Gamification Talk Radio

Is there a business that doesn’t want to have motivated users and engaged customers? How about a company that doesn’t crave higher productivity of happy employees? There has been different mindsets and disciplines to answer the need, but all share a toolbox that uses the tools of creativity and fun. No matter what they call the package, it’s here to stay. In this episode, we explore such questions as: Is game design an essential part of Engagement Solution Design? How to handle cultural and environmental differences in gamification design? Why do we need different opinions while designing a solution?   About Alireza Ranjbar Shourabi: CEO/co-founder and game designer of “Art of Light and Motion Interactive Softwares”. He has also co-founded “IRAN Gamification Association” which is a community for Gamification enthusiasts to gather around the subject. He has been rated #2 in “Global Gamification Gurus Power 100” in 2017; designed engagement solutions and gamified campaigns for Fintech, E-learning, E-health, O

This week my guest is Rob Alvarez of the Professor Game Podcast - www.professorgame.com   For several years, Rob has been creating the engaging interactive learning materials used every day in business education at a leading business school. Since he jumped onto gamification he's been searching for as much information out there as he could find and applying it to projects with epic wins and lessons learned. Recently Rob launched the Professor Game podcast professorgame.com where he offers his listeners the opportunity to learn from his guests as they disclose their offer the listeners all the possible value to learn from their wildest successes and their FAILs (First Attempt in Learning).  In this interview you’ll get the best of what Rob’s been able to learn in less than thirty minutes, including: Why gamification is the way to go about learning. Key learning's from IE Business School's publishing department. What you can take from his journey and apply to your own practice. About Rob Alvarez:  Rob is a sp

In this episode, Zach and I explore why using a third party to find the right gamification software is a must in today’s saturated software market. TechnologyAdvice.com has the solution to help businesses find which software is ideal for a company’s unique needs. Best of all? The service is free. A few things covered in this podcast will include: Common problems gamification software buyers are trying to solve How to use a service like TechnologyAdvice to find the right software How this service is free Why you should use TechnologyAdvice to find your perfect software About our Guest:  Zach Jones is the VP of Sales at TechnologyAdvice. He is a marketing-minded sales leader who has a passion for helping clients connect with buyers through innovative marketing programs. Zach is not afraid to challenge the status quo when it comes to traditional marketing strategies and loves to push marketers to think differently about how they drive results for their business. As a Nashville native and graduate of Middle Ten

Organizations across the Middle East have used gamification over the past few years to address lack of user engagement within their organizations and the marketplace. And just as businesses in the U.S. and Europe are using gamification to build community, clarify objectives, and motivate teams, organizations across the Middle East are reaping the rewards of these gamified programs. In this episode, Ahmed and I explore: A brief analysis of Gamification in Middle East The differences in designing Gamification in different cultures The reshaping  of the Gamification industry in the Middle East About our Guest: Ahmed Hossam:The International Gamification Confederation (Gamfed) Ambassador in Egypt, Ahmed is a Keynote speaker, Consultant, Designer and Facilitator on Gamification. He is Currently the president of Gamification Egypt and the Founder of Gampact. In July, 2017 he was Rated #2 in the “Global Gamification Gurus Power 100” based in the United Kingdom. He has helped a variety of companies, from seed stage

There is a growing nervousness in L&D about how to provide value in an industry that hasn’t changed much since the adoption of the LMS and the ability to create videos on demand. The bottom line is that EdTech has not evolved at the same pace as productivity tools like marketing automation and CRMs. And the result is that traditional training, of which I will include eLearning, does not have an impact on performance like it should; instead the objective of training is course completion rather than business impact. Fortunately, technology is catching up and there are solutions. In this episode Colin and I discuss: Gamification and Micro-learning are these just another fad? The gap between training and performance Barriers holding L&D back from fully engaging gamification Recommendations for organizations who want to start with gamification   About our Guest:  Colin Daymude Colin is the former owner of one of the fastest growing training companies in America; training over 20k employees in the two yea

Is it a Game… or is it Gamification? What's the Difference? E-learning is a fundamental piece of business training strategy. While this method of training provides many useful ways of transferring information, the larger challenge is how to best sustain that learning. In recent years, many companies have moved toward creating “gamified” courses for their learners, but what exactly does that mean?  What are the basic elements of a gamified approach to training design? How can I use gamification to get my learners more engaged? How does gamification drive knowledge retention?  Let’s explore how gamification is similar to, and different from, creating games and how you can leverage the strengths of each - to design captivating experiences for your learners.     About our Guest:  Chuck Sigmund Chuck is the Senior Program Manager of Instructional Design for Amazon Global Customer Service. He has a passion for leveraging state-of-the-art techniques to make learning as engaging and impactful as possible. Over the

Many trainers and instructional designers have already discovered the power of storytelling in a practical sense – they have observed how compelling a well-constructed narrative can be. But recent scientific work is putting a much finer point on just how stories change our attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Should we incorporate into every training or presentation some kind compelling, story or narrative? Will a powerful narrative make your information more persuasive and memorable? Can stories be used to manipulate your learners?   About our Guest:  Jonathan Peters, PhD Jonathan holds a Master Certification in the Reiss profile He is an international speaker and writer and has spoken before audiences from Melbourne, Australia to Augusta, Maine. His specialty is marketing and customer experience, helping audiences identify what motivates their customers and learn how to speak toward those motivators. Jonathan has authored four books, including Cavemen Can’t Market, the first the Caveman Trilogy. He has also

My guest this week is Michael Matera and our topic today is:  Gamification in Education What does gamification look like in the education space? Does gamification in education have the power unlock both student’s potential, creativity and enthusiasm? What does it do for the teachers? Michael and I are will explore with you how teachers can use powerful game machines in their courses and lesson design to build their courses in such a way to inspire lifelong learning and unlock a student’s real potential. Michael is driven to transform education through theoretical and technological applications that identify and inspire limitless learning thresholds in ourselves and in our students.  Join the transformation of education by visiting his website and educational blog Explorelikeapirate.com.   About Michael Matera:  Michael Matera has taught for more than a decade using interactive play, passion and purpose-driven learning to transform the classroom in international, public and private schools. He is a pioneer i

Used by elite athletes and military Special Forces to heighten human performance, by clinicians to improve the cognitive health of patients, and by students to boost learning – NeuroTracker uses a multiple object tracking exercise to: Improve Attention Enhance Executive Function and Working Memory Heighten Visual and Auditory Processing Speed Increase Inhibition and Response Control Elevate Biological Motion Perception On this episode, Monica and Jean discuss how NeuroTracker compares to other brain training applications on the market; the types of benefits those training with NeuroTracker experience; and its efficiency compared to other games.   About Jean Castonguay:  With more than 30 years’ experience as a corporate lawyer and as an entrepreneur, Jean has managed international law and business consulting practices and since 1998 he has held senior management positions in start-up and high-growth companies spanning the life science, technology and manufacturing sectors.  In 2011, Jean was granted the Gen

We are barraged with a constant stream of new ideas for design and delivery of solutions that can improve learning, engagement, and performance. Finding methods to rapidly evaluate innovation, while maximizing the benefits and minimizing the risks, can mean the difference between success and failure. How can you strategically innovate your training so that your learners develop new knowledge faster, become more deeply engaged, and have a greater impact? Emerging technologies are providing many new and different approaches for designing and delivering training ... but where to get started? Today on the program, Monica and David discuss how to strategically innovate your training through the intentional integration of emerging technologies. How can one make sure they are on the success side of innovation? What does that process look like? What are the latest innovations? What are the benefits of partnerships and how does a partnership come about? How can one maintain an appropriate level of risk with innovatio

Big Sponge Hangout – Sharing Insights and Information from The World of Learning Technologies Over the course of four days, some of the biggest names in L&D gathered to share their tips for achieving success across a variety of topics, so that the audience would be able to take away ideas and suggestions to implement into their own L&D programs. In this session:  The right game for you - Are games suitable for your audience, budget and technology? – we explored eLearning games and gamification. Both have been growing in popularity in recent years, yet on the flip side there are some people who are still very nervous about using games. Our discussion was centered around such questions as: What is it about games that make them effective for learning? What are some of the key things L&D Managers should consider before introducing an eLearning game? Games are not necessarily going to be appropriate for all subjects. Are there any scenarios where you think games are particularly appropriate? And what

As gamification becomes more pervasive in learning programs across the globe training professionals have an unique opportunity to generate powerful analytics that can shape future learning experiences. Traditionally learners and their managers have focused on capturing who took the test, when they took it, and what the final score was on the program. While that is important, they are missing out on other important data that when used effectively encourages autonomy and mastery. Throughout this interview listeners will be able to better understand how to set-up their training programs to enable them to measure “real” results and what tools & platforms are best to leverage in order to make them a success. In addition we will address Tin Can/X-API and how standards such as these can create personal learning experiences. In this episode Jordan and Monica discuss: The impact of gamification in learning programs on the data that can be generated What kind of tools are out there for learning professionals to ac

Our topic today is:  Game Thinking and the MVP of Instructional Design with special guest Zsolt Olah. Zsolt participated in Kevin Werbach's G.A.M.E. (Gameful Approaches of Motivation and Engagement) along with researchers and practitioners of game design and gamification such as Karl Kapp, Amy Jo Kim, and Sebastian Deterding. While researchers and practitioners might have disagreed on many levels about gamification, there was one big take away for L&D we all agreed on. Is Instructional Design Dead? Zsolt believes that Instructional Design can be the MVP of the game, but only if we redefine our job and move our focus from the traditional content-driven design to user-centered action design. And that's where Game Thinking comes in. Zsolt likes to refer to the systematic approach overall as Game Thinking, which may result in gamification, game-based learning, the combination of the two or no training at all. It all depends on the business goals. Our discussion today explores: The meaning of Game Thinking fi

This week my guest is David Chandross and our topic is: Gamification Research in Health Care, Addiction, and Higher Ed David has been involved in fascinating research on gamification for health professions and other big projects such as: the training of health care professionals in geriatric care; the conversion of undergraduate degree courses into gamified systems; and the gamification of drug addiction management. In today's episode we discuss such questions as: What benefits does gamification provide for health care, higher education and addiction treatment? Who is doing the cutting edge of research in Canada in this field? Which projects are you currently working on? What is the current priority in gamification research? Do gamified courses provide any measurable advantages for students? What is the future of gamification in higher education? About David Chandross, B.Sc., M.Sc., M.Ed., Ph.D.: A curriculum designer specializing in gamification in the health professions. He holds a doctorate in medical ed

  This week on Gamification Talk Radio, we finish exploring the seven continents on our journey, and review Rules, Rewards, and Results. Level 5:  Siberian Express – Why would they want to play? As you create your gamification experience, think of creative features that will appeal to a variety of intrinsic and/or extrinsic motivators of your players. Define what core drivers of motivation will be most dominant in each phase of the experience. For example, in your onboarding phase you can get your players in quickly with some simple extrinsic motivators. The longer your players are in your game, you’ll want to design for different motivators such as:  Autonomy—the feeling of control of your own destiny. How can you give your player choices or control within a system that works for you to achieve your business objectives? Mastery—building competence and skill. How can you help your players feel smart, capable, or that they are getting better at something? Purpose—connecting with something greater than yoursel

Using the metaphor of a World Explorer, Monica takes you inside her hands-on, gamified playshop to explore the beauty, awe, marvels, and dangers of the seven levels of successful gamification. You'll learn how to plan for your journey and pack wisely to make every item count. This week we continue and explore to more of the seven continents on our journey, and about keeping score and how the game is played. Level 3:  Jungle Standoff – How are you keeping score? How will you know the gamification program you put in place is driving the behaviors you need in order to meet your business objectives? What are the KPIs or benchmarks you will use to measure progress? Define the business metrics or quantifiable output indicators on the basis of achieving your business objective. Decide what numbers you must hit in order for your gamification program to be deemed successful.   Dangers in the Jungle:  Don’t record and measure everything Don’t produce numerous and complicated reports and dashboards Don’t count behavior

Using the metaphor of a World Explorer, Monica takes you inside her hands-on, gamified playshop to explore the beauty, awe, marvels, and dangers of the seven levels of successful gamification. You'll learn how to plan for your journey and pack wisely to make every item count. This week to get started we explore two of the seven continents on our journey, and begin with business objectives and who is playing our game (our learners). Level 1:  Urban Commander – Why are we playing? Starting your gamification journey without knowing your overall business objectives will take you on a road to nowhere. Get agreement on what the real business objectives are. Why are we playing? Beware of Urban Dangers:  Don't try to fix a broken product or service with gamification Don’t start your gamification journey without knowing your overall business objectives – you’ll be on the road to nowhere. Don’t forget to focus on the players – Ask… ‘What’s in it for them?   Level 2:  Bonjour Mon Cher –Who are your players? Who is the

With Special Guest Darryn Van Den Berg – founder of Passion 4 Development (p4d.co.za) – an Organizational Development Company based in Johannesburg, South Africa. In this episode of Gamification Talk Radio, we’ll be discussing How Gamification Increases Value in Corporate Learning and Development.  To increase productivity and improve the bottom line -- savvy corporate T&D executives are quickly discovering the difference between adding Gamification to learning vs. adding GAMES to a learning program. Darryn and his team have applied Gamification to learning programs with some amazing success and we’ll be talking about those success factors today!  You’ll hear: Why learning and development often does not help businesses in increasing their employee productivity and bottom line growth? The difference between Gamification and adding GAMES (simulations etc…) to learning. The challenges the future holds for businesses in their learning requirements and how Gamification is extremely valuable in solving these c

Overview of BLUErabbit | BLUErabbit BLUErabbit is a tool to superpower teachers and students. We want to change education around the world and make sure everyone has access to incredible and meaningful education. Because BLUErabbit is a relatively new platform for educators to use in their classroom – today Bernardo and I discuss what BLUErabbit is and what it isn't. We explore how to apply gamification in the classroom and analyze how it improves classroom engagement and results. Is it possible to take the stress away from grades and focus on learning? Listen and discover why gamification is the answer to the education crisis.   About Bernardo Letayf: Bernardo started as a web designer in 1998. He worked at JWT (marketing agency) for a year and afterwards started his journey in the training world working at EduMac as an Adobe Certified Instructor. In 2008 he started working at the American School Foundation. In 2010 he was introduced by a student to the concept of gamification and has read a

Gamification is way more than badges and high scores on a leaderboard.  It is finding creative and exciting ways to turn everyday work into engagement opportunities!  Between mini disc golf tournaments, rock star awards, happiness wheels, murder mystery dinners and countless other pursuits, at his workplace, my guest today gives his team a compelling story to tell.   Today Nate and I discuss the techniques that have helped his support organization drastically reduce turnover and scale the mountain of engagement.  We’ll cover the many different applications for gamification, including training and change management, while also laying out practical steps to implement your own program. You’ll hear: Types of problems that Gamification can help solve Guidelines for setting up a program Examples of game mechanics that work Things to avoid when creating a program About Nate Brown: Growing up, Nate specialized in “unique” games at least for kids. These included golf, tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. Most of his af