WorkSMART Blog

Chad Littlefield introduces the Future Focused We Connect Deck. [Transcript of Recording]

Sheila B. Robinson devised the RELATE™ Framework to help facilitators think more deeply and strategically about participants' experience in training. She wants to be sure that every activity has purpose and is placed at just the right moment for optimal learning and engagement. She shared her framework during a Trainers Warehouse Show & Share event. During the session, as Ms. Robinson shared the model, participants shared some of their favorite tools and reflections, which I've tried to capture here. Match the Activity with your Purpose Each of the initials in the RELATE™ Framework, matches with an important workshop purpose R. Retaining - for reinforcement and memory, introduce activities that allow participants to practice retrieving information E. Energizing - choose an energizer when you need to replenish the group's waning energy L. Learning - content-based activities rest at the core of the learning process A. Applying - allow participants to engage in activities that let them apply what they've learned. T, Team Building - when team development is paramount, either to build community or enable higher-functioning teams, select a team-building exercise. E. Enlivening - use openers, icebreakers, or ice-melters to create an environment conducive to learning. The RELATE Framework mnemonic is easy to recall and helps us focus on our purpose --on why an activity is included at any given spot on a workshop or course agenda.  I can also imagine overlaying the RELATE Framework with Sharon Bowman's 6 Brain-Science Principles:  Movement tops sitting Images tops works Talking tops listening  Writing tops reading Shorter tops longer Different tops same The point is, during every stage of the learning process, we should employ purposeful exercises.  Pair the Process and Purpose After identifying the reason for your activity, the trick is to pair that with a process. It could entail any combination of these: Think, Write, Draw, Walk, Talk, Sort, Create, etc. Sheila shared a grid for session planning, and participants shared some of their favorite resources, as well. Enliven Ask a "Magical Question," which is one that everyone is equally excited about sharing their answer and hearing everyone else's (drawn from Priya Parker's work) Have participants write on notecards things they have in common with their table group. They fold the notecards and try to make the tallest tower.  3 things: Write on an index card three things: 1) something you think you share with many in the room; 2) something you share with just a handful of folks in the room; 3) something that might be unique to just you. Pick a few cards and do a stand-up/sit-down activity. Throughout the session, when you need a pick-me-up, do a few more. Find more energizers here. Learn Worksheets are great!!! Explore Angela Agresto's Brain Building Blueprints for more tools! Agresto uses the 4Cs construct (Connection; Concepts; Concrete Practice; Conclusion), but the spirit of her work is similar. Retain Try Post-it notes identifying behaviors you want to Stop,  Start, Continue, or Change Explore favorites such as: Dry-erase Answer Board quizzes, Koosh ball tosses, and Jeopardy-style Games More Debrief and Review Tools Bonus Resources In addition to this amazing framework, we learned of a few other resources! PowerPoint Effects - explore the "Morph Transition" in PowerPoint's Animations and Transitions Echo Rivera is another wonderful resource for PowerPoint tips Rick Altman is also worth following for presentation tips! Request the full guide from Sheila B. Robinson:  https://www.sheilabrobinson.com/relateframeworkguide/

At our recent Show & Share, Matthew Ames shared his insight on becoming a runner to address a growing health concern, later becoming a marathoner. He translated the lessons he learned about preparation, community, goal-setting, endurance, and resilience into meaningful perspective on corporate training and professional development. Getting Started Trying something for the first time is a messy process, whether it's a personal "new" or a professional opportunity. Matt admits that his first few runs were really walk-runs, filled with stumbles and tripping over his dog. To be clear, he didn't start his fitness journey with the expectation of running a marathon. His initial goal was simply to be able to run around the block without getting out of breath.  Speaking of Goals Setting goals can be complicated. Sometimes you need to adjust them over time, and they look different for everyone. For most marathoners, the goal isn't winning — it's finishing, often within a certain time, measured anywhere from minutes to hours to days. Matt found, too, that framing success in terms of A, B, and C levels of accomplishment was incredibly instrumental. A - What's the best I can hope for? B - What can I realistically achieve given the current challenges and circumstances? C - What's the minimum I'll accept as a "win," if everything goes wrong? Looking at success through this lens turns it from a pass-fail assessment (I did it or I didn't do it) into something more nuanced. This model works well for both instructional design and within the training room. Making it up "Heartbreak Hill" Marathoners sometimes break down the 26.2 miles this way: the first 9 miles are run with your head, the second 9 with your legs, and the last miles with your heart. In the Boston Marathon, "Heartbreak Hill" is a long climb up Commonwealth Avenue in Newton, at a point late in the race, when fatigue has set in for all the runners. Pouring their heart and soul into the task is the only way to get to the finish line! Helping them through these last few miles are swarms of neighbors, Boston College students, and fans, cheering at the top of their lungs and calling out names and numbers as runners pass. The energy and encouragement of the crowd help these athletes make it to the finish line. Three Tools Matt developed three Learning Endurance Tools to help trainers prepare learners for success marathon-style. These are a great resource for trainers working toward their own performance goals or coaching managers and teams on strategies to achieve growth goals. He breaks it into before (a preparation tool), during (a way to track progress as you go), and after (a reflection of how you've done). BEFORE: Race Preparation Consider these five questions to ready yourself for your next growth challenge: GOAL: Know your goal, but also understand WHY it matters to you. MOTIVATION: Consider how you'll stay motivated and energized AID STATIONS: Identify the people, practices, or resources that will nourish you along the way. Know that you might need to ask for help — don't shy away from it. SUCCESS: Give yourself some leeway with A, B, and C levels of success. HEARTBREAK HILL: Imagine the worst situation and consider how you might manage your way through it. DURING: Mile Markers Set out intermediary milestones and check-in points. Keep track of your, or your teams, accomplishments along the way, including: What may have changed since you began Boosts or Challenges you might have faced along the way How you're tracking towards your goal in terms of your A-B-C levels of success Any adjustments you might want to make, including changing your goal? AFTER - Reflection Give yourself time at the end of a challenge to reflect and celebrate. Ask questions such as: What tested your endurance? How did you need to alter expectations along the way? What kept you going? What did you learn? What will you carry forward? What and how will you celebrate? Additional Tools for Goals & Growth Matt Ames' session on endurance and resilience got me thinking about a few other tools that can help trainers and learners achieve big goals. Road to There The Road to There Facilitation Toolkit walks individuals and teams through the process of visualizing the future and creating a clear roadmap that identifies objectives, potential obstacles, and the distance between where you currently are and how far you need to go to get THERE.  Developing Resilience Thumball Ten skills are typically associated with resilience: patience, optimism, gratitude, acceptance, kindness, purpose, forgiveness, connection, composure, and listening. These overlay nicely with the Endurance Training Model shared by Matt Ames. The Developing Resilience Thumball allows participants to consider, discuss, and strengthen these skills. Growth Mindset Kudos Notes The Kudos for Growth Notepads allow trainers and participants to consider their own strengths and aspirations, as well as their colleagues'.  These provide an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate not only accomplishments, but also effort, risk, trial, and error. The Last Leg of the Race Whether you're training for a marathon or leading a team through a stretch goal, the throughline is the same: growth is rarely a straight line. It takes preparation, a realistic sense of what success looks like, people who show up for you at mile 20, and the willingness to keep going when it gets hard. Matt Ames' Learning Endurance Tools — paired with resources like Road to There, the Developing Resilience Thumball, and Kudos for Growth Notepads — give trainers a practical way to build that same endurance into their own programs, one mile marker at a time.

You've seen it happen. The session goes great — heads nodding, good discussion, people scribbling the occasional note. Everyone leaves energized. Yet two weeks later, almost none of it has stuck. That gap between "great session" and "changed behavior" is one of the biggest challenges in our field. And we can close it with one of the simplest tools around: a plain sheet of paper. Instructional Origami — a technique championed by L&D consultant and Learning That Lasts author Katrina Kennedy — asks learners to fold a sheet of paper into a simple shape, write their own reflections onto its faces and flaps, and carry it out the door. No app, no template, no license. If you're familiar with Sharon Bowman's 6 Brain-Science Principles, some of what follows may sound familiar. Why does something this low-tech work so well? Four reasons — and a folded sheet of paper delivers all of them at once. 1. Reflection: We remember only what we take time to think about “Memory is the residue of thought.”  ~ Daniel Willingham When you ask a learner to stop and answer "What surprised me? What will I do differently?" you trigger what cognitive scientists call the generation effect: we retain information far better when we produce it ourselves than when we simply receive it. Pulling an idea back out of your own head — retrieval practice — is one of the most reliably proven ways to move a memory from fragile to durable. Reflection is also where raw information becomes personal, making it a lot stickier. 2. The fold: making it physical anchors it When you physically make something with your hands, you engage the sensorimotor system and give the memory a distinctive episodic anchor. Years later, people remember "the paper airplane exercise" long after they've forgotten slide 14. The fold does something a screen can't: it adds movement and novelty. The more areas of the brain a training engages, the more memorable it becomes. The physical experience — plus the focus and attention the task demands — improves retention. Folding also fights habituation, the brain's tendency to stop noticing whatever has become routine. A handout is routine. Folding a cootie catcher is not. Folding paper isn't a gimmick; it's a pathway to new neurological triggers. 3. Handwriting: the slow path encodes deeper Beyond being physical and visual at once, writing by hand forces us to consider, synthesize, and compress ideas into memorable bites. You can't write as fast as you can type or talk, so your brain has to decide what actually matters and put it in your own words. That act of condensing is the learning. The messy, handwritten "aha" tends to outlast the perfectly typed one — precisely because of the work it took to make it. 4. The take-away: an ongoing, timeless reminder Often, learning is forgotten not because it was badly taught, but because it was never revisited. This is where the folded object quietly does its best work. That little paper airplane or envelope sitting on someone's desk is an external retrieval cue. Every time they glance at it, it pulls the lesson back up — unprompted, spaced out over days, which is exactly the rhythm memory needs. If you've asked learners to write a specific commitment on it ("Something I'll try in the next week"), it becomes an implementation intention: tying an intention to a concrete when and where is one of the most effective ways to turn it into actual behavior. The paper holds the promise for them. (Bowman calls the physical version of this a "metaphor memento" — origami just makes the reminder out of the reflection itself.) A few folds to start with The shape matters less than the reflection you attach to it. A few favorites: Quarter-Fold or Tri-Fold Start with one of the easiest folds — just two creases. A quarter-folds (fold in half, then half again) or a tri-fold gives you at least 10 fill-in-the-space options, including these favorites: 3 Ds: What will you DO? What will you DELEGATE? What will you DROP?  3 Whats: What? So What? Now What? WOW. HOW. NOW.: Wow – key takeaway; How – remaining question; Now – action item Circle. Square. Triangle. Circle: What’s still going around in your head? What do you still not understand?; Square: What’s squared away? What do you really understand? Triangle: What three things could you use in your life, work, or studies? WHOA! AHA! HMM! Keeping “TABBs”:  could add four additional corner folds. Takeaway from the event; Action you'll take; Barriers that may hinder your progress; Benefits of overcoming those barriers and applying the learning. ABC-O: Action — what new or different action will you take? Benefits — what will you gain when you take it? Challenges — what will you face in implementing it? Overcome — how will you overcome them? Personal Shield of Honor (four quadrants): (1) Skills and abilities you bring to the workplace; (2) Skills and abilities you need to improve; (3) A frustration with your current situation; (4) A source of pride at work Swap in whatever framework fits your content. The pattern is always the same: think it, write it by hand, fold it, take it with you. The Envelope Have learners write a note to their future self — what they commit to doing in the next 30 days — then seal and address it. Mail them back later, or have people open their own at a follow-up. The What / Who / When framework fits nicely: What to do; Who can help; When should it happen? The Airplane In this playful activity, everyone writes their name on one wing and a prompt answer on the other, then flies them across the room. Pick up whichever plane lands near you (or do a room scramble and pick up any airplane), read it aloud, and answer or discuss. It turns reflection into energy — and gets people out of their chairs. The PROMPT can be anything from "something you still wonder about," to "a key idea you'd like to 'fly' with your team." If your group is intimidated by airplanes, do the same "snowballs" — just scrunch the paper into a ball and toss it across the room. Idea Capture (the fortune teller) The old "cootie catcher" fold makes a perfect self-quiz. As a reinforcement game, write four or eight key questions and answers under the flaps. Once the idea catchers are created, invite learners work through them in pairs. The playfulness lowers the stakes, and the flaps force a full pass back through the material. Why something this simple lasts It's tempting to assume the more sophisticated the tool, the deeper the learning. Instructional origami is a useful reminder that the opposite is often true. A sheet of paper asks the learner to do all the work — generate the idea, write it down, build the object, carry the reminder — and it's precisely that work that makes the learning stick. Next time you're about to close with "Any questions?", hand out paper instead. MORE Watch Katrina Kennedy's Show & Share on Instructional Origami

 Practical tips from Trainers Warehouse's hands-on Show & Share session You've been running Zoom sessions for years. You know how to mute yourself, share your screen, and manage the inevitable "can you hear me?" panic. But are you using everything Zoom has to offer and managing the tools with finesse? Maybe not. In our June 2026 "Roll Up Your Sleeves" session, we dug into the Zoom features that make a real difference for trainers and facilitators. Thanks to all who share both their challenges and tips! 1. Video: Look Good, Set the Right Tone Before your first participant joins, take a few minutes to explore Studio Effects. You can touch up your appearance, adjust lighting, and even add eyebrow or lip color filters. It sounds silly until you're on camera at 7am — then it's a lifesaver. More practically, Virtual Backgrounds can be powerful not only as branding tools, but to share agendas or key information. You can create your own backgrounds in seconds: Open your slide deck and save a slide as a JPG (File > Save As, or take a screenshot). In Zoom, click the + button under Virtual Background. Select your saved image and click Open. 2. Participants: Always Know How to Get People In At some point, you'll need to invite someone on the fly — and the email invite just isn't going fast enough. Know where to find these three things when you open the dialogue box: Meeting ID — the unique code participants need sits in the upper left corner  Passcode — required for secure meetings is found in the bottom right corner Invite Link — the easiest option for most participants (one click, no codes needed) Simply request that participants go to Zoom.com > Join a Meeting, where they can enter the ID and passcode manually. 3. React: The Non-Verbal Layer You May be Underusing The Reactions panel is one of the most underutilized engagement tools in Zoom. Here's what to know: Speed Up / Slow Down buttons give participants a non-verbal way to pace you without interrupting. Yes/No buttons are especially useful during solo work time. Unlike the thumbs-up reaction, they don't disappear after a few seconds. Raise Hand — here's the part most facilitators don't know: hands appear on your screen in the order they were raised. First come, first called on. Skin Tone — Participants can set their own skin tone preferences (look under the "…" next to Reactions, then scroll to "Skin Tone" at the bottom). Custom emoji  — scroll to the very bottom of the More Reactions panel. Make a habit of pointing out the React panel at the start of every session. Participants might not know it's there, or have trouble finding it in the moment. 4. Captions: Accessibility Built Right In Under More > Show Captions, Zoom offers live captions and translated subtitles — no third-party tool required. Participants can even select their own preferred language for translation directly from their computer. One important note from our practice session: be careful with language settings. We discovered that when one participant changed the caption language, it changed for everyone in the room. Make sure your participants know to test this on their own before your session starts. 5. Apps: The Hidden Toolkit The Zoom Apps panel (found under More) is packed with tools that most facilitators have never touched. A few worth knowing: Timer — set a visible countdown for activities and breaks. No more "okay, just two more minutes" ambiguity. Royalty-Free Music — yes, this is real, and it's built right into Zoom. Find it in Apps, pick a genre, and hit Play. It's great for group work transitions or setting the tone before a session starts. Group Photo — capture a snapshot of all participants. A fun closer for any workshop. One heads-up: some apps may only appear for the host, not participants. If something seems to be missing, try clicking the More button — additional apps are sometimes tucked there. 6. Whiteboards: Tips from Real Facilitators Our community has learned a lot about Zoom's built-in Whiteboard tool. Here's the distilled wisdom: Before the session: Set up your whiteboard before participants arrive. Visual setup during a session eats time and attention. Consider pre-populating a Google Sheet or Doc that covers the working content — it reduces the "blank page" overwhelm when participants first open the board. Note that opening the Whiteboard will close your screen share — plan for that transition. During facilitation: Use the ellipse (…) to create a new whiteboard or activity. Use the hand tool to move around the board; the triangle arrow to select items. Before participants start working, turn off participant cursors — it gets chaotic fast otherwise. Build in 1–2 minutes of practice time before diving into the content. Let people get comfortable with the toolbar. Want a more robust option? Miro is available as an app inside Zoom, though it requires a separate subscription. 7. Breakouts: Where Engagement Lives (or Dies) Breakout rooms are one of the most powerful tools in a virtual facilitator's kit — and one of the most frequently fumbled. We found that some members love them and others avoid them at all costs. Here's how to get them right. Logistics Share materials to breakout rooms: You can share your screen into open breakout rooms. Go to: Create Breakout Room > Open All Rooms > Share (from the Host Menu). Select the screen you want to share and hit Share. Pro tip: If you time your slides, you can actually guide participants through an activity while they're in breakouts. Send a message to all rooms simultaneously using the chat/message feature. Have someone in each group photograph the instructions — a low-tech backup that always works. Facilitation Avoid what one of our group members called "BODO" — Break Out, Duck Out. Your participants will wonder if you disappeared. Set expectations: A slide that says "BREAKOUTS NEXT: Hang in there. They aren't scary." goes a long way. Acknowledge that each person has different expectations for breakouts--some might look forward to chat-time, while others tend to clam up.  Guide the conversation structure: "Do a quick intro, then answer the question, and if you have extra time, chat." Timing: Tell them how much time they will have. Be specific about the debrief: "Bring back one insight or one question" is much better than "share what you discussed." See more tips below. Who speaks first? Always give them a guide. See more tips below. Make sure your discussion instructions are clear!  Keep discussion prompts short — a long list of questions guarantees none of them get answered. Use a timer Always use a time so participants can self-facilitate. Check in Periodically check in with each of your breakout rooms so people know they haven't been abandoned. Who Speaks First? This sounds small, but it matters. Without a designated first speaker, groups stall. Try one of these playful approaches. Say, the first to speak should be the one with the... Shortest hair Most colorful socks Last to eat a green vegetable Who woke up earliest Last to walk a dog You can jot these on index cards or use a Trainers Warehouse Dry-Erase Answer Board! Have some fun with these! Alternatively, consider identifying a Participant(s) of the Day (P.O.D.) at the start of your session. Ask a few engaged participants to be ready as spokespeople or breakout leaders throughout the day. Report Back? A simple rule of thumb: Different outcomes per group → report back Different topics per group → report back Same task for everyone → you don't need every group to report out every time 8. Chat, Views, and a Few More Good Habits Chat Chat shyness is real. Break it early by asking a low-stakes question at the start ("favorite coffee order?" "ice cream flavor?"). A built-in Zoom Poll works great for this too. A few things to know: Chat may not follow participants into breakout rooms. Individual chats (participant to participant) are not recorded or saved. Chat messages posted before an attendee joins the call will not be visible, so you may have to repost opener questions as your group begins to gather. Views Spotlight: Overrides everyone's Gallery View to show a specific person. Great for "putting someone on stage." Can include multiple people. Pin: An individual setting — participants can pin specific people to the top of their own gallery view. Dynamic View: Removes names and titles so participants focus only on faces. Meeting Notes  Click on AI Companion after your session to get auto-generated notes. It won't replace your notes completely, but it's a useful backup. And, for Show & Share sessions, your host will always capture the notes, chats, and recordings (as we've done here). The Bottom Line The gap between a functional Zoom session and a genuinely engaging one isn't about charisma — it's about tools and facilitation choices. The features above are already available in your standard Zoom subscription (or close to it). They just require a little exploration and practice. The best advice from our session? Practice on your own. Open a meeting for yourself and spend 15 minutes pressing buttons. The confidence you'll gain is worth every minute. DOWNLOAD POWERPOINT NOTES

I was delighted to have Hilary Blair share insights as a vocal coach and facilitator of leadership development at a recent Show & Share. We explored how our voices reveal more about us than we realize — and how balancing tone, breath, and delivery can sharpen our impact as trainers and facilitators. Hilary's live demonstrations are invaluable, so I encourage you to listen to the recording alongside this summary. Balance your Treble and Bass We spend so much time thinking about and tweaking our content that we often don't think about our voice and the impact it has on our message and our audience. A deep bass voice can come across as resonant and soothing, but can also be hard to understand if not balanced out. A higher-pitched treble voice adds warmth and meaning, but can become a little grating over time. You can experience the difference yourself: say "hee," then place your hands on your chest and say "hey" — you'll both feel and hear the vibration. The trick is to balance your treble and bass registers as a way of also balancing warmth and clarity. Project your Voice through your Breath If you want to be louder, you can't simply push more sound out of your throat — it comes from letting your breath flow outward. Give it a whirl. First, try speaking as if you've just eaten onions and don't want anyone to smell your breath, then without that restriction. The contrast is immediate. Balance your Vowel and Consonant Sounds Vowels are open sounds, like a free-flowing river. Think of the slow, cooing sounds you'd make with a baby: "oooh, aww, mama." Because vowels require more air to produce, they carry the emotional content of your message. Consonants, by contrast, carry the intellectual content — think of a detective clipping out, "Tell me the facts, the facts, and the facts only." Vocal experts often describe consonants as the banks of the river. As Hilary puts it, "vowels are associated with the emotional and consonants with the intellectual content." This is why doctors delivering test results often stick to crisp consonants — they may be intentionally minimizing emotional weight. When trainers try to make themselves clear, they often default to emphasizing consonants. But elongating vowel sounds can actually improve clarity just as much. Try this: say "What are your questions?" quickly, focusing on the consonants. Listeners might get the impression you're not really open to hearing any. Now say it again, more slowly, opening up the vowel sounds — notice the difference. Remember to Exhale and Get the Air Out A deep breath is really more about the exhale than the inhale. Focus on the release, and let your breath flow freely. When you exhale intentionally, the inhale will follow naturally — it's a physiological response. Voices that Become Too Much Hilary discussed several vocal patterns and their impact on communication effectiveness, including what she calls the "too much club" — where people are told to reign in some vocal habit. Here are a few patterns to watch for: Monotone — Often adopted to sound serious, professional, or not too dramatic. But monotone strips away the musicality of your voice — the "prosody" — that helps people actually absorb your message. Precious Voice (the preschool teacher voice) — This happens when we push our voice from our throat in an attempt to sound sincere. It often comes across as the opposite. Upspeak — Raising your voice at the end of a phrase may feel like a way to avoid being pushy or overwhelming, but it's frequently perceived as sounding incompetent, uncertain, or young. Hilary compared upspeak to a dog rolling over to show it's not a threat. However, phrases that "land down" tend to be received as more credible. Vocal Fry — The most relaxed, low-effort voice. It can sound like you simply don't care, and is often associated with an overly casual affect. None of these patterns is inherently "bad," but they can get in the way of connection and clarity. The key is awareness and intention. Vocal Care in Training Settings Vocal fold swelling is the main cause of voice loss — but a few simple exercises can help. Humming vibrates your vocal cords, increases blood flow to the area, and helps reduce inflammation. It's also a great warm-up for this reason. "Raspberries" (blowing air through relaxed lips) force you to release your breath and relax your delivery. Voice Coach Q&A A few participants shared specific challenges, asking Hilary for some quick tips. Highlights include: To avoid being perceived as "preachy" during C-suite presentations, Hilary suggested opening your throat, being careful not to swallow your words; maintaining dialogue rather than monologue, especially when presenting to senior executives. For those who tend toward mumbly speech, Hilary provided exercises to help with clearer enunciation. Practice mouth movements using tongue twisters like “Ba-da-ga” (forward and backward) or "bodega." Reserved speakers looking to develop a more passionate communication style can avoid vocal fry during intense conversations by focusing on breath control and voice modulation. Your Voice as an Instrument Your voice is one of your most powerful tools as a trainer or facilitator — and like any tool, it improves with awareness and practice. Your voice is already an instrument; you just have to learn to play it intentionally. Start with one technique, notice the difference, and build from there. And don't forget to check out the recording to hear Hilary bring these concepts to life. Learn More A playlist of Videos on Voice The Voice and Speech Trainers Association Subscribe to Hilary’s ARTiculate: Real&Clear newsletter Hilary on Linkedin

Through our Trainers Warehouse Show & Share sessions, we’ve gathered practical insights from facilitation expert Cornelius “Nelius” Dowdell on how leaders can uncover and shape company culture. His approach is straightforward: start with honest input, create space for dialogue, and pay close attention to the behaviors you reinforce. Set up "Aha" Moments Dowdell started the conversation by asking the group to describe their culture in one word. Using Aha Slides to synthesize results into a word cloud, in real time, he could then direct the conversation to the most common and/or pressing responses. What emerges is not the polished version of culture found in mission statements, but a more candid reflection of how people actually experience the organization. If leaders want to influence culture, they first need to understand it—and that requires broad, unfiltered input. Try a Feelings Wheel  Another effective way to deepen the conversation is by asking people how they’re feeling. While the question sounds simple, many struggle to find the right words. A Feelings or Emotions Wheel provides the language people need to express themselves more precisely. Keep it simple with the Emotions Wheel available on the Zoom whiteboard templates, or go deeper with a more detailed feelings wheel. Alternatively, grab an Emotions Card Deck, where players choose a card that describes how they're feeling right now, or how they wish they felt at work. Whether using a basic visual or a more detailed tool, a quick emotional check-in can set the stage for more meaningful dialogue later. Start a Dialogue and Listen Get groups talking... and hear what they have to say After a quick feelings check, one of Neil's favorite ways to kick off a leadership culture session is to use a Trainers Warehouse Thumball. Even before introducing himself, he might set a ball or two play to get people thinking, connecting, and talking about the learning topic. With the Thumball, he simply tosses the ball and asks the catcher to read the topic under their right thumb. "Wherever the thumb lands is the topic we discuss," he says. Alternatively, he'll play a rapid-fire game, asking each person to respond to the prompt in just 10 seconds before tossing the ball to another player. In bigger groups, he might break into smaller teams. It's yet another way to initiate dialogue so people feel more comfortable sharing deeper thoughts as the session progresses. Just as important as getting people talking is what leaders do next. As Dowdell puts it, "imagine the impact on culture if a leader simply takes the time to find out where people are—and listens. Model Sharing and Vulnerability Part of getting employees to open up and share is creating a psychologically safe environment to make that happen. Those environments don't just happen, however. They result when organizational leaders open up and share their own foibles, mistakes, and frustrations. If you want others to share, then begin by demonstrating your own errors, learning moments, or needs for assistance.   PRACTICE ASKING AND ANSWERING QUESTIONS When talking about organizational culture, coaching people to ask questions, answer, and listen is critical. Rather than simply saying "yes" all the time, healthy corporate cultures welcome conversation and questioning as a way to build clarity and understanding. For this, Dowdell often turns to UNZIP-it! Card Decks. Participants can answer a simple question about "favorites," and partners can practice asking follow-up questions to learn more. Sure, a facilitator could talk about the importance of coaches asking questions, but using tools to help participants get to the meat and potatoes of the substance on their own is generally more effective, he explains. EXPLORE WHAT BEHAVIORS YOU ARE REINFORCING BEHAVIOR CHANGE At the heart of Dowdell’s message is a critical truth: company culture is revealed through behavior. Organizations often define their values clearly, but the real question is whether those values show up in practice. Where does the culture break under pressure? What behaviors are tolerated, even when they contradict stated values? Culture is not what we say—it’s what we reinforce. What gets rewarded, ignored, or repeated ultimately defines how people behave. UNWRITTEN RULES One effective way to explore this is by examining unwritten rules. These informal norms—what people really do and expect—offer valuable insight into how the organization operates. Some may be lighthearted (i.e. food left on the counter is for sharing; if it's in the fridge, it's not), but others reveal deeper truths about expectations, communication, and accountability. Surfacing these rules helps teams identify gaps between stated values and lived experience, making company culture more visible and actionable. They can also be good new-hire tips, that wouldn't be found in an employee handbook! MAKING CULTURE REAL Dowell explains four steps necessary to make culture real. First, you need to identify the goals. Perhaps, for instance, it's showing up to meetings on time. If you don't know what you're striving for, it's impossible to get there. Next, identify how that behavior will be modeled and reinforced—through processes, accountability, or peer support. Encourage individuals to self-assess how they're performing with regard to company values. Ask where they feel their strengths lie, and where they see room for improvement. Don't forget to reward those successes and cultural shifts using I Noticed notes, Kudos for Values, or peer-to-peer recognition tools. And, suggest that individuals treat themselves when they've hit a personal goal. Equally important is giving people time to practice. Scenarios, team challenges, and structured activities create opportunities to build new habits and reflect on outcomes. Save time using Trainers Warehouse's WorkPlays scenarios and ready-to-go teambuilding games that promise rich debriefs--about process improvement, roles, communication, team dynamics, and the like. OVERCOMING LEADERS' RESISTANCE TO CULTURE CHANGE Culture change frequently faces resistance, not just from teams asked to abide by the company culture, but also from leaders themselves.  When asked why, the top response is typically ambiguity. When cultural initiatives lack clarity, ownership, or measurable outcomes, they are difficult to sustain. To overcome this, organizations must connect company culture to strategic priorities. Define the behaviors, track them consistently, and measure their impact. Engagement is not a one-time event. It’s an ongoing leadership commitment. CONCLUSION Company culture is often discussed in broad, aspirational terms, but Dowdell’s approach brings it back to something far more concrete: conversations, behaviors, and reinforcement. When leaders take the time to listen, model openness, and align what they reward with what they say they value, culture begins to shift in visible ways. The real work of culture isn’t found in statements or slogans—it’s found in the everyday moments where people choose how to speak, act, and respond. Over time, those moments add up, shaping not just how work gets done, but how people experience being part of the organization.  

I was delighted to host Mouse-Man Consulting’s Lenn Millbower at a recent Trainers Warehouse Show & Share. With more than 40 years of experience across Disney—ride host, stage manager, lead trainer, and more—Lenn knows exactly how to make magic happen in our classrooms. He shared his top techniques for infusing emotion, energy, and engagement into training through thoughtful staging, props, music, and multisensory learning. LENN’S LEARNER-TAINMENT APPROACH Lenn opened by comparing the challenge of merging learning and fun to mixing broccoli and brownies—both valuable, but not always easy to combine. His Learner-tainment framework offers five practical strategies to bring fun, energy, and meaning together. Throughout the session, Lenn’s Disney stories brought each concept to life. (Watch the full recording HERE.) The Five Strategies of Learner-tainment• Evoke Emotion• Layer Learning• Present with Props & Pictures• Stage Your Surroundings• Mastermind the Music Evoke Emotion “Others hit intellect. We his emotion. Those who appeal to intellect only appeal to a very limited group.” ~Walt Disney Appealing to emotion is a key Disney-style approach, one passed down from Walt Disney himself. At Disney—and in great training—emotion is the doorway to engagement. Millbower explains, telling stories is one great way to evoke emotion and often the approach most familiar to trainers. However, trainers can tap into emotions with a variety of other techniques, such as role-plays, games, or setting the stage by having participants connect with the challenge at hand. Lenn shared the example of priming participants learning a new payroll system. He first asked participants to imagine their ideal weekend and reflect on what it might cost. By tapping into a personal, emotional need (“I want the money to enjoy my life”), he created a meaningful bridge to the learning content. This kind of emotional priming helps learners with different styles and intelligences better absorb key information. Layer Learning to Appeal to Multiple Intelligences Disney’s training intentionally engages a range of learning preferences. Lenn outlined several examples: Visual/spatial learners: maps and visual layouts Kinesthetic learners: discovery tours that let learners experience concepts firsthand Naturalistic thinkers: examples tied to landscaping, recycling, and environmental impact Logical/mathematical learners: data, facts, and structured reasoning While modern brain science shows we use multiple “intelligences,” the takeaway is simple: the more senses and modalities we engage, the stickier the learning becomes. Present with Pictures & Props Consider your Colors Disney Imagineers understand that color shapes emotion. As Imagineer John Hench noted, “Color is the language to which people respond consciously and subconsciously.” Lenn encouraged trainers to take a similar approach—use: Blue for calm or neutral backgrounds Yellow for essential information Red for warnings or urgent points Plan your Props Props are powerful. They grab attention, create metaphors, energize learners, and make ideas tangible. Lenn shared examples from his Disney days—using a Koosh ball to model electrical current, or a globe to help custodial staff introduce themselves. Trainers can also borrow from improv by asking participants to link a random object to a learning concept, sparking creativity and deeper processing. Many trainers also shared that Dry-erase Answer Boards have been favorite props in their training rooms. Stage your Surroundings The folks at Disney consider every touchpoint with their guests. Disney employees are crystal clear about what belongs “on stage” and “backstage.” Trainers benefit from the same awareness. Every element of the environment—what learners see, hear, smell, touch, or navigate—affects their experience. Consider: Room setup and traffic flow Lighting and temperature Background visuals Fidget toys or table materials Your own tone, presence, and energy In essence, trainers are not just facilitators—they’re hosts. Thoughtful staging signals care, competence, and psychological safety. Mix in Music Music is one of Disney’s most strategic tools for shaping emotional experience. It’s another way that Disney carefully engineers guest experiences. Every attraction and area of the park features its own specially selected music, setting the desired mood. Music can play a similar role in training: Use major key music (happy, optimistic tunes) to set a welcoming or energizing tone during arrivals and breaks. Use minor key music (sad, calm, thoughtful selections) for reflective activities or quiet thinking. Reserve lyric-heavy songs for interludes when learners are not focused on content. Choose instrumental pieces during work sessions or discussions. Match themes or lyrics to your audience for added humor or connection. (I.E. “I got you (I feel Good) for a group of doctors or clinicians). Energize game show experiences with lively musical interludes, like those built into Gameshow Pro. Music works best when it enhances the environment without distracting from it. Create your Own Disney-Style Magic Lenn’s message is clear: you don’t need a theme park, a cast of characters, or a multimillion-dollar budget to create memorable learning experiences. By evoking emotion, layering learning, staging your space with intention, and weaving in props, visuals, and music, any trainer can spark a sense of wonder and engagement. The real magic happens when learners feel seen, energized, and connected to the material—and that’s something every facilitator can cultivate. With a little creativity and a touch of “Learner-tainment,” we can transform ordinary sessions into extraordinary moments of discovery. MORE RESOURCES Brain Science in Training 85 Ways to Create a Warm Welcome in Training

Huge thanks to Britt Andreatta for joining our recent Show & Share by Trainers Warehouse to share Brain Science Training tips from her book, Wired to Grow. The following are top takeaways, drawn from both her wisdom and that of our seasoned training participants. THE BRAIN ON LEARNING Learning builds neural pathways — not just conceptually, but physiologically. When learning happens and gets repeated and repeated, those pathways get bigger and stronger. Researchers can witness this by having participants wear skull caps that show which regions of the brain are activated at any given moment, what neurological structures support learning, what neurons sound like when they’re firing, and how multiple networks of the brain work at once. It’s truly amazing what brain scientists have figured out about how we learn and grow. A few findings pop out to me as I think about the challenges for corporate trainers and talent development professionals: The 20 Minute Rule: Typically, we have 20 minutes of focus before our brains naturally tune out and need to turn to something else. As such, Britt suggest that trainers should: Structure learning days in 15-minute increments Introduce an exercise, break, or processing time, at least every 20 minutes Increase focus by making fidgets available Default Mode Network: This is the part of the brain that lights up when we let our minds wander. The network acts like an orchestra conductor. How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan Daydreaming primes the brain for Ah Ha moments Give their brains time to check out… Let Learners Experience Ah-Ha Moments on their Own: Research shows that Ah-ha moments physically transform the brain, making learning sticky. There are also “tells” in the brain when an ah-ha moment is imminent. The Eureka Factor by John Kounios (Author), Mark Beeman (Author), Yvette S. Kounios (Contributor). Ah-Ha moments are accompanied by burst of gamma waves above our right ear Ah-Ha moments often happen in the shower because the absence of visual stimuli (white noise and blank walls) prime our brain for those moments. How to Induce Ah-Ha Moments with Brain Science Training Tips As facilitators of learning, we can help individuals experience ah-ha by how we structure our sessions. For instance, we can: Introduce a range of topics without connecting all the dots. Let the learners do this! Resist being the “sage on the stage.” Consider “Deficit Learning.” That is, creating intentional gaps in understanding so that participants create those connections, or start inferring them before revealing the information later in a workshop. Dedicate blocks of time for reflection so participants can process, discover, and own their learning. Have participants actively apply the learning Give their senses a break — have them jot notes on a blank piece of paper, or look away from computer screens. Embrace SILENCE. Remember that silence gives others the space to think without having to digest continuous information. For online events, try the “waterfall” response approach in chat: time a minute or two of silence while people type/think, then everyone hits ENTER at the same time. Invite groups to develop stories that incorporate the concepts you’ve introduced. LEGO Activities for Training, has some great exercises for this. Use available tools like dry-erase boards, buzzers, etc., to make processing and reinforcement fun and different. Try role-play activities to apply concepts previously introduced. Don’t read your slides. Have participants form groups to digest, consider, or even critique the slide’s content together. Conduct a 3-2-1 recap exercise: Before they leave, have participants write down: 3 things learned, 2 they will apply, 1 to share. Remember the Mantra (and book by Marcia Tate) “‘Sit and Get’ Won’t Grow Dendrites.“ Behavior Change Habits We’re wired to do, to learn from others, and to grow and change. The brain structure most active in turning repeated behaviors into habits is the Basal Ganglia. Concentrating and learning something new requires a lot of work and energy in the prefrontal cortex, causing us to burn a lot of glucose (and get hungry!). After we’ve done that new thing for a while, our brain transforms it into a “low energy package” or habit, so it doesn’t draw so much energy. Research shows that a new neural pathway can begin to develop in as few as 20 repetitions, but it won’t transform into a habit until 40-50 repetitions. After 66 repetitions, the pathway begins to thicken. In light of this, what can we facilitators do differently? Be sure that company executives understand the need for practice and repetition. If a workshop ends and participants simply go back to their jobs without using the material, the time will be wasted. Build repetitions into our training. Match learning offerings to the needs of the learners–do they need beginner-level exposure? Competency? Deep experience? Mastery? Read more here: The Power of Habit book. Engage in “Deliberate Practice,” where you aren’t just doing the same thing mindlessly, but you continue to grow using coaches, new goals, intense focus, and feedback. Read more in Peak, Secrets from the New Science of Exerpertise, by Anders Ericsson. Britt introduces a Process of Practice that start with a “Throw Away” where participants are encouraged to give something a messy first try, to get dirty, and expect to fail. After, ongoing practice attempts will help the learner to improve, hone, groove, and polish their skills. Combine in-class role-play or practice with breakout rooms, learning labs, observation, etc. Don’t try to do too much. Focus on what’s most important! Designing Learning - Start by Asking the Right Questions! “Engaging learning is born from the intersection of Discovery, Design, and Delivery.” ~Britt Andreatta Don’t just say “yes” to any request for training. Rather, dig deeper with probing questions to understand the true needs. Say, “Tell me more.” Britt generously offered to share the chapter of her book that focuses on “Asking the Right Questions.” DOWNLOAD THE CHAPTER HERE: Britt’s Consulting Questions, OR PURCHASE THE BOOK FOR 25% OFF! MORE RESOURCES For Eye Care: EyeCare 20 20 20 For Avatar Practice Session: Synthesia.io HeyGen

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

30 tips in 30 minutes! During a recent Trainers Warehouse Show & Share, a handful of trainers gathered to swap tips and ideas to improve their training! Preparation & Flexibility Always have a plan B to deal with the unexpected – incorrect seating formations; more/fewer attendees; loss of power or internet connection. Have a co-facilitator who can deal with unexpected events Get creative – if seating or participant attendance isn’t as you expected, create workarounds on the fly When things don’t go as planned, consider being transparent and letting attendees know you’re shifting things around. During a game, if a conflict occurs between participants, consider ditching the game or jumping into the debrief right away to address a learning moment. General Facilitation Tips Let the students do the work! Remember, there are always multiple ways to see something. Always different perspectives. Consider these as you design and deliver training and/or learning games. If you put a question in a “Parking Lot,” have the participants take responsibility for coming back to unanswered questions, so it’s not all on the facilitator. Breakouts on how to have difficult conversations – tried to prep breakouts in advance; draft emails with scenarios ready to go in case you need to send something at the last minute. If you have a large number of participants, consider dividing them into small groups and/or holding breakout sessions for introductions. Then, have a group spokesperson introduce the rest of the small group. Be cautious of Miro Boards – zooming in and out can make some people nauseous. Use “Climer Cards” for creative and metaphoric reflection and conversation. I lieu of online whiteboards, you can have folks contribute to a Word document, SharePoint, or Google doc, so that all input can be captured and viewed. Hybrid Facilitation Tips Use a remote “producer” to help with remote hybrid participants and signal to the facilitator if they need to be more inclusive of the online crowd. The online participants might be top of mind at the start, but get forgotten as the session progresses. Try a Chatterfall, whereby everyone holds their chat responses until the facilitator tells them to press enter How to Make Online Events More Physically Active As an intro, during a break, or during a reflection exercise, have participants step outside and take a picture of their surroundings. Have them come back and share the image along with their reflection or introduction. Ask participants to find something in their house/office that represents… a hobby, observation, learning point, etc. Ways to Get People Up and Moving during Online Sessions Conduct an in-home/office scavenger hunt. Ask participants to find an item that reflects…a hobby, a personal characteristic, a learning point, etc. Ask participants to join you in a “stand and stretch” or breathing exercise. Trainer Warehouse’s Get Movin’ Thumball or online Trainers EXCHANGE prompts can be good for this. Request that participants get up, go outside, or walk a few steps down the street, then take a picture with their phone and share it when they get back. They can either post the image or simply hold their phone up to the camera. Use real objects, not just 2D screen shares Closers and “Finish Lines” Ask them to identify a task that they’ll commit to when they get back home. Say, write down the “ONE THING YOU’RE GONNA DO TOMORROW.” Moreover, have them pair up with a colleague and share their “do tomorrow” assignment. Even more… ask them to exchange contact info with their “accountability partner” so they can follow up with each other, confirming that the action they committed to doing, was completed. Ask What Worked Well? What could we Do Differently? Write a reminder note on a squeeze toy that can be brought back to their office. Have them create an action plan at the end of the session. Be specific with both questions Try “I Got This!” Notepads. Capture 3 things learned; 2 actions to apply the learning; 1 way you’ll share the learning. Use “Start-Stop-Continue-Change” sticky notes. Have participants write ideas on the pads, post the notes at the front of the room, sort the notes, and then retrieve and take home key learning points.  

During our recent Trainers Warehouse Show & Share meeting with simulation expert Steve Semler, we explored practical strategies for conducting effective workplace conflict scenarios and role-play exercises. After a brief demo of our new Work-Plays–Scenarios to Practice Difficult Conversations, the group exchanged best practices and actionable approaches to optimize role-play activities in their training programs. Many shared their appreciation of learners’ anxiety about role-plays and ways to get around their resistance. Role-Plays are key to long-term learning Role-play activities can help bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. In fact, according to Semler, 80% of effective learning comes from practice, while only 20% is derived from insights or new knowledge. Role-play allows participants to practice real-life scenarios in a safe environment, experiment with different approaches and learn from mistakes, and build confidence and adaptability for handling workplace challenges. Ready-to-Use Workplace Conflict Scenarios: Work-Plays by Trainers Warehouse Work-Plays, developed by Trainers Warehouse, is a comprehensive deck of 18 scenario cards covering common workplace challenges such as conflict resolution, managing performance issues, and building sensitivity to diverse perspectives. On each card, players find: Detailed scenario descriptions Guidance for brainstorming solutions Instructions for role-playing individual or group interactions The goal of each scenario is to create a vehicle to improve communication, build trust, and practice problem-solving techniques, not prescribe fixed, right answers. The real-life dynamics presented in well-written scenarios can help prepare participants for similar challenges in their roles. Even with great scenarios in hand, however, it’s up to trainers and managers to facilitate role-play exercises in ways that will minimize stress and offer the greatest amount of learning. Top Tips for Effective Role-Play Activities Managing the fear of failure and embarrassment must be every trainer’s top priority. If you’ve ever tried to facilitate role-play exercises in the past, you’ve likely seen participants physically shrink away as soon as you say the word. The body language of almost everyone in your group will likely say, “Oh my God, please don’t call on me!” These tips can help you draw out participation and minimize reluctance so that learners can reap the benefits of practice. 1. Start with “role-play lite” activities To mitigate stress and make the workplace conflict scenarios more approachable, begin with “role-play light” exercises. This involves participants working as consultants or brainstorming approaches rather than fully immersing themselves in a character. Other role-play lite strategies include: Practice in pairs or triads instead of large groups. The whole experience can be less intimidating if you try something new on one person, rather than in front of a whole group. Allow learners to test out different parts of a difficult conversation, rather than launching into a full discussion. For instance, you might prompt a player by saying, “How would you start this conversation? Try it out. Go ahead and say the words. Practice starting that conversation with a learning partner.” Then the facilitator or learning partner can give some feedback, “What if the person says this? What if the person does this? How would you handle that objection?” Play “consultant” asking What if? and What about? questions. Instead of trying to offer a correct approach, encourage participants to tease out options and offer approaches by asking, “Might this work?” In this way, early practice attempts can become a conversation about ways to approach the difficult topic, rather than jumping in and having to do it immediately. Players can essentially brainstorm approaches before practicing the conversation. Provide opportunities for participants to observe before participating. If you have a co-facilitator, the two of you can demonstrate an example before sending the participants off to try it on their own. Alternatively, at a break prior to the practice-exercise, you might solicit the help of a single participant who might be open to doing a demonstration with you. Don’t call it a role-play. Trainers might try framing practice sessions as a “collaborative exercise,” “rehearsal,” or practice, not a performance. These low-pressure approaches can ensure that participants stay engaged and focused on skill development rather than worrying about performance. 2. “Be bad first”: Prioritize Practice Over Perfection Erika Andersen of Proteus International wrote a book called Be Bad First. It’s about giving yourself permission to try something and be bad at it, because no one is good at a new thing right out of the gate. Encourage your participants to try something new, even something really wacky. Ask them to try something opposite to what they think will work effectively. Reward the risk-takers, celebrate the flubs, and encourage laughter. Once the stage has been set for imperfections and the bar for success appropriately lowered, it will be easier to explore new approaches. 3. Match Scenarios to Learner Needs when selecting Workplace Conflict Scenarios To maximize the effectiveness of role-play activities, it’s essential to assess the skill level and readiness of participants before choosing scenarios. Tailoring the complexity of scenarios based on the learners’ experience levels, ensures that the activities remain challenging yet achievable. Also, starting with simpler scenarios and gradually introducing complexity can build confidence and competence. While trainers might be tempted to use relevant examples that align with current workplace challenges or anticipated difficulties, early practice cases should be somewhat removed for actual workplace situations. Separating practice cases from real cases creates safe space for experimentation. Instead of finding the optimal situations to play out, work with managers to identify the most pressing skill gaps that require practice. 4. Demonstrate “What Good Looks Like” Presumably, you’re doing the training because you have specific content you need to share, an approach you hope to convey, or an idea of what good looks like. Don’t make participants guess about what this is. Share rubrics with participants beforehand to clarify goals and expectations. In addition, consider sharing an example of this well-executed skill and provide a rubric or criteria for success. Ensure they understand what you want them to practice and how they will know if they’ve been successful. You might: Role-model interactions using prepared scripts or rubrics. Your rubrics may focus on specific skills such as active listening, empathy, or problem-solving. Use simple scoring systems (e.g., “met expectations,” “needs improvement”) to provide actionable feedback. Encourage participants to critique and analyze good examples collaboratively. Use debriefing sessions to clarify key takeaways and identify areas for growth. Visual aids, step-by-step walkthroughs, or demonstrations by facilitators can help participants internalize the skills they are expected to practice. participants can try, evaluate, and refine their techniques in a supportive setting. Hone your Role-Play Facilitation Skills Rehearse and Plan Instructions Because well-executed workplace conflict scenarios and role-play activities rely on clear instructions and preparation, trainers should rehearse the flow of the activity beforehand. Provide instructions in small, digestible steps to avoid confusion. Try your instructions on a friend or family member, to make sure they’re clear. Remember to KEEP IT SIMPLE. If you plan to use breakout rooms for virtual training environments, test those out beforehand, as well. This preparation boosts the trainer’s confidence and minimizes logistical hiccups during the session. Coach the “difficult actor” on how bad to behave Many role-play scenarios focusing on a sticky situation require one player to be a “bad actor.” Give the roleplay partner, the one playing opposite the practice-player, specific instructions about how bad to be. Say, for instance, “if you when you’re the partner, your job is to be realistic. Your focus is to help your partner learn how to turn around a difficult situation. If they say something that could be taken wrong, go ahead and react appropriately. You can raise real-life sorts of objections, but don’t be too harsh or abrasive unless your partner is ready for a challenge like that. Feel free to ask your partner if they want you to kick it up a notch in terms of difficulty. By the same token, if your partner says something convincing, feel free to respond positively. Remember, your goal is to help yourself and your partner learn and practice a new skill.” See also the “blind roles” noted below. It might be easier for some participants to be difficult if they’re told specifically HOW to do so. Big Group formats As we mentioned earlier, beginning with a big-group role-play can be intimidating unless you’ve roped in a willing player in advance. However, after participants have had some practice in pairs or triads, you might want to bring the larger group together. Depending on your group, you might want to explore one or more of these techniques: Trouble Maker: Ask one participant to get stoke the flames and heighten the difficulty of the situation. This can add levity in a way that brings the whole group together in trying to diffuse and ameliorate the damage. Chest Tap: Let the group know that they all have to take a stab at turning around the difficult situation. When the one in the “hot-seat” is ready to be relieved, have them tap their chest twice to signal their need for a replacement player. Blind roles: When practicing communication skills, give the “listener” a challenging behavior to exemplify. For instance, “Ignore me,” “Praise me,” or “Repeat what I say.” These roles could also be written on a baseball cap worn by the speaker (the speaker should not know what the listeners instructions are). The Role of Debriefing Debriefing is a critical component of any role-play activity. Effective debriefing allows participants to: Reflect on their performance and identify key learnings. Discuss what strategies worked well and what could be improved. Reinforce the connection between the activity and workplace challenges. Asking open-ended questions and encouraging group discussions can deepen insights and solidify learning outcomes. Conclusion Workplace conflict scenarios and role-play activities are a dynamic and impactful way to enhance corporate training programs. Tools like Work-Plays simplify the process, offering ready-made scenarios that can be adapted to any team’s needs. By following best practices—such as prioritizing practice, tailoring scenarios, and incorporating feedback—trainers can foster meaningful learning experiences that translate directly to workplace success. Embrace the power of role-play to empower your team and transform your training sessions. Read More Role Play Tips & Activities Active Listening Exercises

We had the pleasure of Jamie Thompson’s insight during a Trainers Warehouse Show & Share conversation. Jamie is the principal of MTa Learning, a game development company based in the UK. As a seasoned developer of experiential learning leadership activities, Thompson shared a handful of memorable tips. Because of groups’ interest in emotional intelligence, we also discussed a bunch of ways we can improve EQ training for our leaders. Consider the Learning Journey In response to many leaders’ requests for leadership training, trainers are often asked to conduct complex experiences for their management and leadership teams. While games must be intellectually demanding enough to challenge leaders, and reflect the complexity of their environments, trainers should resist the impulse to begin with such challenges before developing basic teaming and communication skills. Note: Thompson’s suite of MTa Team Development and Insights games offer a rich menu of experiences that will allow you to step up the activities as leaders become ready for new challenges. Adapt Games for Emotional Intelligence Training Several participants articulated an interest in developing their leaders’ EQ skills. While the group shared a roster of Emotional Intelligence Activities, we also discussed these approaches: Draw out emotions You might not have access to an EQ-specific game. If not, you can elicit “emotional friction” by altering a game’s rules: Take away supplies that might be needed to complete a task Equip a competing team with some of the necessary resources and instruct that team that they should be wary of sharing their limited supplies Blindfold players and add “noise” – perhaps a blindfolded participant needs to receive instructions from three other people in a noise room. Develop visual or auditory obstructions – imagine a team needs to replicate a structure, but can’t see it and can only talk to the “architect” once, for a limited amount of time. Limit time – create urgency and/or not enough time to come to a full understanding of another’s perspective or information Instruct some team members to “be difficult,” “refrain from active listening,” or undermine another’s efforts. In each of these examples, the team experience will be challenged and create some degree of frustration. By manufacturing this friction, teams will come to appreciate the impact of vulnerability and the necessity of trust and emotional intelligence (self-awareness, self-regulation, emotions, empathy, social skills). Discuss the impact of those challenges, behaviors, and approaches in your debrief and relate the learning to workplace issues. Develop a vocabulary of emotions using a Mood Matrix or Wheel of Emotions These two models will help your groups develop a lexicon of emotions and better identify and discuss their own and other’s feelings. To introduce these models, you might begin by asking: “How are you feeling?” See how many people instinctively reply, “fine” or “good.” Afterwards, introduce one of these colorful illustrations to help them better understand the huge range of feeling that they might call upon. Matrix: On an emotional Mood Matrix you find Intensity or Energy on one axis, and Pleasantness on the other. Emotions are sorted in this manner. Several card decks of emotions identify emotions according to these quadrants including the Emotions Card Deck and Playmeo’s Emoji Deck. Wheel: Then show them an adaptation of the Robert Plutchik Wheel of Emotions and ask how they REALLY FEEL. We have so many words to describe feelings, encourage your group to find the words that reflect their true emotions. Choose Intellectually and Cognitively Demanding Experiences As Jamie reiterated, the quality of your experiential leadership activity will depend upon the: The degree to which it is intellectually demanding Quality of the facilitation instructions in setting up and drawing out learning points. While you can adapt many games to suit the needs of your groups, be sure to select your games based on their ability to elicit the lessons that will be most useful to your group! Read More Leadership Activities EQ Activities & Games

Getting groups’ attention after a break has always been a challenge. Whether in school, executive seminars, or training sessions, the meeting management issue is the same. People quickly disperse to check their phones, follow up on emails, squeeze in a quick conversation, or get some fresh air. Back in the day, before everyone had a phone/computer in their purse or pocket, we could typically gather people from the bank of pay phones at the training center. Now you may find your group has run to their car or office and is nowhere in sight. How can you get your group to start or come back on time? When originally published, we offered 7 time management tips for meetings and training. However, I’ve updated the post to include the wisdom shared at our Trainers Warehouse Show & Share Set Expectations Regarding Start Times Start on Time Starting on time is the #1 strategy recommended by the team. By starting when you say you’re going to start (or within a minute of that), you’ll set expectations and reinforce that start times aren’t flexible. Refer to the motto: “Early is on time.” Or, as my family of baseball players said, “5 minutes early is 10 minutes late.” Establish “Agreements of Engagement” Notice we’re not calling these “rules,” but rather “agreements.” To get all to agree, try this: Share your expectations that all relax, ask questions, speak up, share expertise, etc. Ask each participant (live or online) to turn to fellow participant and say, “I agree to be agreeable.” Ask, “what else do you need to feel supported during the session?” . Create Visual & Auditory Signals Chime it up! Ring a chime, gong, or Tibetan singing bowl 5 minutes before you plan to start. Before you break, tell the group that the chime will sound when they have 5 minutes left, and again when they have 2 minutes. Explain that when they hear the sound, they need to wrap up their break and return to work. By the way, I just learned that the gathering chime dates back to the early 1900s. The Deagan Railroad Dinner Chime was used to call people to dinner. A few more notes about how to use the chime for optimal results: Choose one chime sequence as a warning tone. Choose another sequence of notes to say “wrap it up.” If the chime won’t be heard from the front of the room, walk around the meeting space ringing the chime. Clapping Sequence Create a clapping pattern and ask folks in the front to pass it on to people behind them. When all have joined the clapping sequence, you’ll be ready to begin. Play that Song Pick a song to play that will signal you’ll be resuming shortly. When the song ends or is cut off, promptly get started. If using music, select diverse musicians and musical styles from all over the world. You can also try: A familiar oldie. Playing for Change for songs from around the world. Trainers Warehouse’s Laughable Lyrics also has some funny songs to send offs and returns from breaks. Content-related song. Look for lyrics that relate to your topic. Flash the lights Couple your auditory signal with a visual of flashing lights, to signal you’re about to resume the session. Show Elapsing Time The Time Timer is a clock time with a large red wedge that becomes smaller as time runs out. Set a clock at the front of the room or project the clock in front of the room. Time Timer is another way to show that time is winding down. You can also download countdown timers from YouTube. Colorful Enticements Cliff Hangers Let your group know that if they are back on time, they’ll see you . . . Juggle? Sing? Stand Upside Down? Breakdance? Make the biggest bubble they’ve ever seen? Play your favorite song? Learn the secret to making the perfect granola? Try to recall everyone’s name and favorite food? You name it. Pick something that will appeal to your group and be sure to follow through. Ask those in the room to talk it up after, so that next time you take a break, everyone will make sure to arrive on time. Raffle Tickets, Funny Money, Candy, etc. Reward those who arrive on time after every break with a raffle ticket or sweet treat. “Prizes” don’t need to be big–a $5 Starbucks card, $1 scratch ticket, a fidget toy of their choosing–but enough fun to encourage them to return in a timely fashion. If using raffle tix or funny money, see who has accumulated the most at the end of class, or do a pick a final winning raffle recipienct. Poker Hand Distribute a playing card to each attendee who enters the room on time. At the end of class, award a prize to the participant who has the winning hand. Fun and Games for Meeting Management Entice the group to come back on time so they can have a turn with the oversized bubble wand (why are those things so mesmerizing to “kids” of ALL ages), take part in a paper airplane contest, tackle a few rounds of “Would you Rather…,” or play a round of Bananagrams. Make it fun to return from a break, rather than coming back early only to plunk their fanny in a chair for another hour. Not so Serious Repercussions! American Idol Theme Once the group is situated in groups at their tables, let them know that one of the “agreements of engagement” is to participate in the Idol Theme. That is, if one person in their group is late, then the whole group has to perform a song and dance. This encourages group members to look out for one another. Meeting Management with Late “Fees” (with a caveat!) We hate to resort to negative reinforcement, but if all else fails, you might try to create repercussions for those returning late from a break. I’ve heard about trainers requiring late-comers to sing a song, tell a joke, or do something embarrassing. To be honest, these approaches cause me some discomfort. I hate to even mention them here. Perhaps you can tone it down by having latecomers recite a tongue twister or do a “funny walk” to get to their seats. I’d take caution when implementing this approach and consider using it only for groups that know each other well. More Tips for Training and Meeting Management If you want to be super precise about return times, ask everyone to check their clocks and make sure they’re on “classroom standard time.” Then, let them know that they need to be back precisely at 2:13 (or whatever time you designate). Sometimes setting a silly time will encourage them to take greater notice of the time. Whatever you do, be sure to create a spirit of fun and respect, so that meeting or training participants look forward to restarting the program. 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