WorkSMART Blog

Signage is everywhere, indoors and out — on roads, buildings, doors, windows, even in our homes. Signs alert us to information, rules, safety, and more. Consuming over 10,000 messages a day, our first instinct might be, “NO MORE!” But, let’s distinguish signage from marketing ads and appreciate the important (and welcome) role of signage, beyond welcome signs. Warm Welcomes beyond Welcome Signs Use signage to create feelings Apart from marketing and selling, signage serves a myriad of functions. Of course, signs tell people where to go, what to do, and what to expect. In training and learning environments, signs welcome, direct, divide, and orient visitors. But, beyond those particular messages, signage shapes how people feel. Think about the signs that litter the buildings, stores, and dwellings you enter each day. Some quickly put you at ease; others put you on edge. It all depends on the messaging and presentation. Welcome signs can feel less than welcoming, just as warning signs can be made to feel less ominous. These are some favorites: For wearing masks: We love your smile, but please keep it covered. Or: If you come in without a mask, we’ll have to take your temperature (sorry, we only have rectal thermometers). For bathrooms: We AIM to please. You AIM, too, please. For parks and yards: I don’t use your yard as a restroom, please don’t let your pet use mine. Craft welcoming messages To create signage that truly feels welcoming, embrace these six guidelines: Show visitors you’re expecting them – If you expect just a few people, consider personalized messages. Even if you have lots of students or visitors, consider each person’s individual experience. Develop signage that promotes a sense of belonging. Reduce confusion & uncertainty – put people at ease. Those entering unfamiliar territory appreciate clear, direct, easily visible signage. If you don’t already use them, consider signage that communicates expected wait times, locations, directions, and protocols. Create signs that instill a sense of calm. Be specific, as well. If you ran “out to lunch,” be specific about the time you’ll be back. Remember your manners and use humor – say “Please,” “Sorry,” and “Thank you.” Even for warnings, or signs that may cause inconvenience, these words of kindness and humor can soften the message. “SHHHH!!!,” for instance can feel quite different from “Please, LOL elsewhere.” Alleviate stress – the saying goes, “when in Rome, do as the Romans,” but you can’t do as the Romans if don’t know what they do. Not knowing norms and expectations can be stressful. Using signage to explain how things work is welcoming. You might also want to explain why–for safety, custom, convenience, expedience, etc. Strive for simplicity and clarity – avoid signs that might be ambigous or diffcult to understand. Simple language, images, and organization help make signage an “easy read.” The easier signs are to read, the more welcoming they feel. Create visual appeal – while gaudy looking signs might be effective at catching attention, they might not be the best way to create an inviting environment. Depending the message, consider signs that visually draw you in. These six rules of thumb can put people at ease and make feel truly welcome. Design Clear Signage With these guidelines in place, designers also recommend the following tips when it comes to designing signage. No explanation because these before and after examples speak for themselves! Use “White” space – avoid clutter and remember “less is more” Easy-to-read fonts – select fonts that are easy on the eye; consider ease of reading upper and lower case letters. Also, limit the number of fonts used in a single sign Contrasting colors – choose colors that stand out and complement one another Concise messaging – keep it simple and focus on the most important messages Use symbols – if symbols are well known, use them! Add a border to draw the eye to your message Make sure signage can’t be missed! Determine WHERE to place signs Once you’ve developed your message and designed an easy-t0-read sign, you’re not quite done. If nobody sees your sign, it doesn’t matter how good it is! To be sure you place your sign in a location that can’t be missed: Choose a high-visibility location – know how traffic flows and think about where you would look for information Don’t compete with other messaging – if your sign is burried amidst lots of other information, it could be missed Set the sign at an appropriate height – if your sign will be in a crowded place, it might need to be higher than you think. If placed too high, however, if might not be in the line of sight of your intended audience. Set up multiple signs – one sign may not be enough. Like trail blazes on a hike, follow-up signs should be visible before the prior sign is out of sight. For directions, be sure to set up a sign at every turn. When it comes to instructions, a first sign might be posted to set expectations or give advanced warning. A second sign should then be place when and where the action will be taken. Decide HOW to post signs Signage and sign stands do not need to be expensive. Using Trainers Warehouse Floor Stands, Table Stands and DocU-Sleeves, place signs wherever you need them. The easiest way to create a sign in a flash, it to draw it on a write-on, wipe-off surface. Use white or lightly-colored paper inside a DocU-Sleeve and write your message with a dry-erase marker. To make a change, quickly wipe it clean and re-write the sign. Second easiest is to create a document on the computer and print it out on standard sized paper. Slide the sheet into a DocU-Sleeve or other sheet protector and post on a wall or in a sign stand. Finally, you can work with a sign printing company to design and/or print your signs. While this solution is more costly, getting help with the design might end up saving you time. Sign printers will also have the equipment to print in large formats and on a range of materials included cardboard and fabric. Signing off on Welcome Signs Despite the abundance of marketing messages that bombard us every day, signage plays an important role in setting a tone, sculpting the way people feel about their environment, and communicating critical information. Experienced and novice sign makers are wise to consider the feelings they hope to project with the message they’re sending. They must design signs with smart messaging and graphics, then post them where they can’t be missed, with Trainers Warehouse Floor and Table Stands, plus ever versatile DocU-Sleeves.  

Big Talk. I loved the expression as soon as I heard it. Enough with “small talk,” let’s shoot for more meaningful conversations. I had been developing probing conversation starters for over 20 years, when I came upon Kalina Silverman’s TED Talk. I was also excited to learn she’s a fellow Kellogg B-School Alum and developed her own “Big Talk” Conversation Deck. Safer with Strangers? In her TED Talk, Kalina Silverman, co-founder of Make Big Talk, shares her experience of asking strangers, “What do you want to do before you die?” Shortly after we launched our Diversity Thumball, a tool to promote conversation on topics of diversity and inclusion, we ran a similar experiment. We asked strangers to answer a random question from our Diversity Thumball. We were amazed at people’s willingness to talk and at the stories they shared. As we reflect on the experience, sadly, we realize we no longer have any association with the folks we interviewed. Around the same time, we asked trainers and facilitators how they felt about using Thumballs to promote discussion and conversation around topics of diversity, leadership, managing change or building trust. While many embraced the idea and could quickly imagine its usefulness, several others said, “Oh, I love that, but I don’t know. Maybe I could use it at the end of the day, but I don’t think I’d start off with it.” Or, “I can see using that with my more seasoned groups, but not a group that is just forming, and certainly not with my incoming Freshmen.” Seasoned facilitators explained that when people are just forming new relationships, they are fearful of being judged and are quite sensitive about sharing personal information. This issue is one of safety and feeling safe. With total strangers, who you will ever see again, we often feel safe in our anonymity, and willingly share intimate details. At a trade conference, I remember a young woman telling me she was pregnant. She said I was the first person she’s told. She hadn’t even told friends or family yet and was excited to share, especially knowing her secret would not be spread. Similar to college Freshmen, employees carefully consider what’s appropriate to express to supervisors or colleagues. In fact, when vetting conversation prompts, my staff has often told me to exclude prompts that might put participants in an awkward position. Build Trust with “Middling Talk” While Big Talk might be the goal, facilitators should consider when deep discussions might be uncomfortable. Recognize that making Big Talk feel safe might require some “Middling Talk,” discussion topics that build understanding, without getting too personal. That doesn’t mean you need to talk about the weather, but you might ask questions such as, “how did your birth order shape your childhood?” or “What’s something you hated as a child?” Both of these prompts are more interesting and insightful than small talk, but won’t cause stress. Many Middling Talk prompts can be found on the Shaped by Our Past, What Makes You You?, Getting to Know You, and Favorites Thumballs. More Question Prompt Tips Be sensitive to questions about great accomplishments (players won’t want to brag) Avoid asking about challenges (players might resist admitting to weakness). Invite players to “pass” if a question is hard; or say you’ll get back to them. Ask safe prompts such as “Favorites” or “Where are you on a continuum between x and y?” Make “Big Talk” when the Time is Right! Answering a single deep question may be a launching point for conversation and relationship building. But, that one question does not promise the start to a more meaningful relationship, especially if asked at the wrong time. Be sensitive to situations, surroundings, and underlying social and developmental needs. For new or tentative relationships, making Big Talk feel safe requires a slowly build up. For established relationships, welcome ground rules to ensure safety and respect. Promising to listen well, offering affirmation, agreeing to confidentiality, and avoiding judgement can make Big Talk safe and rewarding. READ MORE Discussing Diversity & Inclusion How Deep will you Go? Building a Pillar of Trust Choosing What to Share

What will hybrid work and training look like post-COVID (P.C.)? Honestly, we don’t know. Companies with a vested interest in return-to-in-person work are quick to share their data and projections anticipating a surge back to offices. Organizations that provide online resources are just as speedy in gathering data that anticipate continued work-from-home protocols. Returning to Work? In a New York Times “Return to Work” article, reader comments following the article, and McKinsey’s What’s Next for Remote Work: An analysis of 2,000 tasks, 800 jobs, and nine countries reveal a complex mix of emotion, reality, and desire. Business leaders seem keen to reconnect with the employees, collaborate in person, and build their corporate culture in face-to-face meetings — despite down-sized office spaces and the enticing prospect of saving money. Remote employees (the less than 50% who are lucky enough to be able to work from home) tell a mixed story. Many say they are just as productive from home, save hundreds of hours in commuting time, and enjoy spending more time with loved ones. These folks dread returning to old ways. Other employees can’t wait for the opportunity to reconnect with colleagues, get out of the house, see one another in person, and resume spontaneous and social interactions. Training and Learning The story for corporate training is similar in that it is different depending on who you talk to. After reviewing a range of online conversations about corporate training and learning, it seems to boil down to this: Online training is here to stay, because it is flexibile, asyncrhonous, less expensive, and gets the job done. AI (Artifical Intelligence) training is super cool and also quite effective. Face-to-face learning can’t be beat for leadership, team building, communication and other “soft skills.” Classroom experiences are strongly preferred for school-aged kids and college learning (except for large lectures) New Normal COVID has certainly accelerated remote work and online learning, and helped us understand its benefits and drawbacks. The past year has revealed the outstanding resilience and creativity of teachers and trainers. But, like the McKinsey Report suggests, we’re best to understand the future of work and learning by breaking jobs into tasks. Then we can evaluate which tasks can effectively be done remotely, and which cannot. I’ll admit it. For personal and professional reasons, my bias is for face-to-face experiences. When we’re physically together, we can look into each other’s eyes, share a meal, have impromptu meetings, and know how each other are going. We can talk, listen or just be. In most lines of work, success comes from collaboration, communication, and strong relationships. For me, this is equally true at home and at work. But, as any married couple would attest, relationships take work. They also depend on: Frequency of interactions. Depth of conversations. Shared experiences. Overcoming challenges together. Can we develop strong relationships through phone calls and virtual meetings online? For sure. However, it happen more efficiently and organically in person? Hyrbid is the New Grey Whether work and learning needs to be remote or in-person is not an either-or question. For every goal, we should consider what is best. Hopefully, these questions will help you sort out whether virtual meetings or face-to-face experiences will best help you meet your goals: How will we save time? What are to cost implications? Do we need to be “hands on”? How can we best promote flow of ideas? How can we strengthen relationship Is the solution preferred or tolerable? Is the solution short-term or long-term? Hybrid, 3-days in office, fully remote, or 100% in-person will increasingly depend on the tasks at hand and the answers to the above questions. The One Sure Thing No matter what answer makes sense for your unique circumstances, the one thing of which I’m sure is the need to continue building relationships, asking questions, and connecting with each other at deep, honest levels. Inter-personal connection, compassionate leadership, friendship and love–these are core to humanity and the reason we’ve developed our conversation starters in three mediums: Thumballs – for in person play and discussion UNZiP-IT! – for comfortable, playful table talks UNZiP-IT! Remote – for online, virtual communications So, wherever you are, whatever your circumstances, take time to talk, connect, and grow together.

Have you come across a Photo Deck or other set of Conversation Cards recently? You know those decks of innumerable glorious and provocative images? Perhaps you’ve seen them and wondered what use they might be. Photo Decks are popular for their huge variety of applications, especially as conversation starters for icebreakers, debriefs, and team development. Some trainers and teachers even create their own with their phone camera, or by collecting postcards (back when travel was common!). Explore the dozens of ways you can use Photo Decks effectively and understand what makes a picture deck-worthy. Photo Decks Boost Creativity and Engagement We’ve collected over a dozen ways that trainers, teachers, and therapists can use photo decks and photographic collections for a variety of learning activities: 1) Icebreakers and Introductions Personal pictures: Ask participants to select an image that represents… A hobby. A goal for the session. A fact few people know about you. Complementary pictures: Select an image and find 2 or more people with a complementary images. Discuss the similarities of the images and/or develop a story that weaves the images together. 2) Team game debriefs and conversation starters Ask participants to select an image that reflects: Feelings – How they were feeling at the start of the exercise. Observations – An observation they gained during the exercise. Learning Moments – A feeling or learning point they hope to take with them. Team Dynamics – How you wish your team functioned. You might say, “Pick a number of cards which illustrate your expectations of this team.” Leadership – Find a photo that reminds you the leadership quality you most hope to develop. 3) Learning reinforcement Memory Builders – Identify an idea you definitely want to remember. Select a photo to tie to that memory. Create an exaggerated story about the image and the idea to be remembered. Going forward, when you see the image, you’ll remember the material as well. Emotional Intelligence – Develop a vocabulary for feelings by identifying different emotions evoked by each image. 4) Facilitation Change Management – Prior to a change initiative, ask individuals or teams to identify a card which represents the state of the organization now, and another to show how they would like it to be in the future. Leadership and Management – Bring clarity to a situation by asking the group to “pick 5 cards that represent your vision of what is important to you and your role.” Coaching – Use cards to encourage discussion and reflection on progress made through a coaching journey. What makes a Photographic Conversation Cards Worth 1000 Words? The value and interpretation of any image is really in the eyes of the beholder. Every person will see something different in an image, which is also what makes it fun to use pictures. Consider, for instance, the image of a bunch of pointed colored pencils. One might explain that they picked that card because it suggests… Creativity – Colored pencils allow people to create or draw anything they can imagine. Artistry – I’m an artist and love drawing. Points of View- The multiple pencil points remind me of the different points of view I must consider. Precision – The points coming together in one place, reminds me that I need to pay closer attention to details. Create Amazing Picture Collections to Start Deep Conversations A photo’s beauty isn’t enough to make it a good choice for inclusion in metaphoric photo decks. In addition to the image being clear and attractive, we look for these qualities: Variety across images: Look for a collection of images to evoke a broad range of emotions, perspectives, interests, etc. Versatility within an image: Be sure each image is rich enough that it can be used in a number of ways. Viewpoints: Put yourself in others’ shoes and include images that might appeal to folks with different interests. Finding the right deck+ Trainers Warehouse has curated 9 collections. Each varies in size of the cards, number of images, price, and availability of facilitation notes. Deck Name Size Cards Notes Price By Ulead 2.5 × 3.5″ 52 11 additional elements: letter, emotion, action, icebreaker question, quotation, animal, dice, card suit, icon $20 ULEAD We Engage 5″ W hexagons 36 Photo on one side; quotation on the other $40 WEandME Express Pack 2 × 3.5″ 53 Crafted to help people "Express" themselves $38 RSVP Design Images of Organizations 5.5 × 7.5″ 48 3 each of 16 common workplace issues; illustrations, not photos $149 RSVP Design Visual Explorer Kit Postcard 216 Three 72-card decks and 112-page Facilitator Guide with step-by-step guidelines, case histories, worksheets, and helpful tips $340 Center for Creative Leadership Leadership Metaphor Explorer Kit Postcard 83 Opens dialogue about dependent, independent, and interdependent leadership cultures $175 Center for Creative Leadership Climer Cards 2.5 × 3.5″ 52 Hand-drawn watercolor-style pictures to evoke metaphors and imagination. Backs include a grouping tool for splitting into smaller groups $29.95 Amy Climer Climer2 Cards Postcard 83 52 new evocative watercolor-style images on the front; 52 emotion word cards in English, Spanish, and French on the back $29.95 Amy Climer Online Decks Clearly, you have many options. And, if physical decks are not always practical because you’re working remotely, Trainers Warehouse has assembled a shareable collection of online photographs. To use these, virtual trainers can share the online link with attendees. Then, session participants can browse, select, download and discuss their favorite images. Deckhive.com is another excellent tool to utilize online decks. It lets you select your favorite cards, swap them in and out, share notes, etc. Whether you develop your own Photo Decks and conversation cards, or find one at Trainers Warehouse, you will surely get lots of use out of these incredibly versatile tools as memorable and useful conversation starters! Read More: Debriefing Tools: Finding the Perfect Debrief Communication: Communication and Listening Exercises Listening: Active Listening Exercises

So much has been written on leadership and the qualities of a good leader. While you may find some differences across articles, the basic message is the same — share your sense of purpose; be transparent about your vision and goals; show empathy; empower your team; be flexible; communicate relentlessly; be adaptable; be decisive; and so on. The suggestions are all well-grounded and researched. However, they don’t say much about how to develop those skills. They don’t offer a menu of leadership experiences and exercises — leadership activities — that draw out learning moments. If you’re looking to implement those tips and translate them into actionable skills, the exercises and tools below will help managers become the more effective leaders they hope to be. Leadership Activities for Today’s Challenges As Jamie Thompson of MTa Learning says, senior execs often want to jump into a very complex leadership activity before they’ve become skilled at building teams. “Think about how you sequence your games and create a journey for learning.” As such, before selecting a game, activity, or experience, do a quick assessment to know where you are now and where you hope to grow. You may explore basic leadership skills through a Leadership Skills Assessment like HRDQs. With that insight, you can layer your more specific goals, such as… Get conversations going with meaningful conversation prompts While leaders face increasingly complex situations, the task of developing strong leaders is also tougher because of the imposition of remote and hybrid work environments. Trainers, like leaders, must quickly shift from in-person only experiences to blended and virtual learning. Moreover, managers and leaders might require more intellectually and cognitevely demanding activities that reflect the complexity of their work environment. Consider these needs as you weight the leadership games, activities, tools and resources described below. 1. Build stronger teams — allocate time to building communication and relationships! Conversation Starters Relationship building takes time. Whether teams are remote or in-person, allocate some “water cooler time,” that is time to simply chat. Having a few good prompts on hand helps. Thumballs, UNZiP-IT! Decks and UNZiP-IT! Remote PPTs all have the same great prompts to get your group talking. The wide variety of topics lets you choose appropriate prompts, whether your group is just getting acquainted (Common Ground, Shaped by Our Past, or Favorites), knows each other well but wants to build stronger bonds (Getting to Know You or What Makes You YOU?), or hopes to dig into deeper topics like Get Happy at Work, Diversity, Stress Management, Team Dynamics, etc. Skill Development Soft-skills training (leadership, communication, listening, time management, empathy, trust) has traditionally taken the form of face-to-face or blended learning. Beyond explanations and presentations, skill development typically requires conversation, role-playing, trial and error, and simulations that give participants a shared–and safe–experience to discuss, analyze, and extract learning. The following tools can be used in person or online. Leadership Metaphor Explorer Kit – This deck of 83 postcard-size cards is illustrated with a rich variety of drawings and captions is designed to help people understand how leadership plays out in their organizations, communities, and across boundaries. Minefield Maze Game – When a group needs to get a blindfolded team member through a maze, explore how leaders emerge, how to organize multiple voices, develop trust and more. 2. Develop Emotional Intelligence Help leaders develop a vocabulary for emotional intelligence (motivation, self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, social skills), as well as for emotions and feelings. Resources such as EQ games, card decks, EQ Thumballs, or a Mood Matrix will come in handy. 3. Motivate smaller groups of staff who are taking on new challenges and wearing more hats Say Thanks with Kudos Notes & Cards – Positive feedback is key for growth and learning. While team members may typically look to leaders, managers or supervisors for words of appreciation, the happiest organizations also see peers reaching out to one another to express thanks or recognize a contribution. Give your staff the tools they need to acknowledge each others contributions, such as Mini Kudos Notes, Kudos for Colleagues, or Tokens of Appreciation. These can be put as someone’s desk, mailed or even emailed. Talk it out with Thumballs and UNZiP-IT! – Give your group a vehicle to express themselves. Pick a topic like Get Happy at Work or Team Dynamics and find out how you can better support your team. Wheel of Happiness – Use this popular self-assessment tool to assess your group’s happiness or satisfaction at work. See what each person needs to find themselves in a happier place. Challenge small groups to build a Marshmallow Tower as tall as can be. Welcome creativity, trial and error, and team spirit. 4. Develop coaching and mentoring skills, to complement virtual training To develop and train smaller groups of people, organizations will need many more trainers. Or, they will also need to teach managers and colleagues to train and coach one another. Get Fit for Coaching – Help non-trainers (or even experienced coaches) get in shape and hone the skills they need to help their colleagues grow. View Changer Cards – Encourage coaches to utilize photographic imagery and metaphors to help their learners make connections, and express frustrations or goals. 5. Blend divergent company cultures brought together by mergers and acquisitions Use one of these powerful metaphors to facilitate rich conversations about current and preferred situations. Road to There – discuss where you are, where you’re going, and the roadblocks to getting “There.” Vision Tree – use the metaphor of a tree to discover the roots that ground you, the systems that support you (trunk), and the fruit you hope to bear. Iceberg – talk about the unspoken ideas and assumptions that lie below the surface, but still affect work processes, environment, and relationships. Differentiate the visible (Actions, Outcomes, and Results) from the invisible (Attitudes, Perceptions, Unwritten Rules, Unconscious Biases, Values, Beliefs and Anchors). 6. Bring sense of calm and mindfulness to workers who are stressed and seeing co-workers laid-off Stress Thumball – Discuss triggers that create stress, as well as the tools and techniques to ground and calm your team. Mindfulness Deck – Mindfulness practices help build skills of awareness, compassion and presence for what matters in your daily life. 7. Build relationships torn apart by political divides Building Bridges Thumball / UNZiP-IT! – Focus on values you share rather than those that divide you. Develop trust by getting to know one another’s values. Develop Politics-Free Zones – use the DeskMate Politics-Free Zone sign to identify safe spaces to discuss anything but politics. Diversity Thumball / UNZiP-IT! – Use the prompts on these tools to understand sources of bias and experiences of feeling different. 8. Virtual Communication Games Human beings rely on proximity and facial expressions to communicate non-verbally and show empathy. When we’re physically separated, the challenge can be more difficult. Still, many who create experiential games, developed online version during the pandemic. These continue to grow and proliferate as remote work remains the norm for many organizations. Seeing the Point Online In this game, players must assemble an assortment of shapes to make 4 uniform shapes. Murder Mystery – Online Matrix Challenge Use this popular 30-minute Murder Mystery game to improve communication skills, team building, problem-solving, leadership, and more. Send one or more of the 27 clues to each participant and challenge them to find the murderer, victim, time & place of the murder, and motive in 15 minutes — without writing anything down and using only verbal communication. If you have a large group, do make use online breakout rooms. After each team plays, they can select a spokesperson to share their team’s experience with the rest of the group. Zin Obelisk – Online Matrix Challenge A challenging mathematical puzzle Is made even more complex, by using made-up words in the fictitious, ancient city of Atlantis, where a solid, rectangular obelisk -called a zin – was built in honor of the goddess Tina. The structure took less than two weeks to complete and the group’s task is to determine the day of the week on which the obelisk was completed. For virtual play, email a few clues to each player and try to sort it out over the phone–maybe with a shared online whiteboard! After all clear phone communication is more important now than ever! Normally, teams consist of 5-8 players. If you have a larger group of people you can use online breakout rooms. After each team plays, they can select a spokesperson to share their team’s experience with the rest of the group. Colourblind – Online Virtual Teams of ideally 6 – 14 members gather and share knowledge to identify 2 colored abstract shapes that are missing from a complete set. If you have a larger group of people you can use online breakout rooms. After each team plays, they can select a spokesperson to share their team’s experience with the rest of the group. The communication processes involved are much more complex and take participants through increasingly sophisticated patterns of active listening until the task is achieved. Individuals draw on their experience and descriptive skills to explain to each other abstract shapes that they can see on their screens, but cannot share with the others. They use feedback and clarification skills to ensure that their understanding is accurate. Climer Cards Create an online experience of using illustrated images to develop metaphors to explain complex thoughts, ideas, or feelings. Lead by Example with Leadership Activities Leadership Games come in many formats. Whenever you take time out of your leaders’ busy days, be sure you have a clear purpose. On top of that, make the time worthwhile, but carving out a few additional minutes to debrief. Of course, if we’ve missed any of YOUR favorite Leadership Games, let us know! Read More ACTIVE LISTENING EXERCISES Emotional Intelligence Exercises  

While our library of Communication and Listening Exercises is quite comprehensive, Active Listening is a critical subcategory worthy of deeper exploration. Active listening isn’t just nodding to the speaker. Active listening happens when you’re completely focused on the speaker, taking in everything they’re saying, understanding the nuance of their meaning, and giving them feedback. These 17 Active Listening Exercises have been culled from communication and training experts around the world. I’ve grouped the 20+ exercises into 5 categories: I. Make the Speaker Feel Heard. II. Listen to Remember and Listen for Underlying Meanings III. Clarify Understanding IV. Practice Makes Perfect V. Uncovering Assumptions I. Make the Speaker Feel Heard through Active Listening I read this story on the importance of active listening on the Tesla Ideas blog. William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli, both eminent British statesmen were considered as two the smartest persons in England, in the late nineteenth century. A young journalist said that she would dine with both so she could decide which one was smarter. She has compared the two men this way: “When I dined with Mr. Gladstone, I felt as though he was the smartest man in England. But when I dined with Mr. Disraeli, I felt as though I was the smartest woman in England.” Gladstone may have been an excellent speaker but Disraeli was the better listener. That evening Disraeli made the woman the center of his universe. The following 7 exercises will help tease out ways your group can make speakers feel as if they are the center of the universe. 1. T-chart: Have the group write down characteristics of good and bad listening skills. Record these on a chart for all to see and fill in any omissions, as needed: Poor listening skills might include: looking at your watch, interrupting, avoiding eye contact, looking bored or impatient, tapping your foot or fidgeting, finish their sentences. Good listening skills might be communicated with a nod, smile, eye contact, show concern, or encouragement. Active listeners will: Focus Question “Listen” to the speaker’s body language Paraphrase, clarify and summarize Express Empathy Remind the group that just because they making the motions, doesn’t mean they’re retaining the information. 2. Practice through introductions — a good icebreaker! Pair up. Have Person 1 introduce themselves to Person 2 for 2-minutes. Have the team reverse roles for the second two minutes. Then have each pair introduce one another to the rest of the group. ~Asnawi Yusof DEBRIEF: discuss what made the exercise hard or easy. Explore the experience from each person’s perspective as both the introducER and introducEE. 3. Yes, BUT… / Yes, AND … Divide your group into pairs. For two minutes each, have one start a conversation and then every response back and forth must start with ‘Yes, but…’. Then repeat – this time every response must start with ‘Yes, and…’. Have teams compare the two experiences. Ask: which resulted in a more productive conversation, building off of each other’s ideas. Which approach was more about ‘listening to respond’ (versus ‘listening to understand’)? ~ Nicole Coyle 4. ASK or SHARE Ask one person to share a short story of their past — a major turning point in their life; a time they went to the hospital; a hard choice you had to make; a stressful experience you lived through <Shaped by Our Past question prompts for more question prompts>. Divide your listeners into “askers” and “tellers.” Instruct “Askers” to ONLY ask questions. Invite “Tellers” to share their own similar experiences. Switch roles and repeat. DEBRIEF: Ask story tellers when they felt best heard–when listeners were asking questions or sharing their own experiences? ~ Shelley Etzenhouser 5. Is Silence always Golden? Group your participants into pairs. Have them tell a story about their lives–perhaps a challenge they overcame; describe a special event they attended; tell us about a non-family member who had an impact on their life; or explain how your birth order affected your childhood Shaped by Our Past for more prompts>. Instruct the listener to SAY NOTHING AT ALL, just listens. DEBRIEF: What was that like for each person? Did the story-teller feel heard even though there were no responses? Why? Have pairs talk/listen and encourage them to reflect back what they are observing about the talker’s non-verbal communication. (Your tone changed, what was happening for you there? Etc.) Reflection exercises. Have listeners practice summarizing and paraphrasing what the talker has said, without adding any content of their own. ~ Jenna Hills Additional debrief questions might include: How did the speaker feel when the person just listened and did not exchange information? How did the nonverbal signals encouraged the speaker? How uncomfortable was the silence? How did it feel to just listen without having the pressure to contribute? How did the speaker feel having complete freedom to say whatever he/she felt? 6. WebCam OFF – WebCam ON Explore the differences between speaking when you can or cannot see each other in this is a paired exercise. Round 1 – Webcam OFF – audio only: For the next 5 minutes, Participiant#1 explains to Participiant#2 “What frustrates them when other people don’t listen to them?” Participant#2 must be silent for the 1st 3 minutes After that, they can only ask – “Tell me more” or “What Else” Swap roles after 5 minutes Round 2 – Webcam ON – audio and video For the next 5 minutes, Participiant#1 explain to Participiant#2 “What they struggle with when it comes to their listening?” Participant#2 must be silent for the 1st 3 minutes After that, they can only ask – “Tell me more” or “What Else” Swap roles after 5 minutes. Round 3 – Webcam Off – Audio Only: Take another 5 minutes to debrief: Ask participant#1 to debrief with Participant #2 about how they were listening differently with the webcam on and off. Swap Roles after 5 minutes For the next 5 minutes, Participant#2 debriefs with Participant #1 about how they were listening differently with the webcam on and off. DEBRIEF: Ask, What were the pros and cons of WebCams On vs. Off. When did you best understand others? When did speakers feel most heard? Does the number of participants affect the experience? ~ Oscar Trimboli 7. Not Listening or A-B-C Listening Divide your group into pairs. For Round 1, give partner 1 the “NL Instruction sheet” (described below), then ask partner 2 to tell their mate what the think is most important about communicating and an example of a time when they felt they were not communicating well with someone else. Stop the group after a minute or two. For Round 2, give partner 2 the “ABC Instruction sheet,” and ask partner 1 sharing their communication story. After a minute, ask everyone to share how they felt and why. Stop the group after a minute or two. The NL Instruction Sheet says: “Do not allow your partner to read this sheet!” Your job is to NOT LISTEN while your partner is talking. You may do this in any way you like, as long as you stay in your seat. You may occasionally say something, but it need not relate to whatever your partner has been saying. Although your partner may realize you are not being attentive, do not tell him or her that you are deliberately not listening. The ABC Sheet Instruction sheet says: Do not allow your partner to read this sheet! As your partner is talking, keep track of the number of words he or she uses that begin with “a,” “b,” and “c.” Do not count the words “a,” “an,” or “and.” Do not tell your partner what you are doing. You can take part in the conversation, but be sure to keep an accurate score while your partner is talking. DEBRIEF: After each group has experienced non-listening behaviors, what happened and how it relates to listening and getting your message across. Posted online by Todd Wilmore II. Actively Listen to Remember vs. Listen for Underlying Meanings Active listening isn’t only about giving the speaker auditory or visual feedback cues. It also requires listeners to focus and remember what they hear. These following Active Learning Exercises highlight the challenges in listening to remember, as well as our brain’s tendency to fill in where information is missing. 8. Tell a STORY We play a game in my organization where the facilitator reads a story and then immediately after quizzes the participants (unbeknownst to them). We advise them that they are not allowed to take takes or record the story which is no longer than 2 minutes. Question number 1 is always “what was the character’s name?”. Most all people get this wrong. they really have to actively listen. ~ Twanda Rhodes DEBRIEF: Discuss what it means to “actively listen.” If they didn’t recall the name of the character, what did they remember? How important are details in making someone feel heard? How important is note-taking? Ask, might you have focused more if you knew you’d be quizzed on this afterwards? 9. Hold your Questions In this exercise by Liberating Structures, One group talks and has a collaborative discussion (e.g. PO and stakeholder) while the second group (e.g. dev team) listens with no video access to see the group talking and with their microphone on mute so they have to hold all questions until the end. It is VERY effective. Here’s the link for more info: https://www.liberatingstructures.com/18-users-experience-fishbowl/ ~ Nicole Coyle 10. Fill in the Meaning – see how people’s minds fill in the holes when information is missing Create a list of around 20 related words based on a specific topic. For instance; garden, grass, tree, bush, hedge etc. Leave one obvious word from the list i.e. flower and also repeat one of the words in the list three or four times. Take this sheet out at the relevant time during your training session and tell the participants that you are going to read the list out to them and they are not allowed to write anything down. They should just listen to you. Next, give them one minute to write down as many of the words they can remember as possible. In review, you should notice that about 60% remember the first word, 75% remember the last word, 80% will remember the word you repeated three times and some will even write down the obvious word that you didn’t say. Discuss the reasons behind these outcomes and what that means when we communicate. ~ TrainingBubble.com 11. TAKE NOTE? Start a story–1-2 sentences. Assign next person to summarize what was just said and add 1-2 more sentences to the story. Continue until everyone has done it, and then ask first person to repeat whole story back. DEBRIEF: Did anyone take notes? How was that perceived at the time the notes were taken? How was it perceived after the fact? Did anyone ask clarifying questions? What was the impact? ~ Shelley Etzenhouser III. Clarify understanding when Active Listening This next grouping of Active Listening Exercises requires listeners to check their understanding by asking questions. 12. Draw what you hear Another simpler exercise that I’ll use involves asking a volunteer to perform a task for me, but with minimal instructions. (ie. “draw my house.”) Repeatedly, they’ll make submissions and I’ll mockingly berate them for poor job performance. Eventually, I’ll ask them to sit down. I’ll then ask for another volunteer to perform the task, but this time I provide them with great detail. Of course, they can complete the task with much more success. DEBRIEF: what’s the impact of being able to ask questions and clarify understanding?  13. Colourblind – Ask clarifying questions and strategize! This game requires players to figure out which funky-shaped pieces might be missing from their complete set. Success requires the group to ask each other clarifying questions about the pieces they each hold. They must listen to and understand each other’s descriptions of the pieces as well as strategic suggestions for how they can solve the puzzle. ~ Shirley Gaston IV. Practice Makes Perfect This grouping of exercises allows participants to practice their listening skills and get feedback from colleagues. 14. Role Play Have a colleague help you demo skills. Then have real practice with role plays. Put the class in triads and put each triad in its own breakout rooms aka virtual meeting. Have 2 role players and an observer. You and a colleague pop in and out of the breakout rooms. Wrap up with a class debrief. The catch is using a virtual tool that supports breakout rooms. ~Ronald Blumenthal 15. Difficult Customer Role Play Have participants pair up with a partner for a role play. One person can be the difficult customer and the other the customer service rep, then they can switch roles. The best way to diffuse a tense situation is to use active listening – let the customer know you hear what they are saying. But it’s important not to make any promises at that stage of the exchange because that costs money. But acknowledge the customer’s frustration and let them vent. Then move on to problem-solving – get the customer to help in solving the problem and then work on solving it together. ~ Tom Lord 15. Telling vs. Showing This quick exercise can be used as a “closer” or as a listening exercise, to reinforce the message that “actions speak louder than words.” I say: “Please follow my words. Raise your right hand over your head. Keep following my words. Make a fist. Please make sure to follow my words. Round your fist three times and then put your fist on your forehead! (just before this moment, you put your own fist on your jaw!) You would find most participants would follow your action and put their fists on their jaws! Someone would find their mistakes and put their fists on their forehead, Then you can say: What happened? I’ve asked you to follow my words for three times, but you follow my actions! Why? ~ Mark Guo Great example of telling your group to do one thing and showing them another. Interesting to see how they hear your instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNA1278Y7ZM ~ Denzal Sunny V. Uncovering Assumptions Listeners tend to make assumptions when they think they know an intended meaning or have seen and heard similar situations. Our primitive brains are actually wired to look for shortcuts. However, this may not be so helpful when we’re trying to be good communicators. Our tendency might be to stop listening if we think we know what someone is going to say. Alternatively, we may assume that asking questions is somehow inappropriate, or will make us look foolish. The following Active Listening Exercises help highlight the assumptions we make and shortcuts we take that may compromise our clear communication efforts. These require a second person in the room. For virtual learning experiences, you can either ask participants to invite a family member into the room with them or model how they’d expect the exercise would look if they were paired with another person. 16. Making a fist and challenging assumptions Take 2 volunteers from the class. Tell one to make a fist and the other to open it. 99% of the crowd fails in this as one person makes the fist and the other struggles. Why??? Because the person who made the fist resists. Then I tell my class that I had only asked one to make a fist and the other to open it. Never asked to resist. This way I teach them the pros and cons of inactive listening and assumption. Posted by Sohini Mazumder 17. “Arm Wrestle” For this one, you must never say the words “arm wrestle.” Here’s what you do: Have everyone find a partner. Ask partners to “assume this position.” Demonstrate with a volunteer, and hand link position with both of your elbows on the table. Explain, “This is a very easy exercise. There are two things you must know. 1- you get a point if the back of your partner’s hand touches the table 2-you want to get as many points for yourself as possible. You don’t care about anyone else. Explain, “Each ‘point’ is worth one M&M. You will have only 10 seconds to get as many M&Ms as you can. GO.” Some teams who assume it’s an arm wrestle will only get 1-2 M&Ms, others will get to 100 if they give in and tap one person’s hand against the table repeatedly. To do this, however, they must not assume a competition and they must communicate about their shared interests. See here for more info on the debrief. Wrap it Up As with any any learning or training experience, getting closure and committing to next steps is an important part of the process. Using this set of verbs, ask each participant to commit to one or two ways they will listen actively during their next conversation with a colleague, spouse, family member or friend. Have them write the word on their favorite squeeze toy or a Stop-Start-Continue-Change Sticky Note. Focus Accept – Don’t judge Affirm Remember Ask Reflect Clarify Summarize Note Empathize Share Additional Questions to Debrief Active Listening Exercises How did you know that your partner was listening to you? What did it feel like to really be listened to without being interrupted? What made this activity challenging for you? How can active listening help you resolve conflicts? Additional resources for Communication and Listening Exercises Communication and Listening Exercises Are you Even Listening to Me The Perfect Debrief

At Trainers Warehouse, every so often a customer will ask how to clean their Fidget Toys. We typically offer a handful of helpful but untested tips. However, in response to the coronavirus outbreak and Jenny Gross’ New York Times article “How to Stop Touching your Face,” we decided to run a thorough sterilization test and sanitize all our fidget toys. After all, Gross’ third of four tips is to keep our hands busy. She quotes doctors explaining, “Keeping your hands occupied with a stress ball or other object can reduce instances of touching your face and minimize triggers. Of course, don’t forget to regularly clean and sanitize that object.” So, I asked my staff to pack up one of every fidget toy we sell. I took them home, threw them all in the dishwasher, set about to Sanitize the Fidget Toys. See how each fidget toy survived the sanitization test. Sanitization Test Results Of the 56 items tested, 82.5% came back to their original form. However, 10 required extra drying time, including the foam stress ball items and Koosh ball. Another 8 were sticky and unpleasant when they first came out of the wash, but were able to be fixed. 10% were compromised, but still usable. The remaining 7.5% were a disaster. Back to Normal, 100% Perfect from the get-go The hard plastic items as well as some of the squishy squeeze balls were perfect, right out of the dishwasher. These included: Flexygon, Clusters, Twistle, Snap&Click, Klixx, Helix, Rainbow Metal Spring, Jeliku, Loopeez & Loopeez Jr., Isoflex Ball, SwingOs, Bendeez, Tangle, Twiddle, Tall Smiley Bendable, Gumby & Pokey, Magni-Stones, Atom Ball, Infinity Cube, FiddlLink, Glitter Bead Ball, Large Glitter Wand, Flexi-Loop Sphere, Monster Bendables, Shiatsu Spiky Massage Ball, U-Fidget, and DNA ball. I put a Brain Noodle and Bean Bag Ball in the clothes washer and dryer and they, too, came out perfectly. Needed drying time The stress-balls, Infinity Cube, Slow Release Face Ball, and Koosh came back to 100% after a bit of drying time. When the foam toys first came out of the washer, I squeezed out a bunch of soapy water, but they dried within a few hours. I should say, too, that after a second wash, the Mooy Bien Cow, and Chill Pill took on a slight pink tint. I’m guessing that might be because of one of the other items in the wash. I washed them again and they still look very slightly tinted! Color issues We did have a few other color issues as well. On the Gyrobi I tested, the red ring came out a bit faded, but still looks good and functions well. The Bendable Monkey had slight fading of some of the white lines. All in all, these look pretty much “like new.” Flexiblox—the paint came off the wooden blocks, leaving them quite dull. On top of that, the untreated wood is taking a very long time to dry. Now that they are dry and connecting blocks are unstuck, the fidget works normally. And now, we’re not distracted by the pretty colors! Talc to the rescue All 7 of the rubbery and puffer-style items came out sticky and kinda yucky: Cheese and Mice, Stretchy String, Pufferball, Pufferband, Stretchy Bug-Eye Centipede, Starfish Stretch & Squeeze, and Sea Urchin Light-Up Ball. When they’re manufactured, they seem to have some sort of coating on them which makes them smoother to the touch. With this coating washed off, they’re quite tacky. I feared they would have to go into the “disasters” category. But then, I sprinkled some baby powder on them, and voilà they bounced back! Still Usable! 7 of the 53 fidget toys tested are usable, but not quite the same as out-of-the-box: Stretch and Bounce Ball—filling got a bit clumpy. Therapy Bead Ball—lost some of its luster and the squeeze feels firmer. GumBall—Outer “skin” feels a little looser but it’s still fine to use. Light-Up Smile Ball—came out a bit misshapen, but it still lights up! Mental Block—almost all the paint was stripped off. It doesn’t look so good, but now dry, it’s okay to use. Puffer Critters—even with a sprinkle of talc powder, these still look a little scrappy, but are still fun to squeeze. GeoTwister—this kind of shrunk and curved in the wash, but it actually looks pretty cool in its new form. Dishwasher Disasters! Of the 4 fidget toys that became completely unusable, only 1 really surprised us: Moody Face Ball—this one got a hole. Thankfully, the insides didn’t spill out until it was dry and tucked away in a plastic bag. Mini Glitter Wand—this was the surprise. One of the ends of the tube came off. Luckily the glitter filling didn’t spill out, but it could have! Untested Brain Putty: We didn’t test the Brain Putty for two reasons: 1) I didn’t want the heat to cause the putty to spill through my entire dishwasher; 2) because putty folds over and over itself, I wouldn’t trust that the entire “blob” could be disinfected. Beach in a Box: Same issue as with the putty! At the time of writing, I haven’t yet tested the Silent Yin Yang balls and Bunchies. I’ll continue to test and update the report as I do! Charge forward While some of your larger training events may be put on hold, fidget toys can still be helpful for personal use, during online training, or to keep you from touching your face. For safe use, we recommend adopting these tips: Have people use hand sanitizer when first selecting their fidget toy Sorry, but no sharing toys, at least until the virus season is past Sanitize fidget toys after each use For multi-day sessions, have users keep their fidget in their possession until you collect them at the end For more help choosing which fidget toys may best suit your needs, check out our Fidget Matrix. Read more… Do Fidgets Boost Engagement? Taming Distractions- How Fidget Toys Use “Floating Attention” Finding the Best Fidgets for You

Fidgeting has gone mainstream over the past year with the rapid rise of Fidget Spinners and Cubes. However ADHD Fidget Toys have been and always will be a mainstay for folks with neurological challenges — Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), ADHD and others. With the help of Matthew, a young man who knows ASD firsthand and his mom Jane, we wanted to share an insider’s perspective on the right fidget toy for any sensory diet. “If my son is feeling stressed or is experiencing sensory overload,” Jane says, “he knows can use fidgets for ‘self-regulation’ — to help him find his calm, and get focused, centered, or organized.” Understanding your Sensory Diet For folks with ADHD or those on the autism spectrum, fidgeting is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Understanding the variety of sensory needs can help you hone in on the tools or resources that would be best for each individual. Even then, you might have to try a few to figure out which tools best help create an ambiance of calm and focus. Stimming Stimming, short for Self-Stimulation, refers to self-soothing behaviors. For those who find repetitive motions to be calming, these fidget tools might be good picks: Gyrobi & Gyrobi Squared – hold the outer loop and spin any one of the concentric circles or squares. Bendeez – flex the covered wire back and forth or form the line into a wiggly shape. Tangle – coil the loop of plastic arcs around a finger or twist and turn the segments into any number of interesting shapes. Flexygon – move the silicon hexaflexagon in an endless rotation. Loopeez & Loopeez Jr – move the rings in an infinitely looping rotation. Glitter wand – turn the wand over and over, up and down, and watch the sparkly liquid move through the clear tube. Infinity Cube – open and refold the cube in an endless, repetitive motion. SwingOs – move the three “O” shapes round and round. Nuts & Bolts – thread the nut onto the bolt and then keep twisting and untwisting. Visual Perception Those with Visual Perception sensitivity (a.k.a. Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome and the Irlen Lens System) might find that light, glare, busy patterns and reflection cause stress. They might also find that single-colored objects are more to their liking. If the goal is to avoid visual perception overload, you might like these: Gyrobi (one-color) – although Gyrobi is sold as a multi-color fidget toy, the outer rings can easily be pulled apart so you can reassemble the spinning toy into one color. Tangle (one-color) – arc segments can easily be snapped apart and back together, allowing users to create to modify the toy to their liking. In addition, many single-colored Tangle Toys are also available. To use, simply turn the arc segments into any number of visually interesting shapes. Tridget – the matte finish on the Tridget ensures that the color is not overwhelming. The blue/green option is calming, yet interesting. Puffer ball – the air-filled balls are pleasing to the touch and come in a range of vibrant colors — find the right color and you’re all set! Magni-Stones (8+ years old) – magnetic Magni-Stones aren’t much to look at, but their strong magnetic pull is quite satisfying. They’re shiny, but don’t glare. Smiley Stress Ball – foam stress toys or squeeze balls come in seemingly endless shapes, objects, and colors. Pipe cleaners – with fuzzy, flexible pipe cleaners you’re only limited by your creativity. Plus, they’re available in tons of colors! Tactile Some with SPD find certain textures particularly soothing. Several fidget toys offer interesting tactile experiences. Favorites include: Tangle Therapy – has the same wonderfully flexible arc shapes, combined with an assortment of textures — smooth, bumpy, rubbery. Brain Noodles – these “pipe cleaners on steroids” are super fuzzy and flexible so you can simply smooth your hand over them or shape them into anything you can imagine. Spiky Massage ball – the ball is firm, not squishy; and the spikes are dull, not pointy. Put it together and it feels great on your hand, feet, or back. Koosh ball – the iconic Koosh ball, with its 100s of rubbery strands, has a feel like none other. Puffer balls – squeeze the air from one end of the puffer ball to the other. We can’t guarantee that it will never pop, but it does feel good! Loopeez – move the rings in an infinitely looping rotation. Traxx – smooth surface and multi-directional flexing and swiveling makes this a nice tactile experience. Fine Motor Dyspraxia, or movement difficulties, are not uncommon for those with neurological challenges. If you’re looking to build fine motor skills, strengthen finger muscles, or develop eye-hand coordination, we suggest these: Gyrobi & Gyrobi Squared – hold the outer loop and spin any one of the concentric circles or squares. Jeliku – extend the concentric square shapes into a line, or flex them into a number of cool shapes. Twiddle – form the micro-links into a large bold shape or a more intricate pattern. Fiddlink – developed for fiddlers to improve the finger dexterity, Fiddlink can be manipulated with one hand or two. Infinity Links – rotate the chunky pieces in an infinite loop. Wacky Tracks / Klixx – flex individual links to form any number of shapes and patterns. Pipe cleaners – with fuzzy, flexible pipe cleaners you’re only limited by your creativity. Use one color or multiple colors, and then form them into any shape! Loopeez – move the rings in an infinitely looping rotation. These are available in large and small sizes. The smaller bike-chain style fidgets offer the same motion. Proprioceptive Input Proprioceptive Systems refer to ones’s ability to sense where he (/she) is in relationship to his surroundings. For those with proprioceptive sensitivities who might be prone to avoid touching and physical activity, these fidget toys could channel some productive movement: Brain Putty – kneading putty and dough Stretchy String – stretch the safe and very elastic string as far as your arms can reach. Integrate it into a number of yoga positions Stretch & Bounce, Isoflex balls, Moody Dude balls – these can all be stretched, kneaded and formed into playful shapes Pipe cleaners – with fuzzy, flexible pipe cleaners you’re only limited by your creativity. Use one color or multiple colors, and then form them into any shape! Squiggle Tube – the air-filled puffer tubes are great to pull and stretch. Chewing toys – Therapy Shoppe offers a range of chewable items and “Chewelry” that are bpa, phthalate, lead and latex free. Sound Perseveration Sound perseveration refers to an individual’s need to repeat the same sound or language over and over. Although word phrases are often found to be distracting in class, the sounds made by some fidget toys may be an optimal compromise. For instance: Wacky Tracks / Klixx / Snap and Click – these segmented fidget toys make a soft sound when flexed into different positions. If you’re looking for silence, they’re not good choices, but they’re not crazy loud either. And, they can be formed into lots of interesting shapes. Magni-Stones – because of the strong magnetic force, the stones make a bit of a clicking sound when they come together. Again, while they aren’t super loud, we can’t put them in a silent category either! Finding the right ADHD Fidget Toys We understand that every person with a sensory disorder, ADD, ADHD, or whatever, has different symptoms, needs, and preferences. We don’t profess to be medical experts and appreciate that it may take some trial and error to find the right fidget toys for your needs. And even then, “the right” fidget tool for today may not be the right one for tomorrow. That’s just how it goes. If you want to start building your own “Comfort Kit,” visit Trainers Warehouse and find the fidgets that will bring focus and calm to your world. Meanwhile, rest assured that we’re always on the lookout for new tools and toys to satisfy a range of sensory diets. We hope you’ll let us know your recommendations for specific needs, so that we can continue to update this list. READ MORE Which Fidget Toys are Best for You? Fidget Toys are Centuries Old

Managers work so hard to build effective teams and develop strong working relationships. Communication and Listening Exercises is the #1 post on this blog for good reason. Learning to communicate and listen, however, is only half the battle. Bringing people together also requires sharing vulnerability. When I first watched Brené Brown’s TED talk on the Power of Vulnerability. I was familiar with Robert Epstein’s quote, “Vulnerability is the key to emotional bonding, without which relationships tend to feel superficial and meaningless.” But, Brown digs deeper into the nuance of vulnerability, linking it to feelings of shame and unworthiness. Seeing vulnerability as weakness or courage In her talk, Brown asks her audience to think of a time they felt vulnerable. I immediately thought of the time I was asked to share “a marketing effort that flopped” at a conference I’d attended for many years. I weighed the risks (looking and feeling stupid within my professional community) against the benefits (helping others learn from my failed effort), and ultimately decided to do it. To follow up, Brown asks if that vulnerability felt like a weakness. While I might not have used that word, I do recall feeling tentative and exposed, wondering what the audience would think of me. Brown then asks her audience to think of others who faced a similar challenge. If the tables were turned, would we think of folks in a similar situation as weak, or perhaps just the opposite, courageous? Most people perceive others who openly share a vulnerability as quite brave, as did I. Looking back on the experience, I recall more than a handful of people approaching me after the presentation, offering a hug (which I didn’t need) and accolades for my courage to share (always appreciated), letting me know how meaningful it was to them, or sharing their own flops. Vulnerability and relationship building Another “vulnerability memory” that sticks with me dates to my college days. I’d been so focused on projecting a strong outer image that two of my closest friends, Lisa and MaryJane, didn’t realize how much I valued their friendship and started to pull away. I finally broke down in tears one day, sharing my sadness and loneliness. Revealing my vulnerability, I quickly appreciated that relying on friends is a two-way street. They too wanted to feel needed. I was reminded of this again a few years ago, when I was recovering from a mastectomy. Accepting care is as much a gift to the giver as to the receiver. Acknowledging need and asking for help can be especially challenging at work. If you’re not the business owner or boss, you might worry that showing vulnerability could be detrimental to your job. When coming up with discussion prompts for one of our workplace Thumballs, we had a lengthy conversation about some of the prompts that concerned a few of the folks on our team. They worried that employees might feel uncomfortable answering: The thing you most procrastinate Something you wish you were better at A task you’d love help with As a manager, I was thinking how valuable that information would be. It would allow me to adjust roles or provide necessary training. But I understand the tension and my colleagues’ sensitivity to employees not wanting to reveal themselves in that way. Perhaps in some workplaces, admitting vulnerability is unwise. This is unfortunate because these organizations likely forfeit the growth and relationships that such honest conversations yield. Ultimately, we changed those prompts to be more positive, so that team members could slowly open the door to honest sharing, without feeling compromised: What you wish someone else would do for you Something you like to do on your own time What you wish you could change about your role You go first! Even when we know that vulnerability is important to building relationships, nobody wants to take the first step. The Getting to Yes negotiation framework suggests the best way to get someone else to open up is to go first. Negotiation experts suggest that we model the behavior we seek from others and they’ll follow our lead. Moreover, we should go a step further and be completely transparent about it. I’ve done this plenty of times with people I know well, and others I don’t. Kids these days seem to find it easy to preface an uncomfortable situation with a simple disclaimer saying, “This is awkward!” I’d go a step further and explain my unease, as well as the ways sharing vulnerability fosters trusting relationships. Tools for Sharing Vulnerability If you’re not one of those people who can just start blurting stuff out, try one of the dozens of conversation starter tools, readily available online at Trainers Warehouse. Thumballs are fun because they make a game of starting conversations. Each ball has 32 conversation prompts. Whoever catches the ball responds to the prompt under their thumb. With the UNZIP-it! pockets, just pick a card. The beauty of the balls and card decks is the ability to choose prompts that are perfectly suited to the level of existing relationships. Plus, as you can tell from the exchange described above, all prompts are carefully curated and vetted, so they’re thoughtful, appropriate, and relevant. Building Relationships In Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye, a father of 5 daughters, struggles with his girls’ wanting to marry for love, despite his family’s tradition of arranged marriages. Reflecting on his own 25 years of marriage, he shyly asks his wife, “Do you love me?” Initially, she replies, unemotionally: Golde: Do I love you?For twenty-five years, I’ve washed your clothes,Cooked your meals, cleaned your house,Given you children, milked the cow.After twenty-five years, why talk about love right now? Tevye tries again. This time, he goes first, sharing his inner thoughts and a bit of his own insecurity, Tevye: The first time I met you was on our wedding day. I was scared.Golde: I was shy.Tevye: I was nervous.Golde: So was I. Tevye: But my father and my mother said we’d learn to love each other.So, now I’m asking, Golde… Do you love me? Golde considers his words and her experience: Golde: Do I love him?For twenty-five years, I’ve lived with him,Fought with him, starved with him.For twenty-five years, my bed is his.If that’s not love, what is? Tevye: Then you love me?Golde: I suppose I do.Tevye: And I suppose I love you, too. The scene ends in this moment of intimacy, leaving the audience with an understanding and confidence in their relationship. They are the perfect embodiment of Alain de Botton’s assertion, “Compatibility is an achievement of love; it shouldn’t be its precondition.” ~Alain de Botton Deeper relationships, at work and at home, are “achievements” because they take work. They require active effort to communicate, listen, courageously expose vulnerabilities, and build trust. The process may be slow and require many iterations, but the benefits of sharing vulnerability most certainly outweigh the effort. Read more… Making new friends: Building relationships through Communication Building Trust Asking Questions: What we didn’t learn in kindergarten

Let’s say you find the perfect learning game—for communication, listening, negotiation, leadership, process improvement, problem solving, critical thinking, and time management—then what? Games work because they remove players from their usual setting and create a safe environment to take risks and try new approaches. But, playing the game isn’t enough. Behavioral change relies on a debrief that draws out “ah-ha” moments and applies those to real-world challenges. Get the most out of your learning game by using this Debrief Infographic. The graphic is chock full of tips and processing questions to help you conduct the perfect debrief. The graphic divides the debriefing process into three parts: 1) Process and discuss the experience; 2) Commit and plan next steps; and 3) Remember and take action. Process Consider “process” as both a verb and a noun. The core of a debriefing exercise entails taking time to actively process the experience – consider what happened, how you felt about it, and what you learned from it. The process you use to do that can take a variety of forms, but the key to each is asking good questions. What? So What? Now What?The focus of these questions is: What have you learned? So what, what is the significance of the learning? Now what are you going to do or change going forward? Works Well. Do Differently.With these two simple questions, facilitators can help their groups to explore what was working and where they can do better. The key is that it frames this self-critical exercise in positive, non-threatening terms. WHOA! AHA! HMM!Perhaps simplest of all, you can ask your group to share their “aha” moments. Or, make it even more fun by adding WHOA! (what surprised you?) and HMM! (what made you ponder?). No matter what questioning paradigm you choose, facilitators are well-advised to adhere to these six tips: Be transparent – explain what you hope to achieve by asking questions and debriefing the experience Keep it simple – make questions short, pithy, and easy to answer Foster conversation – ask open-ended questions and inquire whether others agreed or think differently Probe for more – keep asking “why?” or say, “Tell me more,” to better understand participants’ experiences. Don’t rush – give participants time to think through the experience and answer your questions thoughtfully Write it down – record ideas that are shared so your group can focus their thoughts on listening and formulating their own answers Crafting your questions When it comes to finding the perfect question(s) to ask, we’ve found these to work quite well in a variety of situations, but of course, every facilitator should adapt the recommendations to the needs of their group, exercise, and goals. What? Questions Without judgment or evaluation, help your group develop a common understanding of what happened. Sometimes individuals lend different meanings or draw different conclusions from events that occurred or words that were spoken. Help your group distinguish “what happened” from any interpretations assigned to them. By developing a shared framework, you will help the group avoid miscommunication and misunderstandings. In that spirit, ask: What happened? How did you go about the task? What task-related strategies did you use? What actions helped/hindered? How did you reach a consensus? So What? Questions Ask questions to understand the experience of each team member. So What? questions get more to the nuance of how participants experienced the learning activity. The goal at this stage is to understand more about how participants felt, the effectiveness of their different strategies, and the relevance of choosing one strategy over another. You might ask: How did it feel? How did your approach affect others? What would you do differently? How did leader(s) emerge? How did you encourage participation? What got you off track? On track? What assumptions did you make? Did they help or hurt? What communication (process-related) strategies helped/hindered? What challenged your comfort zone or made you uncomfortable? Now What? Questions Now What? questions are the first step in teasing out the implications of the simulated activity on the group’s “real world” challenges. While the benefit of simulated exercises, games, and activities is precisely to remove players from their real-world situations, the end goal is to come full circle and apply the introspection and learning back to day-to-day realities. Facilitators can ask, simply: How does this experience relate to your “real world”? What learning should we take forward? How can we better foster trust? How can we make sure everyone feels heard? How can we best support each other? What is your #1 take-away? Commit The prior “now what?” questions may uncover the important learning points, but they don’t ensure behavior change. They don’t make certain that learning will be applied. The commitment phase, therefore, helps facilitators guide participants into taking action and pledging to take next steps. These final questions may help: Back at work, what will you start, stop, continue, or change? What one idea are you most excited to implement immediately? What bit of learning would you share with a colleague? What support do you need to apply the material learned here? How long will it take you to implement the new ideas you gained? Remember As a final step, facilitators will want their group to remember what they learned and to actually do what they said they’d do. The mnemonic C.R.A.M. will help facilitators remember what some of their options are: C-Create a fun mnemonic (have participants work in teams to come up with something to jog their memories) R-Record key learning points (ask participants to write down their next steps in an app or document they frequently use) A-Address and mail a postcard (you can do this, or your participants can) M-Metaphorical photos (have each person select a photographic image that will remind them of their key takeaway) Wrapping it up Facilitators and managers know as well, or better than their group that activities are a waste of time if behaviors don’t change as a result of the experiences. Debriefs don’t have to long, but they must happen. Trainers Warehouse offers additional tools and resources to make the debrief as fun and effective as the learning game itself, including Start-Stop-Continue-Change Sticky Notes, Photographic Card Decks, I-Got-This or “Hindsight-is-20/20 notepads,” Squeeze Toys, and more. Read more: Memorable Debriefs Why Use Training Games

We need more super heroes. Not the kind you’re thinking of — that can leap over a tall building in a single bound, defy gravity, move mountains, or see through walls. No, we need more real life training superheroes. Maybe we already have them and we just have to take time to notice. They’re in our midst, disguised as teachers, trainers, and managers. They’re in our schools, offices, and meeting rooms. In fact you, reading this, you may be one of them! Super Natural When I think of the super natural abilities of the great teachers and trainers, I think of: 1) PASSION TO INCORPORATE Play Building playful activities into learning events takes valiant effort, commitment, creativity and forethought. As Jill Vialet suggests in her TED Talk, that those who buck resistance and embrace the power of play reap the benefits of engagement and memorability. Even if a lesson isn’t really conducive to a learning game, training super heroes still build in interaction in these easy ways: Start with a teaser If you want to engage the whole brain in your learning event, start with a “wake-up” activity: Stand up-sit down games: (asking people to stand if a statement is true for them) can get the blood flowing and uncover preconceptions of the content. Choose One: guessing how your partner might answer a question is a super speedy way to promote laughter, build relationships, and warm up the room. It only take a few minutes to set a tone that will continue to energize your group. Change your game plan every 20 minutes Sitting and remaining focused for long periods is difficult for everyone. While you might be afraid of how long it will take to settle your group after a break, console yourself with the knowledge that losing 2-3 minutes is way better than having your group mentally drift for the next 20 to 30 minutes. Favorite ways to break up learning segments include: Take a walk – ask learners to stand, walk around the room, or around a table (1x, 2x, 3x or whatever makes sense for your space), then return to their seats. Pair and Share – ask the group to stand; find a partner; exchange one question or reflection, then return to their seats. S & S / Q & A – interrupt yourself to ask if there are any questions. While you’re at it, welcome all who are seated to stand and stretch (S&S) as they think of their questions (Q&A). Wrap it up Plan for 2 minutes of transition time at the end of your session. Use the time for activities that will bring closure to the learning session or prep the group for whatever comes next. For instance: Jot reminders – have them take notes (or highlight notes they’ve already taken) to indicate what they want to ask, remember, or do later. Think about what’s next – What? So What? Now What? – give your group a moment to put closure on what they just learned and think about what might be happening next in their day. If they can rely on time already carved out to do that, they’ll be less likely to mentally check out prior to the end of class to figure that out. I GOT THIS – ask learners to write down: 3 things they learned; 2 actions to apply what they learned; and 1 way they’ll share their learning. 2) A Compulsion to Compliment Super Heroes are rarely think only of themselves. More often, they are preoccupied with rescuing others in distress and saving the world. Everyday super heroes have a similar outward focus. Not only do they notice the effort and contributions of those around them, but they take time to point it out. Kartoon Kudos – Shazzam! Pow! Wowza! Gadzooks!, and $%#!(*&! are just a few of the exclamations that cartoon super heroes use to communicate surprise, amazement, or appreciation. Super trainers can do the same with Kartoon Kudos. Token of Appreciation – superheroes are often a force for good, setting a positive tone for others to follow. “Tokens of Appreciation,” which say “Pass it along” on the reverse side can be the everyday super hero’s virtual cape, a resource that’s always available and ready to use. 3) Loyalty to Listening Let’s not confuse the power of super-sensitive hearing with the superpower of listening. Hearing, of course has to do with how sound waves are received by your ear. Listening, on the other hand, requires taking the time to thoughtfully consider what others are saying, and to discern nuance and meaning, without interrupting or pausing to think of a reply. Resources that encourage listening and promote the development of listening as a skill include: Squeezy Foam Ear – the ear stress toy, available in light or dark colored flesh tone can serve as an ongoing reminder to listen. Blocked Perspective – this communication and listening game requires teams to describe a block structure from their unique perspective, and listen well to others’ so they can rebuild the structure without looking at one another’s photographs. Teamwork & Teamplay – among the features on this versatile card deck is a matrix-style puzzle that requires teams to share information verbally, and then decipher the puzzle and come up with an answer. Becoming a Super Hero Even with the many heroes already in our midst, who bring confidence to incorporate play in their daily lives, have a compulsion to compliment colleagues and are loyal listeners, our world needs more superheroes right now. Hopefully, this array of resources will enable more and more trainers and teachers to ascend to hero status.

I asked Jonathan Winkler, a seventh-grade history teacher in Newton, Massachusetts to test out a new Me First Buzzer System. At my request, he gave it to me straight and shared his Game Buzzers experience—successes and challenges. To set the scene, understand that he introduced this snazzy new buzzer system during the last week of school, when (understandably) kids have a bit of summer fever, are looking forward to graduation, and are ready to play! Thanks to Mr. Winkler, though, for not giving up after his first class went haywire with the buzzers, slamming them before questions were even asked. Using them with several groups, here’s what he found to work best. Trial 1: Everyone gets a buzzer This was a way too exciting for his group. The first time Winkler introduced the buzzers to the class, players got a “slap happy,” pressing buzzers prematurely, before hearing a question or reviewing a slide. The experience became frustrating for everyone—the teachers, as well as the kids who were either slower to buzz-in or were playing by the rules and waiting for the question. TAKEAWAYS: Think about when (and how) might be a good time to introduce a tool like this. Build in some time for the group to get accustomed to the buzzers, so the technology doesn’t draw focus from the material and the experience. Establish ground rules early on: for players who buzz-in too early, the facilitator will press “CONTINUE” and block them out from next questions Do a pre-test: Have each student buzz-in to make sure their buzzer is working. Consider the frustration of not being able to accumulate points because there are too many players. If you’re accommodating lots of players, consider putting people into teams. With 20-30 buzzers set out, facilitators may have trouble seeing which pad turned green and have to ask the student to hold it up. Trial 2: One buzzer at each table Given the students’ excitement, this too was a challenge. It was a bit less chaotic, but still yielded lots of early buzzing-in. TAKEAWAYS: Consider putting people into small groups so they can confer on questions. Grouping people into smaller teams can let them feel more successful, because they can more easily accumulate points, if you’re keeping score. If questions are very easy to answer, many people within one group may all need access to the buzzer, and could find themselves competing with one another. Consider how close people need to be to one another to reach the buzzer. Trial 3: Two Game Buzzers (Feud style) In his third attempt, Mr. Winkler divided the students into two teams and had each team form a line. The students at the front of each line would pair up in front of the buzzers and compete to win a point for their team. Students and facilitators both found this to be most effective, and allowed the group to focus on the content, not the buzzers. Game Buzzers TAKEAWAYS This format worked well for rapid-fire questions. Facilitators will need to have lots of questions on hand. If your group is fast to buzz-in, try reading your questions (Jeopardy-style) instead of integrating the experience with a PowerPoint For large classes, the one-at-a-time format could leave students standing idle for too long a time. If neither of the front two players knows an answer, you can invite them to pass to the next teammate in line, or confer with their team. Me First Buzzers, inside and out In spite of his early frustrations facilitating the reinforcement games, Mr. Winkler did find the buzzers to add fun and excitement to his end-of-year review. If he were to do it again, Winkler said he’d likely stick with a 4-player system because it worked best in his classroom. He also mentioned being impressed with the buzzers’ functionality: INCREDIBLY DURABLE: The students were very rough with the buzzers (“they were slamming them really hard,” Mr. Winkler said), and a buzzer occasionally fell on the floor, yet they always seemed to turn back on afterward. THE CONTINUE BUTTON: Having the ability to hit “continue” and block out previous responders was a huge help to the facilitator. It allowed the teacher to dissuade players from buzzing in early and enable slower thinkers a turn to play. SOUNDS: Although they’re not always used, it’s nice to be able to indicate if an answer is right or wrong. And, according to Mr. Winkler, “The students really loved the sounds! Sometimes I would forget to hit the correct button and they would quickly request that I do that.” BATTERIES: With three batteries in each pad, facilitators may be concerned about having to change them all at once. While we have never heard of this, we have recently updated the battery door to have a latch instead of a screw so that changing batteries is a little easier (AVAILABLE 2020). While this will make it easier to change the batteries, it invites the chance that the batteries could come out, if the PAD falls on the floor. (This did happen once to Mr. Winkler). TURN OFF: Conveniently, the facilitator can turn off all the Player pads by turning off the Facilitator PAD. Remember, to turn the units on or off, you must press-and-hold the on/off button for 3 to 5 seconds. MULTIPLE CLASSROOMS: so that two or more classrooms in close proximity can use the buzzer systems concurrently, without interference, the player buzzers are set to “match” to the facilitator pad for the first 5 minutes of use. After that, additional player pads will not communicate back and forth to the facilitator pad. NOTE: Earlier versions do not have this capability. Given the “matching” function of Me First v.3, we recommend that you: Power on extra buzzers for anyone you anticipate to be late to class Power on an extra buzzer if you want to have a back-up If an issue arises, power off the facilitator remote, then power them all back on, press RESET, and you’re good to go. As always, it’s best to know your group and have some alternative ideas in your back pocket, in case “plan A” doesn’t go as expected. READ MORE Facilitating Jeopardy-like Games Playbook of Me First! Game Show Buzzer Games

I love that scholars are studying happiness and finally understanding that success does not breed happiness; rather happiness breeds success. I learned that from my dad who long ago left the corporate world to start Trainers Warehouse. Starting a new business felt financially risky, but his happiness at work skyrocketed. I followed him and experienced the same. Surely, studying happiness is not new. Positive Psychology, “the scientific study of what makes life most worth living,” cropped up in the mid-1950s. Then, in the late 1980s, Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi started talking about the Science of Happiness. Still, systematically understanding what contributes to individual happiness is a relatively young field. While some experts might come up with a list of 10 Keys to Happiness, the same 10 factors may not be critical to every person’s well-being and the way they weigh those factors may also differ. What makes YOU happy? To help others maximize their happiness, our Trainers Warehouse team developed The Wheel of Happiness assessment (an extrapolation from Paul J. Meyer’s Wheel of Life®). This simple worksheet allows coaches, facilitators, trainers, and team leaders to help individuals identify the key drivers of their personal happiness, at home or at work. Once they hone in on WHAT makes them happy, follow-up questions can focus on how happy they are now and what would make them happier, along each of those metrics. For some, feeling happy may be a function of career, friendships, health, physical well-being, and finances. Others may be more focused on finding purpose, personal growth, or having ample “me time.” With this versatile tool, managers and coaches can invite each team member to write-in the dimensions of their happiness. Alternatively, they can concentrate on specific dimensions of happiness, to uncover organizational or personal challenges. No matter which methodology is used, the first step for every person is to think about those top eight dimensions that drive their happiness and contribute to their feeling of well-being. Where are you now? My Aunt Alene always used to ask us, “on a scale of 1 to 10… How happy are you? Or, do you like school? How close are you to your best friend?” You get the picture. Everything was on a scale of 1 to 10. Since then, it’s become a family thing. Taking a page from my aunt’s book of tricks, we ask team members to indicate, on a scale of 1 to 10, their current satisfaction level on those 8 key dimensions, where 1 indicates unhappiness and 10 means they couldn’t be more fulfilled. What would make it a 10? Assuming the goal was always a 10 (which may not always be the case), Aunt Alene’s follow-up question was always, “And what would it take to get to a 10?” For managers and team leaders, the goal is usually to gain insight and start a conversation. Once the drivers of happiness are identified and current happiness levels charted, they can ask their group, “How can we do better? What can we do personally or organizationally to make you more content and make our office a happier place?” As we’ve used the tool internally at Trainers Warehouse, we’ve found that not all dimensions of happiness are created equal. For instance, I might rank FUN as a 7 in terms my current happiness level, but truly I’m satisfied with that. On the other hand, I might measure my CONNECTIONS WITH COLLEAGUES at a 6, in terms of my current happiness, but here I aspire to a 10. My mission, then, is to come up with a list of ways that I can build stronger and more fulfilling connections with my co-workers. Flexible by design The Wheel of Happiness is flexible on purpose. Managers at work may want to explore different dimensions of happiness than a life coach might. Talking about romance and health within the context of work may simply be inappropriate and unrelated to happiness and engagement at work. Thus, no matter which keys may drive the Wheel of Happiness, the most important is balance and the ability to use the tool as a vehicle for understanding, discussion, and improvement. Becoming happier Even after we’ve done all the work at identifying happiness drivers, understanding where we are, where we hope to be, and how to get there, each individual is ultimately still responsible for their own happiness. As Abe Lincoln said, “Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”― Abraham Lincoln Hopefully, the Wheel of Happiness tool, will help individuals and teams find the keys to make their lives a little happier. Read More… How Happiness Leads to Success For information on the Wheel of Life, visit Mindtools.

“I can’t talk about that at work.” “My boss wouldn’t want to hear what I have to say.” Employees have so many reasons for not talking about meaningful topics at work. Sometimes, they’re tight-lipped simply because giving feedback is difficult. In other cases, they may feel that sharing personal information is inappropriate, or trusting relationships necessary to do so are absent. Maybe the opportunity to explore new relationships simply never arises. And yet, companies are quick to realize that engagement and productivity increase as employee relationships and trust deepen. In a 2017 study by The McKinsey Global Institute, researchers found that productivity improves by 20-25% in organizations with connected employees. Change is an action verb Organizations that value strong working relationships shouldn’t leave the development of those relationships to chance. After all, change rarely happens by itself. High-functioning teams are a result of hard work and groups working together to overcome obstacles or achieve common goals. Through the shared experiences, team members learn more about one another and come to rely on each other. If team development doesn’t happen overnight or by accident, we must assume that other working relationships won’t happen that way either. When the goal is changing interpersonal dynamics, we have to take ownership and make it happen. Unfortunately, many managers are ill-equipped with the skills and tools to start conversations. Making it happen: Change your thinking or change your situation When my kids have been frustrated with a situation–a difficult teacher, a not-so-nice friend, their placement on a team, etc.–I’ve always fallen back on the mantra that you can either change the way you’re thinking about your predicament or you can do something about it. “Doing something” can take many forms–walking away, altering your own behavior, or talking through a situation so you can either come to a shared understanding or a new outcome. Unfortunately, many are woefully ill-equipped with the skills and tools to start conversations. 6 tricks to starting conversations If you have the budget, hiring a consultant, coach, or team-building professional can do wonders to initiate important conversations, bridge divides, develop common understanding, and build relationships. However, even without deep pockets, you can achieve substantial results with a handful of creative tools. The key is carving out the time that consultant would have demanded and making it happen on your own. Thumballs – Toss the ball and discuss the prompt under your thumb. Thumballs have grown in popularity because they make a game of starting conversations. Thumball topics include: Getting to Know You, Common Ground, Session Openers, Ethics, Diversity, Team Dynamics, Leadership, and more. UNZIP-it! decks – Grab a card from an UNZIP-it! pocket and respond to the discussion prompt on the card. The UNZIP-it! pocket makes it fun to draw a card and start talking. Decks are currently available in a range of topics such as Getting to Know You, Common Ground, and Session Openers. They’re very compact for storage and travel.  Conversation Topic decks -Card decks are available in a huge variety of topics from leadership and emotional intelligence to feelings and values. Deck games are typically played like this: players draw a “hand,” sort or trade the cards according to which best describe their mindset, and then discuss those qualities with the group. Image decks – Spread out an assortment of intriguing photographs and let individuals locate a card that represents a thought, concern, or interest. Welcome participants to use the card as a crutch or a metaphor to describe an experience, idea, question or observation. Sticky Notes – Invite participants to think on their own or “share in pairs ” and write their ideas, thoughts, concerns, or questions on sticky notes. Post those to a board in the front of the room. Then the facilitator can sort those notes and lead a group discussion about the most popular topics. Team-building experiences – games are popular because they distance players from their day-to-day experiences, freeing them to explore interpersonal dynamics in a safe space. When debriefing the activity, facilitators can draw parallels to “real world” experiences and use those to stimulate conversation. Any tool is better than no tool! Those new to the idea of building relationships or initiating conversations can feel confident that this range of resources will yield interesting conversations. If you’re addressing an “elephant in the room” or a particularly touchy topic, consider engaging a facilitator or setting up ground rules to make the exercise feel safer. But whatever you do, will likely be better than doing nothing. The pay-off is worth it, according to studies by Gallup, Workplace Research Foundation, Business2Community, and Queens School of Business, as organizations that foster dialogue among colleagues have been proven to achieve greater employee engagement, lower turnover, and higher productivity. So unzip-it and start talking! Read more on starting conversations 7 Tips for Formulating Great Questions No gift of the gab? No Worries – questions to build relationships Getting to Know You — how deep can you go? – ask the right questions depending on how intimate you want to get

I grew up in a family of three girls. Although I was fanatical about sports, I was not a sports fan. I was a doer, not a viewer. But now, living in New England with my husband and two boys, being a sports fan is not optional. So, as the Patriots fan I’ve become, I watched MVP Julian Edelman’s reply to the question, “What do you say to the haters?” His answer was simple, “Don’t hate, collaborate.” That may not mean much to a Rams fan, or lovers of any other NFL team tired of Brady and Belichick’s reign, but is apropos to everyone suffering the divisiveness of the current political landscape. It also lends fresh perspective to those promoting diversity. Don’t Hate The emotional reaction of hatred often stems from betrayal, feeling threatened, ideological differences, envy, or jealousy. Moving beyond hate requires a transformation of thinking. To erase pre-conceptions and build a fresh mindset, we need new information and new experiences, and new reactions. The only way to do this is to stop talking and start listening. Educate As a former trainer in negotiation and conflict resolution, I learned that to get beyond positional, black and white resolutions, we need to dig down to discover underlying interests, concerns and motivations. We need to ask each other “why?” and understand one another at a deeper level. Choose among several techniques to draw out perspectives and opinions: Just chat – sit down and talk. If you ever feel like the conversation is going in circles and everyone is repeating what they’ve already said, try this: make the other person’s point for them. This proves that you understand their viewpoint, and can simultaneously see a different approach. Play ball – write out important discussion topics on a beachball, or get a Thumball with pre-printed discussion prompts. Photo Decks – Use photographic imagery to draw out feelings, thoughts, and reactions. Write it out – share ideas on sticky notes that can be arranged, resorted, and prioritized. Collaborate With renewed respect and understanding, you can have different conversations–conversations that enhance trust, solve problems, and deepen relationships. Moreover, you can work together collaboratively. Facilitate A mediator, consultant, or third party facilitator can be helpful for unbiased leadership. However, with the right tools and frameworks, working together can be easy and perhaps even pleasant. Consultant-type tools can help you make meetings productive, effective, and stress-free: Road to There – discuss where you are, where you’re going, and the roadblocks to getting “There.” Vision Tree – use the metaphor of a tree to discover the roots that ground you, the systems that support you (trunk), and the fruit you hope to bear. Iceberg – talk about the unspoken ideas and assumptions that lie below the surface, but still affect work processes, environment, and relationships. Agile / Design Thinking – apply the construct of design thinking to foster innovation (Empathize; Define; Ideate; Prototype; Test) Innovate When we stop hating and start collaborating, so many other great things can happen–we can communicate, fascinate, accommodate, commiserate, innovate, and so much more! Read more on Collaboration Communication and Listening Exercises Powerful Beginnings and Endings  

I’ve been practicing yoga for just over a year now. I love it. Not only is it helping me build my core and feel healthy, but yoga’s ancient customs lend fresh perspective to another world I’ve been immersed in for over 20 years—training and learning. What can trainers learn from the practice of yoga? As it turns out, lots! Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Bikram, oh my! A Vinyasa class I frequent, called Flow, starts with a breathing exercise and warm up, builds a couple of Sun Salutation sequences, challenges you to hold a static pose for an impossibly long time, then welcomes you to cool down, surrender to a full-body stretch, and rest before closing. All this, while focusing on steady, controlled breathing. Thinking of classroom learning in terms of these stages suggests fresh perspective on teaching and training strategies. Ujjayi – Begin with a breathing exercise From my limited experience, yoga classes always seem to start with a breathing exercise. Drawing deep breaths in and out helps yogis relax, center themselves, and transition from the craziness of the day into a more mindful spirit. By focusing on their “Ujjayi Breathing,” a raspy inhale and exhale through the nose, yogis block out other thoughts that may enter and distract their minds. Trainers, too, are well-served to find a way for learners to relax and clear the mind, in preparation for embracing new thinking. This might take various forms: Follow the yoga protocol and lead the group in taking three “cleansing breaths” Ask learners to write down or share concerns or questions before starting, so those can be addressed during the session On a portable whiteboard, record interests, goals, and concerns prior to beginning Conduct a brief icebreaker to build community and create a stress-free collaborative environment Chaturanga dandasana – Challenge, repetition, & modifications A “Vinyasa” is a four-part movement whereby you start in a high plank, lower yourself halfway to the floor like half a push-up (a.k.a. “chataranga dandasana”), straighten your arms into an “upward facing dog.” while your lower body hovers above the floor. In the final part, leaving your hands and feet on the ground, you lift your hips skyward and shift into a “downward dog,” which looks like an inverted V. In any given class, yogis might be guided to do 10-20 or more of these maneuvers. The frequent repetitions serve multiple purposes that are similarly valuable in learning environments. Practicing the same movements over and over builds strength, as well as muscle memory. They also become a foundation for further growth, a base on which to build more complex postures. Just as in the yoga studio, where yogis are encouraged to adapt their practice to their level, teachers and trainers can: Encourage learners to build on skills they already know Move slowly or quickly through new challenges depending on their personal needs and readiness Repeat material until it’s second-nature Offer modifications for learners, synchronized with their skill level Clear instructions – Tell it. Show it. Do it. While yoga classes may vary, depending on the studio and type of yoga, instructors typically employ a range of techniques to guide you into different poses. They offer step-by-step cues to move you into a new shape. They also demonstrate body positions, as needed. Some may even wander around the room and help you move into the correct shape. Then, by practicing, watching others and giving it a try, yogis gain flexibility, learn new positions, build their strength, and improve. Classroom teachers will find comparable success by: Making their instructions clear, simple, and transparent Employing multiple methods of communication – explaining, showing, doing, and so on. Be comfortable with being uncomfortable One of the mantras I’ve heard over and over again is to “be more comfortable with being uncomfortable.” These words truly resonate with learning because growth is rarely easy or comfortable. While school kids may become accustomed to the discomfort that accompanies the unknown (even if they don’t like it), adults don’t. Still, no matter what their age or familiarity with discomfort, people tend to seek out situations where they can feel confident and experience success. The increasingly popular concept of “Flow,” as Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi explains, only occurs when high levels of challenge and skill are matched. Those who do not have a skill commensurate with the challenge they face, are doomed to feel anxiety. However, to achieve growth and affect change, some discomfort is often necessary. We need to embrace Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset and become comfortable with falling down, making mistakes, and learning from less successful efforts. Teachers and trainers, like yoga instructors, should repeat this mantra and celebrate efforts, if not achievements. The Classroom KUDOS Notes can be a wonderful tool to help bring this effort to fruition. Shavasana and the value of rest At the end of every yoga class, yogis are guided to lie down and close their eyes. The practice of taking Shavasana (rest) allows the body to recover and make sense of the work you put it through. Research has shown that rest can help reduce stress, as well as improve memory and retention. Whether doing yoga or studying for your doctorate, sleep is a critical component of growth, development, and personal change. At the end of a learning event, give your group time to process what they’ve learned. Namaste – A recognition of self-worth To close a yoga class, instructors ask the group to put their hands together in front of their chest, raise their thumb knuckles to their forehead, the third eye, then bow forward and say, “Namaste.” In Sanskrit Namaste means, “the divine in me honors and bows to the divine in you.” The thought behind this is that every person is special, unique, and worthy of celebration. At the end of class, take a moment to compliment your group on the work they put in Thank the group for showing up, making the effort, and being the special people they are. Give participants a note of Kudos, a work of gratitude, or a Token of Appreciation Yoga is a “Practice” Yoga has taken the nation by storm. I don’t think it’s just the crazy-comfortable yoga pants or the non-impact exercise, which happens to be perfect for the aging baby-boomers. We are also drawn to the mindfulness and perspective it gives us—the lessons we can apply to our family and professional lives, and even to classroom training and learning. The fact that yoga is a “practice” means that we will continue to explore and hone our skills, moving on our own path to growth and development. Read more… Stress Management Activities How to Select a Team Building Game Take a Team Breath   PHOTO: Feature photo is Meredith Evangelisti, yoga instructor extraordinaire!

My mind was swimming with ideas on how to gamify work and get more done at work after reading Gamestorming by Dave Gray and Sunni Brown . Meetings continue to get a bad rap, but as we transform meetings from time-wasters to strategic imperatives, the question isn’t whether to meet, but rather how to make the most of shared time and run marvelous meetings. If you don’t have a reason to meet, or a goal for the gathering, you probably shouldn’t bother calling people together. Consider these 5 mission-critical motives for meetings. All are valid, necessary, and important reasons to carve out time from your busy day: Build Understanding (Build relationships & share knowledge) Strategize & Plan Address Issues & Challenges Develop New Ideas & Brainstorm Solutions Make Decisions Although the lines that distinguish these categories can be somewhat blurry, they may help organize your thinking and hone in on your goals. infographic will help.> Build Understanding One of the challenges facing large, busy organizations is getting team members on the same page. You’ve likely heard of urban sprawl, but “Corporate Sprawl” is its own phenomenon, common in organizations where departments operate as separate silos, and in workplaces with lots of remote employees. To build alignment and coordination, managers and team leaders must make huge efforts to exchange knowledge and learning, give feedback, share varying perspectives, and foster relationships. Strategize & Plan Incredible synergy results when teams join forces to figure out a plan, attack a challenge, progress on an issue, and devise a strategy. However, despite the benefits that diverse opinions can bring, this approach can make developing a shared vision that much more complex. Whether you use Scrum or Agile methodologies, or more conventional approaches, well-honed skills and tools can help extract individuals’ perceptions and ideas, make them discussable and move toward a coordinated effort. Address Issues & Challenges Achieving growth and success is never smooth sailing. Anyone who stretches to try something new, strives for improvement, or implements a change, knows that they’re likely to hit roadblocks. In organizations, problem “owners” often need to seek guidance and input from colleagues in different roles and departments. Whether the goal is managing change, solving a problem, analyzing stakeholders, or understanding a situation, calling a meeting is often the first step toward finding solutions and moving forward. Develop New Ideas & Brainstorm Experts disagree on whether brainstorming and ideation efforts should begin as an individual or group exercise. However, they tend to agree that the process improves when individuals with divergent perspectives work together to hone, whittle, or develop one another’s ideas in an effort to find the perfect solution. The keys to welcoming creativity include giving people enough time, space, freedom to think out-of-the-box. Jogging ideas with silly or creative prompts can also help the process. The one rule that must be respected, however, is the pledge to reserve judgment. Ideas tossed out by one person can be improved by another, but never criticized. Make Decisions The fifth sensible reason to call a meeting involves making decisions. Although some managers may believe that decisions should be made “at the top,” great leaders are well-aware that involving people in the process of deciding, leads to increased buy-in. Even if a final resolution is not unanimous, participants will appreciate the challenges and tradeoffs and will feel more engaged in the implementation phase. Processes for making decisions include voting, ranking, finalizing terms, or agreeing on a series of next steps. Making the work feel less like “work” Once we appreciate that the work of meetings can be truly important to organizational success, the next question is: how can we make it less tedious and more enjoyable? Drawing from our decades of experience listening to trainers and managers and developing tools and resources to make their teams more effective, as well as culling through the recommendations and resources of countless facilitators and consultants around the globe, we’ve sorted these creative techniques into the six categories described below. In the attached infographic, you will notice that facilitators can apply many of these methods to a range of meeting initiatives. Picture This> Use PHOTO DECKS to find images that represent participants thoughts and feelings or stimulate fresh thinking. Examples include: Select a photo that reflects you. Choose an image to show your feelings. Pick a picture to inspire creative thinking. Select a photo that will remind you of follow-up steps. Stick ‘em Up> Try STICKY NOTES to develop new ideas, and then sort through, organize, shuffle and build on those ideas. Put one idea on each note and then reorganize them in whatever way makes the most sense for your needs: Separate Pros & Cons or Pains & Gains. Create a grid to sort ideas thematically. Organize notes in concentric circles to indicate relative importance. Try themed sticky-note pads to stimulate idea creation or visioning. Sort and sequence thee notes into next steps. Fanciful Facilitation> Draw on METAPHORS to stimulate new thinking and organize thoughts. These techniques are often used by consultants but the formats and structures can also assist managers at every level of a company: Use a “Vision Tree” metaphor to plan your next project. Identify roots, bugs, branches, fruits, etc. Try “Road to There” to strategize, identify roadblocks and solve problems. Consider an “Iceberg” analogy to uncover and discuss hidden issues. Use an “Airplane” metaphor to discuss destinations, engine power, and steering. Personify a problem to explore values, priorities, and features. (i.e. if your problem were a person would it be male or female? What movies would it watch? What brands would it like?) Story-Board It> Develop a STORY to explore new ideas or try out new solutions. Although storytelling traditions are ancient, they continue to be an incredibly powerful tool that evokes emotion and creates lasting memories. These tools can help teams develop their story: Develop a headline that you’d hope to read in the future. Use Story Cubes to imagine and describe a new narrative. Articulate challenges using picture prompts like Images of Organizations. Develop a timeline of your history to reflect backward and seek fresh insights. Tally the Votes> Take a vote and determine which ideas resonate most with the group. Voting by a show of hands will work, but you can add much more nuance and fun with these techniques: Use colored “Voting Dots” to indicate each person’s level of excitement about an idea (red hot, lukewarm yellow, glorious green, etc.). Rank ideas by assigning more points to favorites. You can offer up to 5 points for every idea, or a total of 5 points to be divided among the favorites. Use importance multipliers to give more weight to critical issues – before taking a vote, have the group identify the most important criteria for the decision at hand. Use numbers of fingers (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) or Thumbs UP/DOWN to quickly gauge group members’ interest. Stepping Forward> Finally, COMMIT to a set of next steps. Before the meeting breaks up, ask your group to write down follow-up actions: Record important ideas on a Memory Wall. Have the note-taker or “meeting scribe” circulate the list of next steps. Ask each individual to write what they’ll do on Start-Stop-Continue-Change Sticky Notes. Schedule a follow-up meeting for any ideas posted to a Parking Lot (ideas that arose which weren’t pertinent to the current meeting but will require future attention). Call ’em by Another Name? Since so much good can come about from well-facilitated gatherings, maybe we simply need to stop calling them “meetings.” The Scrum methodology refers to quick meetings as “Daily Stand Ups.” Others have discarded the word “meeting” and instead gather for one of these: a Huddle, Brainstorm, Ideation, Blamestorming, Breaking Bread, Brown-Bag (lunch meeting), Sprint Meetings, Diagonal Slice (meeting that includes staff from several teams), Interlock (meeting to coordinate), Lunch and Learn, Pre-Mortem, Post-Mortem, Pulse Check (quick checkin), Skull Session (another word for a brainstorm), Town Hall, Visioning, Chit Chat, Buzz Session, or GroupThink. No matter what you choose to call your group session, make sure it has a purpose and a goal, and also that you take the time to make it participatory, fun, and efficient. Explore INFOGRAPHIC now!

I’m always on the lookout for ideas that apply knowledge of how the brain works to specific teaching and facilitation techniques. So, my interest was piqued when I came across Daniel Willingham’s article, “Unlocking the Science of How Kids Think.“* He explained that 16 years ago, as a psychologist studying brain science, he didn’t think teachers would care about what he had to say. Now, 15 years, four books, and dozens of articles later, teachers and trainers rely on his unique perspective and research studies. In the article, Willingham pairs his research and theories with a collection of scientific observations translated into classroom applications. Putting Theory into Action Synthesizing his recommendations, I recalled a handful of tools and approaches that help teachers carry through on the kinds of efforts he suggests: 1) Practice is crucial. Allow sufficient classroom time to practice new skills. Use paper, computers, or dry-erase boards, books –whatever you need. To eliminate the worry about time, use a Time Timer so everyone can easily see how much they have left. 2) Memory is more enduring if practice is spread over time. Distribute lessons across multiple days. 3) Probing memory improves retention. Use low-stakes or no-stakes quizzes to boost student memory. Jeopardy games are great for reinforcement, but you can also adapt many other game show-style games to your content quite easily. 4) Students who believe they can get smarter through hard work, try harder. Take the time to recognize student effort and communicate your belief in each person’s abilities. No need for time-consuming or expensive endeavors; simply dash a note on a small Kudos Sticky Note or send a KUDOS Memo Note. 5) Shallow Understanding always precedes Deep understanding. Don’t be put off if students’ initial understanding is shallow. Try building a pipe-cleaner tower to symbolize the foundational principles the group is starting with and build it up as concepts and understanding deepen. The visual image acts as a great reminder of the learning process and progress taking place. What’s next? Thanks go out to Dr. Willingham for sharing his research and insights, enabling teachers and trainers worldwide to make learning experiences more meaningful and productive. I’ll definitely be putting his book, Why Don’t Students Like School? on my reading list and will report back more insights! Read more The 10 Biggest Breakthroughs in the Science of Learning Six Brain Science Principles Every Teacher Should Know —————— * “Unlocking the Science of How Kids Think: A New Proposal for Reforming Teacher Education” by Daniel Willingham in Education Next, Summer 2018 (Vol. 18, #3, p. 42-49), https://educationnext.org/unlocking-science-how-kids-think-new-proposal-for-reforming-teacher-education/; Willingham can be reached at willingham@virginia.edu.