5 Tips for Facilitating a Business Simulation

Hello Everyone-

Our last post talked about the fact that the trend is clearly moving towards you facilitating a business simulation more. This is great! We thought we'd help with 5 tips for facilitating a business simulation program. Here goes:

5. Get Involved!- Be involved in the development of the business simulation. You'll know the program better.

4. Keep a Secret- Remember: the participants don't know what's inside the business simulation. Keep it this way.

3. Quiet Time- When you are looking at the results of the business simulation, do it in a quiet place without distraction.

2. Tell a Story- When providing the 'what happened' in the simulation, look for a story or theme. Its more interesting and educational.

1. Be Prepared!- A business simulation is complex. Make sure you really take the time, concentration, and focus when preparing for a results presentation. Its critical!

Have fun! Feel free to contact us if we can help.
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Business Simulation Facilitation: Less Us, More You!

Times are certainly changing when it comes to facilitating a business simulation. In the past year, our customers are facilitating more and more business simulation programs. We couldn't be more excited. This is especially the case now that we can help you facilitate without the travel- This is great for everyone. In the past, facilitating a business simulation in real time was exceptionally challenging. With the trend moving more towards rapid delivery (aka: more manageable), and utilization of cloud computing, More and more customers are facilitating themselves.

We couldn't be more excited. We strongly believe that having you in front of leaders is critical. Its impressive to show a business simulation in action. Especially when it has an impact on business strategy. We say: Keep it up! Get in front of business leaders and show off utilizing a business simulation for training and development. We'll make sure you look great!
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Google Likes SimDevGroup

Dunno why we're talking about this, but its kinda fun. A customer told us yesterday that when you do a Google search for custom business simulations, SimDevGroup is number 1 and 2 in the organic search category. We must be doing something right :). This will probably change over time (usually does on Google), but its fun for now.
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Business Simulation- Cloud Computing Article

Hello Everyone-

In a past post, we talked about a cloud computing based business simulation we're rolling out. We've received a few questions about cloud computing. Today, the Wall Street Journal talks about cloud computing and its a pretty good article. Very basic, but interesting.

Click here:
Cloud Computing- What is it exactly

Happy reading!
- SimDevGroup
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Business Simulation Facilitation: You’re The Rock Star!

Hello SimDev Community-

We want to take a moment to remind you that when it comes to business simulation facilitation, you are the star! For some reason, when prospective customers call, they are surprised that we encourage your team to facilitate the simulation program. As a reminder:

It’s important for you and your team to stay in front of the leaders of your organization.

When it comes to business simulation facilitation, we make sure you’re the rock star! Don’t forget to take your bows at the end of the program :^)

Have a great weekend,
- SimDevGroup

PS- Sorry, we couldn't resist posting this image. ;^)
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Business Simulations, Tailored Simulations, and Custom Business Simulations

We’ve touched on this before, but the question seems to be asked with more frequency lately, “What’s the difference between a business simulation, tailored simulation, and a custom business simulation?” This is a good question and tough to answer.

It’s important to note that everyone seems to have different definitions of simulation and this gets confusing when compared to business games (serious games). We can only tell you how we define business simulation in context to our services.

Business Simulation-
This is software solution that bears strong resemblance to part of or an entire business. It is important to understand that this can be any business. A business simulation is often canned. It might be similar to all or part of your business, but it is not a model of your actual business. A business simulation is useful when you’re trying to teach general business skills (acumen). If you’re trying to create strategic shift, these aren’t usually very useful.

Tailored Simulation-
This is the same as a business simulation, but may have some basic changes that might more closely resemble your business. An example of some changes are product name changes, company name, or general high level changes. In many cases this is a business simulation with some straight forward changes. In general, this is still considered pretty canned.

Custom Business Simulation-
This is a business simulation that bears very close resemblance to your actual business (or part of). Most importantly items such as core values (competencies), strategy, products, and methods are incorporated within a custom simulation. A custom simulation may have a similar core calculation engine to a business simulation, but everything else is different. All the results that come from a custom business simulation are developed around your learning goals. These simulations are most useful when strategy shift or process change needs to take place rapidly.

Now, the next logical question is, “Which one should I use?” This is a good question and very much depends on your needs. If you are looking to teach generic skills or provide and experiential general overview, go with a canned business simulation. If you’re looking to create rapid change or introduce your leaders to the overall business, a custom solution is the best fit. Here’s a pictorial overview:



We hope this helps.
- SimDev Team
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