Picture this: You are building a compliance curriculum for your organization. It’s filled with policies, procedures and a dozen acronyms that even seasoned employees sometimes forget. Your goal is to make it stick. You can try slides, bullet points, or even quizzes. But something is missing – your learners are becoming passive observers when they should be active participants.
This is where character-driven dialogue comes in. Adobe Captivate makes it easier than ever to simulate real-world conversations, turning boring content into interactive, relevant learning moments.
Why use character dialogue?
Character dialogue adds a human touch to learning. They are particularly effective in:
- Scenario-based learning (customer service, human resources, safety training)
- Branching dialogue (decision simulation)
- Soft skills development (communication, leadership, negotiation)
Rather than simply presenting information, characters help contextualize it. They show learners how principles apply to the real world—whether that’s managing difficult conversations or choosing the right safety gear.
Step-by-step: How to create a conversation in Captivate
Adobe Captivate provides pre-built assets and a user-friendly interface for designing character dialogue without the need for animation or coding background.
1. Choose your character
Start by choosing a role that matches your learning scenario. Captivate includes a library of illustrated and photographic characters in a variety of poses and expressions. You’ll find this content in Captivate’s Assets panel, organized by style, career, and demographics to help you match it to your specific training environment.
You can also import your own characters – perfect for custom branding or starring real employees.
2. Build your slideshow using media blocks
In the new Adobe Captivate, character dialogue is built manually using text blocks, media blocks, and buttons – all of which are accessible from the left toolbar under text blocks, media blocks, or Add Interactive Components.
3. Write meaningful dialogue
Keep conversations natural and concise. Use language that learners actually use. Avoid “company speak” unless necessary for the position.
Here are examples of customer service courses:
Alex (Manager): “The customer seems unhappy. How would you handle this?”
Tina (Intern): “I would start by apologizing and asking how I can help solve the problem.”
Choose branches for different learners. Each path leads to a different character reaction, helping to reinforce cause-and-effect relationships. We describe this branching technique in detail in the interactive section below.
4. Customize appearance and flow
Adobe Captivate gives you the flexibility to control the appearance and movement of your character’s dialogue. You can place the character on the left or right side of the slide, depending on how you want the scene to flow. It also lets you choose different facial expressions and gestures to match the mood of the conversation—like smiling, thinking, or pointing. To make the scene feel real, you can add a background image, such as an office, store, or clinic, depending on the situation you want to create.
You can also time dialogue and character changes to match audio narration, which helps dialogue feel more natural and engaging.
To fine-tune the look and feel, use the Visual Properties inspector to adjust things like padding around content, spacing between elements, and text styles so everything fits your course design.
5. Add interaction and feedback
To make character dialogue more meaningful, look beyond static slides. Instead, create an experience that feels like a conversation, not just a presentation.
Start by offering choices. Instead of telling learners what is right and wrong, give them options for responding. For example, after a character presents a situation, display two or three possible responses for the learner to choose from. Each choice triggers a different outcome or reaction.
Next, consider adding audio narration. You can use text-to-speech tools for rapid development, or record voiceovers for a more personalized experience. Hearing characters speak can make dialogue feel more natural and immersive.
Use conditional branches to reflect the impact of learner decisions. If someone chooses a less than ideal response, the conversation can gently redirect them, for example:
“This is a common reaction, but let’s consider how our customers feel.”
This approach helps learners reflect without feeling penalized.
To make feedback more dynamic, use variables to track learner choices. For example, if learners consistently choose empathic responses, the resulting message can acknowledge their strong interpersonal awareness. If their choices indicate a gap, feedback can encourage a review or provide targeted tips.
Ultimately, adding interactivity can transform your course from a set of static slides into a guided, engaging conversation that adapts to learner decision-making and promotes deeper understanding.
Tips for better character dialogue
- Tone that matches your audience: Formal tone is good for compliance; casual work when onboarding.
- Use real scenarios: Draw examples from real workplace challenges.
- Keep it short: No one likes a monologue. Break long conversations into chunks.
- Use emoticons and gestures: A character pointing to a safety chart while explaining a procedure, or giving a thumbs up after a learner makes a correct choice, adds visual emphasis and makes the content more memorable.
- Finally make a decision: Learners are encouraged to apply what they have learned.
learning impact
People pay more attention when characters speak in a story. They think, “What can I do here?” They’re not just reading facts, they’re part of the situation. This helps them remember and learn faster.
With Adobe Captivate, you don’t need fancy design skills. If you can tell a simple story, you can create a learning conversation. All you need is a message to share and a little imagination.
