In the past, games have been written off as possibly fun but inconsequential and definitely meaningless. Thanks to further research and the test of time, the pendulum is swinging the other way.
Games have the ability to teach. Games can challenge long-held perceptions and change the way people view issues and other people. Games can be powerful to changing behaviors.
In the world of corporate training, games and simulations are used in much the same way and also have the same effect, which is why training simulations are so valuable in the workplace.
What is it about the simulation experience that makes it successful?
- It allows a chance for risk-free practice. Pilots learn to fly in simulators that replicate various weather conditions without the risk of crashing. Though a corporate training situation isn’t a life and death scenario, the same principle is at work. A customer service representative can practice interacting with a someone without the risk of saying the wrong thing and upsetting a valuable customer.
- Practice working as a team with peers. Learning to be a team player can be difficult for some, but collaborating with peers has a great deal of value. Bouncing ideas off of other people, getting feedback, and seeing issues from different points of view are all great experiences people can get through training simulations.
- Learn how co-workers react in various situations. Employees going through a training simulation together have the opportunity to get a feel for the personalities and responses of the other members of his or her team. This is valuable information to have when using games to work through real-life situations.
- Learn time-management skills. Employees learn to work within a specific time-frame. It can be especially helpful to practice making difficult decisions with a time restriction.
- Encourage critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Training simulations with games will commonly have scenarios that require creative solutions. Learners are unable to progress until they have effectively solved the problem.
Not all training simulations are created equally. Some scenarios lend themselves to simulation easily, while others are less successful. These are some ideas that usually work well:
- Seeing a situation through another person’s eyes. A simulation that requires employees to carry out tasks, other than the ones they are used to, can broaden their perspectives and promote understanding of each other’s roles and responsibilities.
- Being able to multi-task. In a real-life situation, people are required to perform more than one task at a time. It only makes sense to practice in the same way.
- Working under stressful conditions. It’s always valuable to practice under stress and evaluate performance for future reference.
- Expand systems thinking. Depending on the business, understanding how systems operate can be vitally important.
- Identifying cognitive dissonance. Sometimes people hold contradictory opinions but don’t recognize it in themselves. It can affect their work and relationships with co-workers. A training simulation with this as the focus can result in increased self-realization.
As games can change the way people see things, so can training simulations. Games designed for training can be fun, but they have the ability to deliver many more additional benefits to enhance training.
Contact Designing Digitally, Inc. to learn how your organization can utilize training simulations and games to improve across the board results.
