A vast majority of the training material we produce in the corporate world is based on some kind of regulation or technical specification and should be very simple and practical because of the subject matter, but not everything has to be so serious. Many times, the way we train our sales and customer service representatives is the way we develop our outer persona for our customers. This is one area in web-based training where a little humor can go a long way.
As I’ve mentioned in previous newsletters, the goal of web-based training is for the learner to retain the information being taught and ultimately transfer that knowledge to on-the-job skills. Effective and appropriate use of humor can go a long way in keeping your employees engaged with your online training initiatives. Sales and customer service representatives are on the front lines dealing with customers every day, your web-based training for those employees should reflect your corporate culture. One of the best ways to teach these types of skills with an online course is through the use of consequence-based video simulations. This type of simulation-based training is an excellent opportunity to introduce a bit of humor into your WBT.
In the simple sense, consequence-based training gives the user the chance to do something the right way or the wrong way. One way to approach the wrong path with impact is to take it to the extreme. By setting the stage the wrong way in a way that makes the user laugh, you also make him realize that he doesn’t want to put himself in a situation that makes him look foolish. You have created a tool that makes your employees think about what they look like when they are in a similar situation and how they can avoid looking like the person who looked a little ridiculous in the training course.
To use humor in your training, you must first have an appropriate theme, and second, it must fit into your corporate culture. When you push to use humor in your training, make sure it’s in good taste and fits within your company’s guidelines.