WorkSMART Blog

In her new book Designing and Facilitating Workshops with Intentionality, author Dr. Tolu Noah offers ten principles to help focus workshop design efforts. It's all wrapped up into a tool she refers to as the Workshop Wheel.  In her recent Show & Share session with Trainers Warehouse, Tolu focused on two of the ten -- ACTIVE and INCLUSIVE, and boy, did she practice what she preached. Following are some of the tools she used to build activity and inclusivity into the session. TRY MENTIMETER -  TO BUILD INTERACTIVITY Ask participants to share their input through Mentimeter.com. In Tolu's example, she began our session by asking participants to share their "training hopes and dreams." Rather than relying simply on a Chat board, she used Mentimeter. She posted a single QR code that could be scanned by phone, as well as a URL link and code, for computer access.  Quickly, participants could weigh in and share their input. Although accessing a code like that may take a tad more time than a simple chat, it also felt more interactive for a few reasons: It was much more interesting to view visually Responses were easier to read Use of the phone invited a more tactile experience than just interfacing with the computer and keyboard. Most importantly, Mentimeter's AI can synthesize the group's results, just by clicking a space bar. After that, if you want to dig deeper into a specific response, just click that box and see all the associated responses. EMBED SOME FUN INTO YOUR SLIDES Dr. Noah used a handful of extremely accessible tools to manage the time and ambiance during breakout or reflection moments. For instance, she embedded these resources: Bensound - Music clips for presentation audio. Embedding the sound clips made them easy to access with the click of a button. Great for thinking time during work exercises. 30-second timer - Search for "acoustic guitar timers, find the amount of time you need, and embed it into your slide. Two recommended YouTube channels are Adam Eschborn and Gentle Acoustic Guitar. EXPLORE SLIDE DECKS BEYOND POWERPOINT Google Slides:  Tolu shared that she prefers to use Google Slides for presentations. She explained that if you like to navigate to multiple other websites and flip from presentation to links, it's very convenient. You can also "pin" tabs so they're easy to find and navigate. Aha Slides: at a prior Show & Share,  Cornelius "Nelius" Dowdell, expert facilitator and founder of The Best Workplace, used AhaSlide as an alternative to PowerPoint. Also web-based, Aha Slides allowed him to seamlessly embed word clouds, live polls, spinners, and more. TRY PADLET FOR COLLABORATION ACTIVITIES While asking chat-based questions and polling participants is better than not checking in with the group at all, a better approach is to draw on a wonderful suite of interactive tools from an online platform like Padlet. Facilitators can easily customize visually pleasing templates that allow participants to consider questions and share responses to thought-provoking questions in a myriad of ways that are more fun and accessible than standard whiteboards.  They have two basic tools that allow you to make: Boards: blank slates to which you can add text, music, videos, and more. They have dozens of templates ready-to-go for discussion boards, polls, Q&A, surveys, brainstorming, feedback, breakout groups, etc. Sandboxes: collaborative digital canvases with tools for drawing, writing, and adding media. Sandbox templates are available for lessons, brainstorming, Jeopardy, interactive documents, group activities, and more. Don't be put off by the graphics. At first glance, Padlet appears to be geared toward K-12 instructors, but because each Board and Sandbox starts with a blank slate, you can easily customize the look and feel. When you click into a template, it does not look juvenile, as the website graphics might lead you to assume. It also allows you to welcome participants to add comments by typing, sharing a video, recording audio, or even capturing a screen record. ACRONYMS & MNEMONICS Tolu shared the A.P.A. acronym as a way to engage participants throughout a learning session. For each part, she offered an array of tools. Some used the resources mentioned above; others drew on "old school" approaches. A. Activate prior knowledge, as learning always builds on a scaffolding of prior knowledge. P. Process new information. Give time to synthesize, ask questions, make connections, etc. A. Apply learning, because practice with feedback enables improvement. OLD SCHOOL ACTIVITIES Retrieval and Writing  After introducing the 10 principles, Tolu asked us to recall as many as possible by writing them down on paper or opening a writing app on an electronic device, without looking at notes we might have taken. She reminded us that the retrieval process is an important part of long-term memory processes. Although most of us could recall only three to five of the 10 design principles after her very quick overview, the exercise served as an important lesson about the importance of analog approaches and retrieval activities. She introduced a handful of other approaches as well: 1. HANDOUT:  Anticipation Guide (Activation) To explore what people already know and begin to activate prior knowledge, Dr. Noah suggests preparing an "Anticipation Guide" containing 5-7 statements about the topic at hand. To facilitate this activity, ask attendees to record if they believe the statement is True or False. Before putting their notes to the side, have them team up with a colleague to discuss their answers. At the very end of the session, revisit the participants' Anticipation Guides, and ask them to reflect on how their prior understanding grew or evolved. CREDIT: This strategy comes from several sources, including Frederick A. Duffelmeyer and Facing History & Ourselves. 2. HANDOUT: Knowledge (or Skills) Rating (Activation) Another great worksheet to help learners consider prior knowledge is one that asks them to self-assess their knowledge before a session starts. It's like a "Before Report-card." With each concept on the learning agenda, they can check a box that says, "I don't know what this means," "I have seen or heard of this, but don't know the meaning," "I can explain the meaning of this," or " I could teach someone else about this topic." CREDIT: Jonathan Bifield, Eberly Center at Carnegie Melon University, and others. 3. T.Q.E.  PAUSES:  Elicit Thoughts, Questions, and Epiphanies Pause and ask attendees to share their thoughts, questions, and epiphanies about the training topic! You can use sticky notes, chat, or really any tool, digital whiteboarding tool, verbally (sticky notes, chat, a digital whiteboard tool, or have attendees share verbally). Be sure to process these replies before you move on! CREDIT: Adapted from an approach used by Marisa Thompson. 4. PARTNERING CARDS Rather than finding partners on the fly, take a few minutes at the start for folks to fill out their Discussion Partners Card, finding a different person to partner with for each of the upcoming discussion chunks. When those junctures arrive, have them find that partner. 5. WOW-HOW-NOW REFLECTION ACTIVITY Using a Padlet Sandbox with three pages for input, Tolu led us in an inclusive activity that drew out important learning points and action items. If you're looking for another reflection tool to add to your repertoire, this is a great one! Wow - key takeaway How - remaining question Now - action item CREDIT:  Letitica Citizen and Kia Turner CONCLUSION At its core, effective training isn’t about adding more tools—it’s about being intentional with the ones we choose. As Dr. Tolu Noah’s session demonstrated so clearly, when we design with purpose—prioritizing activity and inclusivity—we create experiences that learners don’t just attend, but truly engage with. Whether it’s leveraging digital tools like Mentimeter and Padlet, or incorporating “old school” strategies like retrieval, writing, and structured reflection, the goal remains the same: help learners think, connect, and apply. Because, as we know from brain science, people remember what they take time to process. The real takeaway? Small shifts in design can lead to big shifts in learning. RESOURCES Tolu's Session Resources

This collection of ommunication exercises and listening activities is culled from a variety of LinkedIN discussions. 

Teach, energize, and engage learners with 5 terrific games and learning events using the Trainers Warehouse Me First! Buzzer System.

Looking for Time Management activities for employees, college students, or high school students? Try one of these, that I've collected from a variety of LinkedIN discussions. If you want additional time management resources, Trainers Warehouse has curated tools from the US, UK, and beyond! Try the Time Trial activity to practice daily planning, prioritization, and utilization of resources. The Emergency Delivery Game is a two-stage business-based decision-making challenge that requires individuals to process information and develop a workable team strategy in a limited timeframe. Time Management Thumball The Mayo Jar $86,400 To-Do Matrix of Urgency and Importance Ribbon Life Time Management Icebreaker - Lists & Priorities Blind Polygon "Big Picture" Puzzle Challenge How long is a Minute Time Squared Ace of Spades The Money Value of Time What I did Yesterday . . . Paper Boat Circadian Rhythm Colored Blocks - great for prioritizing Hungry Chick Inn 60-Seconds Game Time Management Thumball $32.95   BUY NOW   1. Time Management Thumball This dynamic tool facilitates conversation and understanding on all topics relating to time management. Its 31 thought-provoking conversation prompts empowers players to explore their individual time management challenges and opportunities. Cover topics such as procrastination, technology, sleep, priorities, urgency, importance, planning, delegation, etc. Prompts cover Topics for Reflection, such as: Identifying time thieves Understanding when and why you lose track of time Identifying feelings about planning, to-do lists, and deadlines Setting priorities Strategies for Better Managing Time, for instance Managing interruptions Delegating tasks you don't need to do yourself Structuring time and breaks Saving time 2. The Mayo Jar [caption id="" align="alignright" width="323"] The Mayo Jar - A Time Management Parable  $39.95 BUY NOW[/caption]   Divide the group into teams and give them each a large glass container. The Mayo Jar is to be filled with as much material as possible. The material can be rocks, stones, gravel, sand, etc. (But you can use anything.) The larger materials should be placed in the container first and then followed by the next to the largest, and so on... In this order, you should be able to fit the most into the container. You can come to your own conclusion for the activity based on your need. The rocks (due to size) would be the most important items to complete. (Can be home activities...work/life balance.) Then stones would be every day has to finish items. Gravel can be the project(s) that need to be completed. Sand could be the extra work that was just assigned to you. I allow the groups to fill their own container without detailed instructions. I tell them to fill their containers with as many materials as they can. And then we talk about the order they selected. If they had an order...and what the materials represent to them...etc. I use this communication to lead into training. Mayo Jar materials can be found here.  Posted online by Darlene Bailey For a video that exemplifies these time management activities, click here or here. 3. $86,400 * Time Management Activities Tell participants they have $86,400.00 to spend any way they wish. The only restrictions are that they cannot bank any money and if they do not use any of the money they lose it. We then discuss why and how they spent the money the way they did. I then tell them that 86,400 is the number of seconds we have each day and that as often as possible they should consider spending their time on things that are important to them as they did with their money. NOTE: This is good for all ages, whether you're looking for time management activities for high school students, college students, or employees. Posted online by Joseph Argenio 4. To Do (on not TO DO) Matrix  Introduce the Importance/Urgency matrix with the To Do Matrix Notepad. Remind your group that tasks in the top left quadrant (Urgent AND Important) should be done immediately. Tasks that are important but not urgent should be scheduled for down the road. Urgent-but-less-important tasks might be delegated. Tasks that are neither urgent nor important might be considered busy work be put at the bottom of the to-do list, or taken off entirely. On the other hand, sometimes knocking off (and crossing out) an easier task will give individuals the energy they need to tackle those activities in the top-left. Click here to download Matrix 5. Ribbon of Life Take a colored ribbon length of approximately 1 meter/100 cm. and scissors. Start with the following questions: If the life span of an individual is say, 100 years. Consider that each cm represents one year. The response will be that few live that long.  Assuming a life of 75 to 90 years, cut 10 to 25 cm off the ribbon, accordingly. What is the average age of the participants sitting here, the response would be 25 to 30 depending on the group, in that case, cut another 25 cms of the ribbon and say that is gone you cannot do anything. What is left is 50 years? People will say, "Yes," but the answer is NO. Every year we have 52 weeks, that is 52 Sundays. If we multiply that by 50 years, it comes to 7.14 years. Reduce the ribbon by another 7.14 cm. We also usually have Saturdays off, so reduce another 7. cms. Public/National holidays are 10 multiple with 50 years. That comes to another 1.5 years. Reduce ribbon by another 1.5 cms. Your casual leave, sick leave, and annual holidays approx. 40 days a year, multiplied by 50.  Cut off another 5 cms. Now you are left with about  29.5 years.  But, the calculation is not over yet. You sleep an average of 8 hours daily; multiply that by 365 days and again by 50 years  ( i.e. 122 days X 50 = almost 17 years). Cut off another 17 cm. You spend time eating lunch, breakfast, snacks, and dinner total 2 hours daily (i.e. 30 days a year X 50 years= 4 years or so). Cut off another 4 cm. Last, let's figure we spend about 1 hour a day traveling from place to place for activities and such.  (that's about 2 more years). We're down to 6 (SIX ) years of life to make it or break it. ALL THE BEST TO MAKE BEST USE OF THAT (SIX) YEARS. Posted online by Joseph Antony 6. Time Management Icebreaker Activity - Lists & Priorities Explanation Divide participants into teams of five to eight. Unveil the numbered list of tasks. Explain that they have ten minutes to collect as many points as possible. They must be safe and they only have ten minutes! Activity Give participants ten minutes to perform their tasks, and enjoy the show! After ten minutes, add up their points using your pre-designed matrix and announce the winner. Keep the list of tasks; you may want to tape it to the wall. Debrief After the activity, discuss learning points. Possible discussion topics include: How did teams decide what tasks they wanted to do? Most groups will analyze the time the task will take and/or the difficulty level, compare it with the value (possible number of points), and prioritize as a result. We do this when managing our time, too: we often choose the high-yield, low-effort tasks over the low-yield, high-effort tasks (and rightly so!). Are any decisions based on task dependencies? For the name card task, for example, teams received bonus points if they used team nicknames. Performing these two tasks together would triple the points received. This often happens in life, too – batching tasks increases your results exponentially. What group dynamics came into play? If participants knew each other before, they may feel more comfortable performing a personally risky activity, like singing a song. This comes into play when prioritizing tasks, too; we’re more likely to stay within our comfort zone, especially if we’re working in a team. Preparation Write out the following list on a piece of flip chart paper. Ensure that it stays covered until the end of the activity explanation. Do a lap around the room (5 points) Create something for the instructor to wear, such as a hat or tie (10 points; bonus 5 points if the instructor actually wears it) Find out something unique about each person on the team (5 points) Sing a song together (15 points) Make a paper airplane and throw it from one end of the room to another (10 points) Get everyone in the room to sign a single piece of paper (5 points) Count the number of pets owned by your group (20 points) Assign a nickname to each member of the team (5 points) Create name cards for each team member (5 points; bonus 5 points if you use your team nicknames) Make a tower out of the materials owned by your group (10 points) Convince a member of another team to join you (20 points) Name your team and come up with a slogan (5 points for the name, 5 points for the slogan) Re-create the sounds of the Amazon rainforest with the sounds of your voices (10 points) Make a list of what your team wants out of the workshop (15 points) Form a conga line and conga from one end of the room to another (5 points; bonus 10 points if anyone joins you) You can customize this list as you wish; just make sure there is a point value (which is completely up to you) assigned to each item. This Time Management Activity was Posted online by Rasha Alshafie 7. Blind Polygon Set up:  Depending on your group size you may have to divide your group into teams of 9 -15 players.  Blindfold each person. (NOTE: If you have more people than blindfolds then require them to close their eyes. Let them know that trust and integrity are key to a successful outcome.) The Challenge:  Place a length of rope in the center of the circle. Explain that their task is to form the rope into a shape of your choosing--a square, a "Z," or a pentagon. Everyone must be in contact with the rope at all times and they must use the entire rope. No tangles or knots are allowed. When the group feels they have made whatever shape you specified they can set it on the ground and take their blindfolds off. Debrief: During the event, you will see all sorts of personality styles, leadership styles, communication styles, and definite pecking order. Regarding Time Management, the group's process is often very hectic. You can discuss team time management or use the experience as a metaphor for personal time management, asking "what is the most efficient way to accomplish a task?" The group will find that when they are deprived of sight, their normal ways of accomplishing a task are thrown into confusion. As part of your debrief talk about what process they would use if they were to do the exercise again. This is also a great processing tool for management training because I can assure what happens when they are blindfolded will not be what happens at the office. This  time management activity for high school students, college students, or employees was posted online by Larry Riggs 8. "Big Picture" Puzzle Challenge The Challenge:  Divide your group into teams. Give each team a puzzle with a similar level of difficulty. Don't give them the "Big Picture" of what it will look like when completed. Push them to complete the puzzle as quickly as possible. Interrupt the process after about 3 minutes and ask, "What's missing? What's making this difficult?" Likely they will identify the absence of the completed "Big Picture" to use as a guide. After you give them the big picture, ask them to complete the puzzle. They will do this much faster now. Debrief: Explain that having the perspective and clarity of the Big Pic helps one to plan weekly and day-to-day activities much more effectively. If NO Big Picture is available, then time is spent on urgencies, likes, and what others want one to do. This Time Management Activity was posted online by Ajit Kamath 9. How long is a minute? At the beginning of session, I ask people to close their eyes for 30 seconds and after that to open it. Nobody can watch the clock and I don't measure the time. All I ask of participants is to open their eyes after what they believe has been 30 seconds. Of course, they all open them at different times. Afterward, we talk about our understanding of time. Even though everyone has an equal (24 hours a day or 30 seconds for exercise), in fact, we experience it and use it in different ways. Some of us experienced it as a short period, others as a long time. This always works as a good opener.  Posted by Darko Todorovic Another more physical variation of this time management activity was posted by Prasad Narayan Susarla. He wrote:  Cover all the clocks in the room, then ask participants to remove their wristwatches and stand up. Instruct them to sit down when they think 1 minute has elapsed after you shout "Start" to begin the countdown. You will be surprised by the results. Just enjoy the fun that follows this activity. To make it more interesting I run this same activity a second time wherein I change the time to 2 minutes. 10. Time Squared I give the participants 3 pages with 24 squares (representing 24 hours of a day) printed on them at various phases of the program. For the more finicky participants, I have a sheet that further divides the Hour Square into 4 Quarters. Hand the 1st page to them immediately after setting the context. Ask them to fill the squares (based on the time they spend) and label them with routine activities of their regular day like sleeping (6 hours = 6 squares), bathing, eating, travel, TV time, etc. Hand the 2nd page out after you've discussed "Time Wasters." This time, ask them to fill the squares showing non-productive time at their workplace like tea breaks, water cooler chats, personal telephone calls, emails, etc. Late in the day, distribute the 3rd page. Ask them to collate the data from "Page 1" and "Page 2" on the 3rd Page. The empty squares represent their productive time. Using the 3rd page the participants are asked to identify activities from which they can mine time to increase their productive time. Learning outcome: Identify time wasters and time spent on routine activities. Where to mine for time. Time Management Activities posted online by Prasad Narayan Susarla 11. Ace of Spades This exercise requires two volunteers and two decks of playing cards. I give one deck of cards to each volunteer and then have them race to find the Ace of Spades. What they don't know is that one deck is in order ace to king, in the correct suits, and all facing the same direction. The other deck is all mixed up and some cards are facing forwards and some backward, making it a lot harder to find the Ace of Spades. They have fun racing, but usually, the person with the mixed deck gets frustrated or complains that it's not fair. It's fun and a good way to relate good organization skills to time management. "Suited" for all ages; Time management activities for high school students, college students, or employees posted online by Clay Pennington 12. The Money Value of Time If you only have one hour - and especially for a business audience - focus on creating a new conceptual mindset called the "money value of time."  Have participants break down their activities into cost and profit centers, and then focus on investing their time in those activities that yield the highest value for them personally and for the firm. Posted online by Tim Phillips 13. What I did Yesterday . . . Ask the delegates to jot down 10 things they did at work yesterday ( no order, no prompts, no comments). Next, on a separate sheet of paper, ask them to jot down the 5 topics that they expect to discuss at their next appraisal or performance review. Have them look at the two lists together and mark in some way on the first list all the things which have a direct link to the second list. (Delegates may try to make indirect links to justify why they did certain things!) The lightbulb moment is the recognition that we spend time on things that have little or no consequence on our performance. I usually ask them to plot the list of 10 things on an "Importance/Urgency" grid. They need to concentrate on the "important & urgent/non-urgent(therefore, planned) activities.  I like this activity as it clearly links performance with activity. Time management activity posted online by Murali Iyer 14. Paper Boat Activity Set-up All you need for this one is some newspaper. Divide your group into teams of 4 to 5 members each. Ask them to select/elect a Team Leader. Then take all the team leaders out of the training hall and teach them to build a paper boat.   To make sure they understood, have each person build their own boat with the small square piece of paper you give them. Before you dismiss your leaders, share these instructions: I am giving you 4 sheets of paper (the sheets you give them should be rectangular in shape). Your job is to build 40 boats all of the “Same Size” & “All must stand or should not sink flat when the activity is over.” Quality (shape, finishing, appearance) and Quantity (40 boats)  are both important. Time frame: 15 minutes maximum from the moment you go to your team. Now let them complete the task; give them 15 minutes. Paper Boat Debrief Did the Team Leader clarify the goal to the team members? Were the roles clarified so that everyone on the team would know who will do what? Did the team members get overwhelmed by the activity or understood what is important? What was the focus on – Important or completion? What style of leadership did the team leader play? Did the team members ask for clarification about their role or goal? Was there any planning for the use of the newspaper, people, and the time available? How can they relate “boat making” to “doing work” in the organization? Time Management Activity Posted online by Bharat Thanggaraaj 15. Circadian Rhythm Ask each participant to plot their day from waking up to going to sleep in hourly blocks and ask them to identify if they are naturally: 'on fire' 'vibrant' 'cruise control' 'at 70%' 'distracted' 'slowing down' 'tired' 'hungry' The key is to get them to not think about their workload but their natural energy levels so try and focus them to think about a typical day off. Ask them to link this to workplace time management...when you are 'on fire' you should be tackling the big important tasks as you are more likely to get it done, and when you are lethargic you should do the mundane filing, etc.  If you have participants post their rhythm on a wall, it can be eye-opening for individuals and for teammates to know more about their colleagues. Time management activities for high school students, college students, or employees - posted online by Richard Armitage 16. Colored Blocks - great for prioritizing Take blocks of different colours, put them on a table, and explain the task:  each individual must pick up as many blocks as they can in the allocated time frame, with these ground rules: They must pick up with their non-dominant hand They may only pick up one block at a time. PHASE 1: Give them 1 to 1-1/2 minutes.  When time is up, record their name and the number of blocks collected on a flip chart.  Celebrate the winner, then spread out the blocks again for Phase 2. PHASE 2: Before starting the second phase, arbitrarily assign values to the block colors (i.e. yellow block 1 point, red 2 points, etc.).  Repeat the exercise. Now they must reflect the number of blocks as well as the number of points. Debrief can then focus on the need to prioritize.  Time Management Activity posted online by Kevin Smith 17. Hungry Chick Inn In this in-depth exercise, available from the Trainers' Library (www.glasstap.com), teams are given the challenge to re-open an inn to receive guests in 13-days time, with a huge number of tasks and a limited budget.  Success requires planning, organization, time management, teamwork, and project management.  Allow 90 minutes, plus debriefing.  Posted online by Rod Webb 18. 60-Seconds Game We all know a minute is the same as 60 seconds, but the passing of time may feel quite different to each of us. A minute might also feel different if you're holding a plank position or luxuriating in the shower. To create greater awareness of individual's different perceptions of time, try this: Ask your participants to close their eyes. After you say "go," have them stand when they think 60 seconds have elapsed. Invite them to open their eyes after they stand up. READ MORE on Time Management Activities... Brain Science Procrastination Tips The Mayo Jar More Time Management Tips Time Management Tips Infographic

Discover interactive training tips from Cindy Huggett & Katrina Kennedy—quick ideas to boost engagement, reflection, and online learning.