(Editor's Note: Douglas Dell is senior vicepresident of eLearning Services for Crawford & Company,managing the KMC on DemandSM learning platform and Crawford'scontinuing education (CE) business serving the insuranceindustry.

Last year I visited a high school specializing in math andscience. What stayed with me from that visit was the use oftechnology in the classroom. No matter the class—music, language,or engineering—there was a constant click of keyboard strokes. Thestudents weren't just looking at flat information on a screen; theywere interacting with the curricula, using software to createmelodies, translating words into meaningful messages, and writingcode to direct the movement of a robot's arm.

That experience exemplified what is in store for workplacetraining: Technology is a given and must be completely integratedinto any learning program. It highlighted the fact that Millennialswill experience learning on their own terms, with tools andtechnologies they have used since childhood.

Given Millennials' active transmission of information,traditional learning methods are likely the least effective meansfor connecting with them. Based on current writings and research,this age group prefers hands-on, self-paced exploration that creates truly experientiallearning. They also prefer open sharing through networked gamingand social interactions. These preferences should be a concern forall industries and a wake-up call to training and human resources(HR) departments. New designs and delivery mechanisms are requiredif we intend to reach, educate, advance, and retain new talent inour employee ranks. Learning professionals must translate theserequirements into solutions that offer compelling games andadvanced learning through social interactions.

Fail-Free Playing Environments
Onlinegaming is a familiar environment to Millennials, allowingexploration and a networked learning experience. Creating fail-freeplay environments builds confidence and reinforces exploration andinquisitiveness. Games offer the opportunity for entertainmentwhile subtly infusing fact-based memorization, visual recognition,workflow practice, and skills enhancement into a meaningfullearning experience. Looking to the gaming world for a directionforward, instructional design will need to mirror the elements ofhighly effective games.

A review of online forums offers consistent information aboutthe attributes of compelling games:

• Graphics. High-definition, fast-loading, andthree-dimensional graphics are absolutely essential. Userexpectations about the quality of graphics are constantly on therise. Therefore each generation of graphics must improve on thelast.
• Storylines. A strong storyline with goodcharacter development and subplots makes for a compellingexperience that not only draws learners in but also keeps theirattention.
• Multiple players. Although many games aresingle-player experiences, the ability to play remotely with usersaround the globe cannot be equaled. It fosters a competitivespirit, recognizes specific talents, and offers learners theopportunity to meet colleagues in a fun virtual setting.
• Character creation. The ability for players toselect attributes that better prepare them for challenges is afeature of many popular games and one that translates to corporatetraining. Perhaps an employee wants to take on the persona of acustomer who has been denied a claim or a rainmaker salespersonknown for selling large, lucrative policies. This allows employeesto apply real-world roles to a game.
• Levels. With most training, we seekadvancement—and the gaming world is no different. As we learn, theability to progress to new levels provides continuing challenges;recognizes players' expertise; and, if networked, places them inthe category of more skilled players. Learning games should be nodifferent: Progression and expertise should go hand in hand.
• Ending. In the training world, the thought ofa never-ending course would be ludicrous, despite the mantra ofcontinuous learning. However, in the gaming world, the concept ofrevisiting an environment, improving your outcome, and moving on toa future challenge compels a player to seek a never-endingexperience.

In fact, many gamers will identify themselves by their game ofchoice and their expertise level in it. As we develop learninggames, we need to consider whether an end or continuing learnerengagement is appropriate. There is no single answer to thisquestion; rather, this is more a philosophy to consider based onlearning objectives and instructional design.

Social Animals
Communities of interest,sharing opinions, ratings, pictures, and constant feedback havebecome powerful learning models for Millennials. The ability toinformally and openly ask questions; receive immediate, multiplepoints of feedback; and access images and video that convey newinformation is now a standard. Social networking has become apreferred delivery method that corporate trainers must embrace andactively participate in. As organizations evaluate this medium,they must consider two lines of thinking: creating an engagingenvironment and managing the environment. As you design a learningenvironment to attract Millennials, consider the following:

Know the learners. Understand the demographicsof the audience: organizations represented, roles learners play inthe organizations, and their geographic distribution. This willprovide insight into the development and display of your learningcontent and will help align it to preferred learning styles, asfollows:

• Aural – Use sound, music, andnarration.
• Social – Foster group learning by engaging indialogue.
• Verbal – Employ language-based content usingspeech and writing.
• Visual – Share pictures, images, and video totell stories.

Social networks are a perfect environment to address thesemultiple styles by integrating content in various forms. The integration of media establishes a communitydialogue, and sharing becomes a resource for learners searching forsimilar information. This ultimately creates an engaging learningcommunity network.

Design to engage. Social learning is all about asimple interface that enables collaboration. Keeping importantcontent on the main page allows the learner to scroll throughposts. Offer as much relevant learning as possible within a singleclick. Present images as thumbnails to use valuable real estate andoffer zoom capabilities for greater detail. A clean, simple, andintuitive learning environment will allow exploration and increaseunderstanding about how to participate without instruction.

Another aspect of design is the tone of the dialogue. Becausethe community participation is voluntary, the language and flow ofinformation needs to be friendly, informative, and encouraging.Community management is best established by self-selection, notcorporate dictate. Having a passion for the topic and activelyengaging in the dialogue is the best method for identifying amanager for a successful community-learning network.

Be easy to find. Use search-engine optimizationto leverage search as a tool to locate the gaming network. DeployRSS feeds as a continuing flow of information to subscribers.Display all sharing tools such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google+for learners to share with others to extend the learningexperience. Liking and re-tweeting informationpromotes the environment from the learner perspective; it says,“Check this out; I think you will like it.” Endorsement from atrusted source will do more to extend the information than thecurrent model of course assignment and reminder emails.

As we integrate these new learning tools into our trainingprograms, we must recognize that time, trial and error, andadvancing technologies will influence the journey. It is importantthat we keep the end customer in focus; make sure you engageMillennials in your research, planning, and pilot programs. Useavailable solutions such as Twitter and WordPress in your R&Defforts. Last, do not inhibit innovation by trying to make thefirst release perfect. As any Millennial will readily tell you,that is not what software versioning is all about.