Page 232 - The Creative Training Idea Book Inspired Tips and Techniques for Engaging and Effective Learning

lucas chap 06 11/20/02 12:21 PM Page 221
PUTTING YOUR BRAIN TO WORK: ACTIVITY Grouping Participants and Selecting Volunteers 221
What other ways can you think of to use animal noses?

Hawaiian leis in different colors can be distributed as participants enter to add a
festive mood to the session. You can then have learners assemble by color to introduce
themselves or discuss something.
Hats come in virtually any color and dozens of shapes. There are neon colored base-
ball caps; crowns; colored sun visors; straw, animal, western, alpine, clown, and derby
hats; and many more. Select one that adds to your theme or just fits your interest and
go for it. Either pass them out at the entrance, or have them ready on tables before par-
ticipants arrive.
Plastic kazoos can be used to have people locate teammates. Participants get a differ-
ent colored kazoo based on their group assignment. On slips of paper, assign a song
title to each group that everyone is likely to know (e.g., “America,” “Old McDonald,”
“Happy Birthday,” and “Jingle Bells”). Have them use their kazoos to hum their songs
as they walk around the room in search of teammates. Once found, they group for an
activity.
Small party favors those given at birthday parties for children can also be used effec-
tively (e.g., rings, whistles, barrettes, animal stencils, spinning tops, and prisms). They
are great because along with helping group people, they also provide immediate incen-
tive rewards for them. In addition, throughout the session, as
attention naturally wanders, participants now have some-
thing to “play” with.

Buttons
Buttons with phrases related to your pro-
gram topic (e.g., “Satisfaction Guaranteed”
or “Smiles Will Be Returned” for customer
service programs) or colorful graphic
images (e.g., a smile face, clown face, or
shape such as a square, circle, rectangle)
are inexpensive and easy to obtain. You
can even create your own customized ver-
sions (see Creative Presentation Resources
in the Resources for Trainers section in the
appendices). Also, as with some of the
items discussed earlier, these can be given to
participants as prizes at the end of the day, if
desired.