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Corporate training is rarely considered to be fun. It’s mostly seen as a necessary evil that serves to notify the new recruits of everything that they need to be aware of when they first start working for a company. It doesn’t have to be this way, and it shouldn’t be this way. Technology has come a long way, and new employee training software is here to make training programs easier to create and learn from.

An online training software can be used to create training programs that can help new employees learn faster and retain their knowledge better, all thanks to the many gamification features that it has.

So, let’s take a look at why it’s important to gamify your training programs and how you can achieve that.

The Importance of Gamifying Your Training Programs

One of the biggest challenges that the HR staff and learning and development professionals face is engaging the learners.

Simply handing out manuals or organizing training seminars is highly inefficient, and many new recruits fail to memorize all the important information in such a short period of time.

This is primarily because they don’t feel engaged or motivated to read page after page of boring content that doesn’t seem to have practical value.

This is exactly where gamification can help you.

Through the use of specialized online training software, you can make employee training fun, engaging, and effective.

Gamification can help you to increase the level of engagement by 60%, significantly improving the success of your training program.

Infusing the learning material with a bit of fun will shorten the amount of time it takes your new recruits to master specific topics, and it will help with the whole onboarding process.

Gamification Elements to Include in Your Training Program

Gamifying your training program doesn’t mean that you need to hire developers to literally create a game that your new employees can play.

It means using online training software to create more interesting learning content with the help of certain gamification elements.

The gamification elements that you should include in your employee training software are:

  • Challenges: Every good game has challenges that the players should overcome. It’s the same with your learning content. Your employees will need to complete ever more challenging tasks to reach your learning objectives.
  • Levels: Online training software allows you to present the learning content in chunks that are easy to digest. Use this to create learning levels that your employees must reach.
  • Points: Points can give your employees a sense of accomplishment. It’s best when they’re paired up with real-world rewards.
  • Competition: Creating a friendly competition through the use of tests or educational quizzes can drive your employees’ levels of engagement. Employee training software is ideal for creating quizzes within minutes.
  • Collaboration: Over 56% of gamers enjoy multiplayer games, so to drive engagement through your training program, you’ll need to encourage collaboration. This is actually quite easy since online training software has many social media and sharing features.

Gamification in Your Employee Training Program

Since over 87% of employees agree that gamification makes them more productive, you’ll need to put in a bit of time and effort into gamifying your training program. Here’s what you’ll need to do:

Personalize the learning experience

Just as everyone plays games in their own unique way, everyone also learns in their own unique way. Make sure that the learning content is customized to fit the employee’s skill level, knowledge, and expertise.

Come up with specific learning outcomes

You’ll need to know where you’re headed with your training program. What do your employees need to learn? How will you test their knowledge? What is your ultimate goal?

The answers to these questions will help you find a way to reach your goals and help your employees master the training program.

Focus on microlearning

One of the biggest benefits of online training software is that it allows for microlearning. Take advantage of this.

Microlearning can be advantageous for your business in many ways, and it can help you gamify the experience even more. If you use points and levels, your employees can take a look at their progress and feed even more encouraged to continue learning.

Have a rewards system

The points and levels can show you and your employees how everyone is progressing, but you shouldn’t just leave it there. Create a rewards system that will provide further motivation to your employees.

The rewards can be anything from a free coffee at the cafeteria to a whole day off. It can even be a certificate that’s awarded at the end of the training program. This will encourage your recruits to work harder, and you’ll see the results faster.

Offer instant feedback

In gaming, the players can receive help and hints if they’re stuck, and this should be available in learning as well.

Instant feedback can be very helpful as long as it’s valuable. Don’t criticize the employees, help them. Tell them what they’re doing right and what they’re doing wrong, and give them advice.

Every good online training software allows you to customize your messages and offer insightful feedback, so take advantage of this.

The Bottom Line

Gamifying your training programs through the use of online training software is easy and can be very beneficial to your business. You will be able to:

  • Increase your employees’ levels of engagement
  • Improve their knowledge retention rates
  • Encourage collaboration
  • Shorten your onboarding process
  • Increase your employees’ satisfaction

Learning and training don’t have to be time-consuming and boring. Online training software allows you to make education fun, and you’ll quickly notice how effective your training program will become when you use modern tools to gamify it.

About the author

Kamy Anderson is an ed-tech enthusiast with a passion for writing on emerging technologies in the areas of corporate training and education. He is an expert in learning management system and eLearning authoring tools – currently associated with ProProfs Training Maker.

Featured image via Unsplash.