How do we get more out of training our employees? What can we do to raise engagement? How do we make sure our employees are retaining more of what they’re learning?

Bottom line: How do we get more learning and, in turn, behavior change from our training dollars?

There are many ways to impact learning. The way that the training is designed, the amount of practice built in to the training, and the amount of reinforcement of a skill or behavior after the training are all ways to help. One of the most effective ways to maximize training ROI is to use what we know from cognitive science. There is a lot of research dedicated to the effectiveness of the arts in engaging the right and left hemispheres of our brains to increase learning engagement and retention. Drama-based learning is particularly effective in achieving behavioral change.

In the last decade, according to research done by Viv Nelson of Nelson Training, “a quiet revolution has taken place across the UK. Aspects of the performing arts are now common inclusions in business training sessions and conferences….Aside from the novelty, and the entertainment value, there are some strong pedagogical reasons why this harnessing of the performing arts is so effective. It reaches out to all learning styles and has a particular strength when the trainer and trainee [are] confronted with complex, emotional or ethical issues.”

The Forum Theatre format, as used in training, is usually a work-based sketch, followed by a discussion between one of the characters and the delegates. This discussion often involves ideas and options for handling situations more effectively. The session is finished with a re-run, during when delegates are encouraged to stop the sketch if they can think of ways to improve the outcome. The result is a fun and engaging learning experience that connects the participants with what they already know, engages them emotionally, and presents them with new ideas and behaviors. These outcomes are important principles of cognitive learning.

Drama-based learning embeds the information in a way that cannot be accomplished by PowerPoint, lecture or video alone. Participants can explore alternate outcomes in real time with actors who are skilled and trained in representing real-life business situations. Drama-based training gives the training designer the opportunity to involve the participants in a wide range of options, ideas, and ethical and emotional issues. It gives the event the flexibility it needs for topics where there is no right or wrong answer but a range of options.

Using interactive drama as a business training tool can be very useful. With the introduction of live actors into training programs, a return on training dollars can be realized by engaging the participants emotionally and intellectually, resulting in a higher degree of retention and recall. As always, training needs to be followed up by practice and reinforcement for stickiness, but drama-based training increases the chance of real learning taking place.