How to Create Scenario-Based Training (With AI)

Have you ever watched someone perform a task once, and thought to yourself, I can do that? Do you execute it flawlessly or do you get stuck on a specific step? Odds are the latter. 

That’s because there’s a difference between knowing how to do something and being able to do it consistently, especially under stress. If I take a First Aid course where I learn about CPR, but never practice doing it, I can guarantee that you wouldn’t want my first time performing it to be an actual emergency. 

So let’s break down how to build scenario-based training that changes behavior.

What makes scenario-based training effective

Scenario-based training is only as effective as the scenario. (Obvious, I know.) But I see this all the time. Someone creates a "scenario" where the right choice is obvious, and there are no consequences for a wrong answer. If a scenario is basically a multiple-choice question dressed up as a scenario, your employees won't learn anything from it.

It's ambiguous

The best scenario-based training involves ambiguity. There's no clear "right" answer, so employees have to make a decision using their judgment. That ambiguity creates the productive tension where employees practice what they've learned.

It's believable

Design a scenario that feels authentic, even if it is fictional. The goal is verisimilitude. It needs to be believable to your employees. The easiest way to do this is to find real examples that you can scrub of identifiable details. Then, identify opportunities to have employees use their problem-solving and critical thinking skills within that scenario.

It has real consequences

Employees should see the consequences of their decision, paired with feedback. These scenarios work because they give employees a safe, risk-free environment to experiment. Ideally, this leads to them being more judicious in their decision-making on the job.

How to choose a scenario-based training format

Scenario-based training can be delivered live, such as in a workshop, or asynchronously, through eLearning courses, training videos, AI roleplay sessions, and even virtual reality.

Before you select a format, check that scenario-based training is what you need. Ask yourself: do my employees lack information, or do they struggle to apply what they already know? If it’s the latter, scenario-based training is an appropriate learning intervention.

Here’s what that could look like: 

Below is an example of an interactive training video based on the coaching model, GROW.

How to create scenario-based training 

Every effective scenario-based training is built around a realistic situation, at least one meaningful decision point, and consequences that follow from it.

Step 1: Scope the scenario

Your first task is to properly scope your scenario. Here's what that looks like: defining the behavior you want to train, and how you'll measure whether or not the training worked. You can use a template like this:

This scenario is for [specific role] who currently [context or gap]. After completing it, [specific role] should be able to [observable decision or action] so that [business outcome].

Step 2: Design the scenario

Now you can design your scenario. I like to use the 3C model developed by Tom Kuhlmann. You start by presenting the challenge, then offer choices, and build in the consequences of each choice.

Document the following:

• The challenge: why it matters to your audience, and the business impact of getting it right or wrong
• The choices: each one should be plausible
• The consequences: keep feedback actionable and focus on the outcome for the people impacted by the decision
• The branches: how each choice and consequence connects back to the main narrative

The more complex your scenario, the more you'll need to focus on the branching options. What drives the scenario forward, and what is adding complexity for complexity's sake?

If this feels like a lot, I recommend using a prompt like the one below in an LLM to get started.

Step 3: Develop the training

Once your scenario is designed, it's time to build it. What you build depends on the format you chose, so I've included links to how-tos below:

• eLearning course: the challenge, choices, and consequences, built as a branching module in an authoring tool.
• Training video: a script with a scene for the challenge, each choice, and each consequence, plus the branches that connect them.
• Live workshop: a facilitator guide, the scenario as a handout or role card, and debrief questions for each choice.
• AI roleplay: a persona, the scenario instructions, objections, and a skills rubric.

AI roleplay is the newest of these formats, so I'll walk through how to build one with Synthesia Roleplay Sessions.

Example: Synthesia Roleplay Session

With Synthesia's Roleplay Sessions, you can build a scenario-based roleplay with our AI Assistant. (You can also start from a template or add a Roleplay Session to a training video.)

1. Create an account in Synthesia.
   You can get started for free.
2. Prompt the Assistant.
   Give the Assistant the scenario you scoped above: the learning objective and the challenge, choices, and consequences. You can paste them in or attach a document.
3. Review the drafted Roleplay Session.
   The Assistant drafts the scenario based on your inputs, and everything in it is a suggestion. You can modify the Interactive Avatar so its appearance and voice are on-brand, and adjust the pronunciation of specific words (like your company name) in the scripted setup. Then edit the wording and the skills rubric. Aim for 3-5 skills, each an observable behavior.
4. Preview the Roleplay Session.
   Test it as a learner would, including awkward or off-script answers, to see how the Avatar responds. Revise as needed. If possible, pilot it with 3-5 members of your target audience, or at least one SME, before you finalize.
5. Publish and share your scenario-based training.
   Publish to the Learner Portal to assign and track learners, or share it with a link or embed, or as a SCORM package in your LMS.

Try a Roleplay Session out below. 

How to measure scenario-based training

If you're investing in scenario-based training, you want to make sure it's actually closing the loop between what employees know and what they can do, consistently and under pressure at work. That's why you need a measurement plan to evaluate the training and, in some cases, to calculate the ROI.

What's helpful about scenario-based training, especially in asynchronous formats, is that you can see how employees are responding: where they're struggling and where it's too easy. If there are patterns or trends (e.g., employees consistently picking the same wrong choice), it's likely a design issue you can correct. 

If you're interested in learning more about how Synthesia can support your scenario-based training, whether through Studio training videos or Roleplay Sessions, book a demo.