The Power of Experiential Learning

The foundation of experiential learning is based upon an educational philosophy termed Constructivism. According to Constructivism, a learner’s knowledge is developed ‘on-the-spot’ by experiencing concepts, theories, and things in-person.  An essential aspect of Constructivism involves the learner reflecting on the newly ‘constructed’ knowledge. They may even compare, contrast, or debate the differences between this relatively new experience and any prior knowledge they may have.

The Need for Experiential Learning in the Corporate World

The modern learner is easily distracted, has a short attention span and is usually overwhelmed by multiple conflicting responsibilities. As a result, a fun and immersive training session can enable such employees to gain valuable skills that will benefit them as well as their organization.

Experiential learning helps modern-day organizations internalize the following benefits:

• Greater Motivation to Learn

Work skills that can help an employees’ professional growth are transferred to them through an experiential learning-based training session. As the skills taught via experiential learning directly improves the employee’s performance, they are likely to be more receptive to acquiring these new skills.

• Higher Chances of Skill Retention

The skills acquired via experiential learning tend to stay with the trainee for a longer period of time. The reason for that is they will not only learn about the skill but will also apply it in real-time.

• Customized Learning

Experiential learning is tailored to the needs of the organization and the trainees. The participants are on the driving seat as they set their own learning pace and have substantial control over the learning process.

• One Step Ahead of Theory

Repetitive, lecture-based training is steadily being replaced by the “learning by doing” approach. The trainee uses critical thinking, problem solving and decision-making skills to accelerate their own learning process.

• Collaborative Environment

Experiential learning, by design, encourages co-learners to engage with and learn from each other. This not only helps an individual with learning a particular skill but also helps in team-building.

• Higher Return-On-Investment (ROI)

Experiential learning-based trainings are proven to positively influence both the behaviour and skill set of the participants.

Experiential Learning in the Office

In comparison to compartmentalized learning, experiential learning mimics real-world scenarios to create a unique learning experience. Experiential learning broadens the learning toolset from mere boards, slides, and books to gaming, simulations, case studies, role-playing and much more. These experiential tools can be used in isolation or in conjunction with traditional learning methods – it all depends on the organisation’s specific training needs. In the case of experiential training for corporations, games have proven to be an effective educational tool. It is noted that games make the learning process fun and engaging for all the people involved.

Experiential learning-based trainings provide employees with numerous opportunities to learn via bespoke experiences. The skill-building techniques enable employees to polish their customer service skills and enhance their personal skills by learning from real-world examples. Employees can brush up on their communication skills by playing experiential games that incorporate the following themes: public speaking, listening, and persuasion. Incorporating experiential learning in the corporate culture takes time and effort but the results easily outweigh the initial investment.