Why experiential learning is so effective.
3 minute read
Experiential learning is a training approach that yields typical retention rates of 80-90 percent. This is a significant improvement over traditional training methods that have retention rates as low as 5 percent. If you think of a teaching spectrum with isolated training activities on one end and simulations on the other, experiential learning is in the middle. The experience is clearly linked to the tasks participants must perform in the workplace, but it is not an exact replication of the work environment. To be successful, an experiential learning program must include eight essential components:
An engaging theme that masks any connection to the participant’s work reality
Fun to encourage participation
A compelling metaphor that draws parallels to the real world
Objective results
A cause-and-effect link
Builds conviction to change
A results-based debrief
One popular aim of an experiential session is to spur understanding of individual and team performance, from one of collective success, to appreciation for individual contribution through leadership competencies. Participants will experience the benefits of teamwork, planning, setting goals, and taking necessary risks. Participants will need to apply their capabilities to what appears to be a totally different challenge to what they would normally face. However, they will come to realise that the Experience is an exact metaphor for the reality they face, possibly on a daily basis.
One of the major benefits we found was that participants develop a strong personal conviction about the value of changing their behaviour and also the approach to take to be more successful. This is achieved by reflecting on what occurred during the Experience, translating this back into what happens at their own workplace, and then drawing up and committing to individual action plans. This is the key to all experiential sessions.
Against the backdrop of a company’s learning initiative, this is when participants appreciate that what happened in the Experience relates directly to their roles and responsibilities at work. This provides a clear line of sight between cause (behaviour) and effect (result). Participants are then in a position to identify what steps need to be taken – both individually and as a team – to be more accessible, self-aware and ultimately, more successful as they evolve and grow in their roles and within the organisation.
Our Experience with Experiential Training
We were engaged to create a definition of a firm’s ‘Code of Conduct’. This was to create a reference point for every employee and for them to consider the everyday behavior they were to hold themselves and others to.
Beyond the fun, camaraderie and exploration shared at the company retreat, the output from the session provided the opportunity for employees and partners to give feedback on an ongoing basis on what had worked, and what was felt to be lacking in the month / quarter under review.
When learning-by-doing was exercised at all levels of the company and not confined to only general staff, the opportunity to voice and express ideas and concerns was a clear first step towards expansive communication lines and a shared attitude toward inclusive decision-making.
All of this leads to behavior change because participants have personally experienced the results that come with applying their existing skills (both successes and failures), and they are then more inclined to do things differently next time. They draw their own conclusions about the power of applying new approaches and behaviors back on the job. Which is why experiential learning has a higher retention rate than other training methods.
