For years now, game mechanics have been a go-to method of creating learning that is both engaging and effective — but many stakeholders still hesitate to apply gamified learning solutions to mandatory compliance training. Since this training is typically legally mandated, stakeholders view training and compliance topics as too boring, serious or broad for a gamified approach to work. The importance of these topics makes it even more critical to maximize your learners’ engagement through a unique learning experience. Here are a few examples of how applying the right gamification techniques can help you overcome stakeholder objections and enhance your compliance training efforts.
Objection 1: The Subject Matter Is Too Boring
The thought is that compliance topics are simply too dry to gamify successfully since games are supposed to be fun.
Games Sustain Learner Attention
It’s exactly because mandatory training can bore learners that gamification is so valuable here. Good gamification can present important elements in a way that makes them engaging and more memorable.
For Example…
Training burnout is a very real risk, particularly when organizations train learners on the same mandatory topics every year. Incorporating storytelling and interactive choices can make compliance issues feel more real and relevant. Mechanics such as high scores, badges and peer competition will not only help keep learners interested but can actively boost retention of critical knowledge.
Objection 2: The Subject Matter Is Too Serious
Compliance training is mandatory for a reason: It’s important. Whether the training covers ethical conduct, financial crime or employee health and safety, organizations must train employees on these topics because there are serious consequences for not doing so. As a result, organizations may be reluctant to introduce game-based learning, feeling that it makes light of things people should take seriously.
Games Create an Emotional Connection to Serious Topics
Game mechanics don’t have to feel silly and trivial; in fact, they can drive learners to care more about a subject. Placing learners in an immersive narrative and asking them to make decisions can build an emotional connection with the topic that provides insight into what matters and why.
For Example…
Cybersecurity is an area in which employees typically know the rules, yet often fail to follow them. Gamification is ideal for situations like this. Imagine a game in which players defend their network from a cyberattack. By placing learners in a tense situation that illustrates how their choices impact the situation can make the scale of the threat hit home.
Objection 3: The Subject Matter Is Too Broad
The goal of many regulatory training topics is to teach fundamental principles rather than black-and-white rules. For these topics, it is difficult to provide learners with a list of specific actions. You can’t tell someone about every circumstance in which they might spot a safety hazard or encounter harassment. Instead, this type of training prioritizes a set of underlying values and behaviors that learners can then apply to any situation they might encounter. Because of this, stakeholders could see games as unsuitable as they are full of specific actions and choices.
Games Explore the Nuances of Decision-Making
Games are ideal for reinforcing principles because they allow learners to actively explore a situation rather than passively read about one. Creating a course that lists a broad range of bribery scenarios could be tedious reading if it tries to cover every eventuality. A financial crime game, however, will allow employees to apply company principles to a variety of scenarios themselves and trace the consequences of their choices.
For Example…
Games allow designers to move the learning into an entirely different context. By setting a learning game in a medieval castle or on a spaceship, the learner is taken out of their familiar environment and encouraged to think differently. Not only is this more interesting, but it redirects their focus from the details of a specific scenario to the fundamentals underlying the choices they’re making.
Objection 4: The Audience Is Too Broad
Designing mandatory training can be challenging because the audience could include everyone within an organization. Games rely on features like decision-making, immersion and storytelling, which work best with focused scenarios and specific calls to action. The size and functions of the mandatory training audience can make designing a gaming solution that fits everyone seem impossible.
Games Can Equalize Learner Experiences
For certain topics, the kind of theming and setting change mentioned above can also reduce the need for certain kinds of tailoring, taking learners out of what’s familiar so that role specifics become less relevant. In other cases, choices to tailor role and location, and adaptive testing to ensure learners receive content appropriate to their level of understanding, can be seamlessly incorporated into a gamified approach.
For Example…
Narratives and scenarios can be tailored to fit the audience, making the learning feel more immersive. An adaptive learning approach can also be gamified; for example, the learning could follow a continuous story, with choices for the learner to make throughout. Good choices might lead to a streamlined experience, while less optimal choices could result in more detailed feedback. This allows employees to learn safely from their mistakes without feeling that they have failed.
Breaking Down Objections to Gamified Compliance Training
Organizations use gamified learning to train employees on a wide range of skills and topics, yet some stakeholders still hesitate to use games as regulatory compliance training solutions. When attempting to break down these objections, it’s important to remember that gamification is not a fixed solution, but a design approach that can be incorporated in a variety of different ways. Finding a unique and innovative way to incorporate gaming can help break down resistance and build buy-in from skeptical stakeholders.
