101 More Ways to Make Training Active

Liven up training with new, dynamic strategies for active participation

101 More Ways to Make Training Active brings together a rich, comprehensive collection of training strategies and activities into one easy source. Designed for quick navigation, this useful guide is packed with classroom-ready ideas and twenty "how-to" lists to enliven any learning situation, helping you better engage their trainees and encourage active participation. These techniques are applicable to almost any topic and learning objective, and provide guidance on every aspect of Active Training design and delivery. Each strategy includes recommendations for length of time, number of participants, and other conditional factors, plus a case study that illustrates the strategy in action. Coverage includes topics like communication, change management, coaching, feedback, conflict, diversity, customer service, and more, providing a complete reference for facilitating active training sessions.

Active Training requires the participants to do most of the work. They use their brains, and apply what they've learned. The environment is fast-paced, fun, supportive, and personally engaging, and encourages participants to figure things out for themselves. This book contains specific, practical strategies for bringing this environment to any training session.

• Learn new strategies for stimulating active discussion
• Inspire creativity, innovation, and collaboration
• Teach better decision making, leadership, and self-management
• Make lectures active to encourage more participation

Active training makes training sessions more enjoyable, and as participants invest themselves more heavily into the material, outcomes begin to improve dramatically. This dynamic atmosphere doesn't happen by accident; the activities and the course itself must be designed and delivered in a way that encourages active participation. In 101 More Ways to Make Training Active, you get a toolkit of creative, challenging, and fun ways to make it happen.

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction: Getting the Most from This Resource xi

200 Tips to Make Training Active and Learning Successful 1

Two Hundred Tips 3

1. Mel’s Top 10 Training Tips 5

2. 10 Tips to Open a Learning Session Actively 7

3. 10 Tactics for Relevant Ice Breakers 9

4. 10 Participant Introductions 11

5. 10 Tips to Create an Enticing Learning Environment 13

6. 10 Basics for Active Facilitators 15

7. 10 Tips to Become an Engaging Facilitator 17

8. 10 Tips to Keep Learners Focused 19

9. 10 Presenting Mistakes to Avoid and a Bonus: 10 Tactics for Professional Presenters 20

10. 10 Factors That Increase Retention 22

11. 10 Storytelling Tips 24

12. 10 Tips to Effectively Launch a Practice Activity 26

13. 10 Ways to Encourage Participant Timeliness 27

14. 10 Creative Strategies for Forming Groups 29

15. 10 Options to Motivate Learners 31

16. 10 Quick Recap Strategies 33

17. 10-Step Process to Increase Applicability 34

18. 10 Ideas to Ensure Transferability 35

19. 10 Ways to Address Challenging Situations 36

20. 10 Options for Active Closings 39

Open Every Session Actively 41

Icebreakers and Introductions 43

1. Finding People Alike 44

2. Me in 20 Words or Less 46

3. Traffic Lights 50

4. Honoring Experience and Expertise 52

5. We’re All in the Same Boat 54

Identifying Participant Expectations 56

6. On Course, of Course 57

7. Ask and Deliver 59

8. Visualizing Success 62

9. Why Are You Here? 64

10. Topic Networking 67

11. Different Question, Same Result 70

Delivering Active Learning 73

Connecting Learning to the Workplace 75

12. Advice Exchange 76

13. Pull Up a Chair 79

Engaging Participants in Learning 81

14. Four Corners 82

15. Create a Timeline 85

16. Make Your Case 87

17. The Power of Demonstration Learning 91

18. Twitter Engagement 94

19. Photo Environment Survey 96

20. Learning at-a-Glance Placemat 98

Enhance Learning with Practice 102

21. Shine a Light on Me! 103

22. Go with the Flow 105

23. Show It Online 108

24. Two Negatives Make a Positive 110

25. Acronym BINGO 113

26. Sequence Is Important 115

Learn with Your Peers 117

27. Four Square and Share 118

28. Rotating Review 121

29. Angles, Tangles, and Dangles 123

30. The Power of Story 125

31. QR Code Query 128

32. Peer Assessment 130

Content to Support Active Learning 133

Communication 135

33. Communication Challenges 136

34. Generational Communication Awareness 138

35. Tell It in a Story 140

36. It’s In the Words 142

Diversity and Inclusion 144

37. Cultural Limitations in Clay 145

38. Celebrate Differences 148

39. Connecting through Hello 150

Leadership 153

40. Listening to Collaboration 154

41. Focus a Discussion 157

42. Best Boss 160

43. Learning through Dialogue 162

44. Brand Boosters 165

45. Touchpoint 168

Teamwork and Team Building 170

46. Crest of Teams 171

47. Wall of Reality and Greatness 173

48. Hit Your Numbers 175

49. Who’s Important? 178

50. Sticking Together 180

51. Team Effectiveness 183

52. Balancing Responsibilities 188

53. Decorate Your Cake and Eat It, Too 190

54. Construct Your Team 193

55. What’s Your Story? 196

Tools to Facilitate Active Learning 201

Energizers 203

56. Guess to the Beat 204

57. Take a Stand 206

58. Why I Like 208

Experiential Learning 210

59. Appreciative Inquiry for a Positive Approach 211

60. Exploring a New Frontier 214

61. Let’s Learn by Drawing 216

62. Lunch Bunch 218

63. QR Code Scavenger Hunt 220

64. Tie Your Shoe 223

Feedback 225

65. Presentation Peer Review 226

66. Skills Feedback Rubric 229

Manage a Classroom 232

67. Case Sorter 233

68. Hijacked Presentations 236

69. Our Anthem 239

70. Managing Deep Resistance 241

71. Assigning Groups 245

72. How Not to Do It 248

73. Critical Connections 250

Stimulate Discussion 252

74. What IF? 253

75. Brainstorm Debrief 255

76. Quote Me 257

77. Put the Idea on Trial 260

Closing and Follow-up for Active Learning 263

Application 265

78. At Work in the Real World 266

79. Instant Editors 268

80. Make It Stick 270

81. Application Action Plan 272

Closing Practice and Review 274

82. Stump the Teams Review 275

83. Traps and Exits 277

84. Summarize It 279

85. Reflection Circles 281

86. A Day in 30 Minutes 283

87. Learning Journal 285

88. Reflect, Write, Share 288

Closing Summaries and Evaluation 290

89. Key Points 291

90. Think, Link, and Ink 293

91. Storyboard 295

92. Picture-Perfect Ending 298

93. A Memorable Closing 300

94. An MVP Review and Commitment 302

95. Live Feedback 304

Transfer Learning Actions 306

96. Peer Coaching Circle 307

97. Learning Transfer Support Partners 310

98. Creating Catchphrases 312

99. Send It in a Postcard 314

100. Virtual Book Club 316

101. Developing a Leader Network 317

ELAINE BIECH is a bestselling author and president of ebb associates inc, a strategic implementation, leadership development, and experiential learning consulting firm that helps organizations work through large-scale change.

Discover the Secrets to More Effective and More Active Training

With 101 More Ways to Make Training Active as your guide, you can tap into a wealth of practical strategies, activities, and ideas that will help you facilitate any training, in any subject area, in any setting. Well-grounded in the proven Active Training approach, these methods have been created by noted experts, and are designed to capture and keep the attention of learners.

This indispensable resource offers a toolkit of ready-to-use exercises and handy suggestions for organizing, conducting, and delivering active training. Designed to easily identify strategies that hold the most promise for targeted situations, 101 Ways to Make Training Active is filled with illustrative case examples that clearly demonstrate the concepts in action.

Packed with classroom-ready ideas, 101 More Ways to Make Training Active helps better engage trainees and encourage active participation. These techniques are applicable to almost any topic and learning objective, and provide guidance on every aspect of Active Training design and delivery.

Active Training makes training sessions more enjoyable, and as participants invest themselves more heavily into the material, outcomes begin to improve dramatically. This dynamic atmosphere doesn't happen by accident; the activities and the course itself must be designed and delivered in a way that encourages active participation. In 101 More Ways to Make Training Active, you get a wealth of creative, challenging, and fun ways to make it happen.

Authors

Elaine Biech

Lorri Allen

Denis Anderson

Joseph Anzalone

Wendy Axelrod

Halelly Azulay

Jean Barbazette

Chip Bell

Rich Berens

Mark Boccia

Aurora Brito

Tim Buividas

Marlene Caroselli

Chandra Chakravartula

Lily Cheng

Stephen Cohen

Wendy Gates Corbett

Barbara Crockett

Dennis DaRoa

Sharon Dera

Lisa Downs

Meghann Drury-Grogan

Jo Lynn Feinstein

Rob Fletcher

Peter Garber

Diane Gayeski

Barbara Glacel

Joni Goodman

George Limin Gu

Diane Hamilton

Terry Hamm

Mark Isabella

Patricia Johnson

H.B. Karp

Judith Katz

Lorna Kibbey

Wendy and Jim Kirkpatrick

Bette Krakau

Jennifer Labin

Deborah Spring Laurel

Karen Lawson

Lynne Lazaroff

Lynn Lewis

Stewart Liff

Kevin Louiselle

Lauri Luoto

Dawn Mahoney

Mitu Mandal

Marilyn Marles

Renie McClay

Eileen McDargh

Mary McGlynn

Frederick Miller

Christopher Mortenson

Gale Mote

Mohandas Nair

Erica Nelson

Pam Nintrup

Sophie Oberstein

Lisa Owens

Marcus Potter

Kella Price

Annette Pröeschold

Annabelle Reitman

Teri Rounsaville

Lou Russell

Kimberly Seeger

Kathy Shurte

Paul Signorelli

Lori Silverman

Kenneth Stein

Marcia Stokes

Larry Straining

Rachel Stromberg

Linda Swindling

Kris Taylor

Shannon Tipton

Amy Tolbert

Gary Wagenheim

Tara Whittle