How We Work
Experiential Learning That Sticks
At Adaptive Edge, we believe learning happens through doing, feeling, and reflecting.
Our workshops are designed around:
Interactive Role-Plays & Simulations
Practice real skills in safe environments where mistakes become learning opportunities.
Games & Activities
Playful exercises that reveal deep insights about communication, cooperation, and human dynamics.
Facilitated Dialogue
Structured conversations that help groups navigate differences and discover shared wisdom.
Embodied Practice
Somatic exercises that help you understand concepts not just intellectually, but in your body and nervous system.
Reflection & Integration
Time to process, make meaning, and figure out how to apply what you've learned.
The Science Behind It All
At Adaptive Edge, we don't ask you to simply trust us—our methodology is grounded in decades of research across neuroscience, adult learning theory, organizational psychology, and trauma-informed practice.
The Problem with Traditional Training
Studies consistently show that traditional lecture-based training has shockingly low retention rates:
retention from lecture alone
retention from reading
retention from audiovisual learning
More importantly, even when people remember information, they often can't apply it in real-world situations. This is called the "knowing-doing gap"—and it's why so many trainings feel good in the moment but create little lasting change.
Our experiential approach achieves:
- ✓75% retention through practice and hands-on application
- ✓90% retention when people immediately teach others or use the learning
(Source: National Training Laboratories Learning Pyramid)
How Adults Actually Learn
Malcolm Knowles' research on adult learning (andragogy) reveals that adults learn best when:
Every Adaptive Edge workshop is designed around these principles.
Our methodology directly applies this research by:
- ▸Centering workshops around real challenges participants face
- ▸Using role-plays and simulations that mirror actual work situations
- ▸Providing tools participants can use immediately
- ▸Creating collaborative rather than hierarchical learning spaces
- ▸Connecting skill-building to deeper purpose and meaning
The Neuroscience of Embodied Learning
Recent neuroscience reveals that our brains don't separate thinking, feeling, and doing—they're integrated systems. This is why embodied learning (learning through physical experience and sensation) creates deeper, more lasting change.
Key findings:
Mirror Neurons
When we observe and practice behaviors, our mirror neuron systems activate as if we're actually experiencing the situation. This is why role-playing de-escalation techniques creates real neural pathways for responding to actual conflict.
Procedural Memory
Skills learned through practice are stored in procedural memory (like riding a bike), making them more automatic and accessible under stress than information stored only conceptually.
Emotional Learning
The amygdala and hippocampus work together to encode emotionally significant experiences more deeply. This is why experiential workshops that engage both head and heart create lasting impact.
Neuroplasticity
Our brains physically change based on what we practice. Repeated experiential practice literally rewires neural pathways, making new behaviors easier over time.
(Sources: Giacomo Rizzolatti's mirror neuron research; Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory; research from the Embodied Cognition field)
Trauma-Informed Practice & Nervous System Science
Dr. Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory revolutionized our understanding of trauma and healing. Key insights that inform our work:
1. Safety is Biological
Before we can learn, connect, or problem-solve, our nervous system must register safety. Traditional trainings often overlook this, while we intentionally create physiological safety through:
- ▸Clear agreements and structure
- ▸Opportunities to move and regulate
- ▸Honoring boundaries and pacing
- ▸Building connection before challenge
2. Co-Regulation Matters
We regulate our nervous systems through connection with others. Our facilitation creates opportunities for co-regulation through:
- ▸Paired exercises and small group work
- ▸Modeling regulated presence
- ▸Normalizing emotional experiences
- ▸Creating space for authentic human connection
3. Practice Must Match Real-World Conditions
To access skills under stress, we must practice them in conditions that engage our nervous system. Our role-plays and simulations provide the right level of activation—enough to engage the system, not so much that people become overwhelmed.
(Source: Stephen Porges, "The Polyvagal Theory"; Bessel van der Kolk, "The Body Keeps the Score")
The Bottom Line
Our experiential, relational, embodied approach isn't just more engaging than traditional training—it's more effective. We combine:
The result: Learning that sticks, skills you'll actually use, and transformation that lasts.
We don't just tell you what to do differently—we create the conditions for you to become different.