By designing embodied, emotionally resonant journeys, Live Action Learning can be used to elevate learning experiences that have the power to transform participants in ways that last far longer than traditional training.
Not only thinking about new behavior, but truly experiencing it… that is the essence of Live Action Learning. This method involves learners not only cognitively, but also emotionally and physically in the learning process. For learning experience designers seeking depth, it offers an innovative way of exploring subjective skills like leadership and experimenting with new forms of behavior.
How Does It Work?
The key is imagination. Learners step into another world, or into another version of themselves. And not just in their heads: they embody it. They feel what it is like to act from a calmer, braver, or more collaborative version of themselves. Learning in this way becomes not only rational, but also physical and emotional. Precisely because it engages the learner on different levels, the experience sticks—and changes behavior.
In each one of the following examples the learners stepped into a different setting, specifically designed to challenge them on their learning goals. They play out different scenario’s together, in character. And later on reflect on the experience and how they can translate this experience to their real-life situation.
Some examples of Live Action Learning experiences: Forensic psychiatric staff who practice their new mission and vision as the crew of a cruise ship; municipal officials staging a heist to explore new ways of working together; United Nations Chiefs in Geneva role-playing as parents designing a school to better understand user-centered thinking.
This method has its roots in Live Action Roleplay. In this form of interactive theatre, entire worlds are created for participants: rules, roles, stories, and social dynamics. It is perhaps the most participant-focused artform that exists. Live Action Learning adopts this principle and translates it into learning and development.
Why Is This Innovative Compared to Other LXD Methods?
Many existing learning methods invite engagement but remain at the level of imagination about behavior. Learners picture what they could do differently, or test it in small, controlled ways.
Live Action Learning goes further in several ways:
- Embodied experimentation: Behavior is not just discussed or visualized, it is physically enacted and emotionally felt. This creates powerful memories and stronger transfer to real-life situations.
- Safe alibi for risk-taking: Because learners act “in character,” the designed world provides a protective layer. They can take risks and try out unfamiliar behavior without fear of judgment: “It’s not me, it’s my character.”
- Complex social dynamics: Unlike many individual-focused methods, Live Action Learning places learners in group settings where roles, collaboration, and conflict can be practiced in real time.
- Lasting effect through ‘bleed’: Research on Live Action Role Play highlights the phenomenon of bleed—when emotions, thoughts, or behaviors flow between player and character. In learning contexts, this means that qualities practiced “in role” can be integrated into the learner’s real-life identity. Someone who plays a calmer or more decisive character may find those capacities available to them long after the exercise ends.
The Added Value for LX Designers
For LX designers, Live Action Learning opens up a richer design space. It gives the opportunity to build worlds, characters, and challenges that let learners step outside their usual patterns. The experience is intentionally designed to evoke ‘bleed’ in a safe, structured way—transforming temporary role-play into durable learning.
This combination of embodied practice and safe experimentation makes Live Action Learning a unique and powerful addition to the LXD toolkit. It does not just help learners imagine change; it helps them become it.
Want to know more? Join the LXD meet-up on September 25th. Register fro free: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/WC0erGenRU-Bf2Pbc9pDww
About the authors:
Anne van Barlingen & Gijs van Bilsen help people learn from their imagination, with interactive keynotes and special training courses in which you immerse yourself in another world. They are partners, in business and in private. Together, they have been designing experiences to learn from for more than a decade. From Mobile Escape Rooms for Team Development to Serious Games and from theatrical conferences to keynotes for large groups. Anne is creative with language and with her hands and Gijs shines on stage as a speaker or as a concept creator. Their company is named after the method: Live Action Learning. www.liveactionlearning.com