Why Escape Room formats make content stick
What’s the main cause of internal corporate training falling flat?
It’s certainly not because the content isn’t important – more likely, is that the format in which it’s presented isn’t engaging enough.
That’s the ongoing challenge that HR and Learning & Development teams face: how do you keep your audiences plugged in and ready to absorb the information you’re putting out there? And, perhaps more importantly, how do you make sure the message lasts long after the session ends?
Escape Room-style training takes the same business goals and delivers them in a format that feels entirely different. Participants are invited into a timed challenge that places them inside a story, while puzzles and mechanics are purpose-built around the training topic and your brand values – whether that’s compliance, product knowledge, or leadership. And the only way to complete the challenge is to engage with that content directly.
The result is a fully active session that builds genuine interest and understanding.
An active audience is an engaged audience
Participation rises when learners take the lead
The reason these formats are so effective comes down to a simple shift that replaces passive listening with active involvement – instead of being told what to do, audiences are compelled to figure things out for themselves.
That single, fundamental change increases attention, builds connection between participants and drives the kind of interaction that traditional training formats often miss entirely.
At Brit Insurance, Challenger Escapes created a four-day Escape Room installation to help staff navigate core cybersecurity threats. The activity involved real-world risks – like phishing, password safety and document security – but delivered them as hands-on challenges.
It ran with full uptake across every session, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Crucially, people walked away not only knowing the right answers but understanding why they mattered.
Internal messages become easier to explore
Training sessions tailored to your own teams
Training is often at its most effective when it’s specific to your organisation. Escape Room formats allow content to be adapted at a granular level – shaping puzzles, storylines and props around the exact themes you want to land. That might mean embedding your own product, recreating your workplace, or reinforcing a particular value or behaviour.
That’s exactly what EY did for a 450-person graduate onboarding session. Challenger Escapes designed a custom-built tabletop escape experience built entirely around EY’s “Adventure Awaits” employer brand.
Teams competed to crack the code, uncover clues and reach a shared solution. The event received the highest feedback score of the day, and EY has since rolled the format out across other UK events.
This approach can be adapted to other types of internal communication too – from leadership development to change management or onboarding. When training is designed to be explored rather than explained, the audience tends to remember it.
Escape Rooms bring energy to serious content
High-stakes gameplay helps unlock important ideas
Some of the most important topics in the workplace are also the most difficult to deliver. Policy updates, cybersecurity, internal systems: these are the sessions most likely to wash over employees and live short in the memory. But the same topics, presented in a new format, can land very differently.
At Dyson, Challenger Escapes worked with over 100 engineers to design a week-long Escape Room activation. Each puzzle reflected a key message, mechanic or internal challenge. The session ran across multiple UK sites, reached full capacity within three days, and later became the company’s most-watched internal video of the year. It worked simply because the format gave people a reason to take part and stay engaged.
The same principle can be applied to any internal topic. Escape Rooms build momentum, create competition, urgency and collaboration – turning routine learning into content that sticks.
A practical tool for L&D teams ready to try something new
Gamified learning that delivers real results
For Learning and Development teams looking to deliver training that’s genuinely effective, Escape Room formats offer a practical and proven way forward. They create energy in the room, increase participation and help shift sessions from ‘mandatory’ to meaningful.
Challenger Escapes builds each training experience from scratch – aligning every detail with your objectives and your organisation’s internal language.
Looking to launch a new programme, prepare your team for change, or simply increase engagement with an existing initiative? A fully bespoke Escape Room provides a different route to get there – one that your team will remember.
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