There's No Fun Without "U" - Making Emergency Preparedness Learning Engaging and Memorable

At the LTC RISE 3rd Annual Spring Conference in King of Prussia, PA, healthcare leaders gathered under the banner "RISE to New Heights, Enhancing the Resident Experience." Among the standout sessions was one that tackled a surprisingly common challenge: how to make emergency preparedness training both effective and enjoyable. The session, led by Joe Tibbs, President of HAPevolve, and CJ Sabo, Emergency Management SME, was aptly titled "There's No Fun Without U." Here is a summary of the presentation.  

The Challenge: Training That Sticks

Emergency preparedness is essential, but often, it’s treated as a “check-the-box” requirement—rote, dull, and quickly forgotten. With so many responsibilities competing for time and attention, meaningful training often gets pushed to the margins. But as Tibbs and Sabo pointed out, if we want teams to respond effectively in real emergencies, they need more than just information—they need engagement.

Learning Objectives That Matter

The session was built around three clear goals:

1. Understand how engaging training enhances emergency preparedness.

2. Identify strategies to make drills and exercises interactive.

3. Incorporate feedback and continuous improvement into preparedness activities.

From Boring to Transformative: Rethinking Training

The speakers highlighted two contrasting approaches to training:

• "Check-the-box" training is efficient but uninspiring.

• Transformative training, on the other hand, is memorable, effective, and yes—entertaining.

Attendees were asked to reflect on their most memorable lesson. Odds are, it involved more than a PowerPoint and a checklist. That’s the point.

As the oft-attributed (and possibly apocryphal) Benjamin Franklin quote reminds us:

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”

Three Tactics to Level Up Your Training

Tibbs and Sabo introduced three proven methods to inject life into emergency training:

1. Embrace Your Inner Storyteller

Humans are wired for stories. Turning tabletop exercises into narratives makes them more immersive and memorable. Instead of dry scenarios, create plotlines with characters, dilemmas, and unfolding events.

2. Lean Into Competition and Whimsy

Gamification isn’t just for kids. Activities like “Preparedness Jeopardy” tap into the natural human love for games and competition. They make learning fun and foster team bonding.

3. Games Are Fun—Use Them

Escape rooms aren’t just trendy team-building events. They’re fantastic metaphors for emergency scenarios requiring problem-solving, communication, and time-sensitive action. Tailoring them for emergency preparedness creates an exciting, educational experience.

To learn more or to schedule one of our Emergency Preparedness gamified training sessions, click on the links below:

Fire Safety Educational Escape Room 

Resident Safety Educational Escape Room 

Educational Escape Room: Skin Care in the Long-Term Care Setting