One of the main differences between Lootok and other BCM consultants is our focus on getting people engaged in business continuity through interactive activities. In the "play" section of our site, we've created some "mini" versions of some of the activities we do onsite to give you an idea of what that means.
Why play? People learn best through direct experience. Game play is an effective learning method because it requires participants to look, listen, think, talk, and do; in this way, participants dedicate full mental resources to learning the concept at hand. Do you remember any riddles or games from your childhood? How about the content of a business presentation you attended two years ago?
Interactive activities offer both direct experience and reflection; many decisions are made and concepts learned in a short amount of time, allowing people to reflect on the experience before details leave their short-term memory,and reinforcing the lessons learned.
Some other benefits of learning through activities include:
Achieving goals through simulation.
Humans think and understand best when they can imagine or simulate an experience. Simulation prepares them for the actions they need to take to accomplish their goals in real-life situations. The basic understanding of what needs to be done to achieve a certain goal is established without the distractions of the real world. This allows players to easily absorb the framework of how to accomplish the task at hand, and then take this knowledge and experience and apply it to real-life situations.
Engaging people.
Players learn through trial, error and feedback; they don't need to receive a great deal of instruction and training before being able to take part in the activity. This trial-and-error method allows the players to begin with some degree of effectiveness and gain competence along the way, which also serves to engage them in the process.
Role-playing.While traditional training focuses on teaching individuals only the roles they are expected to perform, gameplay offers players the opportunity to think beyond their personal roles and into those of their colleagues, supervisors and subordinates. By practicing a role outside their own, or by playing on a team with members of other roles, participants gain a more holistic view of the goals to be accomplished and a better understanding of how they can contribute.
Seeing the bigger picture.In scientific simulations of complex phenomena such as weather systems, atoms or cells, scientists often think as if they were 'inside' the system to gain a deeper feel for how variables are interacting. Similarly, in some games, a player 'becomes' a part of a complex virtual scenario. They are able to easily visualize all of the forces at work, gaining an inside-out and outside-in perspective.
Developing a common language. Learning terminology in the context of game play requires players to use the language as they learn it, thereby speeding up the learning process by situating the new knowledge in the context of direct experience. The new terminology feels more relevant and deeply ingrained, and less like a vocabulary quiz.
