“The experience is the learning” has become a mantra for my team over the last year, but the logic behind this statement has been embedded into our culture and product vision for over a decade.
The desire for more engaging learning experiences is universal. Whether it’s a small seminar in college, in which most of the learning happens through sharing ideas and problem-solving together, or a hackathon, where teams ideate, sketch, and code inventive new prototypes, shared learning experiences are inherently powerful. The pillars of connection, practice, and reflection (the CPR Flywheel™) — which I wrote about in my last article — fully support these experiences, ensuring they are not only motivating but also net strong outcomes.
This article will share the genesis of the CPR Flywheel™ and how it highlights the need for measurable and impactful learning experiences in the workplace. My journey began with a mission to create digital products and experiences that unlock human potential. This mission took a significant step forward when I met my cofounder at perhaps the coolest hackathon I have ever experienced, The Feast, in New York City in 2013.
The Power of Hackathons in Learning and Development
Hackathons, by their very nature, are intense, collaborative events where participants come together to solve problems and generate innovative ideas under tight deadlines. This hackathon was a part of a larger social good conference, with a variety of themes. The year we met, there were three themes: learning, health, and veterans.
When we entered the coworking space to begin the hackathon, we broke off into our corresponding themed rooms, and I heard my cofounder speak for the first time. I immediately knew that we had similar values and a shared alchemy of inventiveness, curiosity, and creativity. When we started chatting and formed our hackathon team, it would kick off a learning journey of epic proportions and a transformational partnership that we have grown and nurtured all these years later. Perhaps we could not have predicted just how mature and long-standing our relationship would become, but I did have a sense that I had met a kindred spirit with completely complementary skills to mine.
As someone who has facilitated many hackathons and design sprints, I have witnessed firsthand their effectiveness in getting small groups together to harness their creativity, knowledge, and rapid problem-solving skills to generate a new product or business idea. At one of our recent hackathons, teams were able to ideate and generate viable prototypes and solutions after only three hours of collaborative prototyping! It was a thrilling experience that became an amplified learning journey for all involved (including me as the facilitator). These results were a testament to the power of experiential learning in a compressed timeframe.
Experiential Learning: The Key to Engagement and Measurable Outcomes
So why all of the discussion of hackathons and design sprints? Because these are ideal forums for the mantra, “the experience is the learning.” These events naturally spark new ideas and foster group knowledge creation. When this type of magic is combined with an online or blended experience, the potential for compelling and consistent results can be further magnified. However, to ensure these experiences lead to consistent and measurable outcomes, the right tools and design frameworks need to be in place.
My cofounder and I leveraged the powerful shared learning experience of a hackathon to ignite and create not only an impactful business but also our learning model — the aforementioned CPR Flywheel™ — and we want to empower others to have their own version of our story.
Despite the clear benefits of experiential learning, many training programs still leave learners staring at a screen passively consuming content. Having one vital or seminal piece of content (like a book reference) in any learning journey is great, but then what happens? Typically, it’s followed by more and more content. This over-reliance on content-heavy, sedentary learning methods needs to go.
So, how do we make a big paradigm shift from passive content to refocus on the experience that truly engages and motivates employees? That’s been my obsession in recent days. It sparked 7+ years ago and has now built to a cresting fever. This article is a clarion call to all of my fellow learning and development practitioners, designers, and leaders. What ideas do you have to create measurable and truly engaging blended learning experiences in the workplace? Cheers to always learning!
