If you’ve ever worn a VR headset, you probably know how it can take you to another world. You might be sitting on your chair but you’re mentally in the world the VR is showing you. This technology has diverse uses – from leisure to training. However, you could be wondering how this technology could teach you soft skills too.
Corporates have found out new ways to train their employees – VR being one of the most efficient ones. When placed in a virtual environment, you are put in the kind of situation you’ll be facing in future. This makes it the most practical way of training any employee.
Let’s take a look at the skills companies have been teaching employees using VR.
Developing Presentation Skills
There are many employees who may have stage fright or lack of experience when it comes to public speaking. Even if you have the experience, you will need it as things work differently in the professional world.
Cognizant has been training their employees using VR technology to help them improve their pitching skills. They have created the training module that comprises of 3 steps:
1. Employees learn the art of story telling through an interactive digital course.
2. They practice giving presentation to a virtual audience created on the avatar.
3. The AI engine built on Google NLP and Parallel Dots API makes an analysis of the employee’s skills to provide feedback. These include body language, emotion and tone.
Communicating with Clients
Be it a face-to-face communication between a salesman and a customer or telecommunication with a client, this is one skill that every company provides training for. There are plenty of examples here:
Walmart has been one of the first companies to use VR for training employees. Currently, they’re using the Black Friday VR Simulator in their training centres. Employees here are virtually present in another store where they can see how things work there. At the same time, they’re put in different situations to monitor their actions.
KFC has also been using VR to train their staff in a very interesting way. They’re put to a virtual environment of the back office of the company and made to cook KFC while people are shouting out their orders.
H&R Block has been using VR to train their call center staff. Using a VR headset, they give employees practice of having the most difficult communication with a virtual customer.
Employee Evaluation
This is one of the most important tasks that the HR team as well as senior managers of the company performs. If not done the right way, it could work adversely for the company too. By providing a VR setup, seniors can take a closer look at their employees – as to what they’re good at and where they need help.
At HPE Financial Services, this is exactly how managers evaluate their sales representatives. They provide them with a VR headset and conduct role plays for various situations. It has helped them provide training and understanding their employees in a much better way.
Internal Communication
Mursion has created a VR platform in partnership with the College of William that helps employees tackle situations of personal bias and discrimination. Here, you’re set in the office environment and will be part of conversations that can be sensitive.
It helps you consciously understand the inequalities that you might have to deal with. Thus, you’re prepared to have better relations and conversations with your colleagues in spite of these differences.
Another VR platform created by Vantage Point trains employees on how to deal with sexual harassment situations. The setup will help you detect these situations and train you to respond instantly.
Training for Recruitment Process
Being one of the key tasks of the HR team, this training is also provided through VR in many companies. The young employees are trained how to ask questions, what to look for and many other tricks to understand an employee.
Virtual Speech has created one such VR training program, where you’re given tutorials and made to interview virtual candidates that help you improve your interviewing skills.
In the corporate world, your communication skills matter with everyone – be it your colleague, junior, senior or client. VR training puts you in a virtual environment that can prepare you for what you’ll face in real life. When used for developing soft skills, VR has been an efficient method for many companies.
