--- title: "VR training for difficult conversations at work" description: "Staff rehearse a difficult conversation in VR with real consequences and no real risk, then run it again. People Tech Revolution builds it in VR, AR and MR." canonical: https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr --- XR # Immersive XR for the moments that matter. We give people a realistic situation, real consequences and no real risk. Then we let them run it again. VR / AR / MR ## VR, AR or MR: which fits the work? Same headset technology, different relationships to the room you are standing in. [Virtual reality (VR). The room around you is replaced by a fully simulated environment, so the scenario is all you can see. Explore virtual reality →](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/virtual-reality) [Augmented reality (AR). The physical world stays fully visible, with digital content layered on top of it through a phone or headset. Explore augmented reality →](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/augmented-reality) [Mixed reality (MR). Digital objects are anchored into physical space and respond to it, so practice happens where the real work happens. Explore mixed reality →](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/mixed-reality) DEVICES ## Start with the devices you already have Most programs begin on hardware an organisation already owns. A scenario that replaces the room runs on a VR headset; one set in your real workplace runs on a headset that sees the room; and [augmented reality](https://peopletechrevolution.com/learn/xr/what-is-augmented-reality) starts on the phones staff already carry. Every headset and device PTR builds for has [its own page](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices). [Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S. VR and mixed reality in one headset: the room replaced, or the real room kept through colour passthrough. The headset most of PTR’s ready-to-run titles ship on.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/meta-quest-3) [Apple Vision Pro. Mixed reality with the real room kept in view, steered by the eyes and hands, for a scenario set where the work happens.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/apple-vision-pro) [Meta Quest Pro. VR with colour passthrough, eye and face tracking, and a fleet many training rooms already own.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/meta-quest-pro) ### The same scenario on two headsets A guided walk-through in VR on Quest Pro, then the same walk-through in mixed reality on Vision Pro: which fits a museum floor, a school group or a ward orientation. [In VR on Meta Quest Pro. The hall replaces the room, so a guide rehearses the whole route with nothing else in view: the fit for a school group or a ward orientation, wherever the session runs.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/meta-quest-pro) [In mixed reality on Apple Vision Pro. The real gallery stays and the exhibit layer sits on it: the fit for a museum floor, where the objects are already there.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/apple-vision-pro) ### The wider device landscape Beyond the headsets PTR ships on most often, the same build reaches whichever standalone VR or mixed reality headset a program already has. [PICO. Standalone VR headsets with colour passthrough, common in enterprise and education fleets.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/pico) [VIVE and Varjo. Standalone and tethered headsets with colour passthrough; Varjo’s are built for professional simulation.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/vive-and-varjo) [Android XR headsets. The newer headsets on Google’s platform, mixed reality by default through full-colour passthrough.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/android-xr) ### Glasses, phones and the map between them Where a headset is too much, the same content reaches people through glasses or the phone they already carry. [Smart glasses. Ray-Ban Meta (camera and assistant, no display), Meta Ray-Ban Display, XREAL, Rokid and Even Realities (each with a small screen or heads-up display): augmented reality, hands free.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/smart-glasses) [iPhone, iPad and Android. Augmented reality on the device already in the pocket, through ARKit on iOS and ARCore on Android: markers, surfaces and objects placed in the real room through the camera.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/phones-and-tablets) Which device does what: the reality on the left, the device that carries it across the row. Reality Headset Smart glasses Phone or tablet Virtual reality [Meta Quest 3](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/meta-quest-3), [Quest Pro](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/meta-quest-pro), [PICO](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/pico), [VIVE and Varjo](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/vive-and-varjo), [Vision Pro](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/apple-vision-pro) Needs a headset: the room is replaced Needs a headset Mixed reality [Meta Quest 3](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/meta-quest-3), [Vision Pro](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/apple-vision-pro), [Quest Pro](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/meta-quest-pro), [Android XR](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/android-xr), [PICO](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/pico), [VIVE and Varjo](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/vive-and-varjo) Needs a headset that sees the room [A phone through its camera](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/phones-and-tablets), for a lighter version Augmented reality [Android XR](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/android-xr), [Vision Pro](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/apple-vision-pro), in passthrough [Smart glasses](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/smart-glasses), hands free [iPhone, iPad and Android](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/devices/phones-and-tablets), the widest reach Which headset for which program ## Match the program to the device PTR VR Library titles run on standalone headsets such as Meta Quest and PICO; browser practice needs no headset at all. [Headsets and equipment](https://peopletechrevolution.com/training/headsets-and-equipment) covers who brings them and what IT will ask. [Speaking up, in a VR headset](https://peopletechrevolution.com/training/speaking-up-for-safety) [De-escalation, in a VR headset](https://peopletechrevolution.com/training/de-escalation) [Difficult conversations, headset or browser](https://peopletechrevolution.com/training/difficult-conversations) [Bias and inclusion, in a VR headset](https://peopletechrevolution.com/training/bias-and-inclusion) [Induction, in a headset or browser](https://peopletechrevolution.com/training/induction-and-onboarding) [Inclusive service, in a VR headset](https://peopletechrevolution.com/training/disability-awareness-and-inclusive-service) [Clinical conversations, in a VR headset](https://peopletechrevolution.com/training/clinical-and-patient-conversations) [Knowledge twins, on a phone or laptop](https://peopletechrevolution.com/training/knowledge-twins-and-expert-access) EXPERIENCE TYPES ## What can people practise inside an experience? Each chapter changes what a person is asked to do in the room, not only what they are asked to look at. ## Role-play and rehearsal First-person practice of conversations that are difficult to stage any other way. ## Perspective experiences Step into another person's position to build understanding that sticks. ## Procedural simulation Practise a sequence, a decision or a high-pressure environment safely and repeatedly. Perspective and empathy. Immersive learning. Guided, reflective practice. Environmental and place-based. Psychological safety is designed in, not bolted on. > "It offers a safe space to 'walk in someone else's shoes,' to build empathy and understanding that traditional training methods simply cannot match." Simon Lowe CEO, People Tech Revolution. [The Cusp of a Revolution, Global Best Practice Group, October 2024](https://globalbestpracticegroup.com/airevolution/) EXPLORE XR AT PTR ## What does PTR build in XR? How PTR builds real immersive products and custom experiences for clients, from full VR productions to a catalogue of ready-to-run titles. [Virtual Reality Full VR productions that put people inside role-play, perspective-taking and procedural practice. Explore virtual reality →](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/virtual-reality) [Augmented Reality The AR Business Card, PTR's live AR build: point a phone at the PTR card and it opens up. Try it on Labs Demos. Explore augmented reality →](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/augmented-reality) [Mixed Reality Mixed reality sits between the two ends of the spectrum: digital objects are anchored to real space, not floating on a screen or replacing the room around you, so the practice happens where the work happens. Explore mixed reality →](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/mixed-reality) [Immersive Training & Roleplay First-person VR scenarios paired with a facilitated debrief, backed by published research. Explore immersive training →](https://peopletechrevolution.com/training/vr-training-and-roleplay) [PTR VR Library A catalogue of ready-to-run VR titles from Mindshift, Lift VR and Equal Reality, a subsidiary of People Tech Revolution. Explore the VR library →](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/ptr-vr-library) XR IN PRACTICE ## Where has XR run with real teams? Programs that ran with real teams: two hospital groups, a council, and one that went on to be published as research. [Google VR DEI research presented at ACM CHI 2024. Read the case study →](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/case-studies/google-vr-dei-training) [Mater Education VR communication practice, delivered across Mater campuses and evaluated. Read the case study →](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/case-studies/mater-speaking-with-good-judgement) [Mayo Clinic Offered to 1,149 nurse and social-worker leaders, peer-reviewed outcomes. Read the case study →](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/case-studies/mayo-clinic-a-day-in-a-lifetime) [Central Coast Council Community disability-awareness VR delivered 200+ times. Read the case study →](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/case-studies/central-coast-council-disability-awareness) The evidence, by outcome ## What did the evidence measure, and who measured it? Read these before a budget meeting: each card names the outcome, the measure and the people who took it. [Preferred to standard DEI training 82% average agreement among the 7 trainees who returned the optional survey that it was better than Google’s standard DEI training; 94% average satisfaction Google researchers with PTR co-founder Leonie Sanderson, who led it, peer reviewed at ACM CHI 2024. Built with Equal Reality, a subsidiary of People Tech Revolution.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/research-evidence/vr-dei-training-google-chi-2024) [Engagement, and appetite for more 90% of participants reported an increase in concentration; 77% found the scenarios more engaging than face-to-face delivery, and over 96% wanted more training in VR Mater Education, in its own pilot closure report (2025).](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/case-studies/mater-speaking-with-good-judgement) [Empathy, against a control group p = .002 self-reported empathic feeling rose in the leaders who trained, in the week after the class, while a control group not yet trained did not Mayo Clinic researchers, peer reviewed in Social Science & Medicine. People Tech Revolution built the DEI module for nurse leaders.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/research-evidence/vr-nursing-leaders-mayo-clinic) [Learning objectives met 91.9% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed they achieved the learning objectives Mayo Clinic researchers, peer reviewed in The Journal of Nursing Administration.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/case-studies/mayo-clinic-a-day-in-a-lifetime) [Evaluations returned 593 of 1,131 learners who attended the education completed the evaluation Mayo Clinic researchers, peer reviewed in The Journal of Nursing Administration.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/case-studies/mayo-clinic-a-day-in-a-lifetime) [An independent review A peer-reviewed software review of VR empathy training describes People Tech Revolution as an Australian company that develops VR courses for soft-skills training. Khukalenko and Khanolainen, Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research (Springer), 2025.](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44322-025-00034-z) - [Does VR training work](https://peopletechrevolution.com/learn/does-vr-training-work) - [Evidence and outcomes](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/research-evidence/evidence-outcomes) - [The business case](https://peopletechrevolution.com/training/business-case-and-evaluation) Decide with these ## What should you settle before you commit to XR? Each page answers a decision a buyer makes before any headset is unpacked. [A participant is guided into the headset. Headsets and equipment. Whether you need headsets, who brings them, and what IT will ask.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/training/headsets-and-equipment) [A participant in the headset, colleagues seated nearby. How a pilot runs. The stages from alignment to decision, and who does what on each side.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/training/how-a-pilot-runs) [Colleagues watch a participant practise in the headset. Business case and evaluation. How to measure a program, and the outline a budget holder reads.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/training/business-case-and-evaluation) [A room gives way to a virtual landscape. VR, AR or MR. Whether the real room stays visible, and what that means for training.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/learn/xr/vr-vs-ar-vs-mr) [A customer waits at the service counter. The de-escalation evidence. Study by study: what VR de-escalation research measured, and for how long.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/insights/vr-de-escalation-training-evidence) [Designers stand either side of a wireframe figure. Governance and security. Where data is stored, how access is protected, and the document behind each.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/about/governance) Stepping into the scenario ## Not wearing a headset. Being in the room. Before any of the technology matters, something simpler happens. The situation stops being hypothetical. A dusk street, seen first person. ### The moment it stops being hypothetical The value is not the hardware. It is the shift from reading about a situation to standing inside it, with a real reaction and a real choice to make. The scene resolves and an ordinary room becomes the scenario you are about to practise. From here on, nobody is watching a video of a conversation. They are in one. Featured work ## How did Mater Education practise speaking with good judgement? A safe simulated space for healthcare staff to practise communication under pressure. A clinician rehearses the hard conversation. ### Practised before it has to be real Clinicians rehearse the conversation they dread with a simulated patient who answers back, then debrief on what they chose and why. Mater Education evaluated the pilot with the staff who took it. The four figures below are their own reported results, from [Mater Education's immersive learning pilot closure report (2025)](https://peopletechrevolution.com/uploads/docs/people-tech-revolution-mater-immersive-learning-pilot-case-study.pdf). [Download the Mater case study PDF](https://peopletechrevolution.com/uploads/docs/people-tech-revolution-mater-immersive-learning-pilot-case-study.pdf) 93% reported enjoying the experience 90% reported an increase in their concentration 77% found scenarios more engaging than face-to-face 96% wanted more of it Figures as reported by Mater Education following the program evaluation. [Mater Education, immersive learning pilot closure report, 2025](https://peopletechrevolution.com/uploads/docs/people-tech-revolution-mater-immersive-learning-pilot-case-study.pdf) Featured work ## How does a driver rebuild confidence after a critical incident? Back behind the wheel at a pace the driver sets, with someone beside them. A return-to-work conversation in the crib room. ### The depot, at a controlled pace Immersive experiences reintroduce the driving environment at a controlled pace, with guided regulation and confidence-building scenarios. The return-to-work conversation is rehearsed in the room it will happen in, so nobody has to improvise it for the first time on the day. > "Their ability to understand clinical and operational needs and translate complex ideas into safe, realistic VR environments has made the partnership both productive and enjoyable." Martine McCash Vice President - Services, XRHealth Australia HOW WE DESIGN ## How does PTR design an immersive experience? These are patterns proven across PTR's shipped titles and client work, refined build after build rather than invented for any one brief. [Two nurses meet, headset to headset. Mirror embodiment Before the scenario begins, you see yourself as someone else in a reflection. The perspective shift happens before the story does.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/research-evidence/vr-nursing-leaders-mayo-clinic)[A manager stops mid-sentence at the table. Lived-scenario structure The bias trigger happens to you, live, inside the scene, not narrated on a screen. You are in the room when it lands.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/virtual-reality)[A young man faces his mirrored self. Two-perspective design The same situation gets replayed from a different character's point of view, so the same moment reads differently the second time through.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/research-evidence/vr-dei-training-google-chi-2024)[Three replies wait, and one gets chosen. Choice moments At the pivotal moment you choose to call it out, call it in, or let it go, and each choice plays out its own consequence.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/ptr-vr-library/everyday-inclusion)[Talking an XR rehearsal through afterwards. Guided reflection A coach figure leads structured reflection right after the scenario. The full group debrief happens after the headset comes off, by design.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/training/vr-training-and-roleplay)[Repeating a gesture in the rehearsal alcove. Practice mode For a hard conversation, you can record your own attempt, play it back and self-rate before trying again, an approach built into the Mater program.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/case-studies/mater-speaking-with-good-judgement) ## Built to run again, and to run in more than one language. A pattern only earns its place if it survives the second session, and the one after that, in whatever language the room speaks. The same scenario in another language. Multilingual delivery Everyday Inclusion ships in English, French and German, so the same scenario reaches teams in their own language. A short exchange at a service counter. Short, repeatable scenarios Sessions typically run four to ten minutes with minimal controller input, so a scenario is easy to repeat and easy to run across a large team. See these patterns in the [PTR VR Library](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/ptr-vr-library) and in the [Mater case study](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/case-studies/mater-speaking-with-good-judgement). FACILITATION AND REVIEW ## A session runs the same steps every time. Set up, practise, watch, debrief, then go again. The scenario changes and the shape of the hour does not. SET UP The headset goes on and the room the scenario needs loads around you. PRACTISE You have the conversation with a simulated counterpart who answers back. OBSERVE A facilitator follows the same scene from outside and marks where it turns. DEBRIEF The headset comes off and the choice you made gets talked through. TRY AGAIN The scenario restarts, and the same moment gets taken differently. HOW WE BUILD ## Which engines does PTR build XR in? PTR builds VR, AR and MR in Unity and Unreal Engine, and in WebXR when an experience should open in a browser without an install. Native mobile, modern web and AI stacks carry the same scenario to a phone or a laptop. A builder adjusts an untextured figure. Animators work beside a character mesh. Artists check facial markers with a headset. Questions buyers ask ## What do buyers ask before an XR program? Short answers, each with a link to the full answer. A headset session beside the equipment trolley. ### How does the training get onto our headsets? PTR VR Library titles run on standalone headsets such as Meta Quest and PICO, and PTR agrees suitable hardware with you when a session is planned. A device manager such as ArborXR manages headsets across brands, and it lists People Tech Revolution with device support for HTC, Meta and PICO. [Headsets and equipment](https://peopletechrevolution.com/training/headsets-and-equipment) covers accounts, wifi and the IT questions to settle before a session. Practising in turns on a marked floor. ### Do we need to buy headsets? Sessions can run on headsets you already own, through a partner trainer, or with no headset at all, rehearsing with an AI roleplay partner in a browser. Who supplies headsets for a session PTR runs or joins is settled when the pilot is planned. Sessions run in turns, so a group needs fewer headsets than people. [Headsets and equipment](https://peopletechrevolution.com/training/headsets-and-equipment) covers each route. Practice on a laptop, monitor or phone. ### Does practice need a headset, or can staff use a browser? The headset is the deepest version, and practice does not stop there. PTR’s practice, twin and augmented reality products run in a browser with no headset and no installation, and WebXR opens a scene in a browser without an install. Staff can rehearse with an AI roleplay partner on the laptop they already use. [Choosing the right technology](https://peopletechrevolution.com/learn/choosing-the-right-technology) matches each option to the outcome you need. Comparing scene cards between the library shelves. ### Should we use a library title or commission a custom build? A PTR VR Library title is ready to run: each covers a conversation such as bias, discrimination or a sensitive request, inside a facilitated workshop. A custom build sets the scenario in recreations of your own spaces, written from the moments your staff describe. Compare the [PTR VR Library](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/ptr-vr-library) with [XR builds](https://peopletechrevolution.com/fast-builds/xr-ar-mr-vr-builds). A wheelchair user rehearses at the table. ### What makes a headset session comfortable? The library experiences use limited controller input, simple trigger pulls for people with mobility issues, limited movement and short scenarios that reduce eye strain. Motion sickness is less common in seated, slower-paced experiences, and glasses can usually stay on. A trained facilitator runs the debrief in the room. [Governance and participant safety](https://peopletechrevolution.com/about/governance) covers the rest. People change places between practice rooms. ### How does a session run? A session follows the same steps each time: set up, practise with a counterpart who answers back, observe, debrief after the headset comes off, then try again. A trained facilitator runs the debrief, and the stages, roles and measures of a pilot are agreed up front. [How a pilot runs](https://peopletechrevolution.com/training/how-a-pilot-runs) walks through each stage. A learner and facilitator talk it through. ### What does the research say about VR training? Controlled studies report measurable gains. In the Mayo Clinic trial, empathy scores rose further in the trained group than in a control group, and a meta-analysis of VR in teacher education reports a positive moderate effect. The studies measure change in the people trained, so track incidents beside the training record. [Does VR training work?](https://peopletechrevolution.com/learn/does-vr-training-work) covers each study. Bring us the scenario your team needs to rehearse. Open the contact form Ask our CEO Simon Lowe’s Digital Twin a question Next ## Where to go next [Into virtual reality](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/virtual-reality) [Into augmented reality](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/augmented-reality) [Into mixed reality](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/mixed-reality) [Browser demos on PTR Labs](https://labs.peopletechrevolution.com/play)