Throughout any organisation’s life cycle, there will be a need to invest in some aspect of training and development. Whether your business requires staff upskilling, leadership coaching or altering staff habits, learning and development is something every business requires at some stage. As human resource-intensive as learning and development can be, the progression of technology has provided opportunities to be smarter and more creative in the way we engage staff. High speed internet, video streaming, social media and handheld devices have completely altered the way we can present learning.
An example of a fantastic use for virtual reality (VR) in the educational / enterprise space is a smartphone app for public speaking training. What better way to help address your public speaking fears than place you in a virtual room with a virtual audience? This is the promise of the SpeechCentre VR app, available on the Samsung Gear VR. Using the app, individuals can practise speaking to a virtual audience while moving around a room and getting a sense for the types of distractions that might happen while they are on a real-life stage.
Another popular method is online training tailored to your specific business. Online training ensures employees always remember what they’ve learned. By delivering on-screen, contextual guidance that allows your employees to learn and perform better and faster. Online learning tailored for your business can shorten training times, reduce the learning curve, increase productivity, provide in house support, effective and strategic knowledge delivery, assist in monitoring staff capability and standardise business processes. Most importantly delivering training online is cost effective.
Delivery can be as simple as using Google forms right through to Learning Management Systems and in-house developed Apps. I think apps will eventually create a unique position in the training methods of corporates. Given the unique advantages, they may soon become trusted assistants of every employee in the workplace. They will eventually replace a lot of varied tools, manuals, charts, technical support, calculators and so much more. Perhaps making the mobile computing and communication device the only tool you need.
