Interactive, Shared Experiences

Unlike a video, seminar, or presentation, experiential learning doesn’t just present new material in a one-way transfer of information; it engages individuals through interaction with the material, the facilitator, and their colleagues as they learn new skills and behaviors. This interaction creates a richer learning experience for participants. In fact, one study found that experiences tend to be more meaningful when they are shared.

With experiential learning, individuals must work together to solve a problem or examine a specific dilemma. These shared experiences encourage individuals to take an active role in their learning because they can see how their actions and choices directly impact the problem and the group dynamic. This provides opportunities for ongoing conversation and discovery both during and after training.

Furthermore, with the aid of a skilled facilitator, individuals are able to debrief on their behaviors and results within the activities and connect the experience to their everyday challenges at work. This allows them to understand how to change and improve their behavior on the job to achieve their performance objectives and strengthen working relationships. The interactive nature of experiential learning can also strengthen teamwork and confidence by providing a safe environment to learn these new skills away from the day-to-day pressures of the workplace.

Learning Beyond the Actual Training Event

Experiential learning is not a “one and done” experience. The learning continues after the session with the aid of focused and deliberate reinforcement. Research shows that even though people quickly forget a portion of newly learned information, using reinforcement activities helps with retention. Experiential learning deepens the impact of corporate training and helps new behaviors stick, especially when paired with reinforcement and measurement tools and activities. Some examples of reinforcement activities that improve learning retention include:

- Ongoing coaching from leaders

- Digital reinforcement tools

- Group discussions at regular intervals after training

- Feedback assessments and surveys

Implementing reinforcement activities puts the learning elements in front of employees on an ongoing basis. This not only keeps the new knowledge and skills top of mind, but also reinforces the organization’s commitment to the learning, demonstrating how it is relevant on a day-to-day basis.

Predictable Results

Any investment in corporate training must be worth it, and experiential learning helps to ensure a healthy ROI in the form of improved skills and sustained behavior change. Experiential learning exercises are designed to be relevant to the real world and are calibrated to produce certain outcomes based on the decision-making and actions of the participants. Experiential learning helps individuals see clear parallels between the problems they solve in training and the problems they solve at work so that they walk away from training with a clear understanding of what success looks like and how to achieve it. With experiential learning, you gain more predictable performance outcomes and can see the real impact of training on employee behavior.

Your corporate training program may include many different elements and a variety of training delivery methods. Experiential learning can play a valuable role in any corporate training program because it offers an immersive experience that helps to produce long-term behavior change. When individuals have a chance to participate in a learning experience that helps them learn by doing, your entire corporate training program becomes more effective as a result.