Training and development is all about assessments and staff handbooks, right? If you mention ‘fun’ to someone, they probably won’t picture themselves at work. We may take pride in doing our job but fun is something for our spare time. Consider the phrase ‘work-life balance’. Does work really have to be the equivalent of eating our greens before we can have dessert?
Ok, work will always be separate from entertainment in our minds, but opening the door to a little fun in the workplace can be great for morale. Enjoyment can be the antidote to both stress and boredom at work. What’s more, fun experiences shared with workmates can make them feel more like our actual mates. Cue more open communication and better teamwork – great for any company.
Making Training and Development Fun
Although Shakespeare never set foot in the corporate world, he knew a thing or two about the effect of morale on productivity: “A merry heart goes all the day.” We need to figure out how to apply fun to work, without resorting to Fancy Dress Fridays. After all, will we really feel motivated by seeing our boss in a Jabba the Hutt outfit?
Training and development is an important part of any business. It’s also a pretty good place to start injecting a dose of fun. You wouldn’t put an athlete in a classroom, lecture them on performance statistics and then expect them to win a gold medal. Why would people in other professions be inspired by dull, one-size-fits-all training?
Online learning is more cost-effective than traditional teaching methods, but eLearning can also be more engaging. Consider how often we’ll send a text message, or use Google when there’s a perfectly good Encyclopedia Britannica on the shelf. We spend much of our leisure time in front of glowing screens and are more receptive than ever to information delivered this way.
Gamification in Training and Development
Using of gamification takes online learning to a new level. Using the principles of gameplay to harness a learner’s instincts for fun and competition gets learners engaged with training materials. This means they’ll spend longer accessing the training and absorb more of what’s being taught. Fun in the workplace makes good business sense, training staff is also important – marrying the two makes for a winning combination.
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