Let’s do a little exercise together. Take a moment to think about different times you’ve learned things in your life. Think of a few things you’ve learned—skills, attitudes, information, whatever comes to mind.

Some of these instances were probably kind of unpleasant—you learned something “the hard way” or a bad thing happened. Maybe some of these things were practical skills you learned by accessing a video or set of instructions.

Now, consider things you learned while having fun…

Think about something you learned while you were relaxed by yourself or with friends. Maybe there was a little pressure to perform (answering questions, doing a skill in front of people), you felt challenged in a good way, and you walked away having exercised your brain without feeling wiped out.

Consider if you could take that experience and translate it to learning on the job. There are so many ways to train people, to build skills, and to shift attitudes, and lots of times trainings follow a kind of formula relying on a trainer leading a group in discussion, having people fill out worksheets, brainstorming, debriefing videos…you know the stuff. It’s good stuff, too, but it’s not the only way to gabout learning.

Using interactive games to help people learn can be an excellent way to boost retention, build confidence, promote interaction among peers, and reinforce learning in a way that isn’t too intimidating and feels fun. Using games as part of professional development can create a space were participants feel energized, challenged, and active in their own learning. Certainly, games aren’t the right learning strategy for every topic or every environment, but they are often overlooked and can take many shapes.

Join us for the pre-conference institute Professional Gaming: Using Games in Professional Development to explore how to approach using games, learn when they are useful (and when to skip them), and begin prototyping your own game.

Participants attending this event should come ready to talk to colleagues, share creative ideas, and start prototyping a game for their work.