Trainer’s tip: Listening exercises
Sinead Walker recently asked for information on complex exercises for listening skills sessions. Several trainers shared their thoughts… Graham O’Connell suggests the following scenario:You could read out a witness statement (from a realistic but fictitious crime). Read it as the witness, not as a police officer. At the end ask them who tuned into facts […]
Trainer’s tip: Team games
Looking for a short, active team game to start a session rolling? See what other trainers have recommended and add your own to the list. Kate Edwards asked on our Any Answers forum: I am looking for a short (5-10 minutes) team game (preferably that gets people up and moving). The purpose of the game […]
Trainer’s tip: Moodle – to use or not to use?
John Stokdyk, TrainingZone.co.uk technology editor, and Mark Aberdour, the CEO of Kineo Open Source, give some moodling advice. Robert Parker asked on our Any Answers forum: I am thinking of using Moodle to introduce some elearning courses as a compliment to some of our existing tutored courses.I am the Training Adviser at Norwood, a charity […]
Trainer’s Tip: Change management exercise
Change management is no doubt going to be a hot topic for the uncertain year ahead. This simple exercise, from Jan Springthorpe, helps managers experience how it feels to have change inflicted upon them, and explore those, often uncomfortable, feelings. Here is a very simple exercise that I have used with great success. It assumes […]
Trainer’s tip: Features and benefits exercises
Buffy Sparks says get creative, and you can come up with a free, imaginative FAB exercise! Natalie Stringer asked on our Any Answers forum: “I am revising our training material and would be very grateful if anyone could recommend an F and B exercise or game.”Buffy Sparks recommends: Pre-prepare some credit card-sized pieces of paper […]
Trainer’s tip: Feedback – what are you saying?
Garry Platt shares some examples of bad feedback and lists some tongue-in-cheek translations for well-worn phrases. Inappropriate appraisal comments: Since the last PPDR, he has reached rock-bottom and has started to dig His staff would follow him anywhere, but only out of morbid curiosity I personally would not allow this employee to breed Works well […]
Trainer’s tip: Resistance is futile!
Russell Williams recently asked for advice and inspiration on our Any Answers forum after coming up against the most reluctant client he’d ever trained. Several trainers shared their thoughts on what to do when faced with total resistance… Helen Wyatt has been in the same boat:I’m not a systems trainer, but earlier in the year […]
Trainer’s tip: Calming interview nerves
Jane Hodgson asked readers for exercises to help those suffering from interview nerves as they look for jobs after redundancy. Several trainers offered practical tips and advice. Don’t forget, we also have an audio file of a relaxation exercise recorded for us by Annie Lawler that visitors to the website can listen to. Sue Beatt […]
Trainer’s tip: Getting delegates to show up!
It’s that old chestnut again – just how do you tackle the thorny subject of no-shows? Various trainers offer their wisdom, tell of their experiences and give advice. Sarah Leahey asked: I am new to the company and they have never had an L&D department before so this is a new culture for them. The […]
Trainer’s tip: Listening skills exercise
What’s the secret to good listening skills? Scott Cullen has some surprising, but very practical answers. One exercise which I use which focuses on listening skills is the following:When delegates return from break, start reading an extract from an article, you can do things such as turning your back, covering your mouth, speaking in monotone […]
Trainer’s tip: Team building activities
You’ve suddenly been asked to come up with a team building exercise at the last minute – what do you do? Trainers point to several websites that offer details of great team building exercises, and the beauty is, they’re all free! Carson Warnes asked: I’m two months into a new job & I’ve just been […]
Trainer’s tip: Explaining John Adair’s Action Centred Leadership model
Harvey Bennett suggests an interesting activity to help explain John Adair’s theory, while other trainers offer their perspective as well. Harvey Bennett suggests this activity: 1. Outline the ACL model2. Show the movie ’12 O’Clock High’ (Gregory Peck, c1949, available on DVD) in two parts.3. After the first part, to the point where the CO […]
Best of 2008: Best trainer’s tip
Thanks to everyone who voted in this category. The award for Best Trainer’s Tip goes to “Qualifications or experience: You decide”. Qualifications or experience? You decideRead it hereThe best learning style questionnaire?Read it hereKey skills for a trainerRead it hereMaking leadership training practicalRead it hereDo your homework to beat disruptive learnersRead it hereTeam BuildingRead it […]
Trainer’s tip: Stretch that budget
Sheridan Webb offers five suggestions to keep training alive and kicking during difficult financial times. 1. Adopt a flexible approach. Embrace methods such as distance learning, buddying, secondments, action-learning and coaching to meet clearly specified development needs.2. Go for ‘bite-sized’ learning events. Taking people out of the business for two-to-three hours is cost effective, and […]
Trainer’s tip: Mind your grammar
This proof reading exercise from Rus Slater aims to teach delegates – in this case managers – some lessons in spelling and grammar. Get a relevant piece of written work, for example a report, tender response or sales document, and amend it to have a series of “deliberate mistakes”, some purely spelling and grammar of […]
Trainer’s tip: Making training manuals ‘sexy’
How do you turn a bland knowledge book – which makes even the trainer fall asleep – into a sexy, must-read? Various trainers offer their advice. Sinead Walker asked: I am currently working on redesigning all training manuals for my company. At present these are very bland and unappealing. They are called knowledge books which […]
Trainer’s tip: The magic carpet of change
It’s amazing what you can do with some rolls of felt and some squeakers from used soft toys, says Mike Morrison, who says you can easily save several thousand pounds and make your own ‘magic carpet of change’. Afraid we don’t have any TrainingZone.co.uk badges Mike… Keith Paine posted a question on our Any Answers […]
Trainer’s tip: Stuck in the middle?
What’s the best way to develop middle managers? The ‘sink or swim’ approach of many organisations can be disastrous. We at TrainingZone particularly liked hearing of Wayne Thomas’ experience of asking stakeholders for their opinion. Read his and other trainers advice. Wayne Thomas suggests – ask the stakeholders:I had a similar problem (admittedly over a […]
Trainer’s tip: Productivity boosters
These six tips from Ehsan Honary to help trainers work smarter come from a thread asking for technology-based time saving tips. Click on the link at the foot of the article to read some more suggestions. There are many possible tips on time management and workflow which is something you need to work on continuously.I […]
Trainer’s tip: Match, pace and lead exercise
This quick pairs’ exercise, from Barbara Babcock, reinforces matching and pacing and demonstrates the effects of mis-matching on rapport building. It’s done in two parts:For the first two minutes person A talks about something they are passionate about (or a previous holiday etc) for two minutes. Person B listens attentively and matches and paces Person […]
