The world is dominated by real-time access to information with the ability to customize experiences to your liking. Walk outside, push a button on a screen, and a car shows up to take you anywhere. The glass slate in your pocket lets you talk to people around the world in real time. At any time you can click or swipe and—in seconds—you are working on something different, playing a game, or browsing the web.

Whether in-person or virtual, training battles this multitude of distractions. The notifications on learners’ phones are even more enticing when training is passive. Learners have numerous items on their to-do lists, which they can access from the device in their pocket or the keyboard in front of them. Effective training demands action and involvement.

The future of learning is experiential. It’s a vital tool to ward off the distractions vying for our learners’ attention while allowing the modern learner to customize all areas of their life.

Experiential learning refers to playing an active role in learning as opposed to being a passive consumer. This type of learning can improve results. According to the University of Minnesota’s Center for Educational Innovation, “The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) has examined the engagement experiences of hundreds of thousands of students from over 1,600 colleges and universities since 2000. The consistent results of these data show that hands-on, integrative, and collaborative active learning experiences lead to high levels of student achievement and personal development.”

The University of California at Berkeley’s graduate student instructor teaching guide adds that, “More complex thought processes are more beneficial for learning because they involve a greater number of neural connections and more neurological cross-talk. Active learning takes advantage of this cross talk, stimulating a variety of areas of the brain and promoting memory.”

Demanding Control

Fewer than 20 years ago, there was no Uber, no Instagram, and no Amazon Prime. To say there has been a seismic shift in the level of control, convenience, and personalization in our lives is an epic understatement.

The youngest learners grew up with Google, Alexa, and Siri answering all their questions, and when they needed a hands-on walk-through, they could find one on YouTube. Take this perspective into the world of L&D, and you understand why learners demand to be involved in the experience. Here are three ways to integrate experiential learning and provide your learners the interaction they crave:

1. Case studies and role-playing. In learning, role-play the challenges, various approaches, and potential outcomes of L&D. Business schools have used the case study method to great success, and corporate L&D programs can implement a similar approach. The ability to simulate real-world scenarios and provide participants with a platform to practice different approaches is critical to professional development.

2. Feedback, coaching, and mentorship programs. Many organizations encourage senior leaders to coach rising leaders. To be truly effective, these coaching conversations should not focus on the day-to-day lives of each party but instead integrate experiential learning.

Construct coaching frameworks that encourage pairs to explore various scenarios and provide an arena for learners to practice potential outcomes. Allow the coaches or mentors to share their own stories and guide an immersive environment. Enhance learning moments by providing scenario-based conversations that reflect real-world challenges. This practice allows for true learning through practice instead of simple conversations that recap the prior two weeks’ performance.

3. Action learning projects. When training groups are split into cohorts, they build comradery among participants. Embrace that benefit, and give each group a company challenge. Encourage them to improve the onboarding of campus hires or break down cross-functional barriers by removing monthly all-hands meetings. Whatever you choose, set a group of learners on a journey to prepare and present potential solutions. If possible, include a competitive element where multiple teams brainstorm different approaches and are judged on their performance and creativity.

The Future of Learning

In LinkedIn’s workplace learning survey, 94 percent of respondents said they would stay with their current employer longer if the organization invested in their career development. Experiential learning creates a memorable and engaging environment in which participants can pursue the development of new competencies.

Impactful learning must break through distraction by providing learners the level of control they are accustomed to. Passive approaches to learning delivery fail to take advantage of the opportunity to positively impact today’s leaders as well as the leaders of the future.

What better way to close a conversation about the future than with a quote from 350 B.C. by Aristotle, “For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” Use experiential learning to bridge the gap between theory and practice and capitalize on the desire for development opportunities.

To learn more, join me at the 2022 ATD International Conference & EXPO for the session for the session The Future of Learning Is Experiential.

Note: This post is adapted from The Future of Learning Is Experiential (December 2019).