Maximizing Face-to-Face Learning | Tangram Flip Series

April 3 | Written by Stephanie Gieseke & Julie Dozier 

In this edition of our Flip series, Tangram flips the script that training stakeholders often have for multi-day learning events in order to engage learners in active learning. 

We’re currently in the middle of designing a program with a 6-week, role-based learning journey. The high-level design includes: 

• A virtual kickoff in the first week 

• 4 weeks of virtual learning with a focus on one key behavior and its associated skills per week 

• And ...drumroll, please... a 2.5-day face-to-face culminating learning event in the final week 

That kind of face-to-face learning event in today’s hectic, dispersed workplace is a rare opportunity. As we got deeper into the design, we wanted to structure this F2F event to get the most value of participants’ time away from work and their time together for the best possible learning outcomes. 

Our Approach 

Right away, we started thinking about the possibilities. With a 2.5-day face-to-face learning event, you can: 

• Design a series of activities that unfold and build in complexity. 

• Develop a theme and infuse the event with fun thematic elements. 

• Design interactions for learners to physically create and share learning outputs. 

• Include networking and purely social moments to round out the experience. 

We were about to meet with our stakeholders and paint a picture of the possibilities. Based on their experience with past curriculums, we knew they would be imagining something more presentation-based with guest speakers. But we wanted to show them the benefits of an action-packed agenda with a learning-by-doing design. Not only would this design lead to better performance for this group of learners, but it would also build strong working relationships within the cohort that would benefit them on the job. 

How could we flip our stakeholders’ vision for the event and get their buy-in? 

Our Design Flip 

We decided to mock up a sample agenda for the 2.5 days to set the scene. 

Our color-coordinated schedule showed visually that we had a mix of activity types: 

• Icebreakers  

• A series of group challenges 

• Full-cohort activities 

• A panel discussion 

Nowhere in the agenda was there a typical stand-up presentation. As we pointed this out to our stakeholders, they acknowledged that while this was a departure from previous events, they were ready to try a new way of doing things. 

They also were intrigued by the substance of this learning event: the series of group challenges. We explained that we would provide learners with a realistic business case — a “client” who was coming to them with specific needs. Each group would develop a solution to meet the client’s needs by completing the 4 challenges within the 2.5-day learning event. 

Tangram strives to design active, challenging learning experiences where learners wrestle with ideas and come away with new mindsets and behaviors. This group challenge would be the ultimate test of what they had learned the first 5 weeks of the program. Working in groups would also give them a chance to learn from each other and collaborate on better, more thorough solutions. 

The Results 

Our SMEs were very invested in developing a compelling client case and worked closely with us to make it as nuanced and interesting as possible. For example: 

• We included fun details in the storyline to make it interesting and challenging: e.g., the two client representatives, the CFO and CIO, were at odds and didn’t get along. 

• We decided our groups would be scheduled to “meet the client” and ask questions — and our facilitators would be in character as the client representatives. 

• We created templates to provide some structure for the learners' 4 deliverables. 

• We included some true-to-life checkpoints in the schedule for learners to get feedback from “internal” stakeholders, in addition to the client. 

The program pilot is coming up soon, and we’re about to see how the group challenges play out and the outputs from the learner groups. We will have a chance to adjust activities based on feedback before we launch the curriculum to a wider audience. This is an example of what we mean when we talk about incorporating lightweight design. 

But it’s the outcome we hoped for: an active experience that will have our learners pushing themselves and each other as they prepare to present their final deliverable to the client on the final day. And engaged SME-facilitators who are excited to play their part in this rich learning experience.