Video Summary: On Thursday August 20th, our CEO Carol Leaman was the featured guest on a T&D Magazine webinar: Boosting Basic Skills Training With Gamification. In case you missed it, you can view the slides and get the T&D Magazine article (which the webinar is based on) here: axonify.com/basicskills. If you are a member of ATD, you can view the recording here. Here are our big three takeaways from the webinar: 1. Boring can be dangerous  At the beginning of the webinar, Carol talked about some of the perceptions of basic training (see the slide below). One of the most dangerous perceptions is that basic training can be boring. We’ve written before about the cost of disengagement and boring training contributes directly to that cost. When material is not engaging, there is a lack of learning transfer and a dangerous false confidence that employees might develop because they believe they know the basics already.  Takeaway 1: Boring can be dangerous. Even at the very basic level, there are going to be knowledge gaps that exist and in order to reduce the cost of disengagement, organizations must uncover and close these gaps. 2. Pick your gamification elements appropriately There are many different elements that make up a gamified learning experience. It might be easy to add challenges or rewards to your learning, but take a step back and think of your strategic objectives before diving head first into gamification. When it comes to basic skills training, is your goal to improve/change … attitudes/values/beliefs? … psychomotor skills? … cognitive tasks? Each of these different goals can have its own element of gamification to help support it. Take a look at the list below (slide taken from the webinar deck): Takeaway 2: Pick your gamification elements appropriately. As a simple example, when trying to improve cognitive skills … perhaps the freedom to fail is the most important element. Better to fail in a safe learning environment rather than in front of a potential customer. The same could be said for psychomotor skills, better to get an answer wrong on a quiz, rather than use a ladder in an unsafe way. Which elements make sense for your goals? 3. Make the basics fun When you’re having fun, your brain becomes more receptive to any content that’s coming your way. In a learning environment, this translates to a greater amount of learning transfer and not to mention, a much deeper level of engagement. As you can see in the pyramid below, basic skills lay the foundation for more intricate skills and as such, making sure that the basics stick is extremely important.  Takeaway 3: Make the basics fun. Did you get a chance to watch the webinar or read the T&D article yet? We’d love to get your thoughts on either and please share any additional takeaways you might have. Written by Shum Attygalle  The post Webinar Summary: Boosting Basic Skills Training With Gamification appeared first on Axonify.

With the explosion in brain research during the past 10 to 15 years, scientists now know more about the brain than ever before. Advancements in brain training software designed to improve memory, attention and other aspects of cognition offer organizations a new way to think about, develop, and deliver training. These advances are paving the way to a fundamental transformation to the traditional and outdated approach to corporate learning. So how is this research set to rewire the corporate brain, and the world of eLearning?  I was fortunate to sit down with Dr. Alice Kim of the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Health Sciences in Toronto, a premier international center for the study of the human brain, along with Carol Leaman, CEO of Axonify to discuss what the latest brain research has to offer in terms of practical, accessible, and scientifically proven alternatives to traditional corporate learning. Our CEO Carol Leaman (Left) and Dr. Alice Kim (Right). Q: What has led to the explosion in brain/memory research over the last decade? Dr. Kim: There are a number of factors that have contributed to the recent surge in brain research, but certainly, advancements in state of the art imaging technologies and methods of analysis are allowing neuroscientists to investigate the brain with more precision and in greater detail than ever before. Advancements in machinery, including, for example, simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) recordings, which provides a high structural and temporal resolution of brain activity, are enabling scientists to uncover new insights about cognition and the brain. Q: Can you summarize some of the key findings? Dr. Kim: Well we know that there are multiple factors that affect our brain and cognition. For example, there is a lot of research demonstrating the effects of age and lifestyle. We know that as we age, on average, many aspects of cognition become less efficient. This would include the speed at which we can process information, as well as our long-term memory. At the same time, other aspects of cognition remain relatively resistant to cognitive aging, including, for example, our world knowledge. In terms of lifestyle, the science tells us that regular exercise, healthy eating and sleep habits, as well as social activities and interactions all benefit our cognition. The science also shows us that our brains are not static, and that it can change in form and structure as a result of our lifestyle choices. This ability for the brain to constantly change throughout the lifespan is referred to as neuroplasticity. Whereas a healthy lifestyle will lead to positive changes in the brain and cognition, for example, an increase in the number and strength of connections between neurons, an unhealthy lifestyle will lead to the opposite. Q: Can you discuss in more detail the one aspect of cognition that we’re all consumed with - memory? Dr. Kim: Very generally, there are two types of memory. The first type is called declarative memory. If you can tell me what you did last weekend, you’re tapping into your declarative memory. The second type of memory is called non-declarative or procedural memory, and this type of memory comes into play when you read, tie a shoelace or ride a bicycle. Past research has identified principles of memory that we can all use to enhance our memory in our daily lives. This includes the ‘spacing effect’ and the ‘testing effect’. Q: Can you elaborate on the ‘spacing effect’ and the ‘testing effect’ and how they enhance memory? Dr. Kim: The ‘spacing effect’ and the ‘testing effect’ are two of the most robust findings in memory research. The spacing effect (also referred to as ‘distributed practice’ or ‘interval reinforcement’) is a well-documented practice of "drip feeding" information over time with specific spacing in between. Long-term retention of the information in question improves as the spacing between repeated study events increases. Basically, spacing is the opposite of cramming where the same information is practiced repeatedly within a short span of time, and it has been proven to benefit long-term retention in both the lab and in real-world settings. And although we know that cramming may work for the very short term, it doesn’t promote long-term retention. So one cognitive strategy that can be used to improve memory is to space out or distribute our study/practice sessions over time, and this will enhance our knowledge retention. The testing effect refers to the finding that once information can be retrieved from memory, repeatedly retrieving this information is more effective for long-term retention compared to repeated study. In light of this finding, tests and quizzes should not only be regarded as a means of assessing what has been learned, but also as an effective learning tool. In our everyday lives, we can make a habit of quizzing ourselves and frequently retrieving any piece of information that we want to remember.  When retrieval practice is combined with spacing, it is referred to as spaced retrieval. This combination has been shown to be very effective for long-term retention. Basically, what this means for us is that we should actively retrieve the information we want to remember, and that we should space out our retrieval over time, as opposed to cramming it into a short span of time. Stay tuned for Part 2 of our discussion in next week’s post, where Dr. Alice Kim and Carol Leaman will discuss:  Whether accommodating different learning styles or preferences actually lead to better learning Top tips for trainers seeking to make use of how the brain works to create more effective training programs How the engagement or "fun factor" fit into the equation How advancements in technology and brain-based learning principles are helping organizations change the way they deliver their training A glimpse into expectations of the future Written by Laura Martin The post Q&A With a Brain Scientist: The Impact of the Latest Research on Corporate Learning appeared first on Axonify.

Earlier this week, we had the pleasure of being joined on a webinar by renowned gamification expert, Karl Kapp. Karl shared some great insights with us on why gamification for sales learning makes a lot of sense and what you need to consider when thinking about leveraging gamification to drive sales team performance.  Here are our top three takeaways from the session:  Gamification can break through the noise. (No salespeople were injured during this photoshoot). Science tells us that repetition of material can help dramatically increase post-training retention; however, if the material is repeated in a static manner, an employee could easily become disengaged (We’ve written before about the cost of disengagement). The actual game play elements of gamification allow for material to be repeated to an employee, without the employee being disengaged or frustrated by it.  With gamification, you won’t have salespeople react this way when you mention "training." On the webinar, Karl mentioned that games provide the meaning, specifically the context for practicing content. Employees who go through a gamified training experience can tangibly see their progress toward mastery. This visualization alone can help motivate employees to voluntarily participate in training. Karl shared a stat on the webinar - pulled from our database of over 250,000 learners - which showed that 21.5% of salespeople actually take extra training on our platform in order to improve their knowledge. Meet Dave Geoffrey: Competitive, inquisitive and achievement oriented. Gamification plays naturally into a salesperson’s personality. Karl shared some great stats taken from our database about how these traits translate into more engaged learners. For example, our database shows that a salesperson’s competitive nature prompts 55% of them to check the leaderboard area of our system every day. This is significantly higher than any other group of employees on our system. Similarly, many sales reps are achievement oriented and as a result, 38% of them check the report card feature of our platform every day. Again, this is more than any other group of employees on our system. Have you had a chance to check out the webinar yet? If you have, we’d love to get your thoughts on some key takeaways from it. Share them with us in the comments or send them to us via Twitter. As a bonus for those who attended the webinar, we also gave them a first look at our brand new Gamification Workbook, which we will be writing more about next week. Keep an eye out for it!  Written by Shum Attygalle The post Webinar Summary: Using Gamification To Drive Sales Team Performance appeared first on Axonify.

"You must implement gamification in your learning." You’re hearing this everywhere these days. Expert research is confirming that gamification can improve employee learning by leaps and bounds. It engages people in learning, by making it fun, incorporating competition, and even providing rewards. And because it’s fun, gamification often reduces the stress of a learning experience - especially if you need to test your learners. But although everyone’s talking about gamification, there just hasn’t been any information out there about how to build a gamification strategy from a business perspective, or how it can support your business goals. Like any other corporate initiative, gamification deserves to be evaluated properly, to ensure that you’re implementing it for sound business reasons. We’re happy to say we wrote the book on it! Hot off the press is our new Gamification Workbook, a detailed guide on how to build and present your gamification strategy.  Because this guide is the first of its kind, there will be room for improvement. That’s where you come in. We’re launching our Gamification Workbook in January, but as a loyal reader, we’d like to offer it to you today. Please download and read our guide with a critical eye. Does it make sense to you? Would it help you evaluate and justify gamification for your organization?  What’s valuable for you? What would be more valuable? The purpose of this guide is to provide you with the information and tools you need to successfully build and present your gamification strategy. In this workbook, we will: Give you a basic understanding of what gamification is. Identify why you should be incorporating gamification into your learning strategy. Provide a step-by-step work-plan to show you how to integrate gamification into your learning strategy and align with corporate objectives. Identify what gamification functionality you need for successful implementation. We think it’s important to analyze all learning initiatives with a critical business eye. And we’re hoping this guide can help you do that. Download it today, and tell us what you think — we’d be glad of your input. Written by Laura Martin The post Introducing: The Gamification Workbook appeared first on Axonify.

 "The only thing that is constant is change." Although this quote by Greek philosopher Heraclitus is years-old, it still rings true. Humanity is constantly evolving. Right now we are standing at the end of a long line of human innovation and creation, all brought about by the ubiquitous nature of change.  In the corporate world, change and innovation are both key parts of what keeps an organization competitive and top of mind. This being said, there is one area within organizations that seemingly keeps trying to resist change…and that’s corporate training. For years, employees and corporations have been plagued with typical standard learning practices that are largely made up of traditional classroom training and ineffective and static LMS systems . The crazy thing is, we know these methods don’t work. The science and the logic is there, so why aren’t more people taking action? Igniting change in an organization is a tricky business. There are several factors that prevent changing standard training: fear, a lack of information, distrust, or a belief in traditional methods. People naturally resist change, because change is the unknown, and the unknown is, well…terrifying. There’s nothing comfortable about it, but that’s the magic behind it. Going from traditional training, to training that’s gamified, bite-sized and incorporated into an employee’s every day activities requires nothing less than a paradigm shift. And although L&D professionals may be more comfortable with making this change, there’s still one important group that may resist it: the employees. So, how do you ignite change in your organization and ease your employees’ fears? Here are three ideas: Incentives! The "what’s-in-it-for-me" factor is hugely important when rolling out a new training platform. Including incentives like rewards will give employees that first little push to try something out…after that, the program will have to speak for itself! For example, one of our customers offers a slot machine game every time an employee answers a question correctly, complete with a chance to win cash prizes. Competition. Luckily, human beings are multi-faceted, and although we do have a natural fear of change we also have a natural desire to compete and win. Leveraging functions such as group and individual leaderboards will keep your employees on their toes, and that desire to win and do better will keep them engaged in your training. One of our customers is even holding a jeopardy-style competition for all employees who receive a high enough training score, complete with themes and prizes. Make it easy, and make it fun. Change is hard enough-but change that’s both difficult and dull? That’s almost impossible. Techniques such as gamification can spice up any training material, by again, appealing to people’s natural competitive nature. To seamlessly integrate daily training into the life of an employee, one of our clients placed their training station next to a popular charging station-charging takes three minutes, and so does the training! Resistance to change has been beaten before and it can be beaten again. No one gets anywhere by simply standing still, and it’s no different when it comes to employee training. Reaching goals like say, reducing shrink or improving sales, can only be done through innovation and change. Do you have other ideas for igniting change? Share your thoughts on Twitter or in the comments below, we look forward to hearing them. Written by Emily Kroboth The post Igniting Change: Three Tips to Get Employees to Embrace Innovative Training appeared first on Axonify.

Bite-sized learning, the modern learner, reinforcement, performance support and shrinking attention spans were key themes this week at the Learning Solutions conference in Orlando, Florida. The sessions were well attended by eager learning experts. But even with this high interest, as I looked around during the 60-minute sessions, many attendees were: Taking notes Checking and answering email Googling the topic / speaker for additional info Texting Engaging with social media Playing games We are all modern learners—we know how this works. We are impatient, distracted, overwhelmed and we can do a heck of a lot with our mobile devices in 60 minutes. In fact, sitting still, staring at a PowerPoint may be the only thing that we CAN’T do during a one-hour period! A packed house for our session on ‘Meeting the Needs of the Modern Learner’ The Learning Solutions conference brings together the brightest minds around teaching and learning. The outputs are incredible and the message is clear: The time is now for the transformation of learning. Organizations are hungry to adapt to this change and the conversation is nothing if not passionate: Adjust training to meet the needs of the modern learner - we are overwhelmed, impatient, distracted and we are always connected. Keep sessions short, fun, personalized to individual needs/roles and make them accessible anywhere and anytime. Bite-sized is the right size! Small bursts of learning served up over time is far more effective than an hour’s worth of training served up at a single point in time. Learning and reinforcement is a critical partnership - without reinforcement, learners lose up to 70% of what they learned within 24 hours. Reinforcing learning with spaced interval repetition, following a training session, can bring learning up to a 90% retention rate.  We are ready and hungry for the transformation. Based on the themes, knowledge and passion expressed during the conference this week it is clear that the demand by the modern learner for a new approach to learning is very close to being realized in a very exciting, transformational way. We may yet see the "transformation of learning" that so many have been speaking of. Written by Jennifer Buchanan The post Learning Solutions Conference Emphasizes Need for Learning Transformation appeared first on Axonify.

You’re heard the term ‘gamification’ quite a lot. There’s plenty of literature out there telling you why it’s a good idea to try and gamify your learning. But here’s the kicker: There’s not a whole lot of guidance on how to practically leverage gamification to drive real, tangible business results. Until now. In order for gamification to be an effective part of your learning strategy, it needs to be practical. This is why we decided to host a webinar earlier this week featuring learning expert Karl Kapp, titled: "A Practical Approach to Gamification." Here are some of our key take-aways from the webinar: Take-away #1: Determine Corporate Goals and Strategies It’s important to set the groundwork for gamification: What are the goals of your enterprise and how can gamified learning help? Following the steps below can paint you a clear picture of what your corporation needs. 1. Isolate an area of strategic importance For example, Walmart wanted to reduce safety incidents within their logistics organization. 2. Identify your target group Walmart needed to train all of their employees involved in logistics. 3. Identify target behavior Walmart needed their employees to apply safe working practices on the job. 4. Determine "Why Gamification?" Walmart decided on gamification to reduce the boredom associated with safety training. 5. Define what success looks like to you  Walmart wanted to reduce safety incidents by 5%, but in reality, they ended up reducing them by 54%.     Take-away #2: Build Your Business Case Like any other aspect of a business, gamification must serve a tangible purpose within your organization. Developing a business plan can clearly demonstrate where gamification fits into your learning strategy, and why it should be there. Determine the current gaps in your learning strategy, where a gamification platform can help. Combine steps from take-away #1 as the basis of your business case-the who, what when where, and why. Gather and share success stories that organizations similar to yours have experienced (you could even start with Bloomingdale’s, Crowe Mackay or Pep Boys). Take-away #3: Define Your Gamification Requirements This means that you need to know your audience. What motivates them? What do they value? People in different roles may value different game mechanics. Here are some examples, taken from a pool of over 250,000 learners who use Axonify. 55% of sales reps checked their leaderboards daily 40% of retail employees checked the rewards page daily 80% of learners opted to select a "coach" Knowing learner preferences can show you what’s important to them, and therefore what is important to emphasize within their gamified training. If you’re interested in learning more about how to take the practical approach to gamification (or in seeing many more examples), you can view a recording of the webinar on-demand now. For a hands-on guide, feel free to download our free gamification workbook , and let us know in the comments below how you’re employing gamification to drive your business forward. Written by Emily Kroboth The post Webinar Summary: Practical Gamification With Karl Kapp appeared first on Axonify.

It was a full house last week at the NRF Protect Conference where Chad McIntosh (VP of Loss Prevention and Risk Management at Bloomingdale’s) and Christine Tutssel (SVP of Strategic Initiatives at Axonify) presented on the topic: "Gamification and Your Retail Employees". When the audience was asked to participate in creating a word cloud, based off the one word that best describes how they feel about gamification in retail, this was the result:   "Exciting", "Effective", "Opportunity", "Profit", "Involved"… - all powerful words, directly from the top retail minds focused on loss prevention and risk management. Why is gamification garnering so much interest in the retail space? While recent advancements in retail technology have helped make retailers more efficient, productive and accessible, this technology has also opened up new concerns and challenges, including sophisticated retail fraud, privacy issues, highly competitive store experiences, and of course the challenge of innovating faster than the competition and leveraging modern technology advancements. Today’s retailers need to train associates on more than ever before. Yet, given the incredibly high rate of turnover in retail shops, educating employees to a high level of knowledge and keeping ahead of emerging threats, poses significant challenges for retail leaders that are both time consuming and costly.   The big question is: How do retail leaders guide associate learning and behaviors—in a highly dispersed and constantly changing workforce—in real time? A change in mindset is required. Learning needs to be continuous, personalized and integrated into the work day. Self-driven engagement is critical to retail success. Enter gamification. Through a gamified learning approach, Bloomingdale’s is living this mindset shift on a daily basis and seeing incredible results. During the session at NRF Protect, Chad shared the learnings and results of bringing gamification to Bloomingdale’s. Learnings: Competition drives participation Real learning data is far more powerful than assumptions made about associate knowledge When making big changes - start small Results: 90% voluntary participation by Bloomingdale’s associates 9% reduction in safety incidents $2.2 Million in annual savings   Clearly, gamification is working at Bloominingdale’s to boost associate interest in learning, help them focus on the right behaviors and save the company significant dollars. The question is no longer: What should retailers do to increase learning and save money? but When are retailers going to start using gamification to drive results? We look forward to seeing more of these success stories as retailers embrace a gamified learning approach. Chad McIntosh (VP of Loss Prevention and Risk Management at Bloomingdale’s) and Christine Tutssel (SVP of Strategic Initiatives at Axonify) presented on the topic: "Gamification and Your Retail Employees"   For more details on how Bloomindale’s is using gamification, read this article: Bloomindale’s Improves Training, Saves Millions by Asking Employees to Play Games Written by Jennifer Buchanan The post Bloomingdale’s Showcases Gamification Success in Retail at NRF Protect Conference appeared first on Axonify.

If your employees were confronted with an ethical dilemma at work, would they do the right thing? While you might think their internal moral compass is strong, they often don’t respond appropriately if the situation causes them to experience fear or anxiety. Research suggests you can train people to be more ethical. Here’s how gamification can help create lasting moral behavior change in your organization. Read the full article from CLO Magazine. Written by Carol Leaman   The post Gamification: Sway the Morally Gray Employee appeared first on Axonify.

The job of an Ethicon (Johnson & Johnson) sales rep is only becoming more demanding. Besides needing to remember increasing amounts of medical product information, reps must also keep up with changing medical policies and procedures. The company’s outdated approach to training was falling short and Ethicon knew it had to radically change its approach. So, after much research, the company implemented a blended learning model that not only includes in-person classroom training, but extends to self study, virtual learning, role playing, field experiences as well as information reinforcement and continual learning. The results have been fantastic.   Read the full article in Sales & Marketing Management magazine. Written by John Knoble The post Beyond Static, One-Time Training Events appeared first on Axonify.