The pictures I share this week do not do justice to one of the most enlightening learning experiences I have had in a long time. Last week I visited Meetspace VR in Birmingham to have a go in their Virtual Reality “Arena” alongside some of my CIPD network colleagues.
The word ‘experience’ is barely adequate.
We wore full harnesses with headphones and eye goggles – the latter are really computer screens right in front of your eyes. When everything was switched on, we walked – literally – into a virtual world of blue sky and deep water, with stone pathways appearing to take us on a journey of discovery among ancient ruins, blue whales and fountains. I did not get wet!
This was my first experience of VR, and it left me awestruck. While pleased we did not take one of the ‘shooting zombie’ game options, we had to work together on our virtual journey – so a game with team working training.
At one point I could see my team mates in the sky above me. Introducing some reality I lifted my goggles to see them about 10 meters to my right, standing in a space surrounded by inflatable walls you can bump into and not get hurt.
My pictures cannot capture the virtual experience at all but there is a link to a video below.
After the session we had some input on commercial applications with Sallie Allen from Learn with VR. Other VR applications include training for presentation skills, handling goods in Walmart, and battlefield casualty management
My reflections on this:
- If you can, give it a try. Details below.
- This technology takes the idea of a ‘flight simulator’ on which most pilots spend most of their training time into many other situations.
- Everyone with me on this ‘journey’ was absolutely delighted to have taken part – an unforgettable experience.
- An experience in the real world too: the venue was accessed through a particularly dark car park in the centre of Birmingham. It took me a total of 2 and a half hours travel time to get there and back, and the (real) journey was quite a challenge after months of lockdown. Taking the trouble to travel and get through dark car park was an experience even before ‘the experience’.
- If you are planning to get a team together, you have to make the experience – the whole experience – worthwhile, interesting and valuable. Just asking people to meet and talk will not be enough.
- I was ‘blown away’ – but we were not even using the very latest technology. There is plenty out there.
- We learn best by doing: what VR enables is a physical experience, and it is excellent at enabling ‘the suspension of disbelief’. At least until I took my headset off.
Is this the future? Yes, we will see much more of this I believe.
Yet even in this virtual world we were left reflecting on the need for co-operation, understanding and working together. I may have been able to walk off on my own, but it is the combined human experience which makes everything worthwhile.
The technology can enable that: it does not replace it.
Find out more:
Buzzword of the Week – Contribution
Definition – Contribution (also called contribution margin) is the selling price per unit, minus the variable cost per unit. This indicates how a particular product contributes to the overall profit of the company. It provides one way to show the profit potential of a particular product and shows the portion of sales that helps to cover the company’s fixed costs. Any remaining revenue left after covering fixed costs is the profit generated.
Alternate View – Financially, this is a useful concept. But it can go wider than just selling price less variable cost. Where you can calculate the fixed costs for a specific department or part of an organization, these can also be deducted from the sale price, then showing what contribution the department makes to other fixed costs of the business (the rent for the rest rooms maybe?) and the overall profit. It’s a nice word too – good to know you are making a contribution on multiple levels, including financially.
Coming Up…
For BIPC Worcestershire I am running another free webinar on Writing a Business Plan – one you can actually use. Part 2 is Friday 3rd December at 11amhttps://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/writing-a-business-plan-pt2-registration-192719117067?aff=ebdsoporgprofile
CIPD Development Day for the Self Employed Special Interest Group. This is especially for HR and L&D practitioners who work independently. Great learning and a live get together. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/annual-cipd-independent-people-professional-development-day-tickets-188331102397?aff=ebdsoporgprofile
I am also running in house training in Saudi Arabia on Creative Problem Solving, and Financial Management Oversight for a Friendly Society.