Since I started working with training games over a decade ago, I’ve noticed how easy it is to underestimate them. Despite their growing use as development tools, I still encounter the perception of games as merely a “fun extra” or “entertaining break” during training. This is a huge mistake.

I believe that a professional, well-designed game or simulation is one of the most powerful tools for developing skills and competencies.. But like any powerful mechanism, it requires expert handling, which is crucial for knowledge transfer. And it is on this—on effectively applying the session’s outcomes in real business contexts – that’s what matters to us, not the entertainment value of the gameplay itself.

Think of a training game as a strategic booster 🚀 in the development process. It provides tremendous, kinetic energy (an intense experience). But sheer power alone isn’t enough to achieve business goals.

In this analogy, the trainer acts as both the navigation system and the exhaust nozzle. They transform raw energy into a directed thrust, ensuring that the “training rocket” (both the group as a whole and each individual participant) reaches its target orbit (skills transfer), rather than delivering just a set of expensive, colorful fireworks in the training room. With a game, we can also break through the layer of clouds called “but it’s just theory…” and achieve the optimal cruising altitude 😉

A training game is just a tool. Its effectiveness depends on the trainer’s mastery.

That’s why at MindLab, trainer training sessions for each game are part of our internal operational standard. We run these specialized workshops both for our trainers and for in-house trainers at client organizations. Our goal is for every specific game to be mastered at an expert level.

Want to know how we professionally prepare facilitators to use each of our training games? Here’s an overview: Eight key stages of our trainer workshops that ensure the tool translates into optimal developmental outcomes for the session.

1. Playing the training game to experience it from the participant’s perspective.

Whenever possible, trainer workshops should begin with personal hands-on experience.. Participating in a full or partial gameplay session is crucial. It’s the only way for the trainer to fully understand the emotional dynamics, the significance of decisions made, and the potential narrative pitfalls that participants in their future training may encounter.

Which moments during instruction are challenging? Which mechanics are less intuitive? Which rules might players forget during the game? What strategies tempt players but ultimately lead to poor outcomes?

Most of these insights can likely be found in a well-prepared game manual or in the behaviors being promoted. However, the opportunity to experience them firsthand is invaluable.

I still remember the games where I “scored” an excellent result. But even more vividly, I recall those where I made costly mistakes—and… thanks to them, I gained invaluable lessons 😊

2. Post-game debrief – modeling the game discussion cycle

After the intense game experience, the trainer guides TTT participants through analysis and reflection on what happened in the simulation. This stage is crucial from two perspectives: the trainer-participants (who want to understand why their results were only average while their peers’ were so good 😉) and the trainer-future facilitators. A MindLab trainer demonstrates in practice how to identify key moments in the gameplay and draw insights. Participants experience how to move from game facts to initial operational conclusions, following our debrief model. And although this occurs on a limited scale during the TTT session, it models an effective learning cycle ( experience → reflection → insights → transfer), which future facilitators are expected to apply in their own sessions.

3. Using the MindLab Support platform

From this point in the trainer workshop, we move to the meta-level. We step into the trainer’s “kitchen” to closely examine the aspects that determine the success of a game session: from game preparation, through instruction and facilitation, to proper debriefing and transfer to business outcomes.

To facilitate learning the game and equip trainers with useful materials, we’ve gathered all necessary files in dedicated courses on our platform. During TTT, trainers familiarize themselves with the tool, which serves as a kind of knowledge hub: it contains the current manual, the instruction delivery framework, and a list of promoted behaviors and potential mistakes players might make. We often include additional materials as well, such as video guides or printable consumables (e.g., scoring sheets or manuals for observers, if present in the game).

4. Logistical Preparation – Eliminating Operational Risk

Logistics cannot be improvised. During the trainer session, we analyze factors such as the optimal room layout (tables, chairs, space for game components: boards, cards, tokens), projector placement, and availability of workstations for subgroups—each game may have specific requirements regarding conditions and equipment. Often, the key to success is inspecting the session venue and properly preparing the game components in their case or box before the training day, ensuring smooth setup and a seamless start to the gameplay.

Imagine that…

• You’re about to set up a 5 by 5-meter game board, only to find a row of columns in the middle of the room because you didn’t request a site check before the training…

• You try to create large, square “islands” of tables for player groups, only to discover they are fixed to the floor—if only you had checked beforehand…

• Before the game, you start laying out nearly 100 cards for the players—but it turns out the decks got mixed up during your previous session, turning what is normally a simple 2-minute task into a survival struggle that tests the group’s patience.

A bit of foresight and operational preparation can eliminate these types of errors, allowing you to move smoothly into the instructions instead of showcasing your “demolition skills.”

5. Delivering Game Instructions and Fostering Player Autonomy

This part of the trainer workshop is one of the most important. We teach trainers how to present (sometimes quite complex) game rules in a way that is as concise, engaging, and clear as possible.. The trainer must ensure that players remain fully focused at this stage, avoid distractions, and thoroughly understand the mechanics (e.g., through a trial round).

A story from the training room: During instruction, the trainer was supposed to hand out a game component—the card decks—to the participants. However, he did it too early—before finishing the instructions. What do you think: were the players focused on what he was saying, or on the colorful cards they just received? 🤦 Unfortunately, this unconscious move “shot him in the foot,” and he had to repeat part of the instructions once… he regained the participants’ attention.

Clear and concise instruction prevents the emergence of “stragglers.” – individuals who fall behind on the rules and, instead of actively playing, bombard the trainer and other players with questions, disrupting the flow and gaining minimal value from the experience. During TTT workshops, whenever possible, participants practice delivering portions of the instructions, receiving immediate feedback from peers and the MindLab trainer.

6.Best Practices for Running the Game, Managing the Process, and Handling Group Dynamics

The trainer acts as a flexible process moderator. We practice how to professionally manage time, ensure a smooth flow of the game, and respond to unusual situations. We discuss how to avoid scenarios where someone falls behind (delaying the moment of sharing game results) or moves too far ahead (getting bored while waiting for other players). We teach when to gently offer guidance, and when to implement a more substantial intervention a “stop frame” intervention. In certain exceptional situations, this action is key to preserving the training’s value.

Example: A team, due to poor communication, made disastrous decisions and was unknowingly heading toward total failure. Without intervention, the only takeaway would have been frustration. A MindLab trainer knows how to pause the game in such moments, allowing the group to feel the consequences of their mistake while also giving them a chance to reorganize and learn from it during the gameplay. This has a positive impact on motivation, especially in longer simulations.

7. Conducting the Debrief – Turning Experience into Competence

Debriefing is the heart of every training game. It’s the moment when the energy and emotions from the gameplay are transformed into structured, ready-to-apply knowledge and skills. We teach trainers to conduct this process based on a four-phase sequence:

1. Emotions: The beginning provides space to release tension and share initial, pressing reflections (“If only I had…”). The trainer manages this energy, ensuring participants have the opportunity to share both their successes and failures.
2. Course Outline: In this phase, we collectively review the most important events. We analyze which decisions led to specific outcomes and which strategies were effective (or not). This is a rigorous analysis of the game’s facts.
3. Insights: Organizing experiences. The trainer helps gather and generalize the key best practices and rules that emerged during the gameplay.
4. Transfer: The critical phase. Insights from the previous stage are anchored in the participants’ professional reality, paving the way for designing implementation tasks (covered in point 8).

Have you ever participated in a game session where the trainer let the discussion phase drag on… like a proper plate of Italian spaghetti—endlessly? It has happened to me a few times. Discussions went on, and the trainer seemed unsure how to handle it. Then we moved on to… the next exercise 🤦

I guarantee you: if you don’t guide the group smoothly from emotions and reflection to substantive insights, participants will leave the room thinking, “It was fun, but what exactly was this training about? I don’t remember…” That’s not the outcome we’re aiming for 😉

Mastering the methodological structure described above ensures that the game debrief is not a chaotic discussion but provides participants with a coherent, comprehensive insight into their experience. This allows them to effectively harness that “energy”—moving from a state of “unconscious incompetence” to “conscious competence,” which is the goal of any development process.

8. Applying Transfer to Business

Transfer is not just about “drawing conclusions.” It is a concrete action planand a set of “post-game” activities. If you’re designing a valuable training program, a game is an important element but should not be the ONLY activity. It should be supported by condensed knowledge, additional exercises, and time for practice. In this part of the trainer workshop, we provide guidance on how to design implementation activities and tasksthat are closely connected to the participants’ real business context. This approach significantly increases the return on investment in training.

Professional training games are advanced development tools that require expert handling. Regardless of which game you use, TTT is an investment in the effectiveness of your development efforts. At MindLab, this is our standard. If you want to ensure your tools deliver maximum impact, the key is the trainer’s mastery.