My husband and I recently welcomed a beautiful little girl into the world. I had no idea how many toys and gadgets there are to help promote infant development!
While our focus as parents is to stimulate her growing mind, her goal is to have as much fun as possible. What she doesn’t know is that all of her fun is actually helping her grow!
That’s when it hit me. Although we, as adults, may not get as excited over a rattle, we still enjoy having fun. We enjoy laughing, movement and learning new, interesting things. But, seriously… where HAS all the fun and excitement gone in our learning experience?
When was the last time you really enjoyed yourself during a training session? Or, better yet, when was the last time you retained information from a boring one?
It’s true. An enjoyable training session is going to be more effective than a boring one. And, if your training program is memorable, that means that you, as the facilitator, are also memorable.
So, how exactly can we bring the fun back into adult learning?
Ice Breakers – Start off your training with some type of group activity or game, instead of your typical speech. It will set the tone for a positive, energized training experience. Don’t know where to start? Try conducting a Google Search of “Fun Adult Training Icebreakers.” There are hundreds! Pick the one that works best for your group.
Introductions – “I’m Jonelle and I love to… jump!” Have fun with introductions. Have everyone introduce themselves using letters of their name. If your group already knows one another, find an interesting way to introduce yourself to them. Skip the long, drawn out introduction and mix it up a bit. Share your hobbies and interests in addition to your experience and certifications. This can be a great way to make yourself memorable.
Make a Game out of it! – Games can be a fun, easy way to reinforce information. Whether you use a white board to play Family Feud or BINGO or create a computer game to test your group’s knowledge, try to think of other ways to test your group rather than using a traditional quiz or exam. If you’re a part of a training department, think about utilizing computer games or simulation to present information to trainees.
Group Activities – Group discussions, projects, role-play and other interactive activities can help keep the energy up in your training program. Working with a group can help the team get to know each other better and foster new ideas. If you’re hesitant about adding a lot of fun to your training, this is a safe way to go. Interactive activities can break the monotony of a lecture without straying TOO outside the box.
Know Your Audience – The most important thing to remember when creating a training program is your audience. You need to know who is making up your audience before tailoring a training program to fit their needs. Although you want your training to be memorable, you don’t want your audience to remember it for the wrong reasons! Know who your audience is – what is their DiSC® style? What are their professions and experience levels? Being familiar with your audience before they walk through the door will give you the upper hand.
These are just a few of the many ways that you can present material in a fun and effective way.
Remember: a memorable training is an effective one. Put yourself in the position of your audience. Would you enjoy your training?
The last and most important element to great communication is listening. We have two ears and one mouth, use them proportionately. Being an effective listener is one of the most difficult skills to master. Most of us struggle at listening because we are so focused on trying to figure out what to say next while the other person is talking. Asking the right questions and then listening effectively can provide you with all the tools to communicate the right ideas with someone. If you don’t listen to your audience you will never know what they want and you won’t know what to say to gain their interest, trust, or business.
in becoming a leader is to decide to be a leader. This may sound trivial, but as Andrew Carnegie, creator of the steel industry and at one time the wealthiest man in the world, once said, “The starting point to all achievement in life begins in the form of a clear concise mental picture of the thing one seeks.” Leadership is not an easy position and it requires a lot of work and responsibility, but the rewards are great!