Designing Digitally
10/24/2017
Simulation for training deals with creating a model to represent the real business environment, where learners can practice without fear. They develop the decision-making skills of your employees. Simulations can be used to teach new skills or practice existing ones.
Here are six ways in which business can overcome challenges by boosting knowledge retention and enhancing employee performance with the help of simulations.
In a simulated environment, employees get immediate feedback from the platform itself. If they make a wrong move, they have to bear the consequences of their decisions. They are provided the opportunity to improve their weaknesses and work on their strengths. If they receive constructive feedback immediately, they will not make errors in the future, as the improper action will not be committed to long-term memory.
Simulations offer a fun and interactive experience. If learning is made enjoyable, your employees will remember the key concepts better. Traditional classroom learning can be boring and if used, you may find that the entire effort is wasted.
If employees experiment within their work environment and make a mistake, they will have to face real life damage consequences. This will erode their confidence and prevent them from innovating for fear of making mistakes. In a simulated environment, there are no real-world consequences. Your employees can experiment with their decisions without any fear of being penalized. They learn from their mistakes. As a result, they are more confident when it comes to interacting with their stakeholders in real-life. The confident worker will always be more productive.
The best way to learn is by making mistakes. Simulations are the best examples of learning from mistakes. When the employee makes an error, they immediately know that they went wrong. They are provided feedback on where they went wrong and what could have been done better. They are guided to the right path. Since they already know the wrong turns, they are careful about not making the same mistakes in their work.
Simulations reduce the time and cost associated with training. Employees learn faster because they have the scope of interacting with the subject matter experts directly. They are not learning from a manual, which is extremely boring. They are actually acting out their tasks in a virtual environment. The cost involved is lesser than traditional training methods, because there is no expenditure on travel and accommodation and other equipment.