Why Immersive Learning Is The Key To A High-Performing Workforce
Many organizations have stopped using traditional training methods and are trying to find more interesting and engaging ways to enhance their employees’ skills. Fortunately, this has gotten much easier now that technology brings us new things every day. One of these ways is immersive learning, which provides users with interactive experiences and hands-on training in a simulated and safe environment. All your employees have to do is put on a Virtual Reality (VR) headset or Augmented Reality (AR) glasses and see virtual elements projected right in front of them. This process is fun and educational at the same time, but how can it boost employee performance? Below, we’ll talk about everything immersive learning can do for your staffers and how this leads to them improving their performance levels.
5 Signs That Your Immersive Learning Program Is Good For Employee Performance
1. Increased Engagement
Immersive learning taps into our senses, making the training sessions engaging and fun. Employees get to interact, explore, and learn by doing rather than just listening. It’s only natural that this approach ignites their curiosity, driving them to participate more and actively engage. Not only that, but immersive learning also helps with memory retention. After all, we tend to forget things we hear or read, but that's not the case when we're immersed in something and experience it firsthand. When you give employees the opportunity to participate in realistic scenarios, whether it’s simulated customer interactions, project management, or troubleshooting, they absorb information more easily and try to perform at their best. This results in a more prepared and high-performing workforce.
2. Improved Skill Acquisition
It's undoubtedly better to learn a complex skill by doing it instead of just reading about it in a book or watching a video. Immersive learning throws you right into the thick of things, letting you experience situations as if they were real. Whether it's VR simulations or interactive scenarios, these experiences train your employees in a way that traditional learning methods can’t match. For example, the most common issue with training is learning a new skill and struggling to apply it in the real world. With immersive learning, you don’t have to worry about that because your workforce will immediately put what they learn into practice. This helps employees learn skills much faster in an environment that mirrors the real world and the challenges of their roles. Plus, if they learn things fast, you'll have a team full of pros in no time.
3. Enhanced Problem-Solving Skills
Speaking of skills, immersive learning is a great setting for your workforce to enhance their problem-solving and decision-making abilities. When people experience realistic scenarios in virtual environments, they're asked to make decisions on the spot, usually within a time limit. Their choices can affect the outcome of the training, which pressures them to think and come up with the most unique ways to navigate challenges. The realistic nature of VR or AR training is perfect for this, as the learners' brains think that every decision will have a real-life impact. Once they practice enough, though, and start applying their problem-solving and decision-making skills during the workday, they'll become valuable assets in the company. After all, these skills are widely searched for in employees, no matter the industry or position.
4. Soft Skills Development
Soft skills are not easy to measure and assess in employees; hence, they're quite tricky to develop, too. However, immersive learning is pretty effective in cultivating skills like communication, empathy, collaboration, and conflict resolution. This is because your workforce can step into a virtual environment and experience any scenario they need practice with. From team disagreements to negotiations with clients, there's nothing they can't virtually participate in. For instance, if an employee is a lone wolf and struggles to collaborate effectively with their peers, they can engage in virtual team-building events or exercises where they have to work with others to find solutions to work-related problems. In the same way, you can train your staffers on anything nontechnical they have difficulty with, like public speaking, interpersonal connections, or expressing their opinions.
5. Confidence Boost
No one can perform at their best if they feel unsure about their capabilities. However, employees who engage in virtual training have a great advantage: immediate feedback. Since they always know how they're doing, they're more comfortable practicing what they learn in real-life settings. Feedback can come from pop-up messages in the simulation, timely comments from their instructors, or an assessment from their managers as soon as they finish training. Imagine an employee that trains on coding through a VR simulation, where errors don't have consequences and they can try as many times as they like. Feedback will make them reach their learning goals faster, and they'll be much more confident in their position, performing at their best. All of this is thanks to your company's effective immersive learning program.
Examples Of Immersive Learning In Corporate Training
Virtual Reality
Thankfully, every industry can benefit from the fun and effectiveness of a VR headset used for employee training. Whether you're a construction worker who suddenly finds themselves on a virtual site or a customer support agent who trains on a simulated scenario with a difficult customer, the opportunities are endless. But how can it be used, exactly? You can leverage VR to train your team on safety. Security measures and precautions are a must-have training topic for every profession, and what's a better way to practice than in a controlled, virtual environment? So, save your employees from boring sessions of lengthy manuals and protocols and immerse them in realistic scenarios that prepare them for everything.
Augmented Reality
Although VR is the most popular technology for immersive learning, you shouldn't underestimate the power of AR glasses. Think of it this way: during meetings, your staffers are presented with slideshows, charts, graphs, and other visualized information. Now imagine if they could see everything right in front of their eyes through the AR glasses. This way, they could engage with the material, get immediate feedback and guidance, and thus perform better. For example, AR is perfect for on-the-job training. Both your new and seasoned employees can use AR glasses as a virtual instruction manual for their tasks and responsibilities that they can always access in case they need it.
Mixed Reality
Mixed Reality (MR) is like having the best of both worlds; you get the reality of the physical world combined with the possibilities offered in a virtual one. So, even if your employees aren't physically in the office or some other work setting, the MR equipment brings it to them. So, what can your employees do with their portable workplace? First, they can experiment with equipment or software all they want without facing real risks. They can even train on the company's products and services, so they can get as familiar with them as possible. For instance, they can explore a product in 3D, reducing costs for the organization and, most importantly, gaining the necessary experience.
Conclusion
If every company out there breaks free from traditional training methods, they'll create a bright future for their employees. Learning by doing has never been easier, as all of the above technologies make it almost effortless. Although there's no easy road leading you to boost performance or guarantee it will remain at satisfactory levels, immersive learning can take you there. With our detailed tips, you can gauge if your immersive learning program works, and gain some extra ideas on how to enhance it to achieve even better results.
