I have only recently started in Training and the course I now run involves delegates doing a lot of pre-course work. During the sessions I try to facilitate this learning by using power point, quizzes, formal lectures and getting the delegates to find out about a subject and giving a presentation to the rest of the class. Does anyone know of a fun way to get the delegates to do research and present their findings? Unfortunately at the end of the course, the delegates do have to sit three exams (2 written papers and 1 practical)
Paul Cardell
4 Responses
Multi-sensory presentations
You could teach your delegates the basics of accelerated learning and get them to incorporate all the senses into their presentations. This could be achieved by incorporating smell (they’ll have to find a relevance!), sound (music?) touch (appropriate props) taste (sweets on tables) and visuals to represent sight.
Altogether it should make for a more stimulating and fun way of presenting their research.
Hope this helps
Performing delegates enjoy and remember.
I have used a number of approaches with delegates working in teams to present research to the whole group.
1. Prepare a skit or a story incorporating and illustrating their research findings. These skits usually involve all of the team members with different roles and a great deal of humour results. The learning and long-term recall is significantly aided by this. Sometimes I have had teams use a series of sheets of butchers paper and felt tip pens and create a series of panels to illustrate their story, much like an illustrated children’s book, and then add the story as a narration. The sheets then end up on the walls of the learning centre.
2. The teams create a poem incorporating their research findings. The efforts teams go into for rhymes is often hilarious. The team then performs their poem for the group.
3. The teams prepare and perform a song with lyrics (and actions???) to demonstrate the research. Easily recognised pop, rap or television theme tunes work very well. Performing in a team of non-professionals is fun (and much less scary than a Pop Idol audition!)
I have always been pleasantly suprised at how quickly and willingly delegates get involved in these types of activities. For a long while I was hesitant to use them in case they said no or refused to do it. Once I expected and automatically assumed they would do it, my body language and vocal tone and encouragement unwittingly did the rest. The delegates participated, they enjoyed it and they remember huge amounts of material years later!! For a trainer can it get any better than that?
Game play
Split them into teams and the research is ‘find 10 questions from the material with which to stump the other teams’ The winner gets x prize.
You will be surprised to what depth they study the books. Good as a refresher / final summary game.
Don’t let them use PowerPoint
Paul,
We had a similar situation where some research was required and then present findings back to the class.
The first couple of times we let the delegates use PC’s and PowerPoint and the feedback was good, but missed slightly in terms of content and we struggled trying to work out why. Then by chance we ran the session in an environment where delegates didn’t have access to PowerPoint so they had to use either Acetates or Flip Charts.
While the quality of the presentation dropped from a look and feel perspective the quality of the information shot up. It meant people focused on the content not the delivery vehicle and therefore didn’t look to make PowerPoint sing and dance.
Hope that helps.
Regards,