Immersive Learning
What is the Message from the Latest Coca Cola Campaign?
Why accept a ‘new normal’ when we can have a ‘better normal’.
Who says that we have to go back to the way things used to be? Why can’t we create a better future for ourselves? It cannot be argued that life as we know it has changed beyond our wildest imaginations, but what if our new normal became a better normal?
The Greek stoic philosopher, Epictetus, was quick to tell us that ‘it is not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters’ and he came to this conclusion more than 2000 years ago. The message still rings true; whilst there is little we can do as individuals to prevent the impact the virus will have on our daily lives, the response we choose to make now will have a considerable impact on our future for a long time to come.
The ‘new normal’
I am quite the sceptic whenever I hear the phrase ‘new normal’ thrown around, which is currently multiple times a day. It appears to say a lot, but actually says very little. It imposes upon us a reality which none of us have asked for or had any say in. Just because this situation is completely new, there is no need for us to accept this as normal.
What we truly need is some creativity and innovation to shape a better future for us all, without dangerously normalising what clearly is not normal.
Whilst the phrase ‘new normal’ may sound syntactically suave, it only helps to heap on ambiguity to an already ambiguous situation.
This month sees Coca Cola returning to advertising after a month-long, pandemic-induced hiatus. Their new campaign, ‘Open Like Never Before’, features George the Poet and offers an optimistic outlook on our rather cloudy-appearing future. He encourages people to try new experiences and appreciate what you already have, whilst introspectively questioning “What if the new normal isn’t the normal you knew?”
The underlying message is that we should be crafting a ‘better normal’ for ourselves, with the anticipation of positive change across societies post-corona. It’s a thought provoking piece, one which aims to uplift, fill with optimism and hopefully move us forwards into a better, more open world.
How you can make a change
One way in which people can make a change for the better is to continue their own personal development. We have seen a lot of this since March, with a shift to e-learning both for people wanting to enrol in online courses to boost their skill sets, as well as academic institutions now making a shift to a more remote learning environment. Whether this will be temporary or a more permanent feature of further learning will remain to be seen.
Whilst continued learning of specific skills is of course beneficial, it is the continued development of core competencies that I feel have been enormously repressed during periods of enforced remote working or furlough.
We have seen the suppression of soft skills that we all had previously taken for granted. With a decreased level of interaction with friends and colleagues, competencies such as creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking have been almost abandoned by most.
Immersive Learning as a solution
It could be argued that traditional learning and development methods have become slightly stale and dated, especially within a corporate setting. This is where Immersive Learning can provide a much needed solution.
Immersive Learning def.
‘the use of immersive techniques, including storytelling, theatrical performance, technology and puzzles to develop and exercise skills’
Immersive Learning promotes innovation and creativity by using real-world situations to tackle problems and solve challenges, which in turn drives engagement between all involved.
It utilises a ‘safe space’ where people can interact freely without having to face the consequences that mistakes may lead to in a normal work setting. By removing these constraints, innovation and creativity can freely flow and this is where brilliant solutions to complex issues are found.
Benefits for employees
In my previous article I explored the benefits of Immersive Learning from a business perspective and why now is the perfect time to be investing in employees. We can definitely draw parallels between the benefits for both businesses and employees and the employee benefits will no doubt have positive implications for their businesses and vice versa.
For employees, the benefits are much greater than just improvements in creativity as numerous other neglected soft skills such as communication, collaboration and critical thinking are also being practised and enhanced.
These are the key skills that many have neglected but still unknowingly use and benefit from in more ways than we probably realise. A future where we are better able to communicate with team members, collaborate on joint projects and come up with innovative solutions whilst under pressure is a better future for any employee.
These are just some of the shorter term benefits that immersive learning activities practice. Longer term benefits come from a continued commitment to Immersive Learning and include increased adaptability and innovation when faced with new problems and improved creative solutions to complex challenges. All of which are hugely beneficial towards contributing to a positive business output.
For employees it is also a fun, exciting and probably different approach to learning than what they may have experienced in the past.
Immersive Learning gives an opportunity to create, evaluate and solve complex problems using a combination of learning and experience. It is through applying what you have learnt that knowledge is retained.
In conclusion, there is nothing that tells us that where we are now is where we are going to remain for years to come. What we should all be doing is striving to make this forced ‘new normal’ a ‘better normal’.
There is an opportunity here to build back up those soft skills that have been pushed to one side, skills that will help us to come back as better, stronger individuals more capable of making changes for better. Most of this situation is out of our control, but we still have the freedom to choose what step we take next.
Mathew Rainbow is passionate about the designing, building and delivering of Immersive Learning experiences for skills development, as part of the team at chronyko. For more information about Immersive Learning, head over to the Immersive Learning publication.
