Winners and Losers
On a recent holiday, I found myself watching some organised games for a group of young children. After each game, one family would be proudly congratulating their victorious child while thirty others were consoling disappointed and often tearful losers. It made me think about the messages we give around motivation and reward. As trainers, we […]
Selling eLearning Modules
Hello again All. I seem to find myself here a lot recently. But you guys are so helpful! I’ve been looking into the possibility of selling some eLearning modules to create some extra revenue. If i’ve used an “off the shelf” authoring tool, will I end up breaking any copyright laws etc? Does anyone have any […]
Train the trainer
morning, I’m about to roll out ‘ train the trainer’ workshops. Has anyone got an advice on exercises i can include? My course is due to last four hours, with ongoing assessments. Any advice would be very helpful. many thanks in advance morning, I’m about to roll out ‘ train the trainer’ workshops. Has anyone […]
The Department Game
I was almost stuck for ideas of what to write about this week, but luckily two suppliers came to my aid and inspired me: 1. Our bank of 17 years, who I discovered last month were charging new customers a flat fee about 70% less than what we were paying, this week refused to accept […]
Gamification Strategies For Your Next Ecourse
The most effective elearning courses are those that keep learners engaged, and that play on their natural desire to achieve and overcome challenges. One way to ensure this happens is to weave gamification strategies into your course design. Keep reading to learn more about the effectiveness of gamification along with some strategies that you can […]
An Alien Challenge and Teamwork
Glasstap will be 17 in April and it’s nearly 14 years since we launched Trainers’ Library. I often wonder where the time goes! If you were to ask me what one thing has contributed most to our longevity and success, I’d say teamwork. And what makes our team so successful is its diversity. From our […]
Don’t use PowerPoint: Use Jelly Babies!
Let’s bust a myth. You don’t need slides in order to run a training session. You don’t need PowerPoint in order to create a presentation. You don’t need bulletpoints to illustrate a speech. Training sessions, like any other presentation or speech (and they really are all variants of the same thing) need to be engaging, […]
6 Benefits of Geo-Location Technology in eLearning
Geo-Location – It’s not just for online retailers anymore. Admittedly, once the technology was available for companies to track longitude and latitude of their target customers, geo-location became a huge benefit. Retailers can track their customers/potential customers’ whereabouts and push special sales and discounts out to them. The ability to do that takes advantage of […]
Reflections on a satire
I like a dystopian satire as much as the next person, so when Netflix announced they had given a home to professional pessimist Charlie Brooker's brilliant series Black Mirror I was delighted. Cut to: months later and the thing was actually being released. In their customary have-them-all-at-once fashion all six episodes came out on the […]
Can Board Games Improve Staff Performance?
If we want staff to develop we must deliver the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to make improvements. Effective training is the key to successful performance improvement. But engaging staff with training can be a challenge. Why? When we’re young, we learn by playing. It’s noisy and its fun. Then we get older and we sit […]
The Learning Zone and what a horse can teach us…
I can think of no better way to explain what I mean by the Learning Zone than to revisit one of the proudest achievements of my life to date; training a young unhandled horse from scratch and teaching him to be ridden. I wasn’t sure if I could do it. I’d only owned/ridden one horse […]
Augmented Reality Takes Gamification to New Level
Since the early 2000s, “gamification” has been a favorite buzzword of the corporate training world. The idea is simple: Transform unexciting, routine activities into engaging and memorable experiences by adding game elements, such as competition, points, rewards, and interactive challenges that engage learners’ problem-solving skills. Many companies, including big names like Chrysler, Nike, and Coca-Cola […]
Why Pokémon Go is the ultimate mobile training
For about a week now, the world has been taken over by the fantasy animals of Pokémon Go. The game, that allows the user to catch the animals on all sorts of locations with their smartphone, even forms an example for mobile training. Are you looking for more engagement in your training? Then check out these five […]
How well do you know Equal Opportunities Legislation?
This blog isn’t really my own work. Instead, I’ve created a four-question quiz, based on the Trainers’ Library game, A Level Playing Field, which we developed with the help of my good friend and colleague, Clare Forrest. With apologies to our many overseas customers, these questions relate to UK law as it currently stands in July […]
Using techniques from the gaming industry to motivate learners
The gaming industry is phenomenally good at user engagement. Games have a way of drawing players in and keeping them hooked. The training industry would be wise to take note and learn from this. By incorporating motivational techniques used in video games into training programmes, higher levels of learner engagement can be achieved. This use […]
Top eLearning Trends For 2016 You Need To Be Aware Of
We now have a firm footing into the 21st century. Although we’re not quite at the Johnny Five stage yet (the robot demonstrated the ability to scan and instantly assimilate information in the 1986 movie, Short Circuit), technology is starting to revolutionize the learning landscape. Here are our four hottest eLearning trends for 2016. 1. Automation […]
What do you think about icebreakers and energisers?
Hi folks, I'm undertaking some research at the moment about how short exercises like icebreakers and energisers are used by trainers. I've pulled together a short, 6 question, survey that is totally anonymous and I would love it if as many as possible of you completed it. Please just click here to be taken straight […]
A or B?
6 Days ago I posed a question illustrating two training room layouts as per the picture below. One had only documents and papers lying on the table, the other was strewn with materials for fidgeting, handling and playing with. The question was simple; You're attending a training event, you enter the room, which table layout […]
The brain hack boosting apprenticeship learning
With all the good news stories from National Apprenticeship Week and the Chancellor’s Budget announcement of a 10 per cent top-up for employers in England to spend on apprenticeships, the outlook for this form of learning remains positive. Popular since the Middle Ages for their blend of on-the-job training and study, apprenticeships still offer a […]
Witches of Glum? It’s Just Nonsense Isn’t It?
I’ve made a career out of creating engaging, innovative training exercises, used by professional trainers around the world. But even I have to admit that at face value, some of them might seem a bit, well, daft. A good example is Witches of Glum, recently added to Managers’ Library. (A slightly different version is also available as […]
