Challenges That Online Coaching Represents for HR and L&D

Exactly how crucial is human connection during the online learning process? The experience of peer-to-peer online learning is widely beneficial to keeping employees active and engaged, while learning.

Increasing human connection in digital learning through coaching and using innovative tools benefits learning in a fun way while also interacting with others online.

As HR and L&D professionals, it is vital to slow down and promote real-time interactions in a way that allows reflection, levels the playing field and helps learners develop necessary digital relationship skills. On top of that, incorporating interactive game elements allows you to try out your coaching skills through a fun and gamified experience.

We’ve spoken to our friends at Gamoteca to get more insights on how you can improve your coaching online by incorporating gamification into your learning processes.

Learning online has a lot of potential now that so many of our views have shifted on precisely what the “new normal” in learning and development is. Coaching and online learning don’t have to be a dull subject. In fact, new ways are emerging to make learner’s and trainer’s experiences more engaging and fun as users interact with one another. Game-based learning has been around for quite some time but is now getting more attention than ever.

So, what exactly is game-based learning? Game-based learning is an active learning technique where game characteristics and principles are implemented into learning activities. This type of learning promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills, just like playing a multiplayer game.

Where does this gaming then fit into learning and development? The collaboration, communication, and interaction this learning style promotes are essential when it comes to connecting teams on a deeper level and keeping employees engaged, and consistently improving skills.

When it comes to coaching and learning online, there may be some challenges that you come across. First, let’s discuss those challenges specifically, and then we’ll go into more detail on the steps you can take to overcome those obstacles.

For instance, trying to fill the knowledge gaps of your employees, or in other words, upskilling and reskilling those in your organization, could prove to be difficult when trying to digitize the learning process.

Keeping current processes up-to-date and in line with the organizations’ business goals could also be seen as a blocker. It could also happen that some employees have feelings of being isolated from the group or not as involved as they would like to be. Another difficulty could be that the success of employees’ learning cannot be accurately measured and reported on.

Despite these challenges, Gamoteca has found a way to keep learners engaged through a creative and fun learning environment and a way to measure learning success.

What Gamoteca offers allows you to create customized games that are instantly available to be played, giving you a way to fill specific knowledge gaps of employees. Feedback from other players within the game can help to revise or restructure processes to align more with the goals of the business and that of the learners. This feedback can be crucial when re-organizing your organization’s learning processes and pushing employees to move forward and to learn new things constantly.

To avoid other employees feeling alone or isolated from the rest, you can create games to interact globally with people in different locations, cultures, and languages worldwide. When it comes to measuring the actual success of the games you make and the learning success of others, Gamoteca offers a solution for that. Through analyzing the progress, the interactions, and the learner experience, you can see the success of your games and use that data to further your learning and development programs even more.

Whether you’re just starting out coaching online or looking for new ways to improve, there are steps you can take to be successful. Keeping an open mind and utilizing more innovative tools can be very beneficial, especially when looking to keep up to date on the latest trends and technologies.

Another great way to stay on top of things is to listen and act on employees’ feedback. That is a crucial step towards learning what works best for them and then putting that into practice in the online coaching sessions you develop.

Don’t forget to include everyone along the way to avoid anyone feeling as if they are not included in the learning journey. This can be done easily by assigning dedicated teams or partners for each game. Lastly, always set clear goals for what you would like to achieve with your learning. Figure out what the overall goal to you want to accomplish depending on the game you’ve created. By doing so, you can synchronize your coaching strategies with each learning path you develop.

Through this synchronization, you can find harmony between trainers and learners within your organization. By taking advantage of inserting micro-learning pathways in this gamified experience, you can balance each learner’s journey with the set goals you have put in place.

In learning and development, recognizing the advantages of game-based education is essential for this day and age. By using such elements and principles in your everyday learning activities, you can increase morale and up the motivation of your team to learn in a fun and interactive environment.

Sometimes the importance of human connections can be forgotten just how crucial it is when the learning is conducted primarily online. Figuring out new and exciting ways to engage your teams like never before will help you connect in ways that you may have never expected.

Finding success in online coaching and learning can be found in many ways. Whether you are introducing new tools to your team or implementing your employees’ feedback into your efforts, the steps you take to achieve success are essential. Adding in and utilizing gamified elements will allow your team to tailor their learning journey to what works best for them and ultimately continue to improve actively.

To leverage the power you have to start learning and training through gamification, check out our upcoming Masterclass Webinar with Atish Gonsalves, a social technologist, entrepreneur, and founder of Gamoteca. In this webinar, Atish will be joined by Alessia Messuti (Learning Innovation Programme Officer at the International Training Centre for the ILO) to talk about how you can improve human connection through coaching.

Gamoteca is a platform designed for trainers to create and publish their own micro-learning experiences. Both learners and facilitators can collaborate iteratively through merging real and virtual activities in a fun and gamified environment.

Originally, Gamoteca was developed with the United Nations, among others, in response to the increasingly complex needs of disasters. Through the creation of simulation exercises and “serious games,” crisis response training was held. By utilizing this gamification technology for real-world situations, the learning journey is humanized in a way. Thus, putting back the human element into learning and opening up many more possibilities for positive growth. For example, you can gain a new perspective on the bigger picture of coaching by engaging with the other players of the game.

Overall having this gaming experience helps you better understand the practical considerations of a coaching relationship as well. Try out coaching through gaming yourself and see how much the learning process can connect each player and create a simple and fun learning journey for everyone.

Check out the webinar, Increasing Human Connection in Digital Learning through Coaching, where you can even have the opportunity to interact and try out your coaching skills through an exciting, gamified experience.

For over 15 years, Speexx has been working to make corporate digital training as accessible and successful as possible for everyone. Digital touchpoints such as the importance of digital body language, optimizing your virtual classroom, and moving from face-to-face to digital are topics close to our hearts.

Want to learn more about Speexx and the most advanced, effective language learning solution for the digital workplace? Book a free demo now!