We've all been part of a synchronous learning event or on-line meeting where we've been asked a question and requested to respond by clicking a button next to one of several offered options ie a poll. This is often seen as an interactive technique on-line - but it's really quite a mindless and often pointless interaction. Why?

We're social by nature, so let's use this in the training room and actually encourage learners to talk about what they're learning rather than just sit and listen.  When your learners are talking about their learning that's the time they're really making that learning stick.

Here's a great opening or closing activity that is totally learner centred, interactive and relevant to the workshop content.

"Is questioning in the typical manner really of any value?"

Here's a fun way to help learners capture 'lightbulb' moments from workshop content and see what other learners have found most useful.

Here's a fun but poignant activity to introduce the need for clear communication whether it's via eMail, document or spoken words.

During a workshop, it's important to always start on-time including after lunch.  We need something that re-connects learners together, re-connects learners to content and that brings them mentally as well as physically back into their workshop.

So, how to do that:

Here's a great idea to introduce content relating to different perceptions and viewpoints.  You could use this in relation to:

• Management training - Manager's viewpoint, report's viewpoint
• Customer service - Differing perceptions of organisation vs customer
• Mediation - Differing viewpoints from different parties

and the need for both sides to see the different pictures

• Sales - Different product features
• Induction - Different Departments

I was asked for an activity that would help managers 'see' the need for feedback and what great feedback might include.  So here's an exercise I use to highlight the need for giving feedback:

Here's a great way to energise people just after lunch or mid afternoon - PLUS it relates to content.

Have you ever had this happen to you?  One of your learners leaves the workshop, starts to implement some of their new discoveries into the workplace and someone says to them, "you don't do it like that".  They promptly reply "Yes you do, David told us it was how we do it on the course last week".  The truth is, you never said anything of the sort.

So why is this person trying to get us into trouble?

This is a simple yet powerful technique to ensure learners capture their thoughts and actions throughout their workshop.  After all, if they don't capture the:

• New facts they've learned
  
  
• Questions they may still have
  
  
• AhHa moments that happen and
  
  
• The actions they'll take

during their workshop, for sure it's not going to happen back in the workplace.

You're facilitating a workshop.  It's time for an activity.  You start giving the first instruction, you continue onto the second instruction then the third, but your learners have already started moving around carrying out the first instruction.  You give the fourth instruction and your learners are starting to ask you to repeat the second instruction etc etc.  Confusion!  In fact, learners get so caught up with the instructions that the whole impact of the activity is lost.

And, for some reason, train-the-trainer workshops never teach us how to give clear, concise  instructions that actually aid rather than hinder- until now.