Becky Pluth Pike
Becky is the CEO of The Bob Pike Group and has been a valued C3 SoftWorks partner since 2009. Throughout her career, she has consistently championed a participant-centered approach to classroom, virtual, and blended e-learning all while using the diverse range of tools offered by C3 SoftWorks - creating an engaging and interactive training experiences for her learners.
C3 SoftWorks:
So, Becky, I've known the Bob Pike group for many years, for probably over twenty-five years now. I knew your father and certainly have worked with you for many years. And one thing, I've always realized that one of your biggest focuses is using train games in your sessions and making gamification number one, go-to in engagements and retention, and just having fun.
And I'd like to know a little bit about your history with gamification. What is it about games that you like in general? Doesn't have to just be about BRAVOZONE, but just in general, how do you see games being used maybe fifteen years ago versus how they're being used today? Maybe you can tell a little bit about your story and how you started using them.
Becky Pike Pluth:
I think it stemmed from the very beginning as a teacher. I was a Physical Education, Health, and Science teacher, and so when you're working with middle school and high school students, you're always trying to figure out...How can I get them to love this? How can I get them to really enjoy and learn from what we're doing? And so I started creating games back then that were just paper and pencil. It was low tech or no tech at that point. There weren't a lot of options like BRAVOZONE at that point, where technology was easy to use. It was just gonna be something that was paper and pencil.
When I got my Master's degree in adult learning in 2010, it was about the neuroscience of how our brains learn. And that concept was reinforced when we needed to have everyone engaged at the same time, not just one person, which is something that BRAVOZONE does really well. So, it was around that time when I became familiar with BRAVOZONE.
When we started using games, we asked ourselves, what could we do to make that gamification stand out? So I think that I was ready for gamification when it came along, but I definitely think now it's so much better than what's out there as far as even just your tools. But it really does make a huge difference when it's easy to use.
In general, some of the games I started with earlier in my corporate training career were so clunky and hard to use. I was never sure if the connection would work. I was never sure if the game would work. Even though I was a superuser of some of the tools that existed early on, I literally couldn't get my team to use some of those tools because it was just so hit or miss. And so now, when you guys came along and I saw you at a conference in the Expo Center, I was open to trying it and seeing the results. As soon as I saw the results of the BRAVOZONE games, it was a game-changer!
C3 SoftWorks:
I think you bring up a good point, too, Becky, that ten to fifteen years ago, the technology was across the board. You had wired keypads and then wireless devices that many trainers would like to use. Connection was always an issue with the hardware. And the last thing the trainers need, in the back of their mind, is yet one more thing that could go wrong. So knowing that you have that confidence, that it's going to work from the get-go, and you can rely on it every time is huge!
What makes you decide when to use a game vs just a standard presentation?
Becky Pike Pluth:
I would say there are definitely times where I'm gonna be strategic and think about would a game would work better. So, for example, when I teach my session at ATD 2025 this year, my session is on Trainer vs Presenter vs Facilitator. I'm playing a game that will allow people to see how much they already know about the differences between those roles. So often people just interchange those, and so I find that I can teach through a game versus just using a game as a revisiter. So in that example, I'm gonna be using BRAVOZONE as a way to teach content and add a layer of curiosity.
So when we're designing new curriculum for the Bob Pike Group, BRAVOZONE is right in the thick of that. It's something that we definitely think about as we design those classes by asking ourselves if it makes sense to use a game or not. So, for example, our latest classes, AI for Trainers, and Canva Master Class, BRAVOZONE, definitely made sense, so we're using the CONFIDENCE game in there, which people love. And I love that because it met my learners where they were at, as far as AI as a topic, some people are a little nervous about. They're not sure how to use that. So showing them and having them judge based on how confident they are in a question really helps us to figure out where I need to spend a little bit more time. So not only is it part of the class, but it's something that we can look at later to then say, oh, well, people really weren't confident in this. Whereas in the Canva Master Class, currently, we don't have a game built into that, because it didn't make sense. So we're not gonna put in a game just for the sake of putting in a game. So we strategically think about what content we could use that makes sense for each presentation.
My dad used to always say, "There's no such thing as dry, boring content; there are only dry, boring presentations." And so if I'm doing technical training, I'm absolutely going to bring gamification in every single time because it's dry, boring content in my mind, and I need to make it not a dry, boring presentation. So, gamification is always going to be a part of those types of sessions. So, I do assess where I'm going to get the biggest bang for my buck, and where the content would lend itself well?
C3 SoftWorks:
That's great to hear. A lot of times, I'll ask trainers, When do you wanna use the game? How would you use it? And they think of it more as a distractor, or they just want to add some fun to the session, or some engagement. But to hear you say that, well, I'm using it as a vehicle to deliver my content as a way to enhance my content, to keep that boring material alive. And so it's not just the idea of whether you're using it or not, it's actually blending it in with your session that makes sense.
Becky Pike Pluth:
I would say that I immediately see people light up when we use a BRAVOZONE game. I see them get energy, and it could be with any gamification tool, right? But I love that I make them cheer. I love to announce if they're on team red, orange, green, blue...CHEER NOW…and they all cheer! They feel the collaboration and the energy in the room has increased. But I do think in part, you just have to have the confidence as a trainer, too. If you haven't bought into it, then you can't teach it. Right? So if I'm gonna be boring and say: "We're gonna play this game….Yeah." Versus, "ALRIGHT! EVERYONE! Are you ready for a game?" It really does make a difference.
C3 SoftWorks:
So do you find that some trainers are a little bit more hesitant to use games in their training, and could that hesitancy fall flat? I'll do a webinar sometimes, and if I'm not a 100% confident in what I'm speaking about, that's gonna show up. So knowing that the tool that you use is gonna be powerful, I think, is good to hear.
I'm curious...occasionally, I get statements from trainers who are a little worried that things are going to go too far or get carried away. Or they're worried that the game is going to be distracting from the purpose at hand. They're needing to get them to learn the material, and needing to get it done quickly, and efficiently and I hear they can't waste a lot of time with a game per se.
So how do you go about that with the mindset that games could be a distractor, or things could get a little too rowdy? What are your thoughts on that? And have you ever had a session where you've thought...uh-oh...this is getting a little too out of hand?
Becky Pike Pluth:
Yeah. I would say that absolutely, things can get a little out of hand. Sometimes it's the conventions I'm speaking at in Vegas, when people have imbibed a little bit in between sessions, perhaps. So, let's imagine a huge ballroom, and the energy is off the charts, and people are so excited about whatever, whether it's your content or not. And when people are jumping out of their seats, they're shouting answers, doing victory laps...guess what? You can use that to your advantage, or it can be a huge distraction! It's a matter of knowing how to wrangle it in. I love that energy!
I also have the confidence of twenty years of training and development in just the corporate sector. You know, of course, I'm not counting my teaching or any of that. It's just in the corporate sector, I've learned how to take chaos and turn it into fun and engagement in a way that's positive. So I think that when it gets out of control, the lesson is to know how to manage that. How do I get their attention? And I would say a tip to those who are a little concerned...
#1) It rarely happens when they're so off-the-charts crazy.
#2) If that does occur, it's very simple to get people back. I use something other than my voice, like a chime. Then, I just wait until they come down from that question. And I just say something like: "I know y'all think you're smarty pants because you're celebrating, but look at you, got the question wrong!"
Or, I do things like, "And for those of you that got it right, Cheater McCheatersons, you are all cheaters!" You know? Or I'll if you have a crazy group, make fun out of it by saying, "WRONG! Look at all those who were wrong. Just have a seat!"
And I just kind of get into their energy and make it a part of my session, but you just have to prepare mentally for that. If you're fearful, it's probably never gonna happen because they're not you're not gonna have the energy that would be required by the person running the game in order for that to occur. So you know, if you're calm from the front, then the game is gonna be calm from the front.
I have never been told that I'm a calm person. So my sessions are never going to be calm. They're always going to be in danger of chaos. So I've just had to learn how to manage and wrangle the chaos. I love that!
C3 SoftWorks:
Can you tell me about a time when you incorporated a game into your session and unexpectedly discovered a meaningful connection? We call those "AHA! Moments", when something suddenly clicked or resonated in a powerful way. So, I'm wondering if you can share a story about an experience like that.
Becky Pike Pluth:
Well, I think AHA! Moments come obviously at different times for different people. And I love when I can use gamification to help people get there and to go in that direction. Honestly, I find that moments can come in the quiet of journaling or just reflecting during application time, but it can also come in the middle of a game. Right? So here are some things that I think about. What creates those AHA! Moments?
AHA! Moments come when you might be polling or quizzing, and somebody's like, "I didn't know that statistic!", or "I didn't have a clue that that existed!" It's like a jaw-dropping stat that you're now guessing on, but then it's like, oh, that is massive! An example might be, "How many students drop out of high school each year?" So imagine you have 80,000 people in an arena, and every seat is taken, and then multiply that by 27...that's how many kids drop out each year. So maybe you can use a polling or quizzing game, a printable tabletop game where they're using just whiteboards, where they're making their guess. Maybe it's a scenario, or a simulation, it's the use of all those things, and that can really make an impact, in those AHA! Moments.
I've gone to Japan, South Korea, and China, ten to fifteen times, and one time, I was in China using the BRAVOZONE. Now this was before ChatGPT, and we had to have someone translate my questions into Chinese. So up would pop my question, and then, below it, I would have it in the native language of that region. And so I think the moment when these folks have never seen something like this, which is very odd, I would have thought that they would be on the cutting edge of that. But it was this eyes open, everyone laughing, so engaged moment.
And when you're having, not simultaneous translation, so it was consecutive, and they are just laughing, you just know that it's kinda that, oh my word. This is such an amazing tool that I could use, and I'm just having so much fun with it right now, and so much energy in the room for a group of people who are typically more reserved. That is just like the icing on the top, where they see this tool, they experience it, they're jazzed about it, and they don't want it to end. You know? And it's like, crap...Well, I only have five questions, and it's gonna end, and then they're gonna be bored with me. So I think that the AHAs can come even in the middle of a question.
C3 SoftWorks:
Yes! I think whatever you're using, a game or anything else, if you can transcend the moment, so it's going beyond resonating, then that's all you can hope for!
Well, Becky, is there anything else you wanna share with our listeners at this point? Any other tips or tricks on game using games or anything else, before we wrap up?
Becky Pike Pluth:
Yes!
#1) When you create a game in BRAVOZONE, use the library!
Especially if you're teaching, maybe similar concepts to different groups or whatever it might be. Anytime that I create a game, I put it into the library. Your library is a massive asset. When you have reusable questions, it's just going to speed up your design.
#2) Always play the game beforehand to practice, even if it's a game you've played 10 times before.
We use a game in our boot camp, and it's on neuroscience, and when I opened it up, it said 2024, so I needed to change that. I also find that when I check my games, I might have a couple of extra spaces here or there. I just noticed some little things that maybe I hadn't noticed before. In another game I was creating, I noticed that I had selected the wrong answer. So, if I hadn't gone back and played the game (a simulated game), I would have missed that for sure.
Additionally, I also have someone else play the game whenever possible, like my sister, who has a PhD in English. I will have her look at my game and check it for grammar, or my brainstorming partner, like Claude or ChatGPT, to make sure that they're grammatically correct. However, please keep in mind that a brainstorming AI partner is not going to catch whether the meaning is what you intended it to be. And if you put your questions in there, it WILL change the question, and it will mean something different. So when it comes to AI, I just want to encourage people to use their own critical thinking. So, yeah, use those tools, but then also use somebody that you collaborate with to run through the game themselves so that they can help you.
An example is adding page numbers in your handout. So when I said, "Look at page two in your handout." Well, it wasn't page two, it was page number three, but it was too late because we had printed them all.
So those are also the little things that you thought you were being helpful by putting that in there. But if you don't know and you don't make the update or the change, it can take away. It can distract. Nothing ruins an otherwise amazing fun game more than players complaining, "Why was I marked wrong when I was right?" and you're powerless to fix it. You end up apologizing for a situation where they lost points despite giving correct answers. At that point, they mentally check out of the entire experience.
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