This week, Bethmarie Fahey & Gregg Baron contribute a companion piece to Dr. Tony Alesssandra’s recent story: Foolproof Sales Training. In that story, Dr. Alessandra explained why virtual training solutions are so effective and what organizations should look for when shopping for options.
In today’s companion story, Gregg and Bethmarie expand on that by delving into the practical applications necessary to optimize simulation learning. If you’re an entrepreneur, sales manager, or coach, these are two stories you’ll want to read.
What Is Simulation Learning?
Simulation learning is a training method that uses realistic scenarios to teach skills and concepts. It allows learners to practice in a safe and controlled environment. By using simulation, individuals can build problem-solving abilities, gain confidence, and approach challenges with positiveness before applying their knowledge in real-life situations. This method is effective across many industries, from education to business, as it promotes active learning and hands-on experience.
The 4 Main Types of Simulation Learning
Simulated learning includes different types of training designed for specific needs. Here are four key types of simulation training and their benefits.
1. Game-Based Simulations
Game-based simulations use the structure of games to make learning engaging. They include challenges, rewards, and progress tracking to create an interactive experience. Learners can practice skills in scenarios similar to real life. These simulations build problem-solving, critical thinking, and teamwork skills. They also provide quick feedback and encourage improvement through competition.
2. Interactive Web-Based Simulations
Interactive web-based simulations are accessed online and allow learners to engage with scenarios at their convenience. Users make decisions, see outcomes instantly, and interact with quizzes, branching paths, and multimedia. These simulations are cost-effective, scalable, and accessible to learners anywhere with an internet connection.
3. Augmented, Virtual, and Mixed-Reality Simulations
These simulations use technology to create immersive training. Augmented reality adds digital layers to real-life settings, virtual reality builds entirely digital environments, and mixed reality combines both. Trainees can interact with 3D objects, navigate situations, and practice tasks. This approach allows learners to safely experience situations that are risky or rare in real life.
4. In-Person Simulations at Special Facilities
In-person simulations take place in spaces set up to mirror real workplaces. Examples include mock hospital rooms, emergency training centers, or production plants. Participants practice tasks, develop technical skills, and work together in realistic learning environments. This hands-on learning is effective for preparing people to handle complex challenges.
Benefits of Simulation Learning
Simulation learning provides significant benefits for businesses, making it a worthwhile investment. Here are some top reasons to consider simulation training:
Engages Employees
Simulation training grabs employees’ attention through interactive and immersive experiential learning. Gamified elements, instant feedback, and clear progress tracking keep them motivated and focused, improving learning outcomes.
Risk-Free Learning
Simulations create a safe space for employees to practice and make mistakes without real-life consequences. They can test strategies, learn from errors, and develop their skills without facing actual risks.
Instant Feedback
Simulations provide immediate feedback on actions. Employees quickly understand what they did right or wrong, turning mistakes into learning opportunities. Fast responses help them improve their skills more effectively.
Builds Confidence
Practicing in realistic scenarios helps employees feel more confident in their abilities. Simulations prepare them to handle real challenges without fear of failure, making them more self-assured in their tasks.
Develops Key Skills
Simulation training focuses on building specific skills like decision-making, problem-solving, communication, and technical expertise. Targeted practice and feedback help employees improve and perform better in their roles.
Improving Sales and Service with Simulation Learning
As Dr. Tony Alessandra articulated so well in his November 30th blog “Foolproof Sales Training,” many organizations are turning to virtual training (i.e., simulation learning) to create a continuous learning culture. There are many advantages to virtual or e-learning. It is easier to disseminate across a far-flung training audience.
It can be done anytime, anywhere, giving the learner flexibility. It is more “in the moment,” allowing learners to focus on what is most important for their success right now. And it allows learners to repeat lessons until they fully understand and can incorporate the concepts and skills into their daily practice.
Tony also talked about several keys to making virtual training a success – providing the lessons in bite size pieces, and working on one or two skills at a time to build competence and confidence through repetition. A lot of virtual learning focuses on the “what” leaving the learner to work on the “how” on their own.
There is more to learning a new skill or changing a behavior than knowing “what” to do. We have to then DO it. If knowledge alone was enough, we could just listen to podcasts and be set for life. There are certainly enough books, videos, and other instructional materials out there that tell us what to do to enhance our abilities.
The key is we also need to be competent enough to actually DO the right thing at the right time (execute skills and practices) to achieve success in the real world. Getting the desired sales performance requires both competence and confidence, which only comes from practice.
The Adult Learning loop is made of three parts – Practice (the doing), Feedback (analyzing what worked and didn’t work), and Adjust (finetuning to move closer to perfect performance). In the business world, this learning Adult Learning loop usually happens in real-time with real customers and real consequences (we have our people practice sales on customers!).
In many organizations, you get “exposed to a new skill or concept and then try to put it into action in your next customer interaction. Sometimes it works, sometimes It doesn’t. After all, you’re still in the learning stage, and the new skill may feel awkward. That awkwardness may translate in subtle ways into your behavior and present itself as uncertainty or lack of confidence.
The customer can see your hesitancy and react negatively. After the customer interaction, we can sit back and self-assess if we are a self-motivated superstar. Or if we’re fortunate, a coach, mentor or supervisor can provide feedback. We strongly recommend live coaching, but that is another topic. The problem is any assessment is reactive (after the fact) vs proactive.
That particular opportunity to succeed is gone. I had a friend in the corporate learning and development field once lament the absence of a good practice tool to help learners move through the learning curve more efficiently. He was a big Star Trek fan and wished for a holodeck, like on the spaceship Enterprise, to allow his learners to practice their new skills in a realistic, but safe environment. If you failed, which is key part of the learning process, no harm was done.
The simulation was reset, and you could try again and again until you achieved success. Of course, this does exist now in the form of a flight simulator for pilots. They can practice take-offs and landings in all sorts of conditions until they “know” what to do instinctively and aren’t relying on book knowledge alone. Flight simulation software accelerates “experience”.
You rapidly build competence and confidence much faster using targeted, realistic simulated practice than you would only get experience in the plane. I don’t know about you, but I feel much safer knowing that my pilot has practiced hundreds of hours in a simulator before encountering the situation live and in the air, with me in the back.
Captain Sullenberger credits his time in the flight simulator with his ability to safely land his plane in, or rather on, the Hudson River. There was no time to think, just time to do. And as a result, no lives were lost that day. Doing the right thing at the right time and in the right way in sales may not be as dramatic as saving hundreds of lives, but it is critical to the success of each of our employees and the business as a whole. Most organizations still live or die based on the skills of their people.
We don’t have the time or luxury to let them practice new skills on our valuable customers or prospects. Each encounter counts. What we have done to accelerate the success of our soft skills training is add simulation technology to put the best development practices “on steroids.”
We first introduced a voice-based simulation training system back in 1995 and have had extraordinary results from diverse clients like Discover, Verizon, Royal Caribbean, Bank America, and Con Edison. Like the flight simulator or the holodeck on the Enterprise, we have created a tool that simulates any interaction that takes place in a conversation. It can be a salesperson to a customer, a supervisor to a representative, on the phone, or face-to-face.
Simulation Learning vs Simulation-Based Learning
This computer-based simulation tool provides a safe place to practice the new skills repeatedly until they become instinctive or natural. You can observe the progression to “muscle memory,” where the performer says the right thing at the right time, in the right way, with confidence and ease. Ideally, simulation learning tools should provide a target for which to aim – examples of excellence.
The old adage “practice makes perfect” isn’t quite true. Practice makes permanent. Only PERFECT practice makes perfect. You can practice a bad golf swing all day long, and you will get the same results you always got. It is only when you practice a “perfect” golf swing that you see an improvement in your game.
So, a good sales training simulation starts with establishing what “perfect performance” is for your salespeople. We capture the beliefs, actions, verbiage, and vocal qualities of your top performers and build them into multiple simulations that all model excellence.
Learners first listen to the model and then record their performance with progressive difficulty built into the process. In Review mode, they can hear both what they said and how they said it – focusing on the vocal qualities of tone, tempo, volume, and inflection. The learning is in them comparing their performance to the ideal example. As they progress through Review, they have the ability to instantly re-record any portion moving closer and closer to perfect.
They get to leave their best work for their coach to review and provide additional feedback. As they gain competence, you can take away the “scripting” and allow the learner to use their own words and experiences to conduct the conversation.
Simulation learning provides the perfect environment to take what your people are learning in any form of training and add the missing piece of safe, repetitive, perfect practice that leads to increased competence and confidence. It can also become a complete virtual learning tool by adding tutorials, videos, quizzes, and other components that round out the learning experience.
Simulation-based training should consist of short, bite size micro lessons that can easily fit into busy schedules. And most important they need to be customized for each target audience. Your people should practice the exact conversations they have with real customers making the transfer of learning easier and faster.
FAQs
What is an example of simulation learning?
In healthcare, for example, simulation training could involve practicing surgeries in a virtual operating room, allowing medical professionals to improve their skills without risking patient safety. In corporate settings, this might include role-playing scenarios to handle difficult customer interactions.
How effective is simulation training?
Research shows that simulation training helps learners gain and retain skills better than traditional methods. It also builds confidence and lowers anxiety, which is crucial in high-pressure environments like healthcare.
How can I learn simulation?
You can learn simulation training through online courses, workshops, or in-person classes. Many programs provide hands-on practice to help you build skills. Look for resources that match your specific industry and learning objective. Practical application is key to mastering simulation techniques.
Author of 31 books translated into over 50 languages, including best-sellers "The NEW Art of Managing People" and "The Platinum Rule," Dr. Alessandra helps organizations build stronger relationships with prospects, customers, and co-workers.
When not developing new assessment tools, Tony explores cutting-edge business communication trends. Connect with Dr. Alessandra on LinkedIn to learn how his innovative approaches can boost your team's performance.
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