Designing your Training

Gamification continues to be a hot subject. Gartner Group predicts Gamification will be a key trend that every CIO, IT planner and Enterprise Architect must be aware of as it relates to business. I think it goes deeper than that. A primer on Gaming with a Mindmap can be found at the Core Concepts of Gamification.

The Business901 podcast in July will center on training to include Simulations, Virtual Games, E-Learning, Gamification and a new area that is just starting to creep into our vocabulary, Transmedia Storytelling. I did not try to dissect and arrive at conclusive evidence. I followed the same approach that I have learned in Service Design; explore the possibilities first.

Does training have to be fun? Does it have to be theatrical? Can your training be a Transmedia Experience? Why not, let’s see what the experts say. 

1st Week (July 8th): I feel Service Design principles are the best way to capture, create and implement an outstanding customer experience. But, we all need Business Case for doing this, right? I start out the series with An Economist who practices Service Design, Sylvain Cottong and follow up  with Vincenzo Di Maria, who will be running the Service Design Summer Course the first two weeks of August this year.

2nd Week (July 15th): We start with professor, author and practitioner, Karl Kapp whose latest book is The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-based Methods and Strategies for Training and Education. We finish the week with Paul Myerson discussing his Lean Supply Chain & Logistics Simulation.

3rd Week (July 22nd): How do you captivate and engage today’s audiences? It’s simple use multiple platforms says award-winning transmedia writer, game designer and author, Andrea Phillips. If you cannot wait for the podcast her new book, A Creator's Guide to Transmedia Storytelling provides a fantastic introduction.  Jamie Flinchbaugh, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to Lean hardly needs an introduction on this blog, Jamie and I discuss the role of simulation games with particular attention to the Lean Learning Center’s, The Mouse Trap Experience.

4th Week (July 29th): David Veech of the Institute for Lean Systems joins me to discuss Teamwork and Education Based Lean Transformations. And finally, we discuss Gaming with a professional Gamer, who just returned from DreamHack (world’s largest LAN party) in Jonkoping, Sweden, the world’s largest digital festival.

The new generation learners are growing up with games as part of everyday life. How will this effect training in the future? Are trainers incorporating any “gaming” thoughts in their work? And, what are gamers expecting?  We will discuss these points and many more through the podcast, articles, videos, guest posts, and a few blog posts of my own. At the end, we may even draw some new insights on training. However, lets enjoy the ride for the moment. 

P.S. The latest Touchpoint 4#1 - Eat, Sleep, Play from the Service Design Network has some interesting articles surrounding services that aim to fulfill the basic human needs of eating, sleeping and playing.