CEPD · Module 4 — Scenario, dialogue, and avatar direction

Branching dialogue craft

Speaker, stakes, preferred path, mentor vs job-aid help, consequence-first wrong paths, and conversational copy.

About 20 min

Practice in the lesson player

Sorting, matching, quizzes, and the module gate stay behind a free account so scored answers are not public. The teaching notes below are the same cited curriculum.

What this lesson covers

  1. 01

    Write the scenario first

    Production order: (1) observable action from the action map, (2) stakeholder line that pressures the wrong shortcut, (3) three branches — one preferred, two plausible mistakes, (4) reply text that teaches without sarcasm. Wrong branches should explain environmental or knowledge gaps using Gilbert or Moore — not “incorrect, try again” alone.

  2. 02

    Mentor help vs job-aid help

    Mentor help (in-scenario): Coach names the gap after a choice — conversational, not sarcastic. · Stays on the decision beat; one tip, then retry or next. · Use when the learner must rehearse judgment under pressure.

    Job-aid help (pull): Searchable policy / steps the agent opens on the floor. · Does not replace the branch — supports transfer after practice. · Use when the job already expects lookup, not memorization.

  3. 03

    Consequence first — delight second

    Wrong paths should show what happens on the job (audit flag, angry customer, missed SLA) before confetti or mascot jokes. Delight earns a place only when it reinforces the preferred move — a brief confirmation after the right close, not fireworks on every click. Conversational copy: short sentences, second person, no lecture paragraphs inside the reply.