheed
33

Hi Is this a software ? How about the flexibility. Trainings are for different topics and with different objectives. Cna this system be customised ? who developes this ? Please advise Sajid
From United Arab Emirates, Dubai
rashmi bhatia
Hi Tejesh,
Thanks for the information on e-roleplay. I am looking for some Role Play exercises that I need to conduct in my Organization specially on People Management, Conflict resolution, Leadership. Will appreciate if you could guide me on this.
Regards
Rashmi

From India, Sangrur
Community Support and Knowledge-base on business, career and organisational prospects and issues - Register and Log In to CiteHR and post your query, download formats and be part of a fostered community of professionals.





Contact Us Privacy Policy Disclaimer Terms Of Service

All rights reserved @ 2024 CiteHR ®

All Copyright And Trademarks in Posts Held By Respective Owners.