Over the past month I had a transformative learning experience—and “transformative” is not a term I use lightly. I am building a new business, and applied to SheEO, an incubator specifically for women-led startups. I was accepted, along with 10 other women, for the month-long program. There was an angel fund for the ventures available, and other than that, we had very little information to go on.
The first day we filed into the room to find a circle of pillows on the floor. “OK, I get it, they’re trying to create a ‘feminine’ space,’” I thought to myself. We sat down with our game faces on, ready to talk business—to pitch, to talk revenue streams.
What happened next shook me. The incubator founders, Vicki, Kaela, and Abby, told us their stories. Not a reiteration of their LinkedIn bios, but how their personal struggles and dreams shaped them and influenced their lives as entrepreneurs. The impact of their sincerity on the room was palpable.
That day we did not talk business at all. Instead, we delved deep into who we are and what we want. Through their alarming authenticity, these women had created an instant trust that allowed me to look firmly in the mirror and start to share my reflection with the group. This is not something I’ve done in a business context. Ever.
The program eventually refocused on business, to talk of pitches, raising capital, building the right team, and so on. But everything I learned from then on was grasped through a different lens. I constantly challenged myself with self-reflection. Was I staying true to my values and personal goals? Which of my strengths and internal barriers were affecting my outcomes? I have made leaps and bounds in evolving my business as a result.
I started wondering if this kind of experience could be replicated without the group meeting face to face. Could a technology-based experience result in this kind of transformative learning? Even considering the broad range of methodologies that comprise learning tech, I’m not sure that it could—considering the strong emotional, physical, and interpersonal exchange of that first day.
Perhaps there is a different line of questions, though. Given the power of authenticity, how can we ensure it is brought forward at the right times in our technology-based learning solutions? How do we make a personal connection with each participant when we’re running a virtual classroom? How do we stimulate honest dialogue online when participants know their contribution could be permanently visible? How do we make sure that our real, unedited selves break through the layer of technology that mediates our interactions?
I am sure such authentic learning tech experiences exist, but we lack the roadmap for how best to create them. More important, we are still uncertain about how to harness their power.
