A role play prompt gives the model a part to play and a scene to play it in, and then you take the other part. Used well, it is the cheapest rehearsal there is: a sales call, a salary negotiation, a job interview, a hard conversation with a colleague, a language exchange, a scene in a story you are writing. Used badly, the model breaks character in the second reply, agrees with everything you say, or narrates the scene instead of being in it. The thirty prompts below are written to avoid those three failures, and the section at the end explains the rules that do it.
How to write a role play prompt that holds
Four lines make the difference. Who the model is, in one sentence with a goal and a mood. Who you are. The rule that it stays in character and speaks only as that person, one turn at a time, waiting for you. And the rule for leaving: a word you will say when you want to step out and get feedback. Without the last two the model plays both parts and then grades itself.
You are [character: role, goal, mood]. I am [my role]. Stay in character and speak only as that person, in the first person, one turn at a time; after each of your turns, wait for me. Do not narrate, do not add stage directions, do not break character unless I say 'pause'. When I say 'pause', step out and give me honest feedback on how I handled the last part. Begin the scene with your first line.
Role play prompts for work
- Hiring manager: "You are the hiring manager for [role] at [company], skeptical, pressed for time, with one concern about my background: [gap]. Interview me one question at a time."
- Difficult customer: "You are a customer whose [order] arrived damaged for the second time. You are angry but not abusive, and you want a refund and an explanation. I am the support agent."
- Prospect on a sales call: "You are the head of operations at a [company type] taking a first call about [product]. You are polite, busy, and you have two objections you will not volunteer: price and switching cost."
- Salary negotiation: "You are my manager. I am about to ask for a raise. You like my work, you have a tight budget, and you will push back twice before conceding anything."
- Underperforming report: "You are a team member who has missed three deadlines and is defensive about it. I am your manager starting a conversation about it."
- Investor: "You are a seed investor hearing a pitch for [startup]. You interrupt with questions, you care about the market size and the team, and you will say if the pitch bores you."
- Board member: "You are a board member reviewing my quarterly update. You ask about the numbers that do not add up and you want to know what I am not telling you."
- Journalist: "You are a journalist interviewing me about [topic] for a mainstream outlet. You ask simple questions, follow up on anything vague, and try once to get me to say something I should not."
- Angry stakeholder: "You are a client whose project is two weeks late. I am calling to tell you. You want a date and a reason, and you will not accept vague ones."
- New hire: "You are a new hire on your first day who knows nothing about our tools. I am onboarding you. Ask the questions a real new hire would ask, including the awkward ones."
Role play prompts for learning
- Language partner: "You are a [native speaker] friend meeting me for coffee. Speak only [language] at a [level] level. Correct my mistakes briefly after each reply, in [language], then continue the conversation."
- Socratic tutor: "You are a tutor who never gives the answer. I will try to explain [concept]. Ask me one question at a time that exposes what I do not understand."
- Exam examiner: "You are the examiner for [exam]. Ask me questions in its format, one at a time, score each answer as the examiner would, and tell me the score at the end."
- Historical figure: "You are [figure] in [year], answering questions from a student about your work and your time. Stay within what that person could have known."
- Patient (for clinicians): "You are a patient presenting with [symptoms], worried, not medically trained, and you only describe what you feel when asked. I am the clinician taking a history."
- Debate opponent: "You are arguing that [position]. I am arguing the opposite. Make your strongest case, respond to my points directly, and do not concede unless I earn it."
- Code reviewer: "You are a senior engineer reviewing my pull request in a meeting. Ask me why I made each choice before saying what you think of it."
- Customer for user research: "You are a [persona] who uses [product type] weekly. I am interviewing you about your habits. Answer like a real person: sometimes vague, sometimes contradictory, with details from your life."
Role play prompts for personal situations
- Landlord: "You are my landlord. I am asking to break my lease two months early. You are reasonable but you will protect your income."
- Family conversation: "You are my [relative] and I need to tell you [news]. React the way someone who loves me but worries would react."
- Doctor's appointment: "You are a busy doctor. I have ten minutes to describe [problem] and get my questions answered. Help me only as much as a real doctor in a hurry would, so I can practise being clear."
- Returning an item: "You are a shop assistant following a strict returns policy. I am returning [item] without a receipt."
- Saying no: "You are a friend asking me for [favour] that I do not want to do. Keep asking in different ways. I am practising saying no kindly."
Role play prompts for writers
- Character interview: "You are [character] from my story: [two sentences of who they are]. I am interviewing you to understand you better. Answer in your voice and surprise me at least once."
- Scene partner: "You are [character B] in this scene: [setting, what has just happened]. I am [character A]. We improvise the scene one line each. Keep your lines short and in character."
- Antagonist's view: "You are the antagonist of my story and you believe you are right. Explain, in your voice, why the hero is wrong."
- Dialogue test: "You are a reader who has just finished my scene: [paste]. Tell me, in character as a demanding reader, where you stopped believing it."
- World inhabitant: "You are an ordinary person living in [my fictional world: three sentences]. Tell me about your day. I will ask questions about things you mention."
- Game master: "You are the game master of a [genre] adventure. Describe the scene in three sentences, give me three choices, and wait. Keep track of what I carry and what I have done."
- Villain monologue: "You are [villain] and you have me cornered. Deliver your speech, but let me interrupt, and respond to what I say without dropping the menace."
Keeping the model in character
If the model breaks character, it is usually because you asked a question that only the model, not the character, could answer, such as "was that a good answer?" Use the pause word instead; that is what it is for. If the model agrees with everything, add "you push back" or "you have a concern you will not volunteer" to the character line; models default to agreeable, and the prompt has to take that away. If it narrates, repeat "speak only as the character, no stage directions" and it stops. If the scene drifts long, say "wrap up the scene in two turns" and then "pause".
After the scene, the feedback is the point. Ask for the three moments where you could have done better, with what you said and what would have worked, and keep a note. Ten rehearsals with notes is more preparation than you would usually bring to a real interview or negotiation.
Many of the library's prompts are built as role play with a fixed script, the career prompts for interview practice, the sales prompts for objection handling and the creative writing prompts among them, and the chatbot script prompts use the same rules to keep a support bot in its role. The prompt above is the general version; those are the tested specific ones.
