Using Virtual Reality VR in corporate Training and Development

Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-based three-dimensional (3D) representation of the physical world that is immersive and allows a friendly user-interface. There is a large variety of VR devices in the market, ranging from inexpensive cardboard-based devices working with a smartphone to professional-grade headsets. In most of the cases, companies use VR in corporate training to allow their employees to practice dealing with real-world scenarios. Some advantages of using VR in corporate training include:

Immersive experience: Engagement, critical to training outcomes, is boosted as it provides an immersive training environment

Engagement with Reality: People having difficult jobs can sharpen their skills about real-world consequences.

Promoting Creativity: VR in corporate training provides virtual training wherein workers can take risks they usually wouldn’t pursue otherwise.

Previewing: VR in corporate training allows companies to perform test runs of new initiatives to check the response of employees.

Accelerating Learning:VR in corporate training is so immersive and compelling, that learners absorb information faster and retain what they have learned for a long time.

The impact of the best technology is very limited if it is not deployed efficiently. This statement is very true for emerging technologies such as VR. Instead of sending trainers to conduct new-hire training, VR in corporate training can be used and thus, money can be saved. Since the cost of using VR technology has come down sharply in recent years, some companies are now opting to send preloaded VR headsets with training videos to field offices so that the expenses are reduced to a minimal. Due to the immersive nature of VR, it is a good choice to reinforce the most critical aspects of training.Currently, healthcare organizations are also increasingly using VR to train surgeons on new techniques in a risk-free environment. VR in corporate training can be a vital tool to reduce errors and liabilities for employees tasked with sensitive or critical operations. One way to evaluate the effectiveness of VR in corporate training is to administer skills following a VR session. For instance, VR can be used by a hospital to provide training to help its employees master the skill of insertion and conduct post-training assessments to demonstrate that skills are enhanced significantly after one training session.

The employees can obviously be asked to give feedback about what went wrong and for any improvement required in the VR training. This feedback or output should be integrated when your VR content is designed. The more workers feel that they are interacting with a live environment, the more impactful the experience is. Narrations can be added or users should be allowed to dictate their paths non-linearly as the virtual environment is explored. Voice-over or hotspot overlays can be considered by adding elements to make the experience more immersive.

VR in corporate training can also be used to ramp up the benefits of scenario-based learning known to enhance critical thinking and real-world decision-making. By integrating immersive, 360° video into scenario-based training, the experience is more resonant and realistic, which will help people retain what they have learned. VR in corporate training is poised to be a breakthrough technology for training, thanks to its immersive nature and the freedom it offers to practice in realistic settings without worrying about the outcomes.