How to gamify training to make employee learning fun

Who said work training has to be all drudgery?

Gamification techniques for corporate training have become one of the most sought-after concepts for leaders looking to enhance their employee learning initiatives. (In fact, the work-related gamification industry is expected to grow nearly 30% over the next four years!)

By making training more fun and engaging, companies can see a host of benefits, including:

• Improved retention rates (information retention and job retention)
• Heightened excitement around learning opportunities
• Better team collaboration and engagement
• Increased employee confidence and employer satisfaction
  
  

With so many benefits, why wouldn't you want to invest in the gamification of learning?

While gamification principles and practices show promise, many executives and managers aren't sure how to effectively implement training through gamification.

In this article, we’ll look at some ways to gamify training to make employee learning more enjoyable. We’ll talk about some of the types of gamification, why gamified learning is effective, and how to gamify training in your organization.

Let’s jump in!

What is gamification?

Gamification is the process of turning any activity into a game-like experience. It can be something as simple as awarding points for completing tasks or giving employees rewards for hitting specific milestones.

Gamification turns dry material into an interactive and fun experience when used in employee training. The stats support this notion, with a recent study finding that 83% of team members who experienced gamified learning were more motivated to put their skills to work.

By bringing an element of creativity and fun through gamification employee training, you can increase the chances that your employees will learn and retain information. Gamification techniques for corporate training help engage employees by adding an element of competition and excitement to learning.

Studies show that Millennial and Gen-Z workers increasingly expect gamification elements in their work experience To stay competitive, managers and trainers must quickly respond with gamification of learning methods. There are a number of benefits to training through gamification.

Why gamified learning works

While some may balk at the idea of making training fun, the reality is that most people learn best when they’re enjoying themselves through interactive experiences. Leveraging the power of gamification training allows you to customize your onboarding, upskilling, or new policy education programs.

With gamification, employees are engaged and motivated through friendly competition that pushes them to be active participants in their training and development path. They’re also empowered to take control of their learning with progress tracking and comparison charts to see how they stack up against their peers in terms of training completion rates and other metrics.

In addition, corporate learning platforms that support gamification allow employees to socialize and collaborate as they compete against one another and complete training modules. This social connection further engages employees and makes training more enjoyable.

Employees who are more engaged, loyal, and collaborative will:

• Provide better customer service
• Reduce errors
• Improve company reputation
• Be more productive and effective
  
  

The benefits of gamified training are undeniable. So, how do you implement various types of gamification into your training strategy?

Here’s how to gamify training successfully.

Need help understanding gamification and how to implement it into your organization's training programs? Let us provide you with expert insight and guidance regarding custom training.

6 types of gamification techniques for corporate training

There are several different ways to add gamification principles and practices into training, from designating a top performer to creating contests around learning.

However, here are our top six gamification techniques for corporate training.

1. Points and leaderboards

One of the simplest ways to implement gamified training is by awarding points for completing tasks or hitting milestones in a training course.

You can award points for successfully answering daily quizzes or being one of the first to complete a new training module.

Implement an internal leaderboard, so employees can see who’s excelling at their learning and development paths and motivate them with leader awards at various milestones. The gamification of learning encourages employees to actively participate in the learning process because they'll want to do well on these assessments and watch their names rise to the top of the leaderboard.

2. Scavenger hunts

Another way to provide training through gamification is through scavenger hunts. Employees must complete a specific training or task to get a clue and continue on their journey. Leadership can organize them by division, overall department, or team, and offer a prize to the winner(s).

Use scavenger hunts to introduce a new training topic or to refresh material that has already been covered.

Scavenger hunts can also be a team-building strategy. Within a training course, leaders may divide teams into groups to complete tasks and increase inner team comradery and engagement.

3. Gamified quizzes

Pop quiz! Though you may have dreaded them back when you were a student, when it comes to gamified learning, custom eLearning quizzes are an easy (and fun!) way to test employees' knowledge and gauge competency on specific topics.

Quizzes encourage employees to retain what they've learned during training and self-evaluate on opportunity gaps in required knowledge. They also provide a simple way for employers to evaluate retention. If employees are consistently scoring low, more coaching or further evaluation may be necessary.

4. Contests

Another way to gamify learning is by hosting periodic contests.

Contests are one of the most popular types of gamification because they incentivize employees to reach defined goals. Leaders can tailor contests to any training initiative and can make them collaborative or individual efforts.

5. Role-playing games

An increasingly popular method of gamification employee training borrows elements from traditional role-playing.

Employees choose their own avatar and practice real-world customer scenarios within a fictional and entertaining environment. The role-playing method of training through gamification encourages employees to think quickly, solve common problems, and get real-time feedback on areas of improvement. Consider adding experience points, badges, and levels to make the experience even more engaging.

6. Gamified learning paths

The final way to keep employees engaged while learning is to include gamified learning paths.

A learning path is a series of tasks or challenges that must be completed one at a time in a particular order to be considered a master or certified in that specific topic.

This type of gamification benefits employees by allowing them to track progress and review the topics they found most challenging. Companies can also choose to implement the points and leaderboard method or offer a certification that can be displayed proudly upon successful completion.

Harness the power of gamified learning with Unboxed

As we've explored today, gamified learning is key to ensuring your employees are equipped to succeed and motivated to take ownership of their skill development. Leadership can creatively enhance training for any industry or team using various types of gamification, including:

• Points and leaderboards
• Scavenger hunts
• Gamified quizzes
• Contests
• Role-playing games
• Gamified learning paths
  
  

Are you ready to use gamification of learning to level-up your training?

Harness the power of gamified learning with Spoke® LMS from Unboxed, an innovative learning management system (LMS) that makes it easy to bring your vision to life. By implementing gamification techniques for corporate training via Spoke you'll be able to easily:

• Increase employee retention
• Motivate employees and encourage collaboration
• Track employee progress
• Measure employee performance
• Make training fun
  
  

With Spoke®, your company and employees can reap all the benefits of gamification training now and for years to come!

Get a demo and learn how to gamify training successfully at your company in the new year!