The Simulator – the Benefits of Real-Time Roleplay

A few weeks ago, we conducted our fall TCN Leadership Immersion Course. We were thrilled to have over 80 leaders from six states participating, and their engagement level was off the charts. Due to COVID, as with most trainings and meetings, we pivoted to Zoom for the conference, which made the engagement level even more impressive given the virtual nature, in addition to the fact that the training took place over three consecutive days.

Many experts would say that it is wise not to go over four consecutive hours on Zoom in a day, but we were able to maintain excellent engagement over a three-day period. I observed several factors that I believe contributed to this sustained engagement:

• These tools are practical and when wielded by trained leaders, they can help improve any organization.
• We have great speakers and great content.
• We get the participants engaged in the material, so we don’t just talk at them.  (hence why it is called an ‘immersion’ course).
• The clincher was a simulation we built as the ‘capstone’ of the course.  

Allow me to unpack that a bit more.

Years ago, during my work with Dr. Lee Thayer, he spoke of his time teaching at several universities where they built a virtual society, and the students would run their own businesses. I was fascinated by this idea as there was not technology back then to support it, and I remember asking him how on earth they pulled it off.  His explanation was rather simple: rather than technology being the “it” factor, the “scenario” set the stage.

In keeping with that concept, we created the capstone for Leadership Immersion with tools that simulate some of the key components of the TCN system, utilizing breakout rooms to allow the teams to take the scenario and literally run their own hospice and palliative care businesses. It was a thing to behold.

I was astounded by how this simulation became a microcosm of what I see in the programs we work with.  

Daily, we talk about the importance of critical communication tools – individuals hearing one another, syncing up with one another, and having good debates to make a go-forward plan. The simulation provided a platform for us to see these concepts, or the lack thereof, take shape in real time.

In total, we had seven teams who went through the four stages of communication we’ve named with TCN as: “Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing”.  But the amazing thing is we saw it during a little over an hour.

The use of a real-life scenario, combined with the quality of our attendees and the backdrop of the TCN Leadership System training, provided an incubator for transformation in communication to take place in a short timeframe, with the end result being the desired outcomes of any real organization. At the end of the hour, TCN leaders acted as coaches with each team to give feedback on what they observed so that the teams could take the learning and put it into practice immediately within their own organizations.

I encourage you to utilize scenarios with your teams in real life.  

Think through some of the things you may be worried about in the near future. Don’t fret or worry about those things – create the scenario, get with your team, and play “war games” to achieve an outcome. Be sure to take time afterwards to debrief so the learning is harvested.  

Need help or want to learn more? Don’t hesitate to reach out to TCN by visiting www.teleioscn.org.  

Our next Leadership Immersion Course will be April 12 - 14th, 2021.  We would love to have you participate and experience what I described above.

Chris Comeaux, President / CEO of Teleios Collaborative Network

If you want to learn more about
the TCN Leadership System 
shoot us an email at ccomeaux@teleioscn.org

Teleios University (TU)

Program Launch:  January 21-22, 2021
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