Grand Valley State University (GVSU) students master leadership skills through VR
Discover how VirtualSpeech’s immersive VR training prepared 90 students for real-world workplace conversations.
Highlights
Skills
Difficult conversations for leaders
5897
minutes spent in VR
425
practice exercises completed
90
undergraduate students
Customer Introduction
Grand Valley State University (GVSU) is a prominent institution in Michigan, known for fostering career-ready graduates.
As part of its commitment to experiential learning, GVSU's Seidman College of Business partnered with VirtualSpeech to help students develop critical leadership and communication skills through immersive VR training.
The Goal
The goal was to provide students with practical experience in handling sensitive workplace conversations such as how to address disciplinary issues, performance concerns, and layoffs which are often difficult to simulate in traditional classroom environments.
Student
"It was a really cool experience, and I was not expecting it to be so immersive. You really feel like you're sitting in that office. Another thing that surprised me was how in depth the feedback after each attempt was. It made it clear what I did well and what I need to work on and why."
The Solution
Students took advantage of the "Difficult Conversations for Leaders" module, practicing key skills such as handling disciplinary actions, employees missing targets, cost-saving layoffs, poor performance reviews, and delivering disappointing promotional news through immersive AI roleplays.
The platform provided actionable feedback on eye contact, tone, and the content of their speech, enabling participants to refine their approach and improve with each attempt.
Results and Benefits
VirtualSpeech has delivered significant benefits, for the different participants. Key results include:
- Improved communication skills: Participants reported increased confidence in handling difficult conversations, including disciplinary discussions and layoffs.
- Higher scores and progress: Repeated practice with feedback helped students refine their skills, with many achieving significant improvement in subsequent sessions.
- Practical readiness: The program successfully bridged the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application, preparing students to approach workplace challenges with confidence and professionalism.
