A general consensus has emerged that most learning is the result of work and not training interventions. The term 702010 has become popular recently to describe the belief that 70% of learning comes from working on the job, 20% from social interactions and only 10% from formal training. There is even a 702010 forum that supports this model and provides many excellent resources and support.

One can debate whether 70, 20, 10 is the right ratio in all situations or at all stages of learning and skill development. In some cases, more formal training may be needed to get people started. In other cases, social collaboration will play a more important role. Of course, different people have different learning styles and foundational skills. Still, it is a good rule of thumb and a good way to test how money is being invested and how training is being tracked.

How do we track experiential learning? We need to be able to draw connections between the experience, the learning and the new human potential that the learning makes possible. Then we need to understand how that new potential will be applied.

We need a connector to do put the pieces together and the most effective connector we have been able to find is skills.

We can get at this by asking a few simple questions:
What new skills did you learn from this experience?
What experiences underlie your skills?
How are you applying your new skill?

If we consistently ask these questions and record the answers we can connect experience, learning, skills and application.

Making the connection between experience and performance is critical to the adoption of the 702010 paradigm. This is what skill management does. The only way to successfully adopt experiential learning into your organization and your life is to record how you gained new skills and how you are applying them. This is a good habit to develop.

On TeamFit v2–ask us for access at info@teamfit.co–one way we do this is through 'Highlights'. A 'Highlight' is some part of your life you want to call attention to.

A 'Highlight' can be connected to people, skills, projects and roles. It becomes a node for experiential learning where all the critical pieces come together.

Spend some time this weekend reflecting on the high points of your career, who you worked with, what you learned and how you are applying this today. In our busy and often fragmented world, this kind of reflection is what stitches things together and gives continuity to our careers and even our lives.