Is Immersive Training Really Hyperbolic Clickbait?

Buzzwords keep things interesting. Many of the same concepts rebrand themselves across time. Have you ever participated in immersive training?

People spend hours scrolling their smartphone while browsing pictures, meme’s, and little innuendo’s that are otherwise known as clickbait. “See what this gorilla does with a banana.” and how can you resist?

Distraction or Learning

All the time people spend watching, listening, and reading you would think intelligence would abound. Yet we still can’t resist the temptation to be distracted. Just one more time, just another few seconds on the video, and one more listen.

Instead we could spend time to read a non-fiction book, really get immersed in it, engage and grow. We could also sign up for the seminar, the workshop, or the two-day retreat. Open our minds, dig deep, get a plan, let go of wasteful thinking and actions, improve.

Buzzword Bingo

Peter Drucker taught us about management by objectives (MBO’s) in 1954. In the late 1980’s it was TQM, then ISO 9000, and into the late 1990’s and early 2000’s more about Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen.

We can’t forget to thank W. Edwards Deming, Joseph M. Juran, and even Jack Welch for their contributions. Good stuff, all of it. What does it all mean?

While there are differences, largely the concepts behind all these acronyms and buzzwords are similar. Reduce waste, be efficient, have very high quality, keep expenses low, and have inventory just-in-time, or perhaps not at all.

What does all of this have to do with immersive training?

Immersive Training

Shouldn’t all training be immersive? Some may argue that lecture is not immersive, yet I guess that depends on if the lecturer can get you to take a deep dive.

If you are interested enough to engage. It’s immersive.

Don’t be surprised if your next workplace initiative to clean out the supply closet appears on the board report as a Kaizen blitz. Also don’t be surprised that when you register for the conference you’ll be signing up for immersive training.

You would think we are, “reinventing the wheel.”

-DEG

[PS: Marketing lingo works.]

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.