It’s no wonder that people get anything done at work given the environment today. Most people report they don’t have time to do any “real” work after they finish with emails and meetings. Maybe that’s because people check their cellphones 150 times a day, according to a report by Bersin and Deloitte.

“Today’s office worker can only focus for six minutes on a single task, and then opens a window to check Facebook or do something else,” said Larry Rosen, a neurologist, in the report.

This and other dynamics of our work environment make it more challenging for us to develop ourselves – especially on an ongoing basis. If people can’t get any real work done, they certainly are challenged to find one or two days to attend training.

This is where online, bite-sized simulation can be especially helpful.  Oftentimes, people think computer simulation is time-intensive and is only used when they can dedicate a few hours or days. That isn’t the case. The concept of bite-sized simulations that re-create a participant’s daily life and present on-the-job situations for review, analysis, or resolution, has proven successful.

Here are several examples of how bite-sized simulations can be used to develop a variety of skill areas.

Setting Expectations in Coaching: At the end of a 10-minute e-learning module, a video plays and presents a common coaching situation. The user must select from a list of options how to respond to a direct report. Based upon their response, another video plays to which the user responds again.  The situation helps users see how they can apply this new language and skill in a realistic situation back at work.

Using Coaching Language: To introduce a new coaching methodology, a series of videos present various situations of colleagues coaching one another. The videos are used in a 60-minute team meeting. The meeting leader plays a video, breaks the group into small teams, and asks each team to decide upon a response.  The group discusses responses and then moves to the next video situation. This time they watch a video and individually select the best response from a list of options. This activity begins to embed a new language within the organization.

Technology and Systems: After introducing new systems training, identify a few common scenarios and ask users to identify which system to use and allow them to practice. Much of the systems training focuses on the mechanics of where and what to click, and it’s easy to forget about the context. Use bite-sized simulations that have users identify what they will need to do so they are fully prepared to be productive on the job.

Business Acumen: At the end of a series of 20-minute e-learning modules around strategy and finance, users put it all together by running their own simulated company. Participants can see how operation decisions impact overall company results by making their own decisions.

Today when typical workers can only dedicate 1 percent of a typical work week to focus on developing themselves, according to a Bersin by Deloitte report, people have to find creative and fun ways to capture their attention and build skills. Bite-sized simulations are a great way to do that while not overwhelming or overloading the learner.