No doubt if you work in L&D or HR you’ve heard someone talk about Virtual Reality (VR). But what is it and what is it really capable of. Over the next few weeks we’re going to explore some of the frequently asked questions around this topic to shed some light on this relatively new technology.  

So what is VR?

Virtual reality is a completely immersive experience. By wearing a headset the user is transported to another world which is typically captured through graphical, video or photographic content.

Once you have the headset on, you can freely move your head around as you would in real life and see everything, the ground, the sky, behind you - you have full 360 degree control. 

Because of its immersive nature VR is an amazing tool for HR and L&D as users will literally be able to step into situations where they feel present. 

Presence is a key element to VR experiences as it creates believability. Believability leads to autonomy and feelings of control over actions as well as what happens based on our choices.  

Plus we can’t be distracted by emails or things going on in the office. We are 100% immersed in the experience. 

When VR has been used in learning experiences results such as;

• Improved retention

• Better focus

• More Enjoyment 

• Improved Long Term Recall

So how can you use it in your organisation? Most uses of VR break down into the following categories

• Digital Design

• Health and Safety

• Process testing/improvement 

• Customer service

• Soft Skills such as D&I and difficult conversations  

VR is an incredibly powerful tool where you need to create a sense of empathy and feel like you are in a particular situation.

Next week we’ll explore the effectiveness of VR in different settings and look at how different organisations are using it to get results. 

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