We send our kids off to school to learn by rote even when we already realize that the most effective lessons are those that we digest with experience. Real-world education far bypasses words on chalkboards and whiteboards no matter the age of the learner.
Use practical training at work to give another dimension to the knowledge that your team absorbs. It is an effective strategy, whether you are dealing with interns or old hands.
What is Experiential Learning?
The word experiential is rooted in the word experience. In the context of workplace training, experiential refers to the hands-on experiences that put theory into practice. There are three main stages of experiential learning:
- An involved exercise – Any workplace activity that places the trainee in a position to apply what they know through theory in a real scenario
- After action analysis – Self-performed and/or guided exercise where the trainee scrutinizes the action they took and considers lessons learned and where response could be improved
- Further analysis – Deeper dive into the experience to understand how and why the scenario played out as it did, and how class-based learning can be tweaked to include the lessons learned
These stages followed by the implementation stage where the new knowledge is applied.
Why Does Experiential Learning Work?
Experiential learning is not a buzzword or transitionary fad; it has been proven to be effective in both the long and short term.
- Putting theory into practice – There is an inherent gap between one-dimensional lessons learned in theory and its all-encompassing implementation in the real world. Moreover, practical lessons often take less time than classroom ones simply by virtue of their multifaceted nature.
- Safe fail space – Experiential learning is often conducted with some supervision in a controlled scenario. The trainee has the safety net of an experienced colleague to guide them as well as to pick up the slack if anything goes wrong.
- Accurate skills assessment – Ever had an employee who aces theory lessons but cannot cope with the stress and fluidity of real-world situations? It’s not an uncommon scenario but one that can easily be circumvented with the introduction of practical tests so your teams comprise the right people for the right role.
- Real-world preparation – Experiential learning teaches trainees to think on their feet and adapt to unique situations as they arise. It’s a baptism by fire that will put them in good stead in the role for which they are training.
Whether you use time or money as the yardstick, experiential learning is a sound investment in both your people and the organization. Rather than extracting them from the workplace and placing them in an insulated environment, it integrates learning into their workflow. Unsure how to get started implementing experiential learning into your workplace? I’d love to help.
