Many people say that there isn’t a better way to communicate than to communicate actually using various methods (grapevine to online). In all fairness, this thought holds true because the more you communicate, the better you get at it. However, it does not have to be in the real world. Virtual worlds are created in the form of simulations by designers. These offer users with virtual environments wherein users get to put their skills to test without suffering from consequences of any type and kind.
Especially when practicing what you’ve learned and how to communicate is simply impossible in this physical environment, thankfully, there are now ways for you to get hold of and master these techniques. One of the most-used today is through online or virtual environments by applying the simulation theory.
Virtual worlds are created in the form of simulations by designers. These offer users with virtual environments wherein users get to put their skills to test without suffering from consequences of any type and kind.
Communication training companies offer different kinds of simulations to users to help them communicate in a better way:
1. Simulations to Enhance Face-to-Face Communication
If you wish to create such a simulation then designers will need to develop scenarios that are real-life, i.e. the situations that keep happening in organizations every now and then. Developers and designers will need to create characters that can communicate with learners while a simulation is taking place by giving appropriate answers/responses. These responses will determine the rate of success and/or failure. This will teach them the correct way to communicate.
Designing such a simulation would require designers to create scenarios that actually occur in organizations. eLearning designers should build characters in the simulation that learners can communicate with by choosing appropriate responses that would result in failures or successes, in order to teach them the correct form of communication. Characters should be designed around the types of individuals employees communicate with on a daily basis, like managers, stakeholders, colleagues, and customers.
2. Simulations To Improve Communication On-Call
These types of simulations are far more advanced than the ones previously mentioned. The users would be required to speak phrases into microphones. The LMS would then check whether the phrases are right or not. Such technology is already being used in apps, such as Duolingo.
3. Simulations To Improve eMail Communication
This isn’t all that different from face-to-face simulations. eLearning designers and developers give rise to simulations and environments wherein learners can interact with the devices to receive and send emails. Emails can be answered using different responses. Interactions in simulations end up engaging employees and help them learn by interacting with technology.
Social Learning Facilitates Actual Communication Within the Organization
Simulations deal with employee training and communication in a virtual environment. But employees do need to practice communication in real life in order to hone their skills, and this can be ensured through social learning in eLearning. This is a great way to let learners collaborate with others. In this way, you can learn from others while solving equations and problems. This fosters a sense of communication and collaboration within the workplace.
1. Teamwork-based eLearning
It is possible to develop eLearning courses and modules that allow learners and users to work together with others. Learners can access these cloud-based courses just like multiplayer games. Learners can communicate through inbuilt chat support and move forward accordingly.
2. Gamification
Courses that are gamified are quite popular than those that aren’t. Gamified courses (that have different difficulty levels, badges, trophies, etc. are preferred by learners as these provide learners with an opportunity to compete with others. This helps create healthy competition within the organization. Everybody’s progress can be monitored in real-time.
Final words
It is always a good idea to create eLearning solutions that offer learners a chance to interact with other learners. This allows learners to undertake reverse learning, i.e. learning from you to me.
Author Bio: Christopher Pappas is the Founder of eLearning Industry’s Network, which is the largest online community of professionals involved in the eLearning field. Christopher holds an MBA and a MEd (Learning Design) from BGSU.