An immersive training programme designed using scenario-based training to help socially anxious individuals practise real-world interactions — in a safe, virtual space.

Project Overview

Experiential learning has been a consistent foundation across projects, ensuring that training solutions are grounded in lived experience rather than abstract theory.

For 30 years, I lived with the crippling effects of Social Anxiety — trembling through small talk, panicking in interviews, and fearing everyday interactions. I’m not alone: the ADAA reports that Social Anxiety Disorder affects around 15 million American adults, making it the second most common anxiety disorder.

Left untreated, it can devastate one’s quality of life — limiting careers, isolating relationships, and increasing the risk of depression, addiction, and suicidal thoughts.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) remains the gold standard for treatment, helping individuals confront fears through gradual, real-world exposure. However, real-life scenarios are unpredictable, and the fear of public embarrassment or panic often discourages people from fully engaging in therapy.

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) offers a promising alternative, but it’s still emerging and not widely available.

Small Talkward bridges this gap — providing a safe, controlled, and compassionate environment where individuals can practice social interactions, build confidence, and take real steps toward overcoming social anxiety.

Role & Contributions

• Curriculum design, lesson planning, and interactive script writing
• Character and set design, including motion-captured animations
• Voice acting and dialogue development
• User interface (UI) design, branding, and logo creation
• Competency challenges and progressive performance evaluations (including both flooding and exposure exercises.)

Tools & Technology

• Unreal Engine (UE), iClone, Reallusion Character Creator
• Virtual Reality (VR) development and Motion Capture (Mocap)
• Adobe Photoshop and related design tools

Learning Modalities

• Gamification to drive engagement and retention
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) techniques
• Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) strategies
• Immersion and graded exposure (“flooding”) exercises in safe, repeatable scenarios

Performed both motion capture and voice acting to bring virtual characters to life with authentic body language, facial expression, and vocal delivery.

Included a wide spectrum of social scenarios — from casual encounters to high-stakes conversations — allowing users to practice in environments that mirrored real-world complexity.

Simulated Environments include:

• Supermarket
• Airplane
• Office
• Pub
• Studio
• Newsroom

Developed an interactive user interface that applied gamification principles to manage exposure intensity within social interaction scenarios.

Variables such as eye contact frequency, group size, conversational intensity, and participant mood could be dynamically modified, creating a graded exposure pathway aligned with CBT principles. To further support anxiety management during practice, the simulator integrated in-experience tools including a “zen zone” for meditation, guided breathing exercises for state regulation, and a real-time teleprompter offering conversational prompts. These features ensured that training was both immersive and supportive, combining realistic social challenges with immediate coping strategies to foster confidence and skill transfer.

Created diverse virtual characters with distinct personalities, names, and backgrounds to enhance realism and learner immersion. Each character was developed with a detailed backstory and behavioural profile, ensuring interactions felt authentic and socially nuanced. Narrative depth strengthened emotional engagement, encouraged empathetic responses, and increased the transferability of learned social skills beyond the simulation.

Approaches combined scenario-based learning, gradual exposure techniques, and adaptive feedback loops to build confidence and transferable social skills. Flooding and exposure exercises, informed by Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), were embedded within branching scenarios to provide safe yet challenging practice opportunities. Experiences were intentionally designed to be engaging and enjoyable, incorporating elements of play and state management to reduce anxiety and encourage sustained participation.