Group Role-Play (Fishbowl):
The Most Avoided Tool Every Facilitator Should Master

Some call it a fishbowl. I like to call it Group Role-Play because it highlights what it really is: a collective learning process.

​

Many facilitators I know share the same story: 
“I had such a negative experience doing a Group Role-Play as a participant that I swore I’d never use it in my own workshops.”

​

It is no surprise. Without the right structure, Group Role-Play can feel exposing, confusing, and even painful. But the problem is not the tool. It is the way we frame and guide it.

​

If you have read my recent article What It Really Takes to Shift Behavior in the Workplace, you know that lasting behavioral change happens through a process of motivation, modeling, practice, reflection, and feedback. Group Role-Play is one of the most powerful ways to bring all of these elements together in the room.

​

The first step is a mindset shift: the focus is not on the person practicing. It is on the group’s collective learning. Once you see it this way, the whole experience changes.

That is exactly what the SFS Framework is designed for: to turn discomfort into meaningful learning.

​

The SFS Framework: Three Steps to Safer, More Powerful Group Role-Plays

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

1. Set the Stage

This is where most facilitators fail. They throw people in without preparing the room.

Instead, name the elephant in the room:

• “This is going to feel awkward. You will make mistakes. I would too.”

• Acknowledge the mental overload: participants just learned a new tool, their brain is stressed, and they are practicing under the spotlight. Of course errors will happen. That is not the point.

​

Then, create safety with clear ground rules:

• No side-chats, no laughter, no suggestions.

• Write down quotes so feedback can be fact-based, not judgmental.

• Set clear expectations for how feedback will happen: first, a moment of reflection. Then we hear from the person in the hot seat about how it felt and what feedback they would give themselves. Next, the group shares observations. Finally, the facilitator adds highlights and insights.

This reframes mistakes from failures into learning opportunities the group can observe together.

​

2. Facilitate the Role-Play

​When the practice begins, your role as facilitator is to protect the learner in the hot seat.

• Keep the scenario short and focused. No one learns from a 15-minute dialogue that spirals.

• Manage your own energy. Bring calm, not pressure.

• Step in if the “hot seat” participant starts drowning.

​

Remember: the person practicing is in survival mode. Their brain cannot process everything.

​

But here is the key: the entire group is actively engaged in the full learning cycle. They see the skill modeled, they mentally rehearse what they would do, they reflect on what worked and what did not, and they prepare to give feedback.

This collective experience makes the practice stick far more than individual exercises alone.

3. Steer the Feedback

Here is where the magic happens. Without structure, feedback feels like an attack. With structure, it turns into insight.

​

The flow:

1. Pause – everyone takes a breath and reflects.

2. Write – one strength, one area to improve (fact-based).

3. Check-in – start with the person who practiced.

4. Group feedback– begin with strengths, then constructive areas.

5. Facilitator adds – highlight key turning points in the role play.

6. Wrap-up – ask: “What do we take into the next round?”

​

This ensures the person in the hot seat feels supported, and the group sees patterns, contrasts, and progress.

​

What the Group Learns

The real power is not in whether the person practicing “got it right.” It is in what the group experiences together.

​

Take conflict management as an example: one simple tool is to start by reflecting something you agree on before sharing your perspective.

• When participants watch a Group Role-Play where the speaker starts with agreement, they see the other person’s body relax. The tone softens. Safety builds.

• When that step is skipped, defensiveness rises immediately.

The group does not just understand the difference. They feel it in their bodies and that embodied learning sticks.

​

And when feedback flows, it does not just clarify for the person who practiced. It crystallizes insights for the entire group.

The Takeaway

As I explained in What It Really Takes to Shift Behavior in the Workplace, behavioral skills are not built by talking about them. They are built step by step, through a process that combines motivation, modeling, practice, reflection, and feedback.

​

Group Role-Play is a core part of that process. It gives participants a chance to see skills modeled, to feel the difference between what works and what does not, and to practice in a way that engages the entire group in learning.

​

When guided by the SFS Framework, what once felt awkward becomes energizing. Instead of avoiding group role play, facilitators discover they can be the most powerful tool for creating real behavioral change.

​

I train facilitators and trainers to lead Group Role-Play with confidence, clarity, and heart. If you want to learn how to make this tool one of the strongest in your workshops, book a free discovery call. No commitment, just a real conversation.

Prefer to start on your own?
Download The Free Experiential Workshop Design Guide and get tools to create workshops that drive real engagement and behavioral change.