07. Teach the Big Picture with Broad Brush Strokes … Forest and Trees
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Choosing the Best Business Acumen Simulation: Part 3 – Include a Mix of Learning Styles
Choosing the Best Business Acumen Simulation is our multi‑part guide to evaluating, selecting, and achieving meaningful results with business simulations. In this installment, we examine A Mix of Learning Styles — why integrating content with action reaches every learner and improves retention.
Supporting multiple learning styles helps all participants engage and succeed.
A business acumen program should serve as a foundation for other training and development. That means it must reach every learner—not just some.
Learning styles matter. Effective business simulations should address the full range:
- Auditory learners absorb spoken instructions and discussion.
- Visual learners respond to graphs, charts, and spatial layout.
- Textual learners need written explanations and reference points.
- Kinesthetic learners thrive on movement, manipulation, and hands-on experience.
Simulations that ignore even one of these styles create blind spots in comprehension. For example, without physical interaction, kinesthetic learners may struggle to engage—or worse, retain very little.
In a well-integrated simulation, players don’t just listen or read—they act. The Income|Outcome tabletop experience activates kinesthetic, spatial, auditory, and logical learning simultaneously. Our online version preserves this multidimensionality. Even with less movement, the simulation remains experiential: actions lead to consequences, and those consequences spark discussion.
When learning and playing are tightly integrated, participants form deeper mental models of how businesses function. They don’t just “learn about business”—they operate one.
Key Questions to Ask
- Does the simulation offer activities that engage all four learning styles?
- Is the gameplay integrated with learning, or are they separated?
- Do participants move between action and reflection in a meaningful cycle?
Where Things Go Wrong
Business acumen isn’t absorbed through lectures alone. It grows through participation, discussion, pattern recognition, and reflection. Integrated learning reaches more people—and helps them retain more of what matters.
Bottom Line: Simulations that support multiple learning styles provide a richer, more inclusive learning experience. Choose tools where learning happens through doing, thinking, and talking—not just listening.
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| Avoid: Closed decision-making Because… it will limit engagement and reduce retention. | Look for: Open decision-making Because… it engages learners — it’s a game they control. (Bonus: develops autonomy and accountability!) |
Coming Up Next: Player Types — Why catering to only one personality type can alienate half your team.
H2 (hidden): Choosing the Best Business Acumen Simulation: Part 7 – Broad Brush Strokes
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H3: Choosing a simulation that simplifies complexity helps learners grasp big-picture business thinking.