3 Game Show Host Goof-Ups

Being a game show host can be an incredibly fun way to interact with your trainees, or get your name out within a company (volunteering to host a large-scale game at an event, for instance). However, hosting isn't always an easy feat. Here are a few ways in which we see game show hosts go wrong:

1. Not Knowing the Rules: This seems like a basic thing, but a host being unclear on the finer points of the game show rules can lead to a chaotic or less-than-ideal experience for the game show participants. This is especially true as you customize your game show and add multiple rounds with multipliers (i.e. points are doubled!) or rule variations.

2. Getting Down on Wrong Answers: Nothing is more discouraging than being in a learning game situation and being mocked or ridiculed (no matter how gently) for putting yourself out there and answering a question. Most trainers have a good sense of appropriate feedback, but sometimes an outside-the-training-department host won't have a similar taste for protocol.

3. Not Encouraging Teams: If a game is set up cleverly, there's always a chance for a team that is behind to catch up--be it in a wager round, bonus points, etc. However, it can be easy for a team to forget this when they see such a glaring disparity in scores. It's the host's job to remind the teams of the stakes and preview rounds where they may have a good chance to catch up.

Together or Apart: A lesson in team placement.

Dan (the owner and founder of LearningWare) and I have been in disagreement on one game show issue for a very long time. Despite our respective expertise, we've never seen quite eye to eye on this issue.

Do you seat teams together in a competitive game show environment, or do you spread a team throughout the room?

Dan would always advocate for the latter. From dealing with hyper-competitive sales reps, he had seen many, many instances where teams had cheated when sitting together. (For instance, if they all had keypads, one person--who knew that particular question--would hold up a letter and everyone would press that letter on their keypad.) When teams were sitting scattered throughout the room, there was no advantage for them to do this since the other team would also benefit from their assistance.

I always loved the energy that a team would generate sitting in the same space. I loved watching the cheers as the point tallies would rise in an AllPlay game. I loved watching the discussion and collaboration. Could they cheat? Maybe--but they didn't always. And the point of the game was to review information and add energy to a training session--even if they were told the answers, everyone still was reviewing the information one more time. Cheating can backfire as well--what if that one person everyone is trusting to give the answer has it wrong? The team gets a zero-score instead of at least *something*.

Who is right? Well, both of us. Ultimately both ways work. If a trainer is looking to really test everyone's individual knowledge--having a team seated apart is a better gauge of this metric. If a trainer is looking to review information and increase the energy in the room exponentially--then having the teams sitting together makes for a great game show.

And I'm happy to admit that after recently running several game shows at large events--both ways--Dan is starting to come around to my way of thinking.

Speeding Up Internal Game Show Adoption

Quite frequently we'll get questions from current and prospective game show users. Recently, this question was emailed to us. We think it might help a lot of game show users trying to push for more adoption within their organization, so take a look at our answer.

Q. I love using game shows, but I can’t seem to get traction in my organization. I know my colleagues would love them if they tried them, but no one has time to create games. . . How do I get everyone on board?

A. It’s hard, sometimes, being a game show evangelist. I know they can be amazingly transformative and YOU know that…but how do you spread the word?

Well, like with anything, the key is to make it as easy and painless as possible. There are some ideas:

• Organize a game show training day: Sometimes people will avoid a new technology just because they’re uncertain of how to use it and don’t want to take the time to learn. People are funny this way; we’ll stick with something less effective and more familiar if we can. Organize a game show training day where you can get up to speed and they can play around with creating their own games. 

• Start sneaking games into internal meetings: Game shows become viral very quickly. Once people see them being played, they tend to want to use them for their own events, sessions, etc. Giving peers the experience of playing the game will make it easy for them to see how their own excitement and engagement can translate into their classroom. 

• Utilize a Player version of Gameshow Pro: Gameshow Pro has a creator license version and a player license version. The creator lets you do everything—creating a game, etc. The player does not let you edit games, but it lets you play games that others have created and change a few features (and is a less expensive license). If peers don’t have to take the time to create a game—it’s right there for them and ready to play—then why wouldn’t they try it out?

Is your game show a speedbump or a smooth operator?

After doing hundreds of game show training sessions, we've picked up quite a few best practices for structuring the game show event.

One tip: Game shows sprinkled throughout a longer session can keep the trainees' energy high, refresh engagement, and add important review points.

However, this sometimes worked better than other times. Occasionally the game show question set would seem like an interruption--or the energy just never picked up like we expected it to.

What was the problem? The game show was a speed bump and not an integrated part of the training.

Why was this happening?

We were asking single questions, or questions in groups of two. The audience never had time to get back "in" to the game show experience. Instead they answered one question (that had little overall consequence), cheered a little, and went back to the training material dutifully.

The rule of three seemed to apply; when we asked questions in groups of three or more, the energy would build progressively. Participants became more engaged with the questions, and the energy and engagement lasted through the next training session until the next set of questions (which were inevitably greeted with more enthusiasm than the single-question-sets).

In short: Give your game show enough significant time for the audience to get into the game play. Ask at least three questions in a set and you'll reap the rewards of increased engagement throughout your training session.

Top 5 Mistakes That Bring Your Game Show to a Grinding Halt

In the classroom or online, you want your training game show to flow smoothly. Questions and game play should proceed at a steady pace without too much interruption (save for breaks in matches, content explanations or elaborations, etc.).

What you *don't* want to do is have your game show crawl along like the slow snail in the gene pool; making the experience unpleasant or awkward, and taking the natural energy of competition out of your game show event.

Here are the top 5 mistakes that slow down your game play (and how to solve them):


1. The questions are too difficult. Questions should be challenging, but not mystifying. Questions that are too advanced, or even hard to read or understand can result in the crickets-chirping phenomenon. This not only slows down game play, but it can become quite frustrating when trainees aren't able to get a taste of success.

If you're playing a review game, ask a slightly-simpler question in the competitive part of the game show, and then ask more challenging follow-up questions in your info screens (either for extra points or for knowledge alone).

Make sure that your questions are up to date (i.e. that you've covered the material in your session that you intend to review in your game).

If you have a long or complex question, break the question into pieces. Add an intro screen before the question and take time to explain the scenario--making the question itself fairly brief.


2. Timers are set incorrectly. If no one knows a question (no one is ringing in) and yet it takes the ring-in timer a long time to expire, there can be a lot of waiting around.

Keep your timers between 10-15 seconds each, or set them to manual mode. We find that manually controlling the timers can give the trainer more flexibility to spend time on a question when everyone is involved, or speed through a question that is less relevant to the training session.


3. Contestants don't understand the rules. Confusion is the cousin of chaos. Contestants need to know what they're supposed to do within a game show or they will: a.) Do nothing, b.) Dispute everything ("Hey, but they didn't answer in the form of a question, isn't that against the rules?"). Both of these scenarios suck time away from game play and disrupt the flow of training information.

Be sure to clearly explain the rules before the game starts--even if you think contestants will know how to play. A game doesn't have to be complex to be engaging; try simplifying the rules so that the focus is on playing the game--not HOW to play the game.


4. There's a logistical/tactical mismatch. Game shows can be played successfully in a large group. They can also be played successfully over a longer period of time. However, you have to have the right set up for your game and use it thoughtfully in a large group or a long session.

One of the most painful game show experiences we've seen was when a client wanted to use a large number of teams and then have the teams take turns answering questions (taking out some of the competitive aspect). While team 1 was answering, team 8 had no incentive to pay attention and vice versa. The game dragged for participants.

While playing in a large group, consider having fewer teams and utilizing small groups of trainees to represent those teams--then switching out the contestants during game play. Make sure that the non-playing audience is assigned to one of the playing teams so they have a stake in the game.

When wanting a longer game show, be sure to add variety; switch up the game format, double the points, change participants or break the game show into smaller sections throughout the session.


5. Equipment failure. We once had a projector go out in the middle of a game show. Once we procured a new projection device, the momentum of the game show had been lost, and it was a bit of a slog to get through the rest.

Sometimes there's not much you can do about spontaneous equipment failure, but you can make sure that you practice with the equipment you're going to use. Test your laptop, slammers (are the batteries turned the right way?) and projection systems. Run through your game to make sure everything is set and in the right order. If there's too much of a delay, sometimes it's better to save the game for another day, or send a follow-up version after the session that trainees can play online (i.e. Quiz Point).

The Play-Doh Principle: Engaging Kinesthetic Learners

A little peek inside the LearningWare office space reveals a creative secret: We keep Play-Doh in our conference room.

At any given meeting, brainstorming session, information de-brief, etc., you'll find at least one LearningWare employee kneading Play-Doh (if not sculpting something similar to the dragon/dinosaur/ambiguous creature seen here).

Some visiting our office have asked about the Play-Doh, wondering if it wasn't more of a distraction than an aid. It's a fair point that can be asked of providing trainees with any sort of kinesthetic plaything in a training session. Some presenters are uncomfortable without the eye-contact-attention of their audience.

However, most trainers know that learners don't all learn the same way. The very basic learning styles can be broken down into auditory, kinesthetic, and visual. Auditory learners need to hear the information spoken. Kinesthetic learners need to touch and feel and move while learning. Visual learners need to see the information presented (or read it) in order to learn.

It makes sense, then, that a company dedicated to engaging the three types of learners with game show software would have Play-Doh on their conference table. Our founder, Dan Yaman, was one of those students who just couldn't learn in a traditional way. School was frustrating, but things like games (spelling bees, etc.) were fun. Thus, Gameshow Pro was born. It engages learners in auditory, visual and kinesthetic realms.

What are some other ways to engage kinesthetic learners?

• Have hands-on demonstrations of new products
• Have students engage in activities that get them moving around the room
• Incorporate frequent breaks
• Use toys (like Play-Doh) on the tables for students to interact with (in a non-distracting way)
• Make sure there are places to take notes (some people need the action of writing notes, even if they never refer to them)
• Game shows, of course!
• Encourage activities that require physical manipulation (i.e. word-match reviews, assembling a plan-o-gram from cutouts, etc.)

When Contestants Cheat

We recently developed a custom game show experience for a pharmaceutical company's annual sales event. By all accounts, the event and the game were incredibly successful--keeping participants engaged, motivated to absorb presentation content, and keeping the event energy high.

However, we were amazed to find out that whenever the teams could, they were trying to cheat to get ahead or win. (Our sense of game show fairness was appalled!)

The kicker? The content was all about rules and regulations within the industry: how they couldn't bribe, cheat, make false or leading claims, or imply incentives in trying to sell their drug into the medical industry. The content? About not cheating in the industry. The game show participants? Cheating. And shamelessly, too.

When we were writing our game show book, we sent an advance copy to fellow training game guru Thiagi. We had included tips on how to prevent cheating (though we never imagined it on this grand a scale), and Thiagi commented: "Advise trainers to think: What does cheating say about the culture of their organization?"

And what *does* cheating in a mere game show say about the mentality of the audience? It's not all bad:

• They're invested in the game 
• They want to win
• They're highly competitive
• They may break rules to get to success

In this case, the highly competitive sales force in a very lucrative field just didn't want to lose. In their industry there are multi-million-dollar penalties for subverting the rules. Because the cheating was happening on such a grand scale in the event, there was no way to fairly enact penalties--the teams that "weren't" cheating just weren't getting caught, and at some point one must be careful that the host doesn't devolve into scolding and penalizing above conveying information.

The cheating was allowed to continue, but only because the following elements were in place:

• Low-value prizes. The higher the value of the prize, the more people will be at each other's throats about cheating and the enforcement of the rules. 
• The contestants were getting the information--and in some cases were reinforcing the information more through their cheating ways than would have normally occurred. We didn't mind that they were looking up answers in their materials in some cases since it was still reviewing the information.
• The host was willing to go-with-the-flow and game play was not interrupted significantly by the teams' antics.
• Judges were used to keep the host out of the fray.

If the prizes had been great, the content had been taking a back seat to winning, or the event was being disrupted then penalties or a pause in the game would have had to be enforced.

There are a few ways that one can help minimize or prevent cheating--though we find that if a team is determined to cheat it is very hard to fight against that drive successfully and come out looking like a positive host.

• Keep prizes small. In most cases, we find that winning is a prize in and of itself and contestants don't even inquire about what they're going to "win" when they get into the game.
• Have judges. Judges can spot infractions and enforce penalties without the host having to sully their hands.
• Clearly explain the rules beforehand--this way when one is broken, everyone acknowledges the reference/rule.
• Enact small penalties for rule infractions. You don't want to turn into "bad-cop" trainer, but knowing BEFORE they cheat that there will be a penalty for that behavior can prevent cheating. 

At the end of the game, the point isn't to win--so some rules of civilized game play can be discarded or treated with a light touch. As long as contestants are engaged and involved with the content (accomplishing the game's purpose of aiding and abetting learning) and are in good spirits about the game play, a little cheating doesn't always significantly harm the game.

Creating Questions: Creating Knowledge Experts

We do a lot of custom game creation for clients--either as part of a consulting/launch package with Gameshow Pro, or as part of their event, workshop, etc. This entails taking their content--often in packets, brochures, PowerPoints, etc.--and distilling the important information, then making that information into questions.

What we've found is that, well, we're learning a LOT about a lot of different topics. Question creation is creating subject matter experts out of us! (Go ahead, ask me about the double loop process in knowledge database creation...)

This makes sense. It takes a deep understanding of material to create good questions. You have to find the key content, have a question that is appropriately relevant AND create plausible distractors.

This isn't a unique discovery, however. For years, we've been hearing how teachers have used Gameshow Pro with their students--having the students create questions for each other. So maybe it's time to start bringing question creation into the corporate world as a learning tool for trainees.

The benefits of question creation:
A creator spends an extended amount of time with materials--familiarizing themselves with both the content and where to FIND the content.
This creates a feedback loop of question creation--sharing--answering that reinforces information multiple times without feeling redundant
The creator has to absorb more information than merely contained within the question

Implausible Distractors

One of the tricky parts about writing multiple-choice game show questions is including plausible distractors. Those are the answer options that are NOT correct, but still sound correct enough to provide an appropriate level of challenge.

However, there are some times when you want a multiple choice question, but the plausible distractors aren't so obvious or even necessary. Perhaps you just want a quick review, and it's more important to reiterate the information than to make the question challenging. Perhaps you're looking for a speedier game that relies on quick recall instead of making a judgment call. Perhaps there's just a lack of available distractors in your content.

Whatever the reason, occasionally you need an implausible distractor... and this is when we like to add a little humor into the game show. For instance, I was recently creating questions for a customer using their content, and this was a question used [content changed slightly to protect information privacy]:

Q: What's “in it for you” to search the answer database if you already know the answer?

A. Search-typing builds finger strength
B. You don’t have to retype the solution
C. It validates your answer
D. Both B&C

 The answer was D, of course. Answer option A is an implausible distractor--you pretty much know that's not going to be the answer, but it is slightly amusing. In this case, the client didn't want to conflate the content by adding more benefits or benefits that were slightly-off or *could* technically be right, but weren't.

The benefits of using humorous implausible distractors can be:

• They break the pattern of thinking, causing a participant to pause in the routine of game play
• They can increase the level of cognitive processing without increasing the difficulty of a question
• They add entertainment value (and can be a place to insert relatable in-jokes)
• They can highlight the point you're trying to make
• They are also fun to write

Implausible distractors aren't always necessary, but in the right game play situations, they can add a level of levity and fun to even a serious game--without detracting from the content.

The Top 5 Reasons They're Not Answering Your Game Show Questions

It's game time. Your game show is all ready to go. The content is in place, the ring-in devices are handy. You read the first question and. . .

. . . no one is ringing in to answer. The answer timer counts down in silence (with maybe a little prompting from the host; "Anyone? Anyone know the answer? Ring in..."). You reveal the answer and move on to the next question, thinking it's a fluke response. Again, the proverbial crickets chirp in place of audience responses!

So what happened? Game shows are pretty much guaranteed to generate energy and excitement in the classroom. Are your trainees just really, really shy? Out of coffee? Something else?

Here are the top 5 reasons we've found for the occasional audience-wide silence in response to game show questions.

1. The questions are too tough. Complexity is not a question's friend. If it takes contestants too long to process what you're actually trying to ask--the clock is going to tick away with nary a response. Avoid the complicated word-problem questions, questions that actually ask multiple questions (or ask you to fill in multiple blanks) or questions with many layers of information or qualification required.

Similarly, if it takes contestants too long to figure out a difficult solution to a question, the question should either be simplified or used in a less rapid-fire format. (I.e. Instead of a Categories-style game, an untimed Tic-Tac-Toe game might be more appropriate.)

Once, we had a presenter who spoke for 90 minutes and then wanted to play a game show to review her content. When the time came for the audience to answer the questions, no one was ringing in. She had covered the content, but it was too complex for the audience to absorb without a simpler review.

Tip: Questions should be not-too-easy (there needs to be some challenge) and not-too-tough (allowing the contestants to grasp the concepts).

2. The content wasn't covered. This is the sister problem of the questions being too tough--if only because content that wasn't covered and isn't with the knowledge base of the audience IS technically too tough.

We once created a game for a training course. It was the first time we had given this course, so we only had a rough idea of the timing. We ended up running long, and had to skip almost the last third of our presentation. We didn't, however, want to skip the energizing post-session game show. As could be expected, the first 2/3 of the game show went really well. . . and the last third had us pleading, "I know we didn't cover this, but try to take a guess?"

Tip: This is where the "end game" feature comes in handy if you're using Gameshow Pro. You can also turn the game show into an open-book game if your trainees have access to materials you haven't reviewed yet.

3. The contestants don't understand the rules. We were once playing a Jeopardy!-style Categories game. A team selected the category and point value. The question was read. No one rang in. When the time ran out, we asked if anyone wanted to take a guess at the answer. As it turns out, the other (non-category-selecting) teams KNEW the answer, but thought that ONLY the team in control of the board was eligible to answer the question. Oops.

Explaining the rules clearly and up front is critical to the success of your game show. If you're using ring-in slammers, the contestants might not know *when* they can start to ring in, or who should ring in, or whether they can ring in after a team answers correctly, or how long they have to decide to ring in, etc.

Tip: Cover the rules after you introduce the game and the stakes--attention will be at its peak. Also, it's helpful to play a sample question to familiarize the audience with how the game is played.


4. Too much pressure. Your whole audience might not be shy, but chances are you'll have a mix of introverted and extroverted people. Playing individualistically can cause particular people to "opt out" of playing the game for fear of embarrassment or simply because they don't want the spotlight on themselves.

Tip: Playing in teams instead of individually is tremendously helpful in mitigating the pressures and stresses that some people may feel. There is an accountability to one's team, but not having the direct responsibility of standing up and giving an answer can be an enormous relief. You may want to designate an outgoing team captain to be the mouthpiece of the group; that way everyone can contribute but only the person who feels comfortable speaking up will be required to do so.

5. Too much risk. You're playing a Jeopardy-style categories game. You've been deducting points for incorrect answers. The scores are very close. It may be a difficult question--one that's worth a lot of points.

The team in the lead doesn't want to give up that lead, and the teams behind them don't want to lose ground. No one wants to take the risk of answering the question, so they let the time slip away. No one gains any points, but no one loses anything, either. This is a somewhat-rare phenomenon, but it does happen.

Tip: Incorporate chances to "catch up" inside the game--like extra bonus and wager questions, or just extra credit things that people can do for extra points.

You may also choose to deduct FEWER points for an incorrect answer than the question is worth. (I.e. Set the penalty at 50 points for each question, whether they're worth 200 points, or 1000.) This way the reward is greater than the risk. You may also set the game to take NO point deductions for wrong answers, if you so desire.

Top Ways to Celebrate Game Show Month

July is game show month!

How did the summer month get to have this illustrious title? Well, July tends to be a month that is traditionally...nontraditional. Employees are on vacations, there are a lot of new hires gearing up for the next quarter, the office can be very busy or it can seem very slow. . . so it's a great time to utilize game shows to engage, motivate and train.

So what are some ways you can celebrate game show month?

• Play our game of the month: The Game Show Blitz, and test your knowledge of game shows past and present.
• Organize a game show tournament that runs through multiple training modules and days. Display a leader board in the office or training room to keep competition going.
• Bring your classroom game show online or into your webinar with QuizPoint and AllPlay Web
• Incorporate videos, pictures and your own sounds into your game show for a highly visual, highly sensory multimedia experience.
  
• Download our latest version of Gameshow Pro v4 with 10 new game board designs.
• Try a new game show format--Gameshow Pro alone has 6 different styles. Varying the game play can add freshness to a classroom game show.
• Have trainees create their own questions as part of a mid-training review, then use them in the game show to review.
  
• Catch up on game show hosting tips in our comprehensive learning center.
• Use a Classroom Feud-style game show to preview content and generate curiosity around a topic.
  
• Join our Facebook Fan Page for frequent, exclusive tips and updates.
• Get ready for our beta version of Gameshow Pro v5--coming in late summer!

Individual Assessment vs. Team Play

We've talked quite a bit about the strength and appeal of team competition in game shows. However, there are times when individual play may be more appropriate--even in a training setting.

Team Play:
• Allows contestants to be "safe"
• Enables trainees to learn from their peers
• Utilizes competition to add energy to the room
• Allows a trainer to get a general sense of group progress/review en masse, etc.

Individual Play:
• Allows a game show to become a less-stressful assessment tool
• Illuminates individual knowledge gaps
• Caters to those who may be opposed to team play

However, there's a third "blended" approach--team play with audience-response pads--that allows you to both group people on teams, and individually assess them. This mixed approach combines the competitive elements and the supportive environment of a team with the specific assessment element that appeals to the accountability of learning management systems.

1. Find a program that can accommodate the blended individual/team approach--like AllPlay or our upcoming release of Gameshow Pro (version 5)--with individual keypads and team gameplay.
2. Assign keypads to individuals. Usually this can be done beforehand, or you can do this when students are in-classroom.
3. You can either assign students to teams, let them assign themselves, or split the room once students are seated. We recommend seating teams apart from each other so correct answers don't get "passed around". There's still a team cohesion even though team members may not be close in proximity.

Each individual's answer will go to their team's score--the final tally being the total percentage of correct answers per team. On the back end, you can also track individual responses by keypad, but during gameplay, responses can remain anonymous to give the experience of a safe, fun learning environment.

Ten Points to Gryffindor: Using Team Points to Motivate Trainees

Anyone who has smallish children, or (ehhem) is like me and occasionally reads young adult fiction, is probably familiar with Harry Potter and, consequently, the world of Hogwarts (School of Witchcraft and Wizardry).

In the books and movies, the instructors at Hogwarts use point systems throughout the year as both an incentive for good behavior/academics and a deterrent for bad behavior. At the end of the year, the house with the most points gets the cup.

We could take a lesson from Hogwarts. But how does this apply to training? Well, team points can be incredibly motivating in a training session. They can be used to:

• Reward "good" behavior (i.e. on-time attendance)
• Encourage participation
• Reinforce correct answers
• Engage trainees as individuals and teams

Even if trainees don't know each other, and even if the "prize" at the end of the session is insignificant (or if there is no prize), competition still adds an element of fun and responsibility to a training session that might not otherwise be there.

Game shows: Game shows are a great way for teams to earn points in a team competition. You can either add a single game to a training session, or have a game that runs throughout the day (previewing information, reviewing information, teaching information, etc). You can use the same format in different rounds (i.e. Multiple matches of a Jeopardy-style game) or you can use different game formats. Game shows can even be structured in tournament style to make them an event within the training.

Knowledge Bucks: A great way to keep individuals engaged and participating in a less structured session is "Monopoly money" or Knowledge Bucks. This funny-money can be given out when individuals respond to a question, arrive on time, etc. Team members can put them in a designated box, and they are added to the team's total score. These can be tallied during breaks.

Energizers: Have the teams organize a post-lunch cheer, with the most creative, on-point and well-executed cheer receiving the most points. Have a paper-toss where members write questions on paper, crumple them up and toss them around until a designated time period passes and one person from each team must answer the question in their hand--for a certain number of points a piece. Activities like this both contribute to the energy of the room and the team competition.

Leader Board: Have a leader board that shows the tally of team scores for all activities--game shows, knowledge bucks, team cheers, etc. Update it at breaks so teams can see where they stand and to stoke a little competition. This doesn't have to be anything fancy--a grid on a white board or a PowerPoint slide will do nicely.

Game Show Minute May 2010

Believe it or not, we occasionally find resistance to using game shows--based solely on the fact that they are a game show. Here are ways of overcoming the game show bias and getting buy-in.

Game Show Makeovers

A lot of people resolve to make changes in the new year; to try a new hobby, to get more active, to put more effort into their appearance, etc. It's a time for renewal and reevaluation, reflecting on what works and what doesn't and then adjusting accordingly for the future.

Game shows shouldn't escape the resolution revolution--here are ways that you can refresh your existing game shows:

New Game Skins: Sometimes we all need a bit of a makeover. You can put a fresh "skin" on your game board, revamping the look. This can either be an arbitrary design (maybe you'd like a game show with a more retro or more modern feel, for instance) or you can use your game show to further your company's brand--incorporating your logo and company colors into the game board. (To see more about customizing game boards, go here.)


Try a Different Game Show: Most trainers I speak with use the Categories or Jeopardy-style game in their training most often. This is excellent if they have a lot of information that they want to review quickly with a straightforward question-and-answer format. However, different game show formats suit different purposes. Try Tic-Tac-Toe for brainstorming, Classroom Feud for processes and procedures, or Final answer to utilize different resources (i.e. subject matter experts can be "lifelines").

Transform Your Game Show: You don't have to play a game show the existing way or in the existing format. For instance, we've found that using the Tic-Tac-Toe board as a Hollywood Squares-style game show is incredibly effective for teaching information. Because the "expert" is on the spot--and trainees only have to agree or disagree with *their* answer, it gives attendees with little idea of the content a good introduction and base of knowledge.

Add Variety in Existing Game Play: Game shows are ultimately a flexible tool. Change the rules to suit how you want to play. For instance, one of the best examples of modified game play we've seen deals with the training materials themselves. Contestants in the game show were allowed to look up answers in their training manuals and resource books, because in that case knowing *where* to find the answers when they needed them was as important as knowing them right off the top of their head. Playing the game show this way allowed for participants to develop a deep familiarity with the materials that they carried back on the job.

These aren't the only examples, of course, of how to give your game show a makeover--both visually and through the rules and game play. Game show templates offer enough flexibility for you to play them exactly how you NEED to play them to achieve your training goals.

Using Game Shows as an Instructional Tool

Using Game Shows as an Instructional Tool

By Dan Yaman, CEO, and Missy Covington, Communications, LearningWare, Inc.

Republished from eLearn: Best Practices

As more and more corporate and K-12 instructors gravitate towards interactive and attention-grabbing instructional techniques, many are starting to see the intrinsic benefits of using game shows. Our experiences, and those of hundreds of instructors, have shown that when learners play game shows their energy levels surge, they pay attention, and they remember more of the instructional content.

Game shows are an appealing medium—they provide healthy competition, have entertainment value, and are a cultural staple both in the U.S. and internationally. However, many instructors are unable to come up with a practical and justifiable way to use them. They are sometimes met with resistance from skeptical supervisors and financiers. What follows are a few of the most frequently voiced objections and our time-tested responses.

"Game shows aren't serious enough-they're just for fun." Training and teaching is a serious business. It's critical that learners absorb and retain content. Game shows are fun, but they're not just fun for fun's sake—they can engage learners so instructors can get serious messages across.

Using game shows can be a way to convey sensitive or serious material in a way that doesn't intimidate learners. This informal training tool opens up discussion around a topic and can "break the ice," making learners feel at ease in the training session and with the material at hand.

"Our employees or students would never buy into, or get excited about playing a game show." Game shows appeal to learners of all ages. We've personally conducted game shows that were "expected" to fail because the audience "just won't get into it." We've never had an experience (with any audience, ever) where the game show didn't appeal to a majority of the audience. There are a few reasons behind this:

• Everyone loves to compete; people love to show what they know and see if they can answer given questions.
• Game shows are a medium that people of all ages can relate to—nearly everyone has seen a game show in some format. They're easy to understand and pick up without complex instruction.
• Game shows appeal to all learning styles—they allow visual learners to see the question and surrounding information; auditory learners to hear the question and discuss answers; and kinesthetic learners to ring in, cheer, and participate.

"Our content is too complex to fit into a game show format." Information is more readily absorbed when broken into smaller chunks and information groups—as is required in a game show format. We've seen game shows used successfully in every type of training situation—from learning about the American Revolution, to rocket science, to OSHA standards, to general corporate policies and procedures.

"We just don't have time to do this with all the other information we have to teach and assessments we have to give." Any type of training and instruction requires a method of review. Learners need to hear information multiple times in order to retain that information. Game shows can be used in place of an "ordinary" review, or can supplement an already existing review process. Game shows can incorporate pre-existing review exercises like role-plays, quick question-and-answer sessions, and learner demonstrations.

Game shows can also take the place of a formal assessment—many game show software programs allow instructors to record results by individual learners. This method of assessment can be less stressful and more accessible than traditional paper-and-pencil methods.

How to Use Game Shows
Game shows are used most frequently in three basic ways: previewing information, reviewing information, and as an energizing event. How an instructor uses a game show depends on the type of content they're presenting and the structure of their information session.

Using game shows as a preview mechanism in a training session can make trainees aware of their gaps, generate curiosity for an upcoming topic, and let instructors know what they need to cover in depth (and what they can skip over). "Family Feud"-style game shows work well for previewing information since you can ask questions that have multiple answers. For instance, you could build interest in a topic like customer-service policy by asking: "What are our customers' top-five complaints?" When previewing information with game shows, be "forgiving" about right or wrong answers, and consider eliminating (or minimizing) penalties for wrong answers.

Game shows are among the most powerful content-review tools around. They're great for assessment and test preparation, or for just a quick recap. Use game shows as a quick review immediately before an exam to alleviate test anxiety and refresh learners' minds. Review after a long training session to "cement" the content in trainees' brains and to provide an emotionally compelling final event.

Almost any game show can be used to review information, but for a quick-fire review session we like to use a Jeopardy!-style game show. This rapid question-answer format allows instructors to cover a lot of information in a short period of time, and as point-levels increase, they can increase the difficulty level of their questions. "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", Tic-Tac-Toe, College Bowl, and "Wheel of Fortune"-style game shows also work well for reviewing information-and most can accommodate both short-answer and multiple-choice questions.

There's nothing wrong with using a game show to simply raise the energy level in a classroom or training session. Play a quick, fast-paced game show (like "Jeopardy!") with content that may be one level easier than you would usually use. The purpose is to "warm up" your audience and give them a positive, successful experience—not to stump them. We've also played ice breaker game shows that have nothing to do with the content at hand-using current-event or pop-culture trivia.

A Unique Experience
However an instructor chooses to use them, game shows provide learners with an experience unlike anything else. They motivate learners to pay attention during a training session, they engage and captivate the audience like no other training method, and—most importantly—they are a tool with which instructors can deliver and elaborate on their content. Most instructors know that teaching isn't just about standing up and lecturing anymore—today's learners crave interaction and excitement. As a result, game shows are a practical addition to an instructor's toolkit.

About the Authors
Dan Yaman, CEO, and Missy Covington, Communications, of LearningWare, Inc. have created and consulted on thousands of game shows in hundreds of training scenarios over the years. They are also authors of the book, I'll Take Learning for 500: Using Game Shows to Engage, Motivate and Train.

Millennials and Game Show Training

Millennials (those born after 1980, or so--depending on which research group you ask) are entering the workforce in droves. This is only going to increase over the next few years as "Boomers" retire and job positions open up.

This means that the Millennials are coming--and trainers are having to find new ways to engage them.

Recent research has discovered something particularly unique to Millennials:

The love to collaborate.

Positive or negative, collaboration is the lifeblood of the Millennial generation. They grew up working in teams and getting constant feedback from teachers, parents and peers.

This is why, when we've spoken to trainers, game shows are absolutely critical in the training classroom. Why game shows, though? Why not just some other interactive activity?

Game shows:

• Are cross-generational. A Millennial can play a Categories game along with a Boomer or a Gen-X-er. It's a familiar format for all generations currently in the workplace.
• Capitalize on competition. They're a friendly, non-threatening way to introduce competition into a training classroom; raising the stakes and increasing accountability.
• Encourage team work and collaboration. Peers play together on teams, so everyone is involved and interacting with each other.
• Are incredibly engaging. The Millennial generation is used to interactive activities and multimedia. The training-by-powerpoint-only method is particularly ineffective in the group that wants to be entertained and engaged while they learn.
• Reinforce content. "I was learning, but I didn't know I was learning," was a comment from a high-school student we interviewed a few years ago. Game shows reinforce training content and increase retention of material by over 62%.

It's true that Millennials aren't the only generation that wants to be engaged, but with the advent of Millennials, more trainers are thinking about reinventing their training--and game shows (like Gameshow Pro) are a great start.

Extending an Invitation

Recently, we were at ASTD conference delivering a workshop on using game shows in training called, appropriately: "I'll take Learning for 500."

We ended with a slide that said "You've got a friend in the business." It had the contact information for both Dan Yaman, the founder and CEO of LearningWare, and Missy Covington, the communications director. (It even included Dan's cell phone number!)

What we meant by that was that the participants in the workshop could contact us up any time to ask questions about using game shows in their training sessions--even if they weren't using our software. These questions could range from hosting the game to creating the questions, to setting up the room for a game show...anything game show related in training, and we'd be willing to help.

Because we're *that* passionate about using game shows in training, we would like to extend this invitation to you.

1.800.457.5661
x207 for Dan
x237 for Missy

dan@learningware.com
missy@learningware.com

We're dedicated to making your training successful using game shows. So give us a call today, and start revolutionizing your training.

5 Game Show Myths that Simply aren’t True

Simply saying “Game Show” can evoke a strong reaction in your training classroom—or amongst peers and superiors. Because everyone has experience with game shows in some form, everyone comes to the classroom with their own vision of what a “game show” should be like. Unfortunately, a lot of the time this vision doesn’t compliment training, and leads people away from using game shows in a training situation. Fortunately, the most common “myths” or misconceptions associated with using game shows can be easily corrected.

Myth #1: Game Shows Wouldn’t Appeal to my Trainees.

Truth: So your trainees are serious. They’re white-collar executives, they’re blue-collar miners, they’re doctors, they’re temps, etc. That definitely doesn’t mean that they won’t like game shows. Game shows provide an opportunity for your trainees to express their knowledge, compete, socialize and take a break from the ordinary. We’ve seen a lot of groups that no one would have pegged for “game show contestants” really get into the game show. This is because game shows aren’t just a novelty—they appeal to the fun side of everyone—no matter how “serious” or “technical” the person.

Myth #2: Game Shows Won’t Work for my Subject.

Truth: Game shows work with almost any subject you can train. Game shows can be adapted to fit both fact-based and brainstorming content, as well as both hard and soft skills training. We’ve seen trainers use game shows for everything from (literally) rocket science to harassment training. Game shows can help you facilitate complex subjects by breaking them down into smaller “chunks” within the game show, and can aid in discussion of “sensitive” topics by breaking down barriers and allowing everyone to relax.

Myth #3: Game Shows Take Too Much Time to Create.

Truth: Initially the act of creating a game show can take up to a few hours. However, software (like Gameshow Pro) can make this process quicker by giving you templates with which to create your game. Once you’ve created a game or two, creation becomes faster. You may also “refresh” an already-created game by adding in new questions, adding a few extra elements to a question, or simply rearranging the question order. Gameshow Pro version 4’s Question Library allows you to drag-and-drop questions into a game show, meaning that creating a game can literally take as few as 5 minutes.

Myth #4: I Don’t Have Time for a Game Show in My Training.

Truth: Most trainers do some kind of content review—so why not make that review more effective? Your training is too important NOT to be remembered. Use the time when you would normally do an oral review to do a 5-15 minute game show. (In fact, when compared to oral reviews, game shows increase exam scores by over 60%.) Game shows don’t have to be long to be effective either. If you have 3-5 minutes, insert a few questions from the game show to review and perk up your trainees. You can either have the short segments stand alone, or you can add up the teams’ points from all the “mini” rounds to get a final score at the end of the training session.

Myth #5: We Just Can’t DO that Kind of Thing Here.

Truth: We’ve been taught that training is serious business. That’s absolutely true and it’s also why it’s so important to deliver training in a memorable way—even if the way in question is a bit unconventional. Game shows don’t have to be tacky, loud or over-the-top—they can be tailored to fit your company’s culture. Sometimes doing little things like changing the game’s name to “Review Activity” can change the perception of the game show within the company. Game shows don’t “fit” only a particular brand of training, they can be modified to fit YOUR training.

Bonus 6th Myth: I Can’t Be a Game Show Host.

Truth: As a trainer, you’re already the face of your company or department. You’re delivering content, ensuring compliance, and putting yourself “out there” every day, even if you’re not physically in front of trainees. Almost anyone can be an effective game show host whether they’re more introverted or more extroverted. The key is to play to your own style. If you’re not a flamboyant person then that’s not going to be the hosting style for you. If you REALLY don’t want to host the game show, you can create a game show and have one of your peers host, or you can even get trainees to take turns hosting questions and you can contribute training content as needed.

The Top 5 Ways to Increase Assessment Scores Using Game Shows.

Game shows are a fun addition to a training session. There’s no doubt that they increase trainee engagement, excitement and the energy level in any session. But let’s get down to brass tacks here—having fun for fun’s sake isn’t enough. Game shows have been proven to increase trainees’ assessment scores and content retention on job-critical evaluations. Here are some tips to ensure that you get real results from your game show.

1. Use Game Shows to Review Information.
To review your content, play a game show at the end of each content module. Let trainees know beforehand that they’ll be playing a game show, and highlight which pieces of information might show up in that game show later. Before an exam, create a game show with questions from all different content areas to both energize your trainees, and refresh their memories. Word the questions in your game show in the way they will be asked on a evaluation to prepare trainees for the exam format. Try Categories for quick fact-based reviews.

2. Add Additional Information and Multimedia.
Add multimedia to your game show to enhance and add information. Giving trainees a picture, sound or video clip to associate with a piece of information will help them recall facts when it comes to evaluation time. Trainees’ attention is at its peak directly after a question has been answered—they’re curious about the topic and ready to hear more. Make sure to use this time to add additional information, expand on your material, clarify a point, or clear up any misconceptions or misunderstandings.

3. Make a Game Show “Open Book”.
Use the game show to give your trainees a starting point for their own practice or home studying. Familiarize trainees with their manuals, books, catalogs and other training materials by allowing them to use them during the game show. This type of game show is less about knowing facts, and more about finding answers quickly and reinforcing the places in training materials where trainees should look to review content.

4. Focus on the Material.
Quick fact-based reviews are great right before an evaluation when trainees have done most of their own review. However, to reinforce and uncover knowledge gaps you’ll want to play a slower-paced game that allows trainees to discuss and focus on material for an extended period of time. Short-answer and role-play questions in a Tic-Tac-Toe or Knowledge Bowl allow you to foster discussions and brainstorming around a topic. Trainees will also gather an understanding of what they don’t know, or need to focus on in their own time.

5. Play in Teams.
Use the power of peer learning to help trainees gather information that they’re missing and share their own knowledge with their peers. Playing in teams instead of as individual contestants allows trainees to discuss answers and focus on content without feeling singled out. A game show is a great complement to work review groups as well—a few trainees can play a game show on their own instead of in a large group.

Bonus Tip: Ease text anxiety. Play a quick-fire review game immediately before taking an examination. This shows trainees how much of the content the actually DO know—relieving some fears--and brings the information to the front of their thinking. This is particularly beneficial in job-critical tests where high stakes can lead to high anxiety.

Additional Resources:
We have a great network of trainers that advise and give feedback on using game shows in their training. Here is an independent study sent in by Candace Armstrong—a Trainer and user of LearningWare’s Gameshow Pro:

Candace took several groups of trainees and divided them into two categories: Trainees who would review for a critical exam with Gameshow Pro, and those who would review without Gameshow Pro. Candace conducted a review for both groups. She used the same questions, worded in the same way—the variable factor was putting the questions into a Gameshow Pro game, or reading them orally.

The results? 63% more people passed the exam reviewing with Gameshow Pro, the passing scores in this group was also higher-as were the overall scores.
"Playing the game really makes a difference," says Candace, "I have had many students tell me after the exam that they would never have passed without playing the review game. They could even remember who answered what question and whether or not they answered it correctly."