Games
Typically, games are competitive activities based on rules. Competitive games include BINGO and other games based on popular TV shows. Players compete individually or as part of a team. Competitive games are versatile and are great for openings, team building, review, or to energize a group during a period of low energy.
But did you know there are noncompetitive games that encourage participants to interact or collaborate to achieve a common goal? These are great to use as icebreakers at the start a course or new day of training.
Games introduce pleasure, reward, and spontaneity into the classroom. They provide a safe environment for experimentation and failure. Games are motivating because they give participants a sense of autonomy and competency. Games force participants to demonstrate their learning and they receive immediate feedback. As a result, games increase learning and retention. Research shows that after playing a training game, employees become more confident in their ability to perform the task, skill, or behavior on the job.
Games have some drawbacks, though. Not all content is suitable for a game. Some participants don’t see the value in games and feel they make the training less “serious”. Games also take time to plan, test, and describe. Participants can become confused and disengaged if a game is poorly designed. Games may also bring out the hyper competitiveness in some participants and they may overwhelm or apply undue pressure on their teammates to perform. Quieter, less assertive participants may feel uncomfortable participating in boisterous team activities. Games may also inhibit learning if the focus is on winning and not the support of learning outcomes.
Instructions
How to conduct a game:
- Explain the objective of the game, how it will be scored, what is required to win, and any time limits.
- Describe the possible actions or moves.
- If the game will involve more than one round, explain the game sequence.
- Assign the players to teams if the game features team play.
- Allow the team to choose their own captain or leader.
- Distribute any game materials.
- Answer any questions.
- Start the game and remind players of the time limit.
- At the end of the stated time, signal to the players that the game or round is over.
- If the game is aligned with a learning outcome, conduct a short debrief with the participants on their takeaway.
Examples
You can use a BINGO generating app to produce customized cards with words or phrases. The app scrambles the location of the items to produce unique cards. The BINGO card shown in figure 25 is based on key vocabulary and concepts from Steve Miller’s NHI “Instructor Development Course” training presentation, “Steel Bridge Inspection: Understanding and Identifying Fracture Critical Members.” Participants would attentively listen to the lecture and read the slides to identify the words and phrases and mark them on their cards. The winner of the game would mark all squares in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal row. Another option is to require the winner to mark the four corner squares.
| B | I | N | G | O |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
steel member in tension |
weld detail |
cause a portion or the entire bridge to collapse |
performing the bridge inspection |
structural redundancy |
|
tendency of a member to fail |
fatigue cycles |
stability |
elastic limit |
continued load cycles |
|
tension element |
primary causes of failure |
FREE |
fracture critical member |
failure stage |
|
stress concentration |
degree of redundancy |
multiple independent load paths |
more elements of support than are necessary |
hands-on inspection |
|
subject to cyclical loading |
internal redundancy |
fatigue life |
crack initiation |
continuity of load path |
Source: Miller (2018).
Instructor-Led Training
A fun, noncompetitive game is Line Up. It is a good option for an icebreaker or to enliven participants during the post-lunch doldrums. Ask participants to line up in order of height (tallest to shortest) without talking. You can repeat the challenge with more challenging tasks: line up by date of birth (youngest to oldest), line up by where you were born (farthest to closest).
Web-Based Training
Sometimes employees are reluctant to complete mandatory compliance training courses. Structuring the course around a game can increase worker motivation. The game scenario heightens awareness of potential noncompliant situations. Employees must use the desired decision-making skills or procedures to complete the game narrative. Job aids or other reinforcements support after-course retention. As part of the gamification program, employees are awarded points for completing the course and they can see their standings among their peers on a virtual scoreboard. One organization converted its annual ethics training course into an online game. Learners had to explore a city to find the key to a code document. Branching options allowed them to choose their path through the city. At each stage of the course, they were challenged with real-life ethical situations. As they progressed through the game levels, the learners earned points based on their decisions and level of expertise they achieved.
Web Conference Training
Looking Around is a game that translates well to web or video conference courses. Ask participants to turn on their video cameras so their heads are visible on screen (figure 26). Tell them you are going to tell them which direction to look. They will just need to turn their heads (not their bodies) in the appropriate direction: toward the ceiling for “up,” toward the floor for “down,” to the right on “right,” and to the left for “left.” After about a minute, tell participants you are going to make a change. “Up” will mean look down and vice versa, but “left” and “right” will mean the same as before. Call out the four directions in random order and ask participants to follow the new directions. After another minute, end the activity. Debrief: How difficult was it to follow the new directions? What are some similar real-life experiences you may have had?
