Many training games reward speed. The first person to shout an answer wins, the quickest team scores the point, etc.

The problem is that the brain often needs a moment to process before responding. When games move too quickly, learners may react rather than think. The activity might feel energetic, but the learning can remain quite shallow.

A brain-friendly game often separates the process into two phases:

• Think first
• Compete second

"If speed determines the winner, the game rewards reaction.
If thinking determines the winner, the game supports learning."

Let’s say the game/activity is around leadership.  Although the example I about leadership, the same approach can be given for any topic, game or activity.

Activity Flow

• Each teams receive a leadership scenario card.
• Say (or have written on the card), “You have 45 seconds to read the card and write down your response. No discussion yet.”
• Allow 45-seconds
• Say, “Now compare your answers and agree on the response your team will give.”

Thinking time done, now back to the game element.

• Say, “Each team will now share their leadership response.  If another team has a stronger approach, they can challenge it.”
  You can award points for things such as …
  - identifying the key leadership issue
  - suggesting a practical response
  - explaining the reasoning clearly

Notice - competition happens after thinking, not instead of it.

Bonus points for reasoning, not just answers eg …

• “Two points for the response, one bonus point if the team explains why that leadership approach works.”

Now the brain is doing what you want it to do ie
- analysing
- explaining
- connecting ideas

And the game still feels like a game.

A brain-friendly game should make learners retrieve and apply knowledge, not just recognise answers.  In One-of-a-Kind Recall, teams compete to recall ideas that no other team thinks of - rewarding deeper retrieval and creative application.

Activity Flow

• Divide learners into small teams.
• Provide paper or flipcharts or a shared virtual whiteboard.
• Set the challenge.  Say, “You have two minutes to write down as many ideas as you can remember from the content we’ve just uncovered.  Every idea must come from memory ie no notes, phones etc
• Allow 3-4 minutes.
• Ask teams to share their ideas one at a time.  If another team has the same idea, neither team gets any points and the team that has the same idea removes it from their list.  If the idea is unique (one of a kind), they receive one point.
• Continue as above until the first team have read each of their ideas out to the other teams.
• The second team then reads the ideas they added that still remain on their list.  The scoring continues as above ie 1 point if no other team have that idea.
• Continue until all teams have shared their ideas and points have been allocated.

Why this works for the brain

• Learners actively retrieve knowledge from memory, strengthening recall.
• They think beyond obvious answers, which deepens learning ie originality is rewarded, not speed.
• Teams compare ideas, reinforcing connections.