Page 173 - The Creative Training Idea Book Inspired Tips and Techniques for Engaging and Effective Learning

lucas chap 05 11/20/02 12:13 PM Page 162
162 The Creative Training Idea Book
PUTTING YOUR BRAIN TO WORK: ACTIVITY
What techniques or strategies do you currently use to ensure your learning environment has maximum
impact as participants walk into the room?

What approaches have you seen others use that you have not, but could incorporate into your
environment design?

THE IMPACT OF THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Brain researchers continue to discover the importance of environmental factors on the
human brain. To capitalize on their findings, you can design your learning environ-
ments in a manner such that participants have maximum access to information. You
should also plan activities in which they can best use their five senses to receive and
process information. In building your programs, your training environment should com-
plement subject matter as closely as possible. To accomplish this, consider the audience,
organizational culture, subject matter, and expected outcomes for the training. With these
factors in mind, set out to create a learning utopia in which all the elements of brain-
based learning are addressed to your fullest capability. Even if you have only indirect
control over the room (e.g., a hotel or conference room) in which training will take
place, you can still incorporate many of the ideas outlined throughout this book.
The wonderful thing about being a creative trainer is that through a little innova-
tion, you can procure and use a variety of inexpensive tools to stimulate your sessions.
You can also reconfigure seating and, in some cases, lighting, to accommodate better
participants and learning needs. Often, for only a small amount of time and money
(less than $50 dollars), you can obtain decorations, materials, and props that will add
pizzazz to your classroom. In doing so, you will be helping to better attract and hold
attention while relaying your thoughts and ideas to learners. The key to enhancing
and enriching your learning vestibule is to add variety and novelty while fully engaging
learners. Your goal should be to entice, challenge, elicit an emotional response, and
stimulate minds to a point at which transfer of training to the workplace is a natural
outcome.
Remember what you read about first appearances? To create a good first impression
in your training room, you simply have to do some advance planning and prepara-
tion. To start with, locate some inspirational quotes by well known people that relate
to your topic. Either have a graphics company create an assortment of professional look-
ing posters or produce your own visually stimulating flip charts as discussed in Chap-
ter 8. Use a variety of bright colors, borders, and clip art or other images. Post sayings
around the room at eye level to reinforce the program theme. The reason you want to