One of the most powerful things about VR technology is the ability to develop emotional intelligence. This is something inherently lacking in traditional training methods. The only way to develop emotional intelligence isn't through a textbook, video, or PowerPoint presentation. It is by experiencing something for yourself.

Giving people exposure to different cultures, environments, communication styles, and overall behaviors, while allowing them to experience consequences of doing it well or poorly, is part of the learning process. Additionally, allowing the viewer to determine what is the correct response and what is the right next step solidifies learning and retention.

Here are just a few of the strengths of VR in training:

Effectiveness:

In general, the best way to train someone is to safely immerse them into a scenario where they can practice and safely experience the consequences of their mistakes. They are right there where the action happens; they are doing it; they are experiencing results instantly. Training becomes a whole-body experience, rather than just cramming for a test to check a box on a test. When your people can play with something, they learn better. Virtual Reality is the best technology for repeatably simulating real-life immersion.

Engagement:

Imagine having your people actually look forward to their next safety training. Is this even possible? Yes, it is, with VR. Video games are fun, and VR enhances this by making it more immersive. Consequently, people automatically associate VR with fun. The same people also associate classroom lectures, PowerPoint presentations, and worn-out videos, with boredom, anxiety, and pain. By incorporating VR into your training, you harness forces already at work in people's lives to move them from a "have to" mindset to a "want to" mentality.

Safety:

Real-life situations can be simulated and experienced without real-life consequences. With VR, you can train and test for every foreseeable situation, without putting your people at actual risk.

Consistency:

Real-world conditions can be reliably repeated, and problem situations or what-if can be focused on so that each participant gets consistent training in areas that are important to your company, or specific areas that have been proven difficult to train through.

Overcoming Cultural Barriers by going straight to experience:

With VR you can immerse someone in an experience, even if there are cultural or language barriers. By safely allowing trial and error within the VR environment, you can identify and correct any specific issues regardless of language or culture.

VR is very powerful when we talk about developing emotional intelligence. It's about getting to the heart of what matters to people and leveraging their emotions to create long-lasting change and behavior modifications.

These are the types of things that are lacking right now in traditional methods, no matter how good the instructor is, how passionate they are about the subject matter, or how polished the PowerPoint presentation is.

Getting to the inner belief systems of people and seeing how they respond to situations and why they respond the way they do is what is so fascinating about VR technology and why it is truly a game-changer in the world of training.