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IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TRAINING, PARTICIPANTS BEGAN PRACTICING THEIR DESIRED SAFE DRIVING PRACTICE IN A 60-DAY CHALLENGE. PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED DAILY REMINDERS AND TRACKED THEIR SUCCESSES AND FAILURES IN COMPETING THEIR DESIRED SAFE DRIVING BEHAVIOR EACH DAY VIA THEIR MOBILE PHONES.
2. Facilitated Discussion
A facilitated discussion can still be very effective if the situation does not lend itself to a peer-to-peer presentation. For example, we worked with a mechanical contractor whose supervisors had previously received leadership training. While they had adopted some new behaviors, there was room for more growth.
We guided attendees in recreating
their training while they shared their insights on how their communication skills impacted their teams. Attendees identified where they had opportunities for improvement and a skill that would take their leadership to the next level.
3. Gamification
Reviewing past material can be boring for attendees. Especially when it’s material they’ve heard before. In that case, gamification can turn it into a fun and competitive experience that allows attendees to demonstrate how much they know and be re-introduced to material they may have forgotten. Quiz shows and matching games are easy ways to cover essential information in a short period. However, if you’re looking to gauge competency with equipment, tools, or processes, you could set up a station rotation game with employees demonstrating mastery and collecting points before moving on to the next station.
4. Challenges
When it’s simply a matter of getting enough practice with a new technique, piece of equipment, or skill, a challenge can encourage people to repeat it regularly until they’ve created new habits around this area. For a
limited time, participants track their successes. Participants can compete with themselves or their peers to string together more successes. Meanwhile, they build familiarity, confidence, and experience with the targeted behavior.
CASE STUDY
Here’s an example of successfully combining these pieces to rekindle a past training session and increase a desired behavior.
A leader at an international utility company contacted us to help improve his team’s safe driving practices. Many
correct answers on safe driving practices while avoiding hazards— like vehicle-destroying dinosaurs.
In smaller groups, attendees discussed how safe driving practices impacted them and why it was vital that they drive safely. By the end of the training, participants had chosen a safe driving practice that would improve their personal safety on the road. For example, attendees chose behaviors like driving the speed limit, leaving more space between vehicles, not using a cell phone, backing into parking spots, and conducting a 360-degree walkaround before entering the vehicle.
Immediately after the training, participants began practicing their desired safe driving practice in a 60-day challenge. Participants received daily reminders and tracked their successes and failures in completing their desired safe driving behavior each day via their mobile phones.
Overall, attendees enjoyed the unique training experience. It offered a fun way to revisit material they already knew and provided strategies to implement their knowledge. At the end of the challenge, participants reported a 157% increase in the safe driving practice they had targeted. In a follow-up survey four months after the training, they reported sticking with it and being very confident they would continue to do so.
CONCLUSION
More training isn’t always the answer, especially when employees have already received training on the topic. Instead, dust off the materials, think outside the box, and encourage employees to revisit the topic.
of them could be driving hundreds of miles a day from one site to another. They had already been through extensive driving training over the years. They did not need more driving training, but needed an opportunity to practice the driving skills they already knew they needed, so they became a habit.
We designed the “Amazing(ly Safe) Race” as a gamefied training experience themed around dinosaurs and vehicles. Participants divided into teams and moved around a race track by giving
2024, Issue 4 West Virginia 811 • 7