On December 16th Initial Style Conferences will be hosting a Trainers' Club event at Devonport House in Greenwich. At this event we will be running a session to highlight the unique contribution games can make to the training mix. The session will include an introduction to the fundamentals of game design. Participants will be asked to think of a message that currently concerns them and consider how it might be presented in a game format. For further information ring the office or log onto the Initial Style web site www.initialstyle.co.uk
HOW IS TRAINING
MEASURED?
Over the summer we contacted some customers to find out how they assess and evaluate training needs. Our sample showed the most common means of identifying a need is through the comparison of existing skill sets with the competencies required for a role. The most common methods for evaluating training were de-brief sheets and informal interviews. A few respondents said they were developing approaches to support their specific businesses but despite the emphasis on return on investment in the media only one respondent said they currently used this method.
HOT TOPICS
We are regularly approached by clients who have a management issue they need to address but who feel the traditional communication channels are over worked or inappropriate. Games and simulations offer three key benefits for those looking for an effective communication device. They:
Promote real understanding. Participants can clearly see what the message means to them in their world.
Provide an opportunity to relate theory to practice. A key
requirement for effective learning.
Create memorable experiences which make people more likely to retain and apply the knowledge gained.
Two projects that have engaged us recently involved:
Safety -- the impact that human factors have.
Nobody denies the importance of safety but most people find lessons about it a bit dull. How carefully do most people follow the safety presentations when they fly? We designed a board game that mixed ordinary game conventions with unexpected new features and client-related risks. The focus was upon the human element in safety: the reasons why people undertake un-safe acts and what can be done to encourage forethought. The assignment provided us with plenty of ideas. We will be working over the next few months to develop a packaged version that has relevance in a range of different environments.
Integration -- Is your business joined up?
'The joined-up company' is becoming a common phrase. It suggests a wish to lessen the separation between departments that so often makes the actions of one conflict with another. Managers will say "We all work for the same company" but forget as soon as their area is under threat. Our work at the moment is aimed at showing how and why this happens and the wasted effort and loss of productivity that results from it. The message is built into our package Sister Teams and is central to our new one The Sistine Chapel. We can't solve all the problems of human organisation but we can make people sensitive to them and capable of reducing the dangers.
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