Gamification is still very popular in the corporate training world. While some see it as a controversial training technique—that gamifying will distract learners from the important content being presented—it turns out the exact opposite is true.
There are many benefits for learners—especially when it comes to virtual online training. The more an audience is engaged, the more they will pay attention to what the trainer is saying.
Just a few of these audience benefits include:
- Boosting engagement
- Promoting team building
- Motivating through instant feedback
- Improving knowledge retention and recall
Implementing gamification into online training sessions is easier than you think and can lead to significant results. It isn’t about packing more into existing online courses; it’s about thinking through the best, most unique learning experience for participants.
So, just how do you incorporate gamification into your next Virtual Online Training session? Here are a few ways to get started:
- Establish goals
As the trainer, consider exactly what you are trying to achieve by gamifying your course. What do you want your users to learn? How do you know your users are reaching their own learning goals? Without a clear purpose, online training will fail to make an impression on participants.
- Make it social
Collaboration is key! Harness the power of gamification to help your users collaborate, share their knowledge, and build relationships with one another by making this online learning experience as social as possible. This is also a great way for them to build and foster their own career networks.
- Ensure it is challenging
It’s easy for participants to hide behind their computer screens during a virtual training session. Keep them engaged by pushing them to the next level with challenging tasks that they must complete one at a time to move on. Training that is “too easy” is ineffective and dull.
- Provide instant, real-time feedback
For instance, if you have a participant who brings up that they are struggling to sell a certain good or service, this can trigger adjusted applicable e-learning where you can offer feedback immediately and provide them the opportunity to improve their skills and boost their motivation in real-time.
- Use rewards that are relevant to the real world
After your users have mastered the content, show them how it would translate into their own job performance metrics. Implement in-game reward systems that are tangible and relatable for them, such as winning points (i.e. “commission”) for selling a service or good. Overall, create a sense of accomplishment for users after they’ve completed training milestones—they’ve earned it!
If you want to make your next corporate training more engaging, motivational, collaborative, and memorable, try implementing the gamification strategies described here. You’ll still reach your learning outcomes, but you’ll have much more fun in the process!
Sign up for the next Gamification in Training workshop by The Bob Pike Group to uncover more ways to make training more fun and impactful through the implementation of game-like activities. Discover how elements like badging and rewards dramatically increase engagement among participants!
