When you think of corporate training, the term “fun” probably doesn’t come to mind. But with gamification, even the most mundane learning experience becomes more engaging.
And the benefits don’t stop there. Gamifying corporate training:
- Motivates employees with recognition and rewards
- Stimulates collaboration
- Makes important information more memorable
- Provides a way to measure progress toward learning objectives
In most cases, companies gamify training using custom built learning games, which can be expensive. You can also use free tools like Kahoot, which allows you to create competition-based assessments.
However you decide to gamify your corporate training, follow these seven strategies to ensure you do so effectively!
Establish specific learning outcomes.
Gamification is fun, but it shouldn’t only be fun. You also need to consider exactly what you’re trying to achieve. Ask yourself questions like:
- What do I want my employees to learn?
- How will gamification enhance their learning?
- How will I know that my employees have achieved mastery?
Knowing your goals and how you’ll measure them ensures that your participants aren’t just having fun—they’re also learning.
Design reward systems related to the real world.
Once your learners have mastered the desired content, you want this knowledge to translate into job performance.
One way to aid this translation is to implement in-game reward systems that are tangible, recognizable, and relatable. For instance, your training might involve participants selling a certain amount of products/services in order to win points.
Even better, the points your participants earn in the game might represent the amount of commission they would receive for these sales in real life. This cements the idea that the knowledge your participants are learning translates to real revenue for the company, plus dollars in their pockets.
Make gamification social.
Collaboration is one of the greatest benefits of gamification, so be sure to take advantage!
Make the experience as social as possible for your learners, whether this means forming teams, competing, displaying and discussing the leaderboard, etc. Some companies even integrate existing social media, like Facebook, into the game.
Harness the power of gamification to help your employees collaborate, enjoy a sense of camaraderie, and build relationships.
Make gamification challenging.
Ensure that your gamification is challenging enough to push your learners to the next level. Training that’s too easy will be ineffective and dull.
A challenging game is not only more effective, but it’s also more engaging.
Gamify induction and onboarding.
Induction and onboarding is notoriously boring, so this is one type of training you may want to gamify. Many companies now have new employees create a virtual identity and complete missions, each related to some element of induction and onboarding training.
You may even incorporate a dashboard with progress, achievements, a leaderboard, and so on.
Gamify skills training.
You can take a similar approach to gamifying skills training. Learners face virtual challenges, receive learning support, and gain badges or points at each level.
Of course, creating these custom built games is pricey. If you want to save money, you can also apply game mechanics to non-game activities. For instance, your learners can earn “XP” or “points” for completing certain tasks or mastering specific skills. You can have an in-office leaderboard to track progress and add a competitive aspect.
Gamify instructor led training (ILT).
The easiest way to gamify ILT is through gamified assessments, such as Kahoot! Kahoot! allows you to create your own quiz based on the key information that you want your learners to know.
Questions are displayed for a set amount of time (such as 20 seconds) while participants answer on their own devices. Points are awarded for both accuracy and speed, and a leaderboard is displayed after each question.
This basic service is free, but you can also upgrade to Kahoot! Pro, a new tool developed specifically for businesses.
Final Thought
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!
