How do you overcome the barriers or resistance to experiential learning among your stakeholders or clients?

I agree that resistance is a concern. Over the years, some workshop participants were "sent" to the course, and worse, some of them were not even told why. Occasionally some just want time away from their regular duties. I have found in my workshop facilitation and Results Life Coaching that many people seek knowledge and information without understanding that just learning and knowing (even well enough to pass a written test) is not enough to improve performance and achieve greater results. Certainly lack of time and others mentioned above can be barriers. I appreciate the idea of addressing sources of resistance. I look forward to adding that to my approach stated in the next section of challenging participants to focus on results.

Experiential/hands-on/active/by-doing learning relies on the principle that a "lesson", no matter where it happens and with whom, is any experience that is meaningful to the person having it. A meaningful experience is one that moves the participant mentally, emotionally, physically or socially. Experiential learning, when done correctly, tends to be more meaningful, moving and memorable than more traditional methods of content delivery. So, I would invite the stakeholders/participants/learners to share any perceptions they have about the concepts of "learning" and "lesson" (an opportunity to deconstruct misconceptions) and to share any stories they have about meaningful learning experiences they have had. This can reduce their resistance.

Listen carefully to the participants in any change process. There will always be fear, often a fear of loss. Understand the origins of these fears, as managing them properly is crucial for the change to occur. It could be fear of losing power, being let go, not handling the process, or concerns about repeating past failures, leading to wasted time. Mapping these fears helps gain more supporters and, importantly, dissolve resistance that could sabotage the change project. By offering support to mitigate these fears and providing arguments for the benefits of change, the likelihood of successful implementation of experiential learning processes increases significantly.

In my experience as an Organizational Development Specialist at University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics, I facilitated a variety of workshops including accountability, Crucial Conversations: How to speak when the stakes are high, Influencer : The power to change anything, The Color Code: The science of personality/EQ. My team's purpose was to support all levels of leadership, clinicians, and employees to achieve better RESULTS. I found it very beneficial to ask participants at the onset, to identify and share a desired result, an expected takeaway, or a challenge for which they are seeking a solution. Then, I challenged them to engage in process and choose one action step they will take to apply the knowledge and transform it into wisdom.

Before talking about their expectations from the learning experience, any concerns for what might make them feel uncomfortable and how they would like to contribute to making the training successful, I invite participants to reflect on their journey up to the point of coming to the training. For example, the thoughts they had when they applied, how they felt when they got accepted, how they went through any preparatory tasks, feelings they had as they were choosing what to wear for the training the night before, etc. This sets the tone of making them feel heard and trust in the facilitator and the learning process. Creature comforts provided from the start of the training always help - welcoming music, room temperature, comfy seating, etc

-In my experience, companies are simultaneously a wealth of generational industry knowledge and their own worst enemies when it comes to change. We sometimes organically fear our own company's growth without realizing it if what we have done in the past seems to still be working. The problem with this is that it lacks proactivity. Being proactive for the next generation of our talent, the next generation of workplace culture, and the next generation of management ideals need to be considered when developing an experiential learning program with a company stakeholder.

Briefly stated, partnering in the learning process as a "facilitator" after beginning my career in mostly trainer roles providing new information, was even more rewarding and enjoyable. The standardized training program I helped co-create at University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics included a half-day of "hands-on" observation after the classroom learning and exam was passed. However, facilitating and partnering in leadership development provided more opportunities to involve stakeholders, participants, and clients in the process.

I addressed this a bit in the my last comment. One of my favorite stories to add to whatever personal failures and successes I might have achieved is the following. In fact, I often use it as a "Finale" to inspire-especially after the full-day accountabilty course. I play the video clip from the movie, "Invictus," where Morgan Freeman (playing the role of Nelson Mandela), recites the poem of the same name by William Henley. I then end with Mandela's quote, "I never lose. I either win or I learn."

If I was not interested in a school subject, I struggled. If I found value in the content (WIIFM: What's In It For Me), excelling was more likely and easier. This created a personal style of applying the course content I would be facilitating so that I could benefit from the learning and experience my own failures in the process, course correct, and never give up before achieving some success. Over the years I found great value in being vulnerable in creating a safer learning environment for my clients. It seemed to add power to my encouragement in asking participants to commit to the experienctial learning process and then share with me their lessons learned and victories.

We are wired to listen to stories and have a natural inclination to immerse ourselves in well-told tales. It doesn't have to be complicated; often, simple stories that provide context or a bigger picture for activities work well. However, be cautious not to tell stories just for the sake of it. They need to be credible and have a truth behind them. Don't lie or exaggerate excessively (hyperboles are ok), and above all, believe in what you're telling. Today, we have plenty of empty, wonderful stories, and people are becoming increasingly resistant to them. Show your truth, share your purpose, and bring something that can genuinely resonate with everyone.

Experiential learning activities give many opportunities to use materials and resources (indoors and outdoors) in creative ways that surprise participants. I have discovered in my work as Training Designer and Facilitator that after the initial surprise for the tasks they are given and the materials used (conventionally or unconventionally), the participants' "inner child" is revealed (regardless of their age) and they are curious to find out which other surprising activities will follow.

Feedback can be requested in a variety of formats: - With anonymous written questionnaires. - With reflective activities (e.g. on the quality of the content, the applicability of the methods, the skillfulness of the facilitator(s), their satisfaction with their own contribution) - With open conversations in plenary Feedback should always include written anonymous methods, because participants may not feel comfortable giving their full perspective in front of everyone. Additionally, some "aha!" moments will happen for participants after the training was concluded, so it's a good idea to seek feedback (on the longer-term effectiveness of the training) one month and also 6 months after its conclusion.

It can be a good idea to use what I call "Trojan horses," which means avoiding terms that traditionally carry negative connotations, either due to prejudice or previous negative experiences. Instead, present activities that are simply engaging and interesting. Once participants experience and enjoy the activity, it becomes easier to advocate for its benefits, as they've already felt them. When well-executed, we can reveal at the end that this is experiential learning, thus dispelling any preconceived resistance.