Our training simulations are designed around the idea that people become capable faster when they practice realistic work, receive clear feedback, and repeat the experience at rising levels of difficulty.
The Forgetting Curve, first described by Hermann Ebbinghaus, remains one of the most replicated findings in cognitive psychology. Within 24 hours of a training session, the average learner has forgotten approximately 50% of what they were taught. Within a week, that figure rises to around 70%.
The root cause is the design of the learning experience itself. Passive formats (presentations, videos, reading materials) ask the brain to receive, not to act. Without active retrieval, emotional engagement, and spaced repetition, new knowledge rarely becomes durable skill.
The gap between knowing and doing is where most training fails. Knowing what a credit approval process looks like is entirely different from having navigated one under time pressure, with incomplete information and competing priorities. The first transfers as text. The second transfers as capability.
Before exploring the science, it helps to understand what typically happens inside a simulation.
Creates clarity and activates directed effort.
BRIEFING VIDEO
Role, objective, stakes
Every simulation cycle begins with a briefing video. Participants are assigned a defined role – credit analyst, relationship manager, underwriter, portfolio manager – and told precisely what they are working towards and how success is measured.
Trains ability to identify what matters and filter what doesn't.
DOCUMENT IMMERSION
The documents and the working environment
Following the briefing, participants receive a set of contextual documents – internal memos, financial data, market reports, stakeholder emails, policy guidelines – that replicate the information environment of the actual role.
Practices judgment and trade-offs in realistic scenarios.
DECISION STAGES
Decision stages that replicate real work
Participants move through a sequence of realistic scenarios that require judgment and action. Scenarios evolve. New information arrives. Priorities shift.
Participants are not told whether they made the right decision immediately. Instead, they live with the consequences and receive structured feedback either at natural breakpoints or in the debrief.
Strengthens ability to reassess and adapt.
DYNAMIC EVENTS
New information, shifting priorities
Between decision stages, dynamic events introduce new information and change the context.
These events replicate the uncertainty and pace of real work and require participants to continuously update their thinking and adjust their approach.
Reinforces learning and drives motivation.
CHECKPOINT FEEDBACK
Progress visible. Stakes increase.
Participants see their progress on a leaderboard to increase competitive pressure.
For non-team-based simulations, participants see their ranking relative to others, but only the top five are shown publicly, avoiding disclosure of the weakest performers to the cohort.
Turns experience into understanding.
DEBRIEF
Structured debrief and feedback
At the end of each cycle, participants receive feedback. They see how their decisions compare to high performers and understand what "good" looks like.
Repetition with variation builds mastery.
NEW CYCLE
Increased complexity. Skills compound.
The simulation then moves into a new cycle with increased complexity. New variables, stakeholders, and constraints are introduced.
2 min
See how a realistic simulation turns abstract concepts into decisions, consequences and practical experience.
Talk to our team about a simulation designed around the decisions and capabilities that matter in your organization.
Our methodology does not rely on a single theory. We draw on complementary frameworks, each addressing a different dimension of how adults develop complex professional skill. We incorporate these principles directly into our simulations wherever possible. Short simulations, such as 2-hour or 1/2-day sessions, cannot incorporate every element of the full methodology. In longer training programs, typically lasting 2 to 4 weeks, we can integrate complete cycles that combine training and simulation throughout. This creates a continuous loop of learning, application, feedback, and repetition, the conditions where real capability is built.
Edgar Dale’s research on learning modalities (updated extensively in cognitive science literature) demonstrates a clear hierarchy: passive formats like reading and listening produce the lowest retention, while active, experiential formats - particularly simulated or real practice - produce the highest.
Our simulations design characteristics (active decision-making, realistic context, feedback loops, emotional engagement) match exactly what the research shows produces durable, transferable learning.
Learning Method
Average retention after two weeks
David Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory proposes that durable learning happens not from experience alone, but from a cycle of experience followed by reflection, followed by conceptualisation, followed by active experimentation.
Each full simulation run completes at least one full Kolb cycle. Multi-day programs complete multiple cycles, each at increasing complexity:
Concrete experience → The simulation scenario itself. Participants face real decisions with real consequences.
Reflective observation → Structured debrief after each stage. Participants are asked to examine what happened and why.
Abstract conceptualisation → Facilitator-led or embedded coaching that connects the experience to the underlying principles. Why does a debt service coverage ratio matter? What does this counterparty behaviour signal?
Active experimentation → The next simulation cycle. Participants apply revised thinking to a new, more complex scenario.
The 70-20-10 model (Lombardo & Eichinger) is the most widely used framework in corporate L&D. It shows where professional development comes from and the implication of the model uncomfortable for traditional training programmes: the format with the weakest development impact - formal instruction - is the one most organisations invest in most heavily. Our simulations address this imbalance directly. By compressing realistic on-the-job experience into a structured, accessible format, they make the 70% available to people who have not yet had it. A new hire can accumulate the equivalent of months of practical decision-making within a 2–5 day program. The social and competitive element of team-based simulations also delivers the 20%, peer comparison, team dynamics, shared problem-solving under pressure.
Total Development, The 70-20-10 Model
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's research on optimal experience identifies a mental state "flow" characterised by complete absorption in a challenging, meaningful task. Our simulations are designed to sustain this balance. Difficulty adjusts based on participant performance. Competitive pressure from the leaderboard creates urgency without overwhelming. The progression from foundational to complex scenarios keeps participants at the edge of their capability, which is exactly where learning is fastest. The flow conditions that simulations create are not achievable in a training, a video module, or a case study worksheet.
The best simulations recreate functional realism across 3 dimensions that exist in every job. When these are right, the experience feels less like training and more like doing the job, which is exactly why the learning is stronger. Real work has to feel recognisable: participants should see familiar documents, decisions, and trade-offs. Real work has to unfold properly: the steps, dependencies, and consequences need to reflect how the role actually works.
The simulation training market has grown substantially. There are now many platforms offering gamified, scenario-based learning across industries. Most of them share a common design philosophy: short modules, 3D avatars, mobile-first, generalised content, and broad industry coverage. That model works for behavioural compliance and procedural skills in consumer-facing roles but it does not work well for developing complex judgment.
See how simulation-based learning can build capabilities that last. Choose a convenient time to speak with our team.
