If you’ve spent any amount of time on this website, then you will already know how powerful scenarios can be.
For instance, Uber was able to achieve a 31% higher completion rate by introducing scenarios for its de-escalation training. 1 Better yet, 97% of learners found the content useful.
There’s no doubt that scenarios can significantly elevate a learning experience – providing you choose the right one.
The secret to developing that right scenario lies in the ability to distinguish a strong example from a weak one. Here’s how to do it:
The key ingredients for a strong learning scenario
Scenarios are grounded in realism, and it’s standard practice to take existing workplace situations or problems and transform them into such.
When looking for the right scenario, here’s what you need to assess.
Real-world relevance
The most important aspect of a strong scenario is its ability to reflect the real-world challenges that learners encounter in their roles.
The scenario should be specific and relevant to learners’ everyday experiences, helping them see its connection to their daily tasks.
Therefore, ask these questions:
- What challenges do learners frequently face?
- What decisions can have major consequences in their roles?
Let’s take a healthcare compliance program as an example.
A scenario strongly reflecting real-world relevance could be a healthcare professional noticing a colleague improperly disposing of medical waste. The learner must decide how to address the issue by choosing from a set of relevant options.
Feedback is provided based on the learner’s actions, demonstrating the consequences of each choice while highlighting the correct procedure.
A weak version of this scenario would be something more vague. For instance:
Imagine encountering an unsafe practice in your workplace. What would you do?
This version lacks details about the unsafe practice, its context, and potential consequences, leaving learners with little to apply in the real world.
Clear and measurable outcomes
A strong scenario also always aligns perfectly with the learning objectives.
- What exactly is it that you want the learners to learn?
- And, how will the success be measured?
Do you need learners to be able to follow a specific process? Solve a problem? Or, make the right decision?
The scenario should directly mirror these outcomes. Every choice, action, and consequence should tie back to the skills or knowledge the learners need to acquire.
For example, if the objective is to follow a process, the scenario should test their ability to perform each step accurately.
Tip: For an effective way to clearly understand your goals, try Action Mapping.
Matches the learner’s level
This is so important!
The scenario you choose has to strike the right balance between challenge and doability.
It can’t be so easy that learners sail through it without applying any real thought. They’ll get bored and worse still, they won’t take it seriously.
Similarly, it can’t be so challenging that it may as well be written in a foreign language.
Aim the content to match the skill and knowledge level of the audience. You want them to feel like their brains are getting a good workout but not make them feel braindead.
If you find your scenario is not quite at the right level, are there ways you can change it without taking away the relevance?
Often, scenarios are adaptable to fit different skill levels, which is good news since it makes your job easier.
Opportunities for decision-making and problem-solving
The whole point of a scenario is to encourage critical thinking and decision-making. So, the one you pick has to incorporate plenty of opportunities to do just that.
It’s okay to have a single decision point (mini-scenario), but you must ensure that it requires proper thought to reach an outcome that reflects real-world consequences.
For a more in-depth scenario, incorporate multiple decision points and/or branching so that each choice affects the learning path.
Here are some useful questions to ask yourself:
- Does this scenario decision mimic a real-world challenge?
- Are the consequences of each choice clear and meaningful?
- Do the options encourage learners to analyze, evaluate, and apply their knowledge?
The warning signs of a weak scenario
1. Use of hypothetical or unrealistic situations
Keep it real!
Hypothetical or unrealistic situations are just that and don’t reflect the real world.
It’s kind of like those ridiculous interview questions you sometimes get while applying for a job.
In my early career, I got asked to “Sell me this pen,” for a role that had absolutely nothing to do with sales. Nor did the company sell pens.
Its irrelevance made it an awkward exercise that neither showcased my skills nor gave the interviewers any indication of my suitability for the role.
Similarly using scenarios that don’t exist in the learner’s world is unlikely to hold their interest.
For instance, asking a customer service representative to handle a difficult conversation with a cartoon character will feel contrived and fail to resonate.
2. Lack of consequences for decisions
For the scenario to work, there have to be meaningful consequences arriving from the decisions that the learner makes.
If every decision leads to the exact same outcome, or if there’s no clear impact, then the scenario swiftly loses its purpose.
Learners must be able to see how their choices affect a situation because this is what embeds the knowledge.
As the expression goes – we learn from our mistakes.
For instance, if a learner chooses the wrong approach to de-escalate a frustrated customer, the scenario should reflect the consequences. Perhaps the customer becomes even more upset, takes the complaint to the higher-ups, and leaves a negative review.
A weaker example of this would be if the learner chooses the wrong approach, but the scenario proceeds as if nothing happened, with no changes to the customer’s demeanor or the outcome.
Meaningful consequences – both positive and negative – create opportunities for learners to critically evaluate their decisions.
3. Too focused on trivia
Let’s not get bogged down in the details.
This isn’t Once upon a time in a magical land far, far away…
An effective scenario gets straight to the point and focuses on the essential skills and knowledge a learner has to acquire. It doesn’t get caught up in the fluff and unnecessary detail that detracts from the main points.
Which is better?
- You are on the phone with an executive who has concerns about your product’s safety standards. How do you explain the steps in place to mitigate risks?
- You are on the phone with a gruff executive, an industry veteran of 20 years, who’s highly skeptical about your safety standards and interrupts frequently. How do you navigate the conversation to reassure him of your safety standards and the steps in place to mitigate risk?
The first example is clear and concise, focusing on the critical decision-making and communication skills the learner needs to demonstrate.
The second adds unnecessary detail and bores you to tears before you’ve even finished reading.
4. Fails to engage critical thinking
Learners aren’t here to memorize lists or regurgitate things verbatim.
And if that’s what the scenario is asking, then it has no business being here!
A scenario that asks, “What’s the next step in this procedure?” might check recall but doesn’t push learners to think critically about it.
On the other hand, a scenario that asks “How would you apply the next step in this procedure to achieve X?” encourages learners to think about how to adapt their knowledge to a specific situation.
It shifts the focus away from simple recall to application and something that holds real value.
How to recognize (and avoid) “scenario bloat”
“Scenario bloat” is a fun term used to describe scenarios that become overly long-winded, complicated, or irrelevant.
Basically, incorporating everything I talked about that makes for a weak scenario.
It’s easily done, though, because the temptation is always to think “the more information, the better.”
But, think of an instruction manual for an appliance.
What information are you likely to consume and retain?
- A 32-page text-based booklet, outlining every piece of information in extreme detail?
- A two-page visual diagram pointing out and explaining the essential functions?
If you think your scenario is becoming a little overweight, it’s time to trim it down to size:
- Eliminate the irrelevant details and keep the focus on the learning objectives only. If the content does not support the goal, it has to go.
- Prioritize quality over quantity. Scenarios don’t have to be lengthy to have an impact. A well-designed, concise scenario is far more effective than a long, rambling one.
- Avoid overcomplicating. Don’t add variables and branching for the sake of it or to “jazz” up the content. You’ll just confuse the learners and frustrate them.
Evaluate the scenario to match…
Finally, here’s a quick checklist you can use to determine if your chosen scenario is going to cut the mustard:
- Skill level: Complexity is at an appropriate level for its intended audience.
- Professional context: It focuses on a challenge that directly relates to the learner’s role.
- Cultural background: There are no references or situations that may not resonate with some learners (especially important for global training programs).
- Desired format: It works for the intended training delivery method (e-learning, face-to-face, etc.).
As a final tip…
Before you roll out your scenario, be sure to test it thoroughly to make sure it works as intended.
Have your subject matter experts (SMEs) try it as well as a sample of learners from the target audience. Their feedback is super-important for identifying any gaps, any unnecessary complexity, etc.
Wrap up
Scenarios are often confused with telling a good story. But, this is just a welcome side effect of designing a realistic challenge that resonates with the audience.
Building a great scenario is an art that is refined with practice. So, if you’re new to this scene, start with something small and simple and go from there.

By Janette Bonnet
Janette Bonnet is an experienced L&D professional who is passionate about exploring instructional design techniques, trends, and innovations.