Page 143 - The Creative Training Idea Book Inspired Tips and Techniques for Engaging and Effective Learning

lucas chap 04 11/20/02 12:00 PM Page 132
132 The Creative Training Idea Book
participants arrive late, or equipment malfunctions) do not dwell on problems or waste
time apologizing. Such reactions make you look unprepared and unprofessional, while
focusing attention on negative things at a crucial point in your presentation. Besides, if
you do not say anything about errors or omissions, your participants will likely never
know how since they do not have a copy of your leader’s guide, or do not know what
you had planned.

Keep Administrivia to a Minimum

Sharing housekeeping details about such things as no smoking; cell phones and beepers
off; and location of refreshments, bathrooms, and telephones is important. However,
keep the time spent reviewing such information short. You can always list these on a
handout or post a flip chart page on the wall, do a quick referral, and move on. Time is
precious and you do not want to bore participants and lose their attention with such
mundane material.

Use Group Energy
Immediately involve your audience. You can do this by conducting a quick energizer
activity (see Chapter 7). You can also engage participants in a quick question-and-answer
activity by raising expectations with questions such as “How many of you would like to
walk out of here with at least five ideas on how to maximize your own effectiveness?”
A couple of quick standard activities that you can use that involve a bit of humor and
some physical movement follow.
The first is to have everyone stand and face you and extend their arms straight out in
front of them with palms facing each other. On the count of three, have everyone in uni-
son rapidly bring their hands together and clap five or six times. Once done, casually
say, “Thank you. Please be seated. I just wanted to be able to tell everyone back home
that I got a standing ovation today.” This type of activity gets the blood flowing, raises
anticipation and expectations, adds humor, and helps break the ice a bit.
A second movement activity, which ties into the brain-based learning that you read
about in Chapter 1, is tied to cross-lateral movement, or movement in which one side
of the brain is controlling activity on the opposite side of the body. Cross-lateral activity
stimulates different parts of the brain. To accomplish this, have everyone stand and raise
their hands as high above their head as possible. Have them shake their hands vigor-
ously for a few seconds, then tell them to lower the left hand but keep the right one up
and shake it. After a few seconds, reverse and have the left hand lowered and right one
raised, then shaken. Next, have participants reach across behind their necks with the left
hand and pat their right shoulder several times (you can add humorous commentary
throughout the activity such as “You have all done a good job so far so give yourself a
pat on the back”). After a few seconds, have them reverse and pat the left shoulder with
the right hand. Have them then reach across the front of their bodies and pat the left
hip with the right hand, then the right hip with the left hand. Continue such movements
touching different parts of the body with opposite hands for a few minutes to get