Rehearse the conversation before it costs you.
AI voice simulations for soft skills
Six characters are ready to talk. Ten minutes each.- A promotion refusal
- A price objection
- A missed deadline
- Feedback to a senior engineer
- An angry customer
- A performance review
- A promotion refusal
- A price objection
- A missed deadline
- Feedback to a senior engineer
- An angry customer
- A performance review
- A discount request
- A salary talk
- A conflict in the team
- A double charge
- A first sales meeting
- An overpromise
- A discount request
- A salary talk
- A conflict in the team
- A double charge
- A first sales meeting
- An overpromise
How it looks.
i
He didn’t get the promotion. His peer did.
Training
PROGRESS
33%
DANIEL
Guarded
Voice
Text
Daniel Mercer
Senior Engineer
D
Daniel MercerYou told me “next cycle” twice. Yesterday you promoted my teammate. I want to understand why.
Your goals
1 / 3
Deliver the decision without blurring it into “not yet”
2
Own the broken expectation and hear what is behind the reaction
3
Agree a credible path without promising the result
Hint
Say the decision in the first sentence. Then stop and let him react.
i
He didn’t get the promotion
Goals
1 / 3
Daniel Mercer
Senior Engineer
D
Daniel MercerYou told me “next cycle” twice. Yesterday you promoted my teammate. I want to understand why.
Preview without sound.
Pick a scenario.
- Team Management & Leadership
He didn’t get the promotion. His peer did.
Daniel MercerSenior EngineerAdvanced · 10 minStart - Tech & Product
The Overpromise: Holding a Product Manager Accountable
Naomi RodriguezProduct ManagerIntermediate · 10 minStart - Customer Experience
Charged twice. Payroll is on Friday.
Emma ClarkeBakery OwnerIntermediate · 10 minStart
How it works.
- Mission briefHe didn't get the promotionMedium difficulty10 minutesSituationYesterday the promotion committee promoted Daniel's teammate Nadia Brooks to Staff Engineer. Daniel was not promoted. The reason was cross-team influence, not code. In the last two cycles you told him “next cycle”.Your taskTell Daniel plainly why he was not promoted, find what is behind his reaction and agree a credible path.Who is in the conversationYOUEngineering ManagerPayments Platform team, Daniel reports to youDaniel MercerSenior Engineer · 4 years on the teamCalm, precise and hurt. Led the ledger migration with zero downtime. Asked for this one-on-one this morning.Goals1Open the talk honestly2Deliver the decision plainly3Find what lies behind it4Agree a credible path5Ask Daniel to summarizeObstacles!Process talk (“the committee decides”) closes Daniel down!A promise you cannot keep sounds like the last two cycles!“Sure” and “It's fine” do not mean agreement!You cannot change the decision or make a salary offerWhat helpsName a specific contribution and own your “next cycle” wordsSay the decision and the committee's reason plainlyPromise only what you control: one cross-team action, your support, check-insHow this will goIn assessment this same block reads differently: no hints, no scores during the conversation, one attempt only.✓Hints are available — at the skill level, never a ready-made line✓You will see goal progress during the conversation✓Unlimited attempts — you can run it again✕This is not an HR decision: the result does not go to your managerI’m ready — startDaniel will speak firstthe microphone turns on right away · you can stop any time
Every case starts with a brief: the situation, your task and who you talk to.
- Development Team managementHe didn't get the promotion · Daniel Mercer · 11 November, 13:05 · 14 turns · 9 minWhat you practisedDifficult ConversationsCoaching & Mentoring1 Overview how the conversation developedYou opened by owning your “next cycle” words, and Daniel stayed calm. Then you blurred the committee's reason, and he asked for it twice. When he said “It's fine”, you went straight to the plan. The talk ended with a path to Staff, but with no first cross-team step and no summary from Daniel.CompletionConversation completedyou ended the conversation yourselfConversation goals2 of 5 reached · 2 more partlyOpen the talk honestlyDeliver the decision plainlyFind what lies behind itAgree a credible pathAsk Daniel to summarize2 The counterpart's view how Daniel experienced it“When you said the ‘next cycle’ words were on you, I could breathe. Then I got ‘the committee looked at many factors’, the same answer as twice before. I said it's fine because I did not want to argue. I still don't know what to do differently to get there.”This is the character’s reaction to what you did, not a grade. It explains why the competencies below were credited this way.3Results by competencytap a competency — what went well, what to watch and the next stepFrameworkHard messageExpectation · Decision · Emotion · PathE · Expectation→D · Decision→E · Emotion→P · PathWhat went wellE · ExpectationD · DecisionOwned the broken expectation
You said your “next cycle” set an expectation that did not hold. Daniel stopped testing you and started to answer.
“I told you ‘next cycle’ twice. That was on me.”t. 3
What to watchD · DecisionThe reason got blurredYou said the committee “looked at many things”. Daniel did not hear the real reason, so he asked twice what it was.
Why it’s better. A plain reason is hard to argue with and shows respect.You said · t. 5“The committee looked at a lot of factors.”Next time, say this instead“The committee promoted Nadia for cross-team influence: she led the API deprecation group across four teams.”E · EmotionMoved on past the hurtDaniel said “It's fine”. You took it as agreement and went to the plan. He went polite and closed.
Why it’s better. Naming the feeling invites the real concern, not a polite answer.You said · t. 7“Great, so let's talk about next steps.”Next time, say this instead“It doesn't sound fine. What does this decision mean for you?” - and pause.Next step for this competencySay the decision and the real reason in one sentence. Then ask what it means for Daniel and wait for the answer.FrameworkGrowth talkIntent · Self-assessment · Next steps · SummaryI · IntentS · Self-assessmentN · Next stepsS · SummaryWhat went wellS · Self-assessmentAsked for his view of the gapInstead of a list of what Staff needs, you asked where Daniel sees his impact today. He named the ledger migration and the design reviews.
“Where do you see your impact beyond the team today?”t. 9
What to watchN · Next stepsA path without a first stepYou agreed he should “work on influence”, but named no cross-team action and no check-in. Daniel heard the last two cycles again.
Why it’s better. One concrete cross-team action and a check-in date make the path credible.You said · t. 11“Let's focus on influence this cycle.”Next time, say this instead“Lead the design review for the Billing API change with two other teams. I'll sponsor it, and we check in every two weeks.”S · SummaryNo summary from DanielYou summed up the plan yourself. Daniel said “Sure”, and you did not check if he sees it the same way.
Why it’s better. When he says the plan in his own words, you both know you agree.You said · t. 13“So that's the plan, right?”Next time, say this instead“Can you say in your words what we agreed and what you'll do first?”Next step for this competencyEnd the talk with Daniel's own summary of the path. Promise only what you control.4 Recommended actions what you practised — and what to carry into the next attemptIn development mode Run this same conversation again and change one thing: after Daniel says “It's fine”, ask what the decision means for him. Daniel would have told you what is really behind it, and the indicator would have counted. Hints in development mode sit at the level of “try naming the feeling”. Run it againIn real work In your next hard message, say the decision and the real reason in your first two sentences. One conversation, one rule. Unlimited attempts: the next one runs on a harder counterpart character — same scenario, different person.Back to program AnalyticsThe full report also gives a level for each competency and the next step.
- LearningProgramsResultsAnalyticsConversationsOBOlena BondarDevProJourney Team management · two anchors · 19 development runs across 7 simulations · since 12 MayFilter: allAnchor · assessment 4 June Product Dismissing Engineering Feedback attempt 1 of 1 ReportActive listening Not demonstratedGiving feedback ConfidentDifficult agreements Level not determinedPractice June — August 3 simulations · 14 runs 14 development runsOne simulation can be run any number of times. Each attempt is its own report; practice counts all, the level counts none. “Best” is marked for navigation only; it carries no weight in a measure.2 more simulations in this intervalCharged twice. Payroll is on Friday. Emma Clarke · development · 4 attemptsDateAttemptCharacterIndicators12 Aug 1 attempt 1 Guarded 1/4 Report19 Aug 2 attempt 2 Guarded 2/4 Report24 Aug 3 attempt 3 · best Tense 3/4 Report27 Aug 4 attempt 4 Shutting down 2/4 ReportA harder character with each attempt - moving 1 → 3 indicators does not mean it got easier: the scene raised the pressure. On the fourth attempt the character shuts down, and two of three indicators disappear.Anchor · assessment 30 August The Overpromise attempt 1 of 1 ReportActive listening DevelopingGiving feedback DevelopingDifficult agreements Level not determinedOne simulation gets run many times - so the cluster groups attempts by simulation instead of dumping 14 rows. Expanding shows each attempt with the counterpart's character: without it, “1 → 3 indicators” would read as growth when it is simply different pressure.
Practice does not move the level. Only a new assessment does.
Built on your cases.
We write each simulation for your company: your culture, your situations, your competencies.
- 1You send real cases and your competency model.
- 2We write the scenario and the character.
- 3Your team trains. You see the levels.
Your company case
The client asks for a 30% discount.
- Culture
- Your values and the way your people talk.
- Cases
- Real situations from your team.
- Context
- Your product, your terms, your clients.
- Characters
- People who push back as your clients do.
- Competencies
- Your model and your scale.
Want this for your team?
We set up a pilot for up to 10 people.
Supported by.
- ElevenLabs Grants
