Page 135 - The Creative Training Idea Book Inspired Tips and Techniques for Engaging and Effective Learning

lucas chap 04 11/20/02 12:00 PM Page 124
124 The Creative Training Idea Book
on their needs and discussion. Doing this shows concern for them while allowing you
to adapt content and flow as needed during the session.
Articles

As you read professional literature, newspapers, and periodicals, be on the lookout for
articles about trends or issues related to program topics. Save these and send them out
to people who register for your sessions with a brief note suggesting that the issues
covered in the material, and others, will be addressed during training (assuming that
they will). This approach can help tie training to organizational and real-world issues.

Jigsaw Puzzles

As you read in the last chapter, jigsaw puzzles are excellent vehicles for accomplishing
a variety of training objectives. To add a little creative twist to training in which there
are fewer than 25 attendees, I like to use puzzles in opening team activities. To do so,
I create two identical jigsaw puzzles from a printed sheet containing program objec-
tives, a quote, or startling fact related to the session content (see Figure 4-3). On the
reverse side of the printed sheet, I copy a jigsaw format (see Figure 4-4). At that point,
I have a two-sided copy with information on one side and the jigsaw piece format on
the back.
I cut the puzzles into pieces and place each puzzle in its own large manila envelope.
Before doing that, I randomly take two sections from each team’s puzzle, mix them,
and then insert two pieces in with each team’s puzzle pieces so that they potentially
have incomplete puzzles. After giving each team a puzzle and selecting group leaders,
I stress teamwork throughout the day and tell them they have 10 minutes to assemble
their puzzles to discover the program objectives. I do not tell them about the mixed
pieces. At some point someone usually figures out that another team has their pieces
and goes off to exchange. The team whose members assemble their page first wins a
prize.
An alternative is to make two poster-sized copies (approximately 27 × 34 inches) of
the jigsaw content so that it covers a flip chart easel. This can be done with the enlarger
(poster maker) machines that many organizations or print shops have. Once this is
done, you can draw lines to form various shapes (as in Figure 4-4) on the back before
cutting the puzzle into pieces. I then number the pieces of both puzzles identically on
the back, starting with one and running through the number of pieces I have. This
allows me later to identify missing pieces if someone does not show up for the session
or forgets to bring his or her piece. I can then replace the missing numbered piece from
my duplicate puzzle. Next, I cut both poster puzzles (keeping each one separate) to
create two sets of large individual puzzle pieces.
As learners register for the program, each participant gets one piece from one of the
puzzles, along with a program announcement or other important session information.
In the announcement I inform participants that there will be a drawing and that the