I found an interesting (and yes, funny) video on the internet
that I wanted to share. First and foremost, because it is entertaining, especially
for a self-described “car-nut” such as myself. Second of all, and the reason I
am sharing it with you, is because I think it highlights the value of simulations
and role-plays, much better than we can sometimes articulate ourselves. Watch
the video (it’s 3.5 mins long) and then continue below.
Here is the “coles-notes” summary of the video:
- Two guys think they’ve won a chance to sit through a virtual reality simulator in a brand new sports car.
- They put on helmets and climb into the “simulator” – in reality a disguised version of the new car itself.
- When the simulator is “turned on” the car (with them in the backseat – windows blacked out) pulls out of the garage and takes them on a seemingly dangerous (but choreographed) joyride through the east London shipping docks.
- The entire time the guys are sitting in the backseat of the car watching their ride on two screens. They have no idea the video they are watching is coming from two cameras mounted on the hood of the car.
- After a few minutes of driving, the car screeches to a halt and the camera crew opens the car doors, and the men are shocked to find out they were really being driven around the whole time.
Here is what I feel the take away for us as learning professionals: If you watch
the two gentlemen in the video above you can see there is never any “fear” of
the ride – because to THEM, there is no idea of the risk outside those doors.
Granted, I doubt there was ever any real danger but do you think they would be
so calm and so “joyful” of how great the simulator is if they had just climbed
into the back of a car and been taken for a ride?
We’ve all heard that employees need to be “allowed to fail”,
that there is value in making mistakes and learning from them. We’ve also heard
the flip side from the business that essentially says there isn’t room in our
business to fail so please get it right the first time. This is where the
intrinsic value of a simulation comes in. Yes, role plays can be goofy. Yes,
they can be awkward. But they are also the safest place our employees have to “fail”
and learn from their mistakes.
It is up to us to ensure that we create a safe
environment for the participants so that they have the courage to fail, and most
importantly the chance to learn from their mistakes and try again. The skills
we teach in our programs are valuable. They work. They drive results. Our participants
will only use them in the real world if they’ve had the chance to try them,
fail, learn, and try again.
