This simulation example was for a large group workshop of 80 IT Solutions Consultants. They attended a training session on eight different consulting skills, and needed a way to practice the skills together in a realistic way. The sample simulation for Skill Practice is in the LearningSim portfolio. Situation   Need   Solution “We’re teaching a […]

I sometimes explain what I do as “business fiction writing.” This always gets a surprised look and a questioning, “What?” reaction. So I explain: “I go into a client’s business and find out what’s challenging or difficult about the topic they want to train on. And I talk with some learners to understand what their […]

Being an introvert with an Analytical social style, it takes almost nothing at all for me to over-complicate things. I’m getting ready to go to the Association for Talent Development (ATD) conference here in Minnesota. I looked at my material this morning and shook my head. “I really ought to get this across in just […]

You’ve heard loud and clear what the execs want. You’ve gathered some data about what the learners need to do differently on the job. You’ve verified that training will help build the knowledge and skills that the business needs. You’ve managed to get some agreement from the sponsors to do training. The next step is […]

  Situation   Need   Solution “We’re teaching a multi-part leadership program and each session covers different skills.” “We don’t have a lot of time for skill practice! How do we tie the leadership theme together across all of the different sessions?” “Apply the skills to a relevant business case that runs throughout the program!” […]

Simulations make training more effective. They can also deliver better results in less time, or tie together different topics in a program. Here are five examples of where I have used simulations to help clients achieve desired outcomes. See if any apply to your situation.   Put it all together. A group of 80 IT […]

Not all that long ago, I was working on some projects where the content had previously been taught in a classroom setting, but the client wanted to move the training online. The goal was to make it easier and faster to reach a large audience with consistent results. As I worked with these sims, I found […]

I had the dubious privilege to be in New York City on September 11, 2001, the day the World Trade Center was destroyed. I was delivering a new training seminar for the American Management Association, “Leading Edge Training Techniques: A Lab for Senior Trainers.” We had just started to gather for our second day of […]

Quality Assurance for Training: Is it worth the effort? This is a definite, solid maybe. We want to make sure that each program meets the needs of the learners, the standards of our training group, and the technical requirements of the delivery system we are using. This applies to computer-based training or online training (OLT), […]

Much of the independent work I do at LearningSim and with my partners at ThinkWorks (now affiliated with LearningLens) involves the creation of custom business simulations and simulation games for specific client situations. To design a business simulation game that changes the way people think and act on the job, we have to work through some details. […]

When you read or hear the words “synergy” or “synergize,” you might have the same sort of reaction I originally did. I rolled my eyes and muttered something about corporate-speak buzzwords. Then, I looked up what it really means, and I tried to find a simpler, more normal way of saying it. Here’s a definition: […]

Cases and simulations both engage learners by telling meaningful stories. The purpose of a case study is to give the learners a realistic situation to which they can apply the concepts they learned in training. The closer this can come to real-world application and practice, the better. This is where the line between a “case” […]