Unleashing Creativity in Learning: The Art of Reskinning Games for Corporate Training

You stand before a canvas of endless potential when it comes to the development and delivery of your training programs. Today, I want to share with you an approach that harnesses the power of familiarity and fun to elevate your learning initiatives: the reskinning of well-loved board games for corporate training. We are using this technique in an upcoming event where we'll be applying the innovative technique of reskinning the classic game Werewolf for corporate training.

The Why: Advantages of Reskinning Popular Games
Traditional and popular games are a trove of untapped potential, ripe with mechanisms that have been polished through years of play. Here's why they are invaluable tools in your kit:

• Familiarity: Like the comforting strains of a well-known melody, standard games resonate with our team members, allowing them to engage with the content without the barrier of learning new rules.
• Engagement: Games are the spice that can transform the blandest of learning materials into a feast for the mind, increasing enjoyment and knowledge retention.
• Active Participation: The heart of learning beats strongest during active participation, and games are the perfect pacemakers for this process.
• Team Building: The cooperative core of many well-liked games lays the groundwork for essential workplace skills like communication and collaboration.
• Cost-Effectiveness: In an era of tight budgets, reskinning existing games is a masterstroke in resourcefulness.
• Customization: Tailoring games to fit our unique corporate narrative allows for a learning experience that resonates deeply with our organizational culture and goals.
• Learning Retention: Games, with their intrinsic rewards and competition, are like mnemonic devices, aiding in the retention of information.
• Analytical Skill Development: Strategic gameplay translates into real-world problem-solving, preparing our team members for the challenges of the corporate arena.

The How: Crafting Your Game-Based Learning Experience
Here's how you can take these dusty board game boxes off the shelves and recast them into cornerstones of your learning programs:

1. Identify Objectives: What knowledge gaps are we bridging? This clarity will select the right game for the job.
2. Choose the Right Game: Pick a game with mechanics that mirror the skills you wish to develop. For instance, could "Werewolf" be the next tool to enhance our team's strategic communication abilities?
3. Modify the Theme: Let the game mirror our world. Reskinning a game to reflect our brand and training objectives can transform it from a generic pastime into a targeted skill-building exercise.
4. Integrate Content: Seamlessly blend our learning material with the game's flow. The goal is to make the learning so organic that it becomes a natural extension of gameplay.
   Design with the End User in Mind: Every element of the game should speak to our team's roles and experiences. Accessibility and relevance are key.
5. Iterative Testing: Fine wine and great games share a secret—they both improve with time and testing. Gather feedback, iterate, and perfect.
6. Facilitate the Game: A game master can make all the difference, guiding the experience and connecting the dots back to our corporate reality.
7. Debrief Post-Game: The richest insights often come after the game has ended. Debrief to cement those learning outcomes and draw parallels to our daily work.

Remember that the only limit to your success is the breadth of your creativity. I encourage all instructional designers, learning managers, human resources, and corporate trainers to join me in this game-changing movement. Let's roll the dice on innovation and play our way to a more skilled, engaged, and cohesive team.

In the game of learning, let's all be winners.