5 Reasons How Gamification Can Beat the Conventional Training Methods

Training in an essential part of every business as it provides growth and learning opportunities to keep employees engaged for the greater good of the organization. However, ineffective training methods may cause more harm than good. According to research, ineffective training techniques can cause companies losses of up to $13.5 million a year per 1,000 employees. At the same time, one out of every three employees complain that uninspiring content during training acts a huge barrier to their learning process.

Evidently there is a need for developing highly engaging, effective and inspiring training programs that allow employees to reach their full potential. That’s where Gamification comes in. Gamification is the practice of incorporating game design techniques and mechanics in different contexts to make ser tasks more fun, engaging and rewarding. Gamifying the training experience is helping organizations improve employee satisfaction and retention by keeping them entertained and informed at the same time.

Here are five reasons why gamification of training methods might beat your traditional training strategies:

1. More Fun = More Learning (Makes Learning More Fun)
Many people play games to relax and cut through the monotony of daily life. The application of gamification to training has a similar effect on employees, thereby having a positive impact on their learning abilities. Gamified training is much more interactive than watching a training video or listening to a training lecture. Through games, employees get the chance to challenges themselves and receive rewards that boost the feel-good neurotransmitter called dopamine that can keep them in high spirits. This combination of fun and learning gives gamification a huge advantage over traditional training methods.

2. Better ROI for Training (Lowers Training Costs)
While employee training is a worthy investment, spending it on ineffective training methods can result in a devastating loss for your business. Conventional training methods usually involve hiring qualified instructors who may demand exorbitant fees for their services and the engagement of the learners can be still very low. The much more cost-effective method of creating long training videos also fail to improve employees’ motivation to study. With gamification techniques, you can add an element of intrigue into simple training materials to ensure that your message goes through. This provides visible outcomes and ultimately results in higher productivity and better ROI.

3. Promotes Teamwork and Collaboration
Businesses can benefit from effective teamwork and collaboration among employees. A gamified training strategy can strengthen collaboration and break communication barriers to help employees grow as a group. By making training a fun group activity, work teams can be brought closer together to reach purpose-driven business goals.

4. Gives Rise to Creativity and Innovation
Deadlines, pressure, and never ending repetitive work can sometimes smother creativity and innovation within employees. Games or game like approaches are an amazing way to give employees an opportunity to think out of the box and brainstorm innovative ideas. Through gamification, businesses can benefit from the untapped potential of their employees’ creative thinking and problem solving skills.

5. Boosts Motivation
Your employees need to feel motivated to keep performing well. Gamified training programs provide employees a constant sense of accomplishment giving them something to look forward to. The prospect of achieving a new level in a game is much like accomplishing a great milestone. Games can also create a healthy competition among employees that is known to foster growth.

Bottom Line

Gamifying your training strategy can be much more effective than investing time and money on dated, traditional training methods. To cater to newer generations of visual and experience based learners, gamification might be the only answer. In the fast-paced modern world of today, your business can truly benefit from gamifying employees’ training to build an environment that drives innovation.