A puzzle game is an irresistible activity.
Inserting that final piece in the puzzle or triumphantly solving that riddle, gives anyone a rush and a sense of gleeful accomplishment. The good news is that employers can use puzzle games to improve employee skills and productivity.
Puzzles and mental challenges sharpen your mental faculties. They require problem-solving skills that can be a great help in expanding a person’s ability to think outside the box. In fact, puzzle games can be a fantastic way to deliver effective and engaging online training for employees. Below are seven creative ways to make online training fun by incorporating puzzle games as part of your teaching strategy.
1. Have crossword puzzle exercises
You have probably done your share of poring over the Sunday crossword puzzle, and have had varying degrees of success.
Crossword puzzles are educational by nature, which makes it the ideal game for online learning. You can make your own crossword puzzle in lieu of a multiple choice or other type of standardized assessment to find out what your employees have learned in their training.
Your employees are more likely to remember the answers as long as you provide feedback right after they complete the puzzle. Don’t make it too hard. Your purpose is for them to remember the answers, not to stump them. Give them hints to help them get the right answers.
2. Hide puzzle pieces in the training course
Motivate your employees by hiding puzzle pieces they can only find if they complete skill-building modules or activities.
Inform them of the goal at the start of the online training. Let them know that they will be able to put the pieces of the puzzle together when they complete the requisite number or set of these activities or modules.
To ensure success, you should make it worth their while. By offering a prize for all people who complete the puzzle, you are further heightening their interest on the course.
3. Create a toolbox
You can use a game to make your training simulations more interesting. Add tools or items your participants have to find and have them use these tools correctly in your course design.
For example, you can teach your trainees to put a certain piece of equipment together. Of course you need to break the whole equipment down into virtual component parts and a set of tools. The goal of your trainees will then be to find each part and tool at the appropriate stage of the training course. Your trainees are expected to determine where to put the missing part with the aid of the provided tools. If they are unable to finish this, they cannot advance to the next stage.
4. Set goals as destinations
There are various ways to attain all the goals of the training courses.
You can make the journey more interesting for your trainees by creating a series of maps that will get them from point A to point B. All they have to do is complete different training modules or activities. You only give them a small portion of the map: they can access the next sections when they fulfill the required tasks.
Once they are done working with the entire map, they have an option to revisit other “destinations” in the map.
5. Mix and match training programs with simulation games
Product and service knowledge training for employees are necessary for any business. However, employees need to spend some time to master this. One way to make it easier for your employees to get such information pat-down is to create scenarios and promote customer interaction. This way, your staff can ask the clients which products and services best serve their needs. Also, employees should be taught how to solve problems they encounter with customers.
6. Create a scavenger hunt
Since you’re doing online training, you have all the resources of the Internet. Use it to send your trainees out to a scavenger hunt for information and online resources they can use for their training. Give them a list they need to find, such as product reviews, apps, forums, industry influencers, professional help, and essay scholaradvisor for their communication needs. By the end of the training period, you and your trainees will have a comprehensive resource catalog for your business.
7. Gamify compliance
Regulations and protocols are a-must in organizations, including compliance training for certain companies. You can reduce employee resistance to this type of training by breaking the process down into steps and making a game out of it during the assessment.
For example, after providing employees with the correct safety protocol for handling chemical waste you can conduct drills. In these activities, you deliberately mix up the steps. In turn, employees undergoing compliance training must drag and drop each one step in the right sequence.
Most employers think of games and puzzles as time-wasters, but they don’t have to be. You can use them to help develop an effective online training strategy. The seven suggestions above are just the tip of the iceberg. What other ways can you think of to make online training more fun using puzzles and games? Let us know in the comment section. Game on!
About the Author: Stacey Marone is a freelance writer and contributor for Essay Scholaradvisor. In her free time, she also does volunteer work and organizes some activities for children. She likes traveling, exploring the world and helping people to make their life easier. You can follow her on Twitter.