By Stephen Welch, Lecturer at London College of Communication and EACD Country Chapter Leader – UK

Traditional training is not working. It is time to take a new approach.

In 2024, UK employers spent approximately £53 billion on training, according to the UK employer skills survey. Yet, despite this, the Office of National Statistics, tell us employee productivity in the UK has barely improved since 2008. Has all this investment been wasted?

OK; maybe productivity isn’t the only or even the best way to measure training effectiveness. But it does give one pause for thought. And maybe not all that money has been wasted, but it is, I believe, time to take a fresh approach to learning and training.

With that thought in mind, let’s imagine a couple of scenarios. First, imagine you are just settling into your seat on an airplane when you hear this….

“Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Captain Hook speaking. I’m pleased to say that my colleague will be taking charge of today’s flight. Please be nice to him as this is his first flight on this type of plane. He’s never flown one before, not even on the simulator so we’re in for a treat. Over to you First Officer Welch….

“Yes, hi everyone. I’ve read all there is to know about flying this plane. It’s great to be able to finally put all that book learning into a real situation. So far here on the ground, everything is good. I’m sure it will be fine when we get up in the air for real. Let’s go.”

Second, you are seeing the doctor in your local hospital.

“Well the bad news is that we need to operate – your condition is very serious. I’m really excited that we can get going. This is my first operation of this kind. We’ve all read the manual of what to do so here’s your consent form. Please sign it. Good luck.”

Would you consent to be operated on by rookies who have never done the operation before? Or a pilot who has never flown?

Of course not. Simulations play an important role in training for pilots, doctors, actors and police. And other critical jobs. Let’s borrow lessons from their world, and incorporate more simulation into corporate training and learning. If it is good enough for them, then why can’t we do it too?

The traditional approach to training is to teach some book knowledge, some theory, and then hope that learners can somehow apply it perfectly the first time. But when it is critical to get things right first time, we should look at the power of play.

How do we step away from this and translate the experiences of pilots and doctors into the corporate world? There are four key elements.

Immersion

When pilots practice on the simulator, the experience is made as real as possible; they even wear their uniform. This way it is easier for them to use the learning from the simulator into the real world -the mental leap is low.

Play and Fun

We all know from our own experience that when we have fun, we are more likely to learn and keep that knowledge. When you are having fun, you release dopamine. The main chemical of pleasure. It helps cement the learning experience as a pleasurable experience, meaning you are more likely to recall it when needed.

Projection

By creating a simulated world, you allow people to project their own reality into the simulation. And because it is a ‘safe world’ they can depersonalise the issue and talk about fictional characters or behaviour. In other words, you can take the emotion or personalities out of the situation and explore underlying issues and themes to get deeper insight.

Liminality

The idea of the liminal zone is the idea that the best learning happens at the boundary between mastery and mystery; of comfort and discomfort. Too much ‘in the comfort zone’ and there is nothing new. Too much ‘beyond the wall’ and there are no frameworks or anchors on which to base new ideas.

So what does all this mean in practice? 

The psychological and academic research is quite clear. And it is reinforced by our own experiences. The days of traditional corporate training are over. We’ve seen the stats. It’s not working.

Next time you are thinking about designing a training programme, think about how you can include fun, games and simulations. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you would like to brainstorm some ideas.