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Description

Games in Training: Designing, Facilitating and Debriefing Learning Activities

Two days to make games a genuine learning tool serving your training objectives

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

Games appeal to participants and reassure the trainer about the mood in the room. Yet they produce no learning at all if they are not tied to an objective and properly debriefed. Many game-based activities leave behind a pleasant memory and nothing more. Others fail because the rules are too complex or the time required was underestimated.

These 14 hours focus on designing and facilitating game-based activities in training. Participants learn to select mechanics suited to what they want people to learn, to write rules that are easy to understand, to calibrate duration and materials and, above all, to lead the debrief that turns a shared experience into learning that participants can put into words.

Learning objectives

  • Identify the learning outcomes a game-based activity can genuinely support
  • Select a game mechanic suited to the intended learning objective
  • Write clear rules and calibrate the duration of an activity
  • Facilitate a game-based activity while maintaining the learning framework
  • Lead a debrief in which participants articulate what they have learned

What makes this programme different

One game-based activity designed, tested and then refined by the group over the two days
In-depth work on the debrief, often neglected yet decisive
An analysis of activities that fail and the precise causes of their failure

Programme

1What Games Bring and Where They Fall Short

Beyond the atmosphere

  • Effects of games on engagement and retention
  • Learning content that lends itself poorly to a game format
  • Possible resistance from certain audiences
  • Positioning a game-based activity within a training agenda

2Game Mechanics and Learning Objectives

Connecting form to substance

  • Main mechanics available for use in training
  • Matching mechanics to types of learning
  • The place of competition and cooperation
  • Adapting an existing game to job-specific content

3Designing an Activity

Rules, materials and duration

  • Writing short and unambiguous rules
  • Calibrating duration and material requirements
  • Roles assigned to participants and to the facilitator
  • Planning variants according to group size

4Facilitating and Debriefing

From experience to learning

  • Launching the activity and checking that the rules are understood
  • The facilitator's stance while the activity unfolds
  • Handling deviations from the rules and tensions during play
  • Leading the debrief in successive stages through to transfer

Who is it for

Trainers, instructional designers and facilitators who wish to introduce game-based activities into their training sessions.

Prerequisites

Practical experience in delivering training.

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.