--- title: "As If" description: "Partners approach each other and converse for 60 seconds while adopting assigned relational roles, such as long-lost friends or tense colleagues. After brief reflection intervals, they repeat the exercise with new roles to observe how nonverbal cues and tone shift." last_updated: "2026-09-07" canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/role-play-activity-builds-connection-empathy-skills-as-if/" --- # As If Partners approach each other and converse for 60 seconds while adopting assigned relational roles, such as long-lost friends or tense colleagues. After brief reflection intervals, they repeat the exercise with new roles to observe how nonverbal cues and tone shift. **Time:** 15 minutes. Based on Playmeo three-round structure with UWT structured debrief **People:** 4 to 24. Pairs arranged face to face across an open space; an odd participant forms a trio or acts as timekeeper and observer. ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Compare how posture, distance, tone, and approach change when participants adopt different relational mindsets. **Use it when:** Use during communication workshops or team sessions to examine interpersonal assumptions and body language before difficult conversations. **Skip it when:** Skip when participants are uncomfortable with improvisational role play or when physical proximity in pairs causes distress. ## Materials and tools - Visual timer or stopwatch - Prompt cards or slide display listing the round scenarios ## Before participants arrive 1. Clear floor space so pairs can stand roughly two meters apart without bumping into other pairs. 2. Display or print the scenario prompts. ## Say this to open Find a partner and stand facing each other about two meters apart. In each round, I will give you a scenario. You will walk toward each other and interact for 60 seconds as if that scenario is true. Keep physical touch optional and agreed upon. When the timer rings, pause right where you are. ## How to run it ### 1. Pair up and explain guidelines (3 minutes) Group participants into pairs standing roughly two meters apart. Explain that each round lasts 60 seconds. Set safety boundaries: no forced physical contact, participants may pause or step back at any time, and non-speaking observational roles are welcome. If there is an odd participant, place them in a trio where two interact while one observes, rotating roles each round. ### 2. Round 1 warm approach (3 minutes) Announce Scenario 1: 'Act as if you are two close friends who have not seen each other in years.' On your signal, partners approach each other and converse for 60 seconds. Call time. Ask pairs to stay in place and spend one minute telling each other what they noticed about their own body language and distance. ### 3. Round 2 strained approach (3 minutes) Have partners return to their two-meter starting distance. Announce Scenario 2: 'Act as if you are two coworkers who had a heated disagreement yesterday and must now work together on a project.' Start the 60-second timer. Call time. Give pairs one minute to compare how their pace, posture, and eye contact changed compared to Round 1. ### 4. Round 3 formal or status approach (3 minutes) Have partners reset to starting positions. Announce Scenario 3: 'Act as if one of you is a nervous applicant and the other is an intimidating executive conducting a surprise interview.' Run the 60-second interaction. Call time. Give pairs 60 seconds to debrief the role dynamic between themselves. ### 5. Whole-room debrief (3 minutes) Gather the full room. Call on two or three volunteers to share specific physical cues they noticed when shifting from friendly to strained scenarios. ## Debrief questions - What physical signals showed you the other person's role before they spoke? - How did your own physical distance and walking pace change between the friendly scenario and the tense scenario? - When you anticipate a tense conversation at work, what physical habits could you adjust to keep the interaction constructive? **Finished output:** Completion of three simulated approach rounds with partner feedback on nonverbal communication. ## Remote Run in video breakout rooms of two. Instead of walking across a room, partners turn their cameras off, then turn them on and enter the frame 'as if' meeting under each prompt condition for 60 seconds before debriefing. ## Hybrid In-person pairs work on the open floor. Remote participants work in digital breakout pairs. When gathering for the final debrief, alternate between an in-person voice and a remote voice or chat comment. ## Access and participation choices - Participants with limited mobility can remain seated across a table and change posture, eye contact, and vocal tone rather than walking. - Anyone uncomfortable acting can serve as the designated observer and timekeeper for a pair, taking notes on nonverbal shifts. ## If the session gets stuck **Participants break character immediately by laughing or making jokes.** Acknowledge that role playing feels awkward. Ask them to restart and focus purely on walking speed and posture before talking. **An interaction becomes too confrontational in the conflict round.** Remind participants to keep dialogue polite and focused on the workplace task, dialing back emotional intensity. ## Terms used here - As If: An acting technique where a person adopts the physical stance, voice, and attitude appropriate to an assumed circumstance. ## Participant material: Round Prompts Reference Sheet Round 1: Long-lost close friends meeting unexpectedly after five years. Round 2: Two coworkers meeting the morning after a heated professional dispute to start a joint project. Round 3: A nervous first-day apprentice meeting an intimidating senior department director. ## Sources and adaptation Observed on Playmeo, where it is attributed to Mark Collard. Retained the three-round structure, 60-second interaction intervals, and two-meter approach setup from Playmeo. Standardized the three explicit scenario prompts to ensure complete execution without proprietary variations, added explicit physical boundaries, and structured the debrief timings. [Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/trust-building-games/as-if) [Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/trust-building-games/as-if/) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/role-play-activity-builds-connection-empathy-skills-as-if/