{"id":6697,"date":"2022-08-11T08:00:43","date_gmt":"2022-08-11T08:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maestrolearning.com\/?p=5732"},"modified":"2023-04-20T18:18:34","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T18:18:34","slug":"creating-great-learning-experiences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maestrolearning.com\/blogs\/creating-great-learning-experiences\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does “Saturday Night Live” Have in Common with Creating Great Learning Experiences?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What does Saturday Night Live<\/em> have in common with creating learning experiences? Surprisingly more than you might think.<\/p>\n

For the past four years or so, I\u2019ve entered the NBC Studios lottery to see Saturday Night Live<\/em> live and in-person. This past April, I received an email out of the blue stating that I had been selected. Needless to say, I was stunned. The show was in just ten days, and I only had 24 hours to respond and decide whether I would accept the tickets. After \u201ccareful\u201d deliberation (aka learning that Lizzo was both the host and<\/em> musical guest), my husband and I decided this was an opportunity we couldn\u2019t miss.<\/p>\n

Collaboration (and organized chaos) leads to success<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s a lot that I could say about the experience of seeing SNL<\/em> live, but what stood out to me the most was the absolute\u2014albeit organized\u2014chaos of it all.<\/p>\n

I was fortunate to be seated on the ground level, which put me especially close to the action. It is truly a live show, so the time in between sketches is very, very busy. What happens behind the scenes to make the magic come to life is a perfect medley of moving parts and people. Love the show or hate it, I will say the atmosphere is completely different in-person than watching it on television from my couch.<\/p>\n

I was mesmerized by the stage hands, the makeup artists, cast members, and the techs who were doing things so quickly and efficiently and, in some cases, literally running to get things done. Their collaboration was the kind you see when a team is so synchronized they move as one, helping each other out, and doing so without any hesitation.<\/p>\n

I lived for seeing those little moments too: castmates joking with each other before camera rolling, the choreographer giggling off-camera while directing the silliest movements on-camera, and when someone picked up a goat that refused to get out of the way because there just wasn\u2019t time to wait between sketches.<\/p>\n

But I promised that this article wouldn\u2019t just be about SNL<\/em>. This experience was a reminder to me about all of the wonderful things that also happen behind the scenes of creating learning experiences and the way that our team works together to get things done.<\/p>\n

The work it takes to create (any) great experience<\/h2>\n

Similar to what goes on behind the scenes of SNL<\/em>, there are countless things that go into creating learning experiences that make an impact. Often, it\u2019s the work-behind-the-work that nobody gets to see where the magic actually happens. Let\u2019s look at the four key elements it takes to pull off a great experience\u2014whether it\u2019s an innovative learning program or a live sketch show.<\/p>\n

Trust the team<\/h3>\n

Trust your team to do what\u2019s expected of them. Every role should be clearly defined so everyone knows what is needed from them. The ability to pull something off quickly comes from nobody needing to question who is doing what\u2014everyone knows their role and they stick to their responsibilities. At SNL<\/em>, solid processes, and people tightly knowing their responsibilities, allow them to produce a show at an incredibly high-level in a ridiculously short amount of time. And everybody\u2019s role matters.<\/p>\n

Check your ego at the door<\/h3>\n

Know your lane, but be flexible and adaptable\u2014or dare I say, improvise\u2014when needed. When you\u2019re working against insane deadlines, new things are going to come up, a new idea may spark, and mistakes are going to happen. When you know what is expected of you, you can focus on your responsibilities while also jumping in when someone needs an extra hand. It\u2019s about knowing your place and knowing whether or not to get involved. That also means putting aside your ego to do what\u2019s necessary just because it needs to get done (and having the humility to step aside when that\u2019s what\u2019s best for the team).<\/p>\n

Goal-oriented mindset<\/h3>\n

Having a shared purpose, goal, or objective is the best way to bring a group together to collaborate. Every single person at SNL<\/em> wants the same thing and is working toward the same goal. Everyone was committed to what they were doing and you could feel that passion and purpose behind the work. That\u2019s the same secret sauce that makes a great learning experience successfully come together. When you have a goal\u2014a specific behavior change you’re driving toward or a KPI that you’re hoping to achieve\u2014everything you’re creating in that program becomes laser-focused on driving that change forward.<\/p>\n

The show must go on<\/h2>\n

When you\u2019re working with others to pull off something big, there\u2019s really no room for fear of failure. They say perfection is the enemy of success<\/a> and that couldn\u2019t be more true. Lorne Michaels has been known to say, \u201cThe show doesn’t go on because it’s ready\u2014it goes on because it’s 11:30.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can and should keep refining and improving work incrementally over time, but failing to get it in front of people and give your audience, or learners, something<\/em> is far more powerful than waiting for the perfect course\u2014or the perfect joke.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What does Saturday Night Live have in common with creating learning experiences? Surprisingly more than you might think. For the past four years or so, I\u2019ve entered the NBC Studios lottery to see Saturday Night Live live and in-person. This past April, I received an email out of the blue stating that I had been […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":6672,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3869,3868,3886],"tags":[],"role":[3891,3890,3893],"class_list":["post-6697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learning-experience-design","category-strategy","category-thought-snacks","role-instructional-designer","role-learning-leader","role-visual-designer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n'Saturday Night Live' and Great Learning Experiences | Maestro<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What does SNL have in common with great learning? 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