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Experiential Learning and Interaction for Directors, Executives, Individuals and Teams

Much of the learning that most are familiar with falls into three categories: cognitive, where we learn about a subject through reading or lecture; affective, where we learn about others’ attitudes and belief systems; and behavioral, where we put into practice skills such as driving a car. A fourth type of learning is gaining increasing interest and application, and is especially applicable to the adult learning situations many professionals experience.

Experiential learning refers to a process through which knowledge is created through the transformation of experience while rooted and supported through proactive reflection. For example, walking the rolling fields at Gettysburg entrenches lessons of understanding points of view and recognizing the need to change strategy; approaching the rapids on the Missouri River in Montana where Lewis & Clark were forced to portage their 1,200 pound canoes brings home the importance of strategic planning, teamwork, personal commitment and leadership. Both the Gettysburg Leadership Experience and Lewis & Clark “Into the Unknown” Experience have delivered these and other lessons through experiential learning activities for many years. Today, they’re joined by other types of experiential learning, including some custom opportunities offered through FCC Services.

“Especially for adult learners, it’s most effective to utilize a holistic approach incorporating all four types of learning to tap everyone’s natural learning style while still capitalizing on the benefits of those that are less familiar,” says Jean Cantey Segal, Chief Learning Officer of FCC Services' Learning and Consulting Services. “Unlike younger learners, adults bring their own experiences, skills and knowledge to any learning environment. They also have the ability to recognize how any learning applies to their personal or professional lives, and the framework of their experiences to drive their own learning processes.”

John Regentin, a senior consultant on FCC Services’ Leadership Development team, has a diverse background in experiential learning, including consulting with the Gettysburg Leadership Experience, and facilitating more than 35 comprehensive multi-week wilderness-based leadership programs that included sea kayaking, climbing and backpacking. John has over 20 years of experience, designing and delivering experiential based leadership programs throughout the continental US and to over 18 countries on five continents. His medium is to align wilderness expeditions (sea kayaking, mountaineering, climbing, and trekking) with service/cultural based opportunities. He points out that one of the strongest tools of experiential learning is the time spent reflecting on both the cognitive classroom learning and the experiential part of a development session.

“Experiential learning incorporates an intentional process to reflect on the experience to identify lessons learned using specific questions that target the specific goal of the training,” John says. “It’s not about asking ‘How did that make you feel?’ It’s about asking, ‘What stood out for you in that experience, and how does that apply to your life?’ We look to expose, explore and align our perspectives and awareness through an environment that is dynamic by nature. Every expedition or program I have led, I am just as much the adult learner as I am the facilitator. When framed and designed well, no one is exempt from the experiential learning cycle.”

John agrees with Jean that experiential learning brings depth to adult learning processes, saying, “As professionals, we’re often communicating through our computers, our phones or across the table, and we’ve developed tactics to protect ourselves from uncomfortable situations or expectations. Experiential learning puts participants into unfamiliar territory, similar to a ‘stretch goal,’ where in a relatively short period of time, they can learn about themselves and how they can develop specific skills or tools to improve their performance in their careers and even their personal lives.”

He goes on to explain that the purpose of experiential learning, which includes the discussion and reflection that are key components, is to create an environment where taking risks can be developmental and rewarding, even as participants overcome internal resistance. The result is a highly engaged and supportive group activity that benefits all participants individually and collectively as they discuss their experiences.

Recognizing the significant benefits experiential learning provides to adult learners, FCC Services is now offering multiple experiential learning programs:

Any Farm Credit organization or cooperative interested in more information about any of FCC Services’ experiential learning programs can contact John Regentin at 717.752.0495.

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