Page 154 - The Creative Training Idea Book Inspired Tips and Techniques for Engaging and Effective Learning

lucas chap 04 11/20/02 12:00 PM Page 143
Opening With a Bang 143
my airline checked baggage. I assumed that because I’d never lost a bag and was flying
in on Saturday for a Monday class, even if the bag were delayed, it would get there by
Sunday, but I was wrong. I use the story to illustrate the need for a backup plan. In my
case, I was forced to improvise because there were no office supply stores available
from which I could buy transparency film on Sunday. I ended up buying several boxes
of 1-gallon plastic storage bags at a local supermarket, along with transparency markers
found in their school supply aisle, to create handwritten transparencies. After relating
my story, I elicit similar training horror stories from participants and normally get many.
In doing this, we all learn from one another, participants become actively involved in
their own learning, and we bond psychologically through similar experiences.

PUTTING YOUR BRAIN TO WORK: ACTIVITY

Think of a specific topic on which you deliver training (e.g., customer service, supervision, and communi-
cation), and then respond to the following questions.

What real-life workplace examples can you think of in which something did not go according to plan (e.g., a
customer service situation got out of control) related to the session topic you selected?

How was the situation handled or resolved?

What might have been done differently?

Use your answers as a possible basis for an activity or discussion in your own training programs.

Involve ’Em

Use whatever technique or activity you can think of to get participants interacting
quickly. For example, as soon as you have introduced yourself, you can get participants
involved by asking them to write down the most important thing they know about the
session topic (e.g., in a session on being a successful bank cashier, a comment might be
that accuracy on the job is absolutely crucial). Then, as they introduce themselves, have
them share their point with others and ask for comments from the group.

PUTTING YOUR BRAIN TO WORK: ACTIVITY

In what other ways can you immediately involve participants in training?