Most people put Outbound training events and eXperiential interventions in the same box. Nothing could be further from the truth – here are some distinct facts that separate them.
Over the years, the popularity of outbound training has changed the true essence of learning through experience – the table above will help you understand the difference between outbound events and experiential workshops/interventions.
Most outbound events are employee engagement initiatives rather than an actual learning process. The excitement and the immediate thrill that outbound engagements provide, have diverted the focus from actual people and organisation development and undermined the efficacy of experiential learning as a methodology. A methodology, when applied in its pure form is amazingly powerful, extremely engaging and exciting!
How experiential interventions work
Experiential interventions can play a critical role in an organisation which is going through challenging phases like transition, growth, cultural change or even trying to achieve a target that almost seems impossible.
Unlike outbound training, where they have a set of ‘off-the-shelf’ activities that you can choose from, experiential learning begins with gaining a deep understanding of the organisation, its structure and the challenges they are facing and/or the goals they want to achieve. After a detailed audit and analysis, a customised intervention plan is designed.
Unlike outbound training programs that can last from a day to 2 days, experiential learning interventions are goal specific and work side by side with the organisation to achieve their goals – an experiential intervention can take up to 1 year.
The complexities of an uncertain operating environment today is something every stakeholder has to acknowledge and manage – it is important to move away from the cookie cutter approach and provide impactful and pragmatic development programs to employees in order to create a motivated and performance driven culture. Outbound training may provide a temporary feeling of thrill but well designed experiential learning interventions will have a long term, positive impact on the organisation.
