Page 308 - The Creative Training Idea Book Inspired Tips and Techniques for Engaging and Effective Learning

lucas chap 08 11/20/02 12:51 PM Page 297
BRIGHT I DEA Making Your Visual Message Sizzle 297
Participant Presentations with a Cloth Board
o add variety to learner presentation of ideas following a brainstorming or team
Tactivity, give them colorful poster board strips and markers to write down their
ideas. Have them use a cloth board rather than a flip chart page to present their
ideas to the class. Rather than use Velcro, they can use a couple of pieces of masking
tape rolled into a circle and attached to the back of their cards (the wider 2-inch
tape has more sticking surface and holds better to the cloth).

ELECTRONIC MESSAGING

Technology has created many new and exciting ways to deliver messages in your ses-
sions. In addition to the old standby equipment described earlier in this chapter, there
are now pieces of equipment that allow you to expand your delivery repertoire and get
information to your participants creatively.

Electronic White Boards
Similar to traditional dry erase boards, electronic white board devices allow you to write
with dry erase markers so that your learners can see and follow along with your mes-
sage. They are lightweight and mobile like a flip chart easel. The twist is that some of
the electronic boards allow you to save what you have written to a computer as either a
BMP, JPEG, or TIFF image file. You can also print copies of what you have written or
drawn onto standard 8.5 × 11 inch paper. You can then make copies and give partici-
pants a copy for future reference. The benefit of this technique is that your listeners who
prefer not to take notes can focus on your message and not on writing. Of course, as you
read in earlier chapters, taking notes visually reinforces a message and is helpful for
visual learners. At any rate, the new electronic boards are an additional tool in your
presentation toolbox that might be considered in certain situations (see Resources for
Trainers in the appendices for information sources or log onto the Internet and enter
Electronic White Boards).

Poster Printers

Developed a number of years ago, these convenient devices can create posters and
banners (up to 100 feet) from a computer connected directly to the unit or from a piece
of paper. Posters can be created in varying sizes (from 17 to 36 inches).
Many improvements have been made since the first models surfaced in the early
1990s. A nice advantage of the newer models is that they can print directly from your