As many businesses make their talent development plans for 2022, the disruption of the global pandemic
has caused many to rethink their talent strategies and the methods used to deliver the training that will build the skills needed to execute the business strategy and achieve their goals and objectives.
As an active member of the Talent Development community for more than 30 years, and with great experience in all technologies related to training, I am pleased to share some perspectives and insights in a plus/minus analysis of three primary methods of delivering training as guidance for those thinking through their approaches.
VIDEOS
|
Plus |
Minus |
|
Entertaining |
Can be boring, dry, and not customized |
|
Passive engagement (learner doesn’t have to work to learn) |
Passive and not interactive |
|
User controls time |
Can take a long time until completion |
|
Scalable |
Expensive to produce custom |
|
Cost-effective |
Becomes out of date quickly |
eLearning
|
Plus |
Minus |
|
Can be fun and Entertaining |
Can be boring, dry, and not customized |
|
Can have some elements of interactivity |
Can be passive and not interactive |
|
User controls time |
Can take a long time until completion |
|
Scalable |
Expensive to produce custom |
|
Cost-efficient |
Becomes out of date quickly |
DIGITAL SIMULATIONS
|
Plus |
Minus |
|
Entertaining |
Can be difficult for audiences who don’t use technology |
|
Interactive, participants learn by doing |
Can be intimidating to learn so much so quickly |
|
User controls time |
|
|
Scalable and flexible |
|
|
Cost-effective to produce |
|
|
Can be updated quickly |
|
Why Digital Simulations Have Become Mainstream
Over the past 18 months, digital Business Acumen, Business Leadership, and Strategic Business Selling learning journeys using business simulations have become mainstream and the learning approach of choice for many.
Consider these elements in detail:
- Participants learn by doing – Videos and eLearning programs tend to be stagnant, and the expectation is that if a learner listens hard enough, they will learn something. There are very few training professionals who believe this to be true. Instead, everyone is starting to realize that the only way to learn something is to do something. Simulations build experience through experience.
- Fits into the work / learning / life balance – The new learning models allow for much more flexibility in scheduling. Happy employees have many choices in terms of building the work, life, learning balance and in all cases can optimize the work and learning in a way that it becomes immediately applicable back on the job. Video and eLearning can offer something similar, but then you realize there are significant gaps in terms of quality and retention of knowledge.
- Extremely cost-effective – Great digital simulations can cost less to develop and deploy than dry old videos and custom eLearning that are out of date almost as soon as they are deployed. Simulations can be updated instantly, and their dynamic nature lends itself to enriched systemic learning. The other cost benefit is that you can deploy simulations in scale and get richer, more sophisticated data on participant progress and results than videos, or eLearning.
- Participants can see better, hear better, and get instant support and facilitation – The best part of this analysis is how digital simulations are facilitated. Unlike a video or an eLearning, participants going through a simulation have either live support to help them or built-in Artificial Intelligence can provide coaching and debrief a simulation.
In summary, videos and eLearning have their place but have also had their day. It is a new day driven by a profound change in the way people do business, how work is done, and where employees find that work, learning, life balance. It is a new day in terms of how skills are acquired and how they are applied. Hope in talent development can’t be a strategy of success. Unfortunately, it is an invitation for failure.
