The workplace is changing rapidly. Employees now bring different expectations, priorities, and technological proficiencies. Millennial and Gen Z workers have grown up with learning is not limited to classroom lectures, they expect more innovations and creativities.
Thus, traditional training should evolve as well to adapt to the interests of the young.
It is why incorporating interactive games for training sessions is an unavoidable trend. Let's take a closer look at the best 14 interactive games for training sessions to increase employee's engagement and satisfaction.
Table of Contents
Why We Need Interactive Games For Training Sessions
With budgets tight across sectors, no manager wants to pursue hip new trends without evidence behind them. Fortunately, data validates the positive impacts of adopting interactive games for training sessions.
Studies by researchers like Karl Kapp show interactive learning simulations and games improve recall by over 70% compared to lectures or textbooks. Trainees are also 85% more motivated to learn using gaming methods.
At technology giant Cisco, an interactive customer service game played by 2300 trainees increased knowledge retention by 9% while cutting onboarding time nearly in half. L’Oréal saw similar results through branded role-playing games introducing new cosmetic products, which lifted in-game sales conversion rates up to 167% higher than standard e-learning training.
18+ Best Interactive Games For Training Sessions
Ready to make a change in corporate training Equip your quest with these top interactive games for training sessions. Easy to set up and full of thrills.
Icebreaker questions
- 👫Audience size: Small to large (5-100+ participants)
- 📣 Settings: In-person or virtual
- ⏰ Time: 5-15 minutes
Starting a training session can be challenging. You want everyone, including yourself, to feel relaxed and interested. If things feel stiff or awkward at the start, it can make the whole training less fun. That's why starting with an icebreaker game is a great idea. Pick a question that fits your group and matches what you'll be training. This helps connect your trainees to the topic in a friendly way.
To make it even more joyful, use a spinning wheel to choose who answers. This way, everyone gets a chance to join in, and it keeps the energy high in the room.
Here's an example: Let's say you're talking about communicating better at work. You could ask, "What's the hardest talk you've had at work? How did you deal with it?" Then spin the wheel to pick a few people to share their stories.
Why it works: This gets people thinking about the topic and sharing what they know. It's a great way to start your training with everyone feeling involved and interested.
Trivia Quizzes
- 👫Audience size: Small to large (10-100+ participants)
- 📣Settings: In-person or virtual
- ⏰ Time: 15-30 minutes
Quiz is not new in training program, but the thing that make it become special is the employment of gamification elements. Gamified-based trivia quiz is the best choice for training game. It is fun and engaging, which can create healthy competition among learners. While you can use traditional ways to host trivia, yet using interactive quiz platform like AhaSlides can be more effective and time-saving.
Why it works: This approach transforms training into a dynamic and interactive journey, leaving participants motivated and eager to explore more.
Mission Possible
- 👫Audience size: Medium to large (20-100 participants)
- 📣Settings: In-person or virtual
- ⏰ Time: 30-60 minutes
The environment shapes behaviour. Team Challenge "Mission Possible" can help you create a place where people can compete and work together in a nice way. Use AhaSlides to set up a series of quick tasks: quizzes, word clouds, and polls. Divide participants into teams. Set a timer. Then? Watch engagement skyrocket!
Why it works: Small challenges lead to small wins. Small wins build momentum. Momentum fuels motivation. The leaderboard taps into our natural desire for progress and comparison. Teams push each other to excel, encouraging a culture of continuous improvement.
Guess the Image
- 👫Audience size: Small to large (10-100+ participants)
- 📣Settings: In-person or virtual
- ⏰ Time: 15-30 minutes
Turn hidden images into a fun guessing game that grabs everyone's attention. Use the image quiz feature in AhaSlides to show a close-up picture of an idea, word, or thing that is related to your training material. As people try to figure out what they're seeing, slowly zoom out to show more details. The excitement grows as the picture gets better. Everyone is more eager to figure it out when people guess wrong.
Why it works: This game isn't just entertaining - it can reinforce visual learning and sharpen problem-solving skills. As the picture gets better and more right answers to come in, the excitement will grow, and learning will happen in real-time.
Debate Showdown
- 👫Audience size: Medium (20-50 participants)
- 📣Settings: In-person or virtual
- ⏰ Time: 30-60 minutes
Ideas that survive criticism become stronger. Setting up a debate using AhaSlides, why not? Present a challenging topic. Divide the group. Let the arguments fly. With live reactions, you can get comments and emojis in real-time. Then, end with a poll to see which team made the most convincing case.
Why it works: Defending ideas sharpens thinking. Using emojis to give and receive instant feedback keeps everyone interested. The final vote brings things to a close and makes everyone feel like they had a say.
Collaborative Word Cloud
- 👫Audience size: Small to large (10-100+ participants)
- 📣Settings: In-person or virtual
- ⏰ Time: 10-20 minutes
In recent years, the use of word cloud is not just about looking for the keyword density, but it is an interactive training game for making team collaboration. Whether learners excel in visual, auditory, or kinesthetic modes, the interactive nature of the word cloud ensures inclusivity and engagement for all participants.
Scavenger Hunt
- 👫Audience size: Small to medium (10-50 participants)
- 📣Settings: In-person or virtual
- ⏰Time: 30-60 minutes
This is a classic game for social events and educational programs, and trainers can utilise it for corporate training. It involves participants searching for specific items, solving clues, or completing tasks within a defined space. This game is good for both offline and online settings. For example, Zoom and AhaSlides can be used to create a Virtual Scavenger Hunt where everyone can share their video feeds while they search for items or complete challenges.
Role-play Game
- 👫Audience size: Small to medium (10-50 participants)
- 📣Settings: In-person or virtual
- ⏰Time: 30-60 minutes
Utilizing role-play as a training game is also a great idea. It can help to enhance communication, interpersonal skills, conflict resolution, negotiation, and more. It is important to give feedback on the role-play game because it is a practical way to reinforce learning and guide participants toward improvement.
Human Knot
- 👫Audience size: Small to medium (8-20 participants)
- 📣Settings: In-person only
- ⏰ Time: 15-30 minutes
Good corporate training should involve physical activities. Rather than sitting in one place, getting the body moving with a human knot game is an excellent idea. The goal of the game is to promote teamwork and bonding. What makes it one of the great interactive games for training sessions is everyone cannot let go of each other's hands.
Helium Stick
- 👫Audience size: Small (6-12 participants)
- 📣Settings: In-person only
- ⏰ Time: 10-20 minutes
To quickly break the ice and increase energy, helium stick is a great option. This training game is best for encourage laughter, interaction, and a positive group atmosphere. It is easy to set up, all you need is a long, lightweight pole (such as a PVC pipe) that the group will hold horizontally using only their index fingers. No gripping or pinching is allowed. If someone loses contact, the group must start over.
The Question Game
- 👫Audience size: Small to large (5-100+ participants)
- 📣Settings: In-person or virtual
- ⏰ Time: 15-30 minutes
What are the best interactive games for training sessions? There are no better game than the question games like The 20 questions game, Would you rather..., Never have ever..., This or That, and more. The element of fun and unexpected questions can bring laughter, joy, and connection to the whole group. Some great questions to start like: "Would you rather go deep-sea diving or bungee jumping?", or "Shoes or slippers?", "Cookies or chips?".
"Find Two People"
- 👫Audience size: Medium to large (20-100+ participants)
- 📣Settings: In-person preferred, can be adapted for virtual
- ⏰ Time: 15-30 minutes
The premise is straightforward: participants are given a list of characteristics or traits, and the goal is to find two people in the group who match each criterion. It not only promotes interaction and communication but also lays the foundation for a collaborative and interconnected group dynamic.
The Hot Seat
- 👫Audience size: Small to medium (10-30 participants)
- 📣Settings: In-person or virtual
- ⏰ Time: 20-40 minutes
In "The Hot Seat," a participant takes on the role of the interviewee while others ask spontaneous questions. This engaging activity promotes quick thinking, communication skills, and the ability to respond under pressure. It's an excellent tool for team building, fostering a deeper understanding among participants as they explore different perspectives and personalities.
Question Balls
- 👫Audience size: Small to medium (10-30 participants)
- 📣Settings: In-person only
- ⏰ Time: 15-30 minutes
"Question Balls" involve participants tossing a ball to each other, with each catch requiring the catcher to answer a question found on the ball. It the a great combination of workout and the question game. The trainer can tailor the questions that align with training program or aims for get to know each others.
Telephone
- 👫Audience size: Small to medium (10-30 participants)
- 📣Settings: In-person preferred, can be adapted for virtual
- ⏰ Time: 10-20 minutes
In the "Telephone" game, participants form a line, and a message is whispered from person to person. The last person then reveals the message, often with humorous distortions. This classic icebreaker highlights the challenges of communication and the importance of clarity, making it one of the best interactive games for training sessions.
Catchphrase Game
- 👫Audience size: Small to medium (6-20 participants)
- 📣Settings: In-person or virtual
- ⏰ Time: 20-30 minutes
Old but gold! This parlour game shows not only how witty, logical and quick-thinking the abilities of players are but also strengthens the harmony among team members. In this lively game, participants strive to convey a given word or phrase without using specific "taboo" words.
Mad Libs
- 👫Audience size: Small to medium (5-30 participants)
- 📣Settings: In-person or virtual
- ⏰ Time: 15-30 minutes
Many training programs in recently appreciate mad libs game. This interactive training game is best for fostering creativity, enhancing communication skills, and injecting an element of fun into the learning experience. It is a traditionally word game where participants fill in the blanks with random words to create humorous stories. Explore customizable templates using interactive tools like AhaSlides. This is especially useful for virtual or remote training sessions.
Shoe Scrambler
- 👫Audience size: Medium (15-40 participants)
- 📣Settings: In-person only
- ⏰ Time: 20-30 minutes
Sometimes, it is great to loosen up and work with each other, and that is why the shoe scrambler was created. In this game, participants remove their shoes and throw them into a pile. The shoes are then mixed up, and each participant randomly selects a pair that is not their own. The objective is to find the owner of the shoes they've picked by engaging in casual conversations. It breaks down barriers, encourages people to interact with colleagues they may not know well, and injects a sense of playfulness into the work environment.
Trainer Feedback: What They're Saying
Don't just take our word for it. Here's what trainers across various industries are saying about using AhaSlides to host interactive games for training sessions...
"It's a very very fun way to build teams. Regional managers are super happy to have AhaSlides because it really energises people. It's fun and visually attractive."
Gabor Toth (Talent Development and Training Coordinator at Ferrero Rocher)
"AhaSlides makes hybrid facilitation inclusive, engaging and fun."
Saurav Atri (Executive Leadership Coach at Gallup)
More Tips for Training Sessions
- How to Develop Personalized Training Plan | 2024 Reveal
- Top 5 Staff Training Software That Are Most Used Now | Updated in 2024
- Planning a Training Session Effectively in 2024
Key Takeaways
Gamification and interactive presentations are the future of effective corporate training. Don't limit corporate training with pens and lectures. Add interactive games in the virtual ways with AhaSlides. By learning how to make presentations interactive with games, trainers can ensure that their sessions are both engaging and effective. With personalized, branded games aligned tightly to real-world responsibilities, training becomes the reason for employee engagement, satisfaction and commitment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I make my training session more interactive?
Incorporate games like trivia, roleplaying, and hands-on challenges, which force engagement and application of lessons. This interactivity cements knowledge better than passive lectures.
How do you make training sessions fun?
Design interactive activities like competitive quizzes, simulations, and adventure games that build excitement and collaboration while teaching. This inherent fun drives participation organically.
How do you engage people in a training session?
Draw people into an experience like story-based games tailored to reinforcing skills, rather than forcing dry presentations on them. Interactive challenges spark deeper engagement.
How can I make computer training fun?
Incorporate multiplayer quizzes, digital scavenger hunts, avatar roleplay, and quest-based lessons driven by friendly competition into eLearning for an adventurous game-like experience that amplifies engagement.
Ref: EdApp
