Page 66 - The Creative Training Idea Book Inspired Tips and Techniques for Engaging and Effective Learning

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Lighting the Creativity Lamp 55
activities closely and to debrief the activity in order to bring out learning points once it
ends. They differ from role plays that typically have two or more people interacting in
a dialog.

Open-Ended Questions

Many people have difficulty getting the information they need because they do not
know how to ask questions effectively. The key to encouraging participant involvement
and getting responses that are meaningful and appropriate is to ask well-phrased open-
ended questions. Such questions usually begin with words such as What, When, How,
Why, and To what extent, and challenge or encourage thinking. You will read more about
this technique in Chapter 9.

Action Learning Strategies

Any technique that actively engages the minds of your participants or gets them physi-
cally involved can lead to increased learning. Whether they participate individually or
in small groups, learners can figure out how to modify existing processes or practices,
systems, ideas, or techniques in order to develop new variations simply by becoming
engaged in the learning. Many of the training strategies outlined throughout this book
in which participants move or interact fall into the action learning category (see Books
in Resources for Trainers in the appendices).

Real-World Examples

Providing specific experiences and events that mirror those faced by participants is an
excellent way to cause reflection and help learners see the relationship between what
they already know and what is being presented.

Practical Application

Whenever you can build in opportunities for participants to interact and work toward
solving real-world issues (e.g., role play, self-assessment, action planning, or group dis-
cussion) you can potentially increase learning and understanding. By giving participants
classroom time to deal with workplace issues, you can often help them to feel better
about the training experience and to walk away with some practical tools that they can
immediately apply. The latter usually leads to a better appreciation of the training, higher
evaluation ratings, and more management support for future training initiatives.

You cannot teach a man anything. You can only help him
discover it within himself.
—Galileo Galilei
Italian astronomer