On every team, there’s the person you go to for advice, the person you bounce ideas off of, the person you vent to, the person you trust to make tough decisions, and the person who glues everyone together. AI can be those five people all in one.

For each role you want AI to play, start your prompts with a statement like, “I would like to roleplay a scenario in which you are [this role] and I am [this role]...” and clearly state what your goal is.

5 ways to roleplay with AI

Role 1: The executive

Pitching and presenting to leadership comes with a lot of considerations. They’re short on time so they’ll want your content to follow suit. They’re also thinking big-picture about the future of the company, so they’ll want to hear long-term considerations (not just short-term wins).

Here’s how AI can help:

• AI can emulate the behavior, expectations, and communication style of a senior leader to help you tailor your message and anticipate reactions.
  
  • Your prompt: “Review this document, and give me feedback in the style and tone of an impatient, results-driven CEO who expects quick thinking.”

• AI can evaluate your presentation skills, including your approach, content, and the overall effectiveness of the presentation or pitch.‍
  • Your prompt: “Anticipate how favorably an executive at a fast-paced company will respond to this idea based on the following speaker notes.”

• AI can anticipate potential questions, objections, and concerns so you can be more prepared and composed in high-pressure situations.
  • ‍Your prompt: “From the perspective of a very blunt business leader, what scrutiny can I expect when I share this presentation?”

Role 2: The negotiator

Whether you’re negotiating a contract, a salary, a client pitch, or simply resolving a conflict, it’s easy to get tunnel vision and only form a case from your vantage point.

Here’s how AI can help:

• AI provides a risk-free environment for you to practice challenging conversations for navigating challenging situations without the backlash.
  • ‍Your prompt: “I need to give an ultimatum to an underperforming employee. Listen to my approach and tell me how effective it would be at motivating change.”

• AI can help you understand the perspective of your real-life opponent to improve your negotiation approach.‍
  • Your prompt: “How can I make this salary negotiation tactic more persuasive for a hiring manager at a highly competitive company?”

• AI can point out “blind spots” that you might not consider, so you can go into a conversation prepared for any detour it might take.‍
  • Your prompt: “Using the backstory I’ve given you on the client I’m working with, speculate a few scenarios in which the client may respond in a way I’m not expecting.”

Role 3: The reviewer

When we try to anticipate everyone’s reactions and critiques on a project or idea we can easily spin ourselves in circles. We end up confusing ourselves more than refining our vision.

Here’s how AI can help:

• AI provides unbiased feedback based on the criteria that you specify, offering an objective perspective on whatever you want feedback on.‍
  • Your prompt: “I want to gain 1000 new social media followers this month. Review this marketing plan and grade its effectiveness at reaching my goal.”

• AI can simulate different stakeholders or team members, so you can get a sense of the different reactions and opinions you should expect.
  • ‍Your prompt: “Evaluate this project brief and tell me what pushback I can expect from members of the brand and strategy teams.

• Because AI provides a low-pressure environment and immediate feedback, you can brainstorm and iterate real time to get to the best possible product.
  • ‍Your prompt: “I am trying to refine this pitch deck for an enterprise client. Suggest 3 places where I can streamline the content to make it more engaging.”

Role 4: The mediator

When we’re involved in a conflict where we have a dog in the fight, it can be near impossible to hold space for other perspectives.

Here’s how AI can help:

• AI can help to facilitate tough conversations, guiding it in a fair and impartial manner.
  • ‍Your prompt: “I need your help resolving a conflict between two team members. Provide impartial guidance on how they can move forward constructively.”

• AI can suggest and apply conflict resolution techniques, help brainstorm solutions, and explore compromises.
  • ‍Your prompt: “Given the context I’ve provided, give me 5 potential suggestions that both parties would be satisfied with.”

• AI can enforce ground rules for respectful communication and help to clarify any misunderstandings it identifies.
  • ‍Your prompt: “Detect any ambiguity or confusion in the following statements and suggest clarifying questions.”

Role 5: The debater

Navigating a situation where the right course of action is unknown can lead to huge anxiety, and making tough calls takes an emotional toll on the decision maker.

Here’s how AI can help:

• AI can present a wide range of arguments on various sides of an issue and the counterarguments and rebuttals you should expect.
  • ‍Your prompt: “I need to table a project that engineering has been working on because the ROI seems too low. What pushback can I expect on my decision?”

• AI can guide you through a structured exploration of different arguments, helping you to consider their implications, consequences, and underlying assumptions.
  • ‍Your prompt: “I want to make it mandatory for my team to return to the office for productivity reasons. Give me 3 approaches and the potential fallout for each.”

• AI can provide supporting evidence, data, and examples for any argument you provide it to strengthen your case.
  • ‍Your prompt: “I want to request more marketing budget this month for ad campaigns. Please source 5 recent stats on the effectiveness of paid ads.”

AI is about to be your new favorite coworker

Give it enough context and AI can help you meet any situation with confidence. Roleplaying out these scenarios with AI can make us better decision makers, presenters, collaborators, and leaders.

If this is the first time you’ve thought about AI as anything other than an idea machine, there’s a whole wide world of possibilities to explore. Section members get a guided exploration through the AI strategies that can take you to the top of your business game. Become a member and get immediate access to unlimited courses.