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Nothing beats hands-on experience. The average training programme can effectively give employees the same, clear instructions…but it’s just theory. What if every employee, no matter where they are, could all get the same hands-on experience? What if they could all get out in the field and experience real-life situations without even leaving their desk? Virtual reality training is the answer. These immersive training solutions allow businesses to train employees faster and better, helping them to grow far more effectively and efficiently. But this isn’t big news, VR-based training has been around for a while (read our blog: 7 ways virtual and augmented reality are being used today), the difference is that it’s becoming more mainstream and affordable.
Here’s why every business should consider VR training:
Using VR training, an employee is totally immersed in the training situation; there are no distractions, and they will respond to the situation/simulation in just the same way as they would in real life. And the beauty of it is, if they need to practise on a particular area or just brush up on some old skills, they can practise to their heart’s content, or until they get it right. This can be completed away from peers and in their own time, helping them to build confidence.
Fact: We respond to and process visual data more effectively than other types of information, but some of the popular stats need context. For example, it’s often cited that the human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text and that 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual. However, credible sources argue that these numbers are not rigorously proven. Even so, there’s solid research showing that visuals and immersive formats like VR can enhance engagement and retention. For instance, one neuroscience study found that photos can be processed between 6 and 600 times faster than text, rather than the far larger figure.
Visual data and immersive environments can improve our ability to remember and retain information. Add to this the fact that VR training allows us to practice skills over and over again, and that material retention drastically increases because the knowledge has also become part of the muscle memory.
Far better for a forklift driver, a pilot or a surgeon to practise in a VR environment than in real life! Let employees make mistakes as many times as they like – it won’t cost you a penny…and nobody will get hurt. Every workplace training programme and every employee, no matter what their role, could benefit from this no-risk solution.
Until a few years ago, costs were eye-wateringly high for anything VR and VR training was only used by high-end commercial corporations, the government and the military. These days, an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive are available on the high street, and there are more VR developers; VR has hit the mainstream.
Provide headsets for each of your locations around the world. Then let your employees access/download training material from your website whenever they want. Easy.