WorkSMART Blog

I’ve been doing some research lately on how to make work more fun and rewarding. I realize that teachers and trainers think a great deal about incentives. But these are also great lessons for any work environment! The Marshall Memo synthesized this Education Week article by Sarah Sparks who reported interesting findings on how rewards really work! “Sarah Sparks who reported some surprising findings on classroom incentives contained in a National Bureau of Economic Research paper and research by the Center on Education Policy: Students did better when they received a reward (a trophy or cash) before taking a test. “People value something more when they have it already and they are at risk of losing it than when they don’t have it yet and it’s something to gain,” explains Sally Sadoff, a University of California/San Diego professor. “The trophy is something they can hold in their hands; it made it more salient.” None of the incentives worked if students knew they wouldn’t get the reward for a month. “All motivating power of the incentives vanishes when rewards are handed out with a delay,” the researchers concluded. This might explain why Harvard professor Roland Fryer’s 2011 experiment with offering students cash for improved standardized test scores had no impact on achievement – but paying students to read books and take quizzes did. It’s more effective to reward actions rather than results. “It’s really important to reward inputs, not outputs,” said Alexandra Usher of the Center on Education Policy. “It’s important to reward behavior that kids can control, rather than just telling them to get better grades.” “Study Suggests Timing Is Key in Rewarding Students” by Sarah Sparks in Education Week, Aug. 8, 2012 (Vol. 31, #37, p. 18), https://www.edweek.org

A while back Laura Catalano posted the following discussion on the Learning, Education and Training Professionals Group on LinkedIn: “Constructive criticism … why do people take it so personally?” She had an overwhelming number of responses. Many shared answers to the direct questions, and others offered constructive advice on how to share feedback effectively. Following is a synopsis of this very rich discussion. Answering the question: Why DO people take so personally? Because the receiver… Feels attacked Takes is personally Doesn’t trust the “critic.” May think he/she is always right May be insecure or lack confidence May be a perfectionist May feel defensive, embarrassed Knows they need to change something but doesn’t know how and can’t admit it Doesn’t perceive the input as “constructive”; only as “critical” Because the giver… Doesn’t deliver the message well Makes the recipient feel judged Isn’t empathetic Approaches the recipient at the wrong time, in the wrong place, and with the wrong mindset The nature of “criticism.” It IS personal We live in a sensitive society Criticism makes people feel threatened. Defensive behavior is a protective mechanism Call it by a better name! Many participants in the discussion feel that “criticism” is by nature a negative word. So the consensus is that we not call it “criticism,” but rather, “FEEDBACK”! Best strategies for sharing feedback Thanks to all who offered a plethora of tips and suggestions on giving feedback. Considerations before the conversation When: Consider the timing Are you in your right mind to give feedback that isn’t emotional? Is the recipient in the frame of mind to hear feedback? Who: Consider who is the best one to give the feedback; Someone who respects the receiver and doesn’t rub them the wrong way Establish Trust and Positive Intent, before trying to offer feedback. Only when you give your RESPECT can you also share your feedback. How: Consider the beneficiary For whom and for what reason are you giving feedback? For that person? For your team? For your comfort? Not everyone will hear the same message in the same way. Consider HOW the recipient will hear it. Feedback is received differently by different people. For instance, “Thinking” vs. “Feeling” (the Myers/Jung Type model). A head vs. heart kind of approach. Knowing someone’s preference can make a huge difference in whether your message “can be heard” and then acted upon by the receiver. Practice! Do some role plays to practice giving feedback effectively. Suggested techniques for sharing feedback Make it a conversation Ask THEM! Give the recipient an opportunity to evaluate themselves. Ask them what they think “worked well” and “what they’d do differently.” Don’t “blame.” Rather, position it as an opportunity for improvement (as all strive for, you included) Permission and Reflection: First ask permission to give feedback. Report behaviors and observed results. Then ask what they were trying to accomplish 2-way: feedback (‘criticism’) is a two-way process. It’s much better to ask questions and have people give themselves feedback (both motivational and developmental). Ask for input and listen to it! Replace “BUT” with “AND.” When you use a “but” you negate whatever came before. Critique the behavior/work not the person Criticize the performance and Praise the Performer (this was attributed to Zig Ziglar) (i.e. “your PPT contained all the relevant information” vs. “you did a great PPT”) Focus on “objective” comments, not “subjective.” Offer “observations,” not “judgments” Focus on the future Position feedback as opportunities for growth and improvement Feedback Cocktails Many feel this technique works well; others feel this technique is less effective, either because people see through the “Shit sandwich” (their word, not mine), or they only hear the positives. For this reason, this is probably less popular advice than the more conversational approach. 3+1 Model: Balance the “needs improvement” comments with a greater number of positive comments. Others say 3+1 might not be enough; maybe 5 + 1? Feedback Sandwich”: Sandwich your constructive feedback” between two statements about what’s being done well. Follow up by trying to catch them doing something good C.A.I.R. Model Provide CONTEXT: “In this morning’s meeting…”. State the ACTION: “…when you pounded your fist on the table…” Explain the IMPACT: “… it effectively shut down the conversation; people stopped contributing.” REQUEST a behavior: “In future meetings, if you are upset, I want you to talk to me after the meeting….” Afterward Ask for feedback on how your feedback was delivered – find out it if was “hearable” or how you might improve Ongoing Provide feedback regularly. Take time to give positive feedback too! Don’t make feedback an “event.” QUOTE Aristotle said in his The Nicomachean Ethics, “Anybody can become angry, that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way, that is not within everybody’s power, that is not easy.”

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a workshop on Learning and the Brain. It’s fascinating to learn from the brain scientists who study both the brain and its evolution over millions of years, to understand how we can make teaching and learning more effective. Following are some of the notes and key learning points I gathered while participating in a session conducted by David Sousa, author of How the Brain Learns. Brain Facts After 20-30 minutes of sitting, blood pools in your seat and your feet. The frontal lobe is the part of the brain that does the learning. We think better on our feet than seated because blood is circulating and activating the cerebrum and cerebellum. Movement lets you activate more information Teachers and Trainers are “Brain Changers.” When people learn, their brain actually, physically changes. Some are “slow learners” simply because they want to take more time to engage with the material The brain is hardwired to do 2 things: 1) keep the owner alive (reflexive survival instincts); 2) propagate (the reflexive instinct to gather emotional data to meet the other sex). People must feel 1) physically safe and 2) emotionally secure, before they can learn The capacity of our working memory is going down. According to multiple studies, we used to be able to remember 5-7 unrelated things; since 2005, it’s gone down to 3-4. The brain cannot multitask. We can only do two things at once if they use different parts of the brain. i.e. can’t rotate foot clockwise while drawing a figure 8 with your right finger. When a task is interrupted, and you go back to it, you have to build back up to your prior level of engagement and focus. (so, “multitasking” is less efficient) Imprinting from working memory to long-term memory happens more easily if the amygdala helps (emotional memory). To easily be encoded into long term memory, new information must make SENSE and be MEANINGFUL to the person.  Long-term memory encoding happens during REM SLEEP. For those who are sleep-deprived and have less REM sleep, the brain will have fewer opportunities to write information to long-term memory. For kids, in 8-9 hours, they’ll have 3-4 REM cycles Consider the brain impact of TESTING environments. Under stress, brain sends cortisol to the brain and the frontal lobe shuts down, so be aware that testing can impede learning. Four Rs: Reading, wRiting, aRithmatic, Recess! – recess boosts attention and academic performance! PE Recess because it is structured. Homework: elementary school – minimal or no benefit; middle school – minimal benefit; high school – decline in benefit if > 2hours. What DOES make a difference is FAMILY DINNER. Childhood is not something to “get through.” It has a purpose. Humans are immature for much longer than any other species. Having a long development time gives children time to adapt to whatever they’ll need to be. Tips Set expectations for interactivity: “you don’t want to sit for 8 hours and I don’t want you to either.” Use pencil and paper. Writing things down is a kinesthetic activity that helps you remember. “Get up and move” – at least 10 paces sends 15% more oxygen to the brain after 1 minute (this is why you stand up, walk away, and then hit your forehead and remember.) Try the Touch, Talk, Walk approach to have a meaningful conversation with someone. Walk while studying flashcards . . . it will help Think-Share-Pair Technique: Have learners write answers on their own. Stand up. Walk at least 10 paces. Find a partner. Discuss the question standing up. (don’t sit and turn to your partner). Give learners a worksheet and ask them to write down key points. As people gather from a break, tell a joke. As they gather, they’ll quiet down, and you’ll get them to laugh. Ask everyone to think about a question on their own before you ask for responses. Otherwise, people stop thinking Ask learners a personal question: What’s the best thing about your week so far? How are you feeling about the book? . . . then refer back and value those answers. Curriculum: Less is more. Shorter is better. Think of 2 20-minute sessions, not 1 40-minute. If people think mistakes yield judgment, they’ll resist making mistakes Must put learning in context for it to be memorable – RELEVANCY! Praise EFFORT NOT being “SMART” – smart is equated with natural ability

For a long time, I’ve been aware that Trainers don’t consider themselves Presenters. Whenever Trainers Warehouse tried to sell “presentation” products, our customers were clearly not into them. These days, as I’ve been attending a handful of conferences, I recognize that the corollary is also true — Presenters do not consider themselves Trainers. While both are trying to impart information, the goals and processes of training and presenting are quite different. I began digging a little deeper into the differences and found an article by Dr. Denise Meyerson, explaining key differences. Following is an excerpt: The Key Differences Between Presenting, Training and Facilitating “How do I know what skills sets I need to present, train or facilitate? What are the key differences between these methods?” This is a question that we are frequently asked by trainers, project managers and other senior team members. In an organisational context, these three areas do cross over fairly frequently and there are also some differences in terms of definition and application. Presenters Presenters have information and expertise They deliver in generally a one-way stream to an audience The skills sets they need revolve around use of voice, design of powerpoint sessions and body language Use of Powerpoint slides for greater effectiveness Facilitators Facilitators are not attached to an outcome They need to be able to use a series of different processes to address the content Their key area of expertise is using and applying the right processes with the group to achieve the agreed end result Trainers Trainers have a key role in enabling participants to come to their own conclusions about content Trainers need skills in a range of creative training techniques to ensure that change takes place in learners Trainers need skills in imparting knowledge that sticks with their participants and embeds into long terms memory In order to understand which skill set is required, you need to look at the ultimate outcome of what you want to achieve with your group.” by Dr Denise Meyerson The thing that’s most interesting to me is that so many presenters are satisfied with the one-way stream of communication. I wonder if it’s because of expectations, expertise, or available time. All of the brain research I’ve read suggests that people absorb information best if they participate and move around physically. So here we all are, subjecting ourselves and each other to presentation after presentation, when most of what we deliver or hear will be forgotten within a few weeks time.

I just came across this touching time management story. Although it’s all over the internet and I can’t figure out where it originated, I still like it! A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous “yes.” The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. “Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things–your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite passions–things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. “The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else; the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.” One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of beers.”

The Myth: The image Edgar Dale’s Cone of Learning is so tempting. For those of us who are advocates of active learning, it visually tells us that talking at people and lecturing, just isn’t enough. We do better as teachers and trainers if we let learners see, hear, experience, try and teach it back to others. But here are the problems with this model, first introduced by Dale in 1946: Somebody added those very neat percentages sometime later The model could never be substantiated by research findings It’s not so linear as presented – adding “hear and see” over “read” cannot be relied upon add to learning by another 10 or 20% The Mystique: Why do we like it so? The Metiri Group did a study that was commissioned by Cisco in 2008, called “Multimodal Learning Through Media: What the Research Says.” This meta-analysis examines the myth of The Cone and suggests, The person(s) who added percentages to the cone of learning were looking for a silverbullet, a simplistic approach to a complex issue. A closer look now reveals that one size does not fit all learners. As it turns out, doing is not always more efficient than seeing, and seeing is not always more effective than reading. Informed educators understand that the optimum design depends on the content, context, and the learner.” The paper goes on to explore types of memory, the science behind how people learn, the impact of “Interactive Multi-modal” learning over “Non-interactive Uni-modal” approaches, and concludes: The reality is that the most effective designs for learning adapt to include a variety of media, combinations of modalities, levels of interactivity, learner characteristics, and pedagogy based on a complex set of circumstances. In general, multi-modal learning has been shown to be more effective than traditional, uni-modal learning. Adding visuals to verbal (text and/or auditory) learning can result in significant gains in basic and higher-order learning. The meta-analytic findings in this report provide insights into when interactivity augments multi-modal learning of moderately to complex topics, and when it is advantageous for students to work individually when learning or building automaticity with basic skills.” Does the Pyramid point us in the right direction? Yes and No. This is the question that James Lalley and Robert Miller explore in their paper, “The Learning Pyramid: Does it Point Teachers in the Right Direction?” published in Education in 2007. After concluding that the Cone of Learning (with those percentages) cannot be proven, they move on to examine the more credible research available on these various learning methods. Though not intended to be comprehensive, they wished to determine if each of the identified methods do result in improved learning retention. No. . . After looking at each method in turn, direct instruction (lecturing), reading, audio-visual, demonstration, cooperative learning, practice by doing, and teaching other, they concluded: … use of each of the methods identified by the pyramid resulted in retention, with none being consistently superior to the others and all being effective in certain contexts. A paramount concern, given conventional wisdom and the research cited, is the effectiveness and importance of reading and direct instruction, which in many ways are undermined by their positions on the pyramid.” The key points here are: “Lecturing” does not fully encompass the Direct Instruction in which teachers now engage. Teacher-facilitated learning, has experienced a paradigm shift from “Sage on the Stage” to “Guide on the side,” whereby teachers incorporate active listening, coaching, mentoring and facilitation. Dale’s Cone of Learning does not adequately capture this new reality. “Reading” is now seen not only as an effective teaching method, but as the main foundation for becoming a life-long learner, and is therefore a critical component of a learning experience. And Yes. . . If we were to draw any conclusion based on the pyramid, it would be that the methods be thought of as on a continuum as opposed to in a hierarchy. . . . this returns us to the assertions of Dale (1946) and Dewey (1916) that for successful learning experiences, students need to experience a variety of instructional methods and that direct instruction needs to be accompanied by methods that further student understanding and recognize why what they are learning is useful.”  

I came across this joint report by the Human Capital Institute, FORUM for People Performance Management and Measurement, and IRF Incentive Research Foundation, which examines the correlation between employee recognition and improved job performance. Among the facts highlighted, this one stood out to me. It’s taken from the Tower Perrin Global Workforce Study in 2007-2008, in which 90,000 workers in 18 countries were surveyed. Organizations with high employee engagement had a 19% increase in operating income and a 28% increase in earnings per share. In contrast, companies with poor employee engagement scores had declining operating incomes and an 11% drop in earnings per share.” Employee Recognition Works! Here are some of the other high-level findings from the” Value and ROI in Employee Recognition Report,” published in 2009: Recent studies by Gallup, the Corporate Leadership Council, Towers Perrin and others show that recognition is highly correlated to improved employee engagement with both the employee’s work and organization. Increased employee engagement has a dramatic positive effect on improving job performance and capturing business value. Organizations actively seeking to improve employee engagement, including through the use of formal and informal recognition, financially outperform their competitors. Unlike compensation and incentive-based programs, recognition programs potentially can create a positive cycle of ever-increasing employee engagement and motivation, with resulting improvements in job performance related behaviors to optimum levels with a limited investment.” Top 5 Recognition Awards I also, found this 2011 Employee Recognition Trends report by World At Work’s quite interesting. Based on a survey of over 5,300 members, the types of items most frequently given as recognition awards include: Certificates and/or plaques Cash Gift Certificates Company logo merchandise Food For me, the moral of both reports is to keep recognizing our employees. It doesn’t take much . . . a word of kindness, a token of appreciation, a certificate, enrollment in a professional development experience . . . the important thing is that we do it!

Way back in 2012, in our LinkedIN group, Tanveer Dhillon asked, “How do you deal with a Super Know it All?” Our community rose to the challenge and offered some very rich advice. Most “liked” were Jeanne Etcheverry’s seven techniques. I think you found a good solution by involving other participants. It is an example of the trainer taking control of the learning experience. Here are some other ideas: Change your standard discussion technique by asking the students to write their short answers down before discussing the question. Then call on one person at a time. It’s not spontaneous but you regain control. And when your problem student violates that process, ask him/her to stop EACH time. You can use comments such as “Please remember I want you to wait to be called on”. The peer pressure and desire to conform may finally cause the behavior to cease. Tell the class that you want them to discuss the question, but “John” is going to review the discussion at the end & let us know if we’ve missed any points. It gives that person a chance to “show off” but still puts you in control of the discussion. In a similar situation I don’t hesitate to say “John, please don’t answer the question until the others have given their answers.” Then, pose the question. You’re not being unkind by providing direct feedback to John about the behavior you want. Create a contest like Jeopardy where partipants have to hit a buzzer (or simulate a buzzer) to be the first to answer. Create a round-robin where each person takes a turn to answer first. You might ask the problem person to facilitate the discussion. It’s way different to be a know-it-all than to be the person who helps others learn Don’t hesitate to ask them to leave since they’re disruptive. The inappropriate behavior is obvious to all involved. It’s up to the instructor to confront it, change the situation or everyone suffers from it. These all involve invoking the “power of the instructor” – and demonstrate effective communication techniques. Sometimes these folks can be quite a headache, but after a while you’ll have developed quite a repetoire of methods to handle the disruptions. Other highlights include: Be a continual student yourself Always being the student allows us to further our own knowledge. Continuing to learn and grow, without the attitude that you know it all is a message that you can share. The most successful people in life are those that keep learning and don’t get to a point where they know everything. You can start your training with this message, and pointing out the disadvantages of being the “know it all”, even before it happens (because there is always one in the room). Posted online by Debbie Ruston Address them at a break “As a general rule, I find it useful to manage difficult behavior by changing the activity or the training style for a while, as Jeanne has suggested, e.g. if someone is monopolizing a discussion, move to pair work or small group work or introduce an activity where people write their thoughts and share them around. This minimizes the impact of the behavior without you having to address it directly in the group. Challenging behavior in front of the group always carries a risk that it might become confrontational and the rest of the group can close ranks with the person you are challenging if they feel you have been too aggressive or unfair in your treatment. I have very occasionally suggested to someone that he might want to leave a course, perhaps if he really has had the training already and it is not a good use of his time. In a corporate situation, you would have to check the consequences of this – to yourself and to the participant. Posted online by Alan Matthews Kung Fu Approach Perhaps the greatest lesson can be derived from Kung Fu. The essence in Kung Fu lies in using your opponents strength and power against him. In a training environment, the idea would be to channel the I-Know-it-All’s (IKIA) knowledge and energy towards accomplishing the training objective. To do this we may follow the following steps: At a break, acknowledge and praise the IKIA for the immense knowledge he has gained Ask him how he came about such knowledge and listen carefully Win him over and make him understand how he can help with the training by considering and summarizing the points others have before he jumps in with his own. Posted online by Tanveer Dhillon Praise. Praise. Praise. In one session, I profusely thanked our Know-it-All for his insight and acknowledged the fact that he has attended similar program in the past and therefore had an advantage. After I kept praising him more and more, he suddenly lost interest. It may be worth a try. Posted online by Jagdish Bapat Ask them to elaborate…. I have found there are two types of KIA’s, the book learner and the actual user and you can usually spot them right off. I use both types to help get my point across. If they have actual experience I ask them to elaborate more on their experience, what the circumstances were and how they benefited from the skill. If they have only read about the skill or technique I thank them for the input and then ask the rest of the class if any of them have any real word experience and how they used or benefited by it. The book learner will usually quiet down if he knows there are others in the room with actual experience and the user will be more interested in how the others handled the same situation and let them talk. Posted online by Gary Brophy Write down answers Have participants write down answers (which allows the introverts more participation), then share with a buddy and then have the ‘buddy’ share verbally the other person’s content. Works every time. Posted online by Bob Freese Acknowledge over-enthusiasm Sometimes its just over-enthusiasm and I’ve used this approach with great success, “I am delighted that you are so engaged with this process and want to contribute, so please make a note of your queries and contributions as we go along and if we have time at the end we’ll address them” with a really warm, genuine smile…. does the trick really well! And personally I’d rather deal with an IKIA than indifference or apathy! Posted online by Pamina Mullins The apathetic duo One group I worked with had two members who lacked energy and enthusiasm, which had a negative impact on any other participants with whom they were grouped. Once I understood this, I decided to pair them together each time. After the third time they were paired, one of them noticed and asked why I was doing that. I answered, “whenever I put you in trios it transpired that six people didn’t do the exercise, even in pairs, four people didn’t do the exercise. I won’t ask people how they felt about that, but I decided that putting you together would respect your lack of energy and engagement, and give everyone else the chance to work with people who want to support each other’s learning! One of the pair said, “I resent that – you didn’t consult with us!” I replied, “Well, it is a consequence of your behaviour and I understand that you resent it. Please think about what would you like to happen while I explain the next exercise, then we’ll have a chat.” To cut the story short, I was able toacknowledge the very real change in both their attitudes and actions – and they gave me excellent feedback. Posted online by Michael Mallows

I always get excited when I find hard research that substantiates the use of stress-free learning. This time I hit a jackpot when I found JW Wilson’s, Cracking the Learning Code. JW Wilson is the Executive Director of The Advanced Learning Institute, an organization which researches, develops and implements scientific-based learning programs. JW is also the author of the soon-to-be-published book Cracking the Learning Code, the culmination of over 20 years of scientific research into how to accelerate the speed of learning and enhance its effectiveness. Studies Show Stress’ Negative Impacts on Memory and Intelligence The man who gave the world the conditioned response was also one of the first researchers to recognize the profound negative influence that stress has on the learning process. In 1924, during a major Leningrad flood, water surged high into Ivan Pavlov’s laboratory. The terrified dogs that Pavlov had spent weeks and months conditioning were trapped in their cages and had to paddle for their lives with their noses just barely above the high-water mark. After these animals were rescued, Pavlov was shocked to find that the stress of the flood had produced such profound changes in these animals’ brains that they had unlearned the conditioned responses he had worked so hard to implant! Recent research confirms Pavlov’s findings. Over 125 studies of more than 36,000 individuals have shown conclusively that the more stress you are under, the lower your memory performance, no matter how it is measured – by grade point average, IQ, or other forms of achievement tests. Dr. Bernard Brown of Georgetown University, studying over 4,000 students, found increased stress cut IQ scores by 14 percent. Researcher John Hunsley reports that the amount of stress you feel while taking a test directly predicts how poorly you will do on it. A study of 1,790 individuals training to be air traffic controllers showed that, even though these individuals had superior IQs, high stress disrupted their abilities to score well on air traffic tests. In a McGill University study, researchers checked stress hormone levels of 130 volunteers and found that high amounts of the stress hormone cortisol correlated with inhibited memory and attention. A survey of stressed and maltreated children showed that the rate for having to repeat the first grade was an incredibly sad 65 percent. These poor stressed-out kids just could not think or learn! Learning expert Gordon Stokes says, “80 percent of learning difficulties are related to stress, remove the stress and you remove the difficulties.” ~ JW Wilson, Advanced Learning Institute Thank for this rich information, Jack. Can’t wait for your book!

As much as I think this would help me, I think it’s a great reminder to facilitators and learners alike! The synopsis of this article on email comes from Kim Marshall’s synthesis in The Marshall Memo. “Every minute you spend on email is a minute you’re not devoting to doing something awesome,” says Central Connecticut State University professor Jason Jones in this thoughtful Chronicle of Higher Education article. “You’re not writing a new article or designing a new assignment or running a new experiment. You’re not jogging. You’re not playing with your kid. You’re not sleeping.” Not staying totally on top of e-mail won’t get you fired, he continues, but it can make us feel overwhelmed, stressed, and (ironically) disconnected. “We thought that the platforms and devices that make communication and access to information preposterously easy meant that we would be able to get our work done more efficiently,” says Jones. “And that might even be true. But just as we misjudged the theoretically paperless office that generates more paper waste than ever, we missed the fact that those devices would expand our work exponentially.” He isn’t saying we should trash our devices and stop using social media. Rather, he’s suggesting that we manage our expectations – and those of our colleagues and loved ones. His suggestions: • Chunk e-mail. “Keeping your e-mail up all the time, checking every few minutes for new messages, is a recipe for witless inattention,” says Jones. Process your e-mail in batches a few times a day – and don’t pick times of the day when you have lots of energy. Those times should be devoted to doing your real work. • Explain your expectations to others. If they don’t know about your chunking strategy, they’ll get upset if you don’t respond to e-mails immediately. • Turn off the ‘new message’ notifications on all your e-mail programs. “It doesn’t matter whether you have new mail, because you’ll be checking it in a few hours anyway,” says Jones. Getting buzzed every few minutes destroys concentration. • Use rules and filters to process your mail. It’s easy to set up a filter that will deal automatically with shipment notifications from Amazon and file interesting links for later reading (Instapaper does the latter). When he’s immersed in a project (for example, grading papers), Jones turns off all e-mail except for a special account that his wife uses. • Realize that few e-mails need a handcrafted response. “Text-expansion software (on a Mac, try Text Expander) is now sophisticated enough that you can save yourself a remarkable amount of time and energy in processing simple messages,” says Jones. • With social media, give yourself permission to miss stuff. This is not a “hanging crime,” he says. “The always-on mentality is not a culture that promotes the best work, which really ought to be our focus. When we pull back from our devices in order to engage more fully in our work, we’re not choosing ivory-tower withdrawal or faux-Luddite refusal. We’re helping to build a more tolerable, attention-friendly future.” “You’ve Got Mail. And Better Things to Do” by Jason Jones in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Aug. 10, 2012 (Vol. LVIII, #43, p. A53-54), no e-link available

I’m always intrigued by different methods of brainstorming. I always learned the cardinal rule: NO CRITICISM . . . Don’t start “evaluating” during a true brainstorm; let all ideas surface. Last November, however, Jena McGregor wrote an article “Why Brainstorming Doesn’t Work,” which was published in the Washington Post suggesting that there’s a better way to come up with new ideas. She said, Evidence has long shown that getting a group of people to think individually about solutions, and then combining their ideas, can be more productive than getting them to think as a group. Some people are afraid of introducing radical ideas in front of a group and don’t speak up; in other cases, the group is either too small or too big to be effective.” In a recent LinkedIN discussion, Todd Wilmore offers another fresh approach to brainstorming called Brain-Writing 6-3-5. Perhaps we should all give a few different methods a try to see what works best for our group. Brain-Writing 6-3-5 6 people write 3 ideas in 5 minutes. Each person has a blank 6-3-5 worksheet with three columns and six rows. Here’s how it works: Start with a statement of the Problem. Then ask everyone writes the same topic or problem statement at the top of their worksheet . Each person writes 3 ideas on the top row of the worksheet in 5 minutes in a short but complete sentence. When everyone is done, or after 5 minutes each person passes worksheet to the person to their right, who adds three more ideas. Keep going until the worksheet is finished. Now you have 108 ideas to evaluate together . Here is a link to a video that explains it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR1i1PPd8ZU Posted online by Todd Wilmore Wacky and Worst . . . We facilitate the generation of new ideas and are continually trying to get people out of their habitual thinking patterns. Two of “craziest” creative techniques we use are: worst idea — trying to generate bad ideas instead of good ones (and then finding something value/a trigger in the worst idea to inspire a good one.) wacky role play — examples: to invent a new laundry detergent, we had session participants role-play a day in the life of a sock. To generate a new make-up, we had participants imagine the unique make-up needs of a mermaid, a pioneer woman, a vampire, and an animated character. The animated character led to a very successful new product from Prescriptives: the idea of light-reflecting make-up called, appropriately enough, Magic. If you’re interested, There are more “crazy” techniques and examples of their successful application in my book, Idea Stormers (Wiley Jossey-Bass). Posted by Bryan Mattimore, Co-Founder, Chief Idea Guy @ Growth Engine the Innovation Agency   The Traditional Osborne Method Advertising Executive, Alex Osborne outlined the method in his 1953 book Applied Imagination. Focus on quantity: The assumption is that quantity breeds quality — the greater the number of ideas generated, the greater the chance of producing a radical and effective solution. Withhold criticism: Instead or criticizing others’ ideas, participants should focus on extending or adding to ideas, reserving criticism for a later ‘critical stage’ of the process. By suspending judgment, participants will feel free to generate unusual ideas. Welcome unusual ideas: To get a good and long list of ideas, unusual ideas are welcomed. They can be generated by looking from new perspectives and suspending assumptions. These new ways of thinking may provide better solutions. Combine and improve ideas: Good ideas may be combined to form a single better good idea. Other unusual techniques Song by Song We did a brainstorming exercise during which we played a new song every 3-5 minutes. Participants had to generate ideas that somehow related to that song (however tangentially). Having a different frame sometimes generated some crazy-great ideas, and it gave enough variety to have them continually thinking about the problem in a different way. Posted online by Missy Covington  

Hazel Taylor, an assistant professor at the University of Washington, wrote and published this article back in 2012. It’s a great collection of articles and reports about how the brain learns. The headlines include: More information doesn’t mean more learning The brain is a highly dynamic organ Emotion influences the ability to learn Mistakes are an essential part of learning The brain needs novelty Brains operate on the “use it or lose it” principle Learning is social Learning can change brain structure Here’s the complete blog post: When it comes to human organs, none is quite so mysterious as the brain. For centuries, humans have had numerous misconceptions and misunderstandings about how the organ works, grows, and shapes our ability to learn and develop. While we still have a long way to go before we truly unravel all the mysteries the brain has to offer, scientists have been making some major breakthroughs that have gone a long way in explaining both how the brain functions and how we use it to organize, recall, and acquire new information. Here, we list just a few of the biggest and most impactful of these breakthroughs that have contributed to our understanding of the science of learning. 1. More information doesn’t mean more learning. The brain is equipped to tackle a pretty hefty load of information and sensory input, but there is a point at which the brain becomes overwhelmed, an effect scientists call cognitive overload. While our brains do appreciate new and novel information, as we’ll discuss later, when there is too much of it we become overwhelmed as our minds simply can’t divide our attention between all the different elements vying for it. This term has become a major talking point in criticisms of multi-tasking and in the modern information-saturated online sphere, but the discovery of this cognitive phenomenon also has major implications for education. In order to reduce mental noise, teachers have had to take new approaches to presenting material, using techniques like chunking, focusing on past experiences, and eliminating non-essential elements to help students remember a large body of information. 2. The brain is a highly dynamic organ. Until the past few decades, people believed that the connections between the neurons in your brain were fixed by the time you were a teenager, and perhaps even earlier. One of the biggest breakthroughs in understanding the science of learning happened when scientists began to realize that this just wasn’t the case. In fact, the brain’s wiring can change at any age and it can grow new neurons and adapt to new situations, though the rate at which this happens does slow with age. This phenomenon is called neuroplasticity, and it has had major ramifications in our understanding of how the brain works and how we can use that understanding to improve learning outcomes. 3. Emotion influences the ability to learn. The ability to learn, retain, and use information isn’t just based on our raw IQs. Over the past few decades it has become increasingly clear that how we feel and our overall emotional state can have a major impact on how well we can learn new things. Educational situations where students feel stressed, shamed, or just uncomfortable can actually make it more difficult for them to learn, increasing negative emotions and sparking a vicious cycle that may leave some children reluctant to attend class. Research is revealing why, as the emotional part of the brain, the limbic system has the ability to open up or shut off access to learning and memory. When under stress or anxiety, the brain blocks access to higher processing and stops forming new connections, making it difficult or impossible to learn. It may seem like common sense that classrooms should be welcoming, non-stressful environments, but different students have different triggers for negative emotional states, making it key for educators to watch for signs that indicate this in students. 4. Mistakes are an essential part of learning. Failure is a dirty word in most aspects of modern American society, but when it comes to the science of learning, research shows that they’re essential. A recent study found that students performed better in school and felt more confident when they were told that failure was a normal part of learning, bolstering a growing body of research that suggests much of the same. Much like it takes multiple tries to get the hang of riding a bike or completing an acrobatic feat, it can also take multiple tries to master an academic task. Neuroscience research suggests that the best way to learn something new isn’t to focus on mistakes but instead to concentrate on how to do a task correctly. Focusing on the error only reinforces the existing incorrect neural pathway, and will increase the chance that the mistake will be made again. A new pathway has to be built, which means abandoning the old one and letting go of that mistake. This idea has formed the basis for a growing debate about education in American schools, which many believe doesn’t allow children to embrace creativity and problem solving as they are too focused on memorization and test scores. 5. The brain needs novelty. Turns out boredom really can kill you, or at least your will to pay attention and learn. Repetition may have its place in learning, but what the brain really craves is novelty. Researchers have found that novelty causes the dopamine system in the brain to become activated, sending the chemical throughout the brain. While we often regard dopamine as the “feel good” chemical, scientists have shown that it actually plays a much bigger role, encouraging feelings of motivation and prompting the brain to learn about these new and novel stimuli. This breakthrough has led to some major changes in how we think about learning, and has motivated many schools to embrace learning methods that cater to our brains’ need for new and different experiences. 6. Brains operate on the “use it or lose it” principle. There’s a reason that you forget how to speak a language or work out a trigonometry problem if you don’t use those skills regularly. Information in the brain that isn’t used is often lost, as neural pathways are weakened over time. Research has found that the brain generates more cells than it needs, with those that receive both chemical and electrical stimuli surviving and the rest dying off. The brain has to receive regular stimulation through a given pathway in the brain to sustain those cells, which is why lifelong learning is so important to brain health. These findings also have implications for vacations in K-12 education as well, as students who don’t get intellectual stimulation over the summer are much more likely to forget important skills in reading and math when they return to class. 7. Learning is social. While some select individuals may learn well cloistered in a library with a stack of books, the majority of people need a social environment to maximize their learning. Research has found that from infancy on, people learn better through social cues, much more easily recalling and emulating the actions or words of another human. Aside from social cues, socialization has been shown to have other learning benefits. Peer collaboration offers students access to a diverse array of experiences and requires the use of nearly all the body’s senses, which in turn creates greater activation throughout the brain and enhances long-term memory. Group work, especially when it capitalizes on the strengths of its members, may be more beneficial than many realize, both for teachers and their students. 8. Learning can change brain structure. Brain structure and function are intertwined, and you can’t improve one without taking the other into consideration. Yet, in years past, most ideas about learning ignored ways that the brain’s structure itself could be modified, instead focusing on brain function or the brain’s output. The reality is that brain function can only be changed through changing brain structure, which is actually less complicated than it sounds. For example, brain cells fired up during both perception and action overlap in people, and lessons that engage both allow students to more easily identify with their teachers and to learn concepts more quickly, as their brain cells are getting twice the attention and workout. In fact, any new information, if used enough, can modify the structure of the brain, something educators and neuroscientists are just starting to fully explore.

I’ll say it again. I love the Olympics! I love watching the athletes’ concentration, performance, and emotions. I’m fascinated by how the human body adapts to different sports. I wonder at that commitment and training it takes to become an Olympic athlete. I’ve also thought about all of the positive learning attributes are associated with the Olympics and considered what we could do in our training centers to build off the energy, excitement, and excellence of the games. How can we bring Olympics-Inspired Learning into our training rooms and classrooms? NOTE: The Tokyo 2021 Summer Games have inspired me to update the post! To me, the Olympic spirit symbolizes these winning (and classroom-appropriate) qualities: Hard work Persistence Determination Mental and Physical health So the question is, how can we bring the Olympic spirit into the classroom? Olympics-Inspired Learning — Get in the spirit! Go ahead and play the Olympic Fanfare to energize your group. Olympics-Inspired Icebreaker Questions If you could do one Olympic sport, which would it be and why? If you could view any Olympic event live, which would it be? What would be the best thing and worst thing about training for the Olympics? If you could invent an Olympic event (sport) that doesn’t yet exist, what would it be? Olympics-Inspired Training Activities  Go for the Gold – Create a series of questions. Start with “Olympic Trials” and gradually work up to the final event. Award your Gold, Silver, and Bronze medalists. The Olympics Commentator – Challenge teams to come up with an Olympic-style Commentary on their interaction with your course content. They can discuss how they got started with the material; where they ran into adversity; how they overcame it; what led to their success. Leadership and Coaching – Discuss what makes Olympic coaches effective. How do they respond to their athletes when they succeed? Do coaches respond differently when the athletes don’t perform at their best? How do they prepare them for adversity? Team Excellence – Ask the group to reflect on high-performing Olympic teams. What makes them successful. The Google Project Aristotle study, suggests that team performance is more about “psychological safety” than having the top-performing individuals on the team? Is the same true in the Olympics? How did gymnast Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from certain events affect the success of the team?  

About a month ago, Vesna Sodnik asked this question on our Effective and Fun Training Techniques LinkedIN group. She was looking for ways to manage the “know-it-all” participants. Here are a few of the suggestions that were shared online, which capture the breadth, diversity, and wisdom of our community. Thanks to all who contributed to this discussion! Volunteer – Vacationer – Prisoner Ask participants to categorize themselves and identify whether they are a: Volunteer (Wanted to attend) Holiday Maker (Being here is better than normal work activity) Prisoner (My Boss made me come and I don’t wanna be here if given the choice / I know this already) Split the class into these 3 groups and get them to write on butchers paper what they would like to gain from you or what they can contribute to make the session as enjoyable and beneficial to them as you possibly can. I try involving the participant and tap on their experience – explain a concept and then reference to the ‘troublemaker’ and say what are your thoughts on this, John? The feeling of self-importance usually brings them back in line and they look at you an ally rather than the competition, resulting in an immediate change in behavior. Posted online by Reyna Mendes (and Robert “Alan” Black – who added “Visitor” to the list) Sama-Dana-Bheda-Danda In the Indian culture we have an approach in dealing with people in all areas of our life. The approach has four paths — Sama, Dana, Bheda and Danda — all were the political methodologies prescribed in ancient times and were to be contemplated. First is Sama: political conciliation, a humane approach such as an appeal with logic or reason. Second is Dana: a sacrifice or a gift or an incentive Third, Bheda: selective discrimination/differentiation Finally Danda: punishment This is a 5000-year-old recipe from India. Management experts have found this to be true now! Here’s what it might look like within the context of the classroom. Take each of the techniques in consecutive steps: ‘Sama’ – Coax and cajole to bring about the change in that participant’s behavior. If he doesn’t budge, then use the second technique, ‘Dana’ Gives an incentive or /gift/souvenir in the sense of taking his version. Allow him to talk, give him space to express, etc.If this also fails, use the third, ‘Bheda’ -making discrimination. Treat the arrogant participant as a special person and hold out a threat. It could be a warning or an indication that something unwanted may happen if proper steps are not taken to bring about a conciliation. In other words, they will have to face consequences if they do not stop their behavior. When all these are exhausted and nothing works, the fourth and last is show him ‘Danda’- ultimate punishment which he richly deserves when all other methods fail to contain him inside the classroom. Show him the door to exit! Simply, ask him to leave. This methodology has stood the test of time for more than thousands of years! Posted online by both Sai Bhupalam and Subramanyam Jambunathan The story of unexpected influence I recently spoke to a class that I was warned might be hostile. I began the class with a story of how a young lady had acted like a jerk around me. I explained, “What she still doesn’t know is that I later had an opportunity to influence a hiring decision in which she was a candidate.” (The moral of the story: your behavior has consequences.) Posted online by Walter Boomsma Boxes of Hope, Fear and Contribution In the beginning of a session, Draw a picture of 3 boxes or you bring 3 boxes and name them: Hope, Fears, and Contribution. Ask each participant to write on 3 pieces of paper: 1) what s/he hopes to gain from attending this course; 2) fears in attending the session; 3) a contribution they hope to share. Have them put their papers in the boxes where you can read, summarize, and try to respond to all of their expectations. Posted online by Roy Abou-Habib Positive Peer Pressure It’s amazing what happens when people who want to be there or who want the training and are not able to engage effectively; they get fed up with “the wise guy.” Group Discussion: Let these folks help you by formally or informally facilitating a group discussion about ground rules. Just before a break (scheduled or not) ask the group three questions: What’s one thing I can do more, better, or differently as the trainer to make this training more effective as we continue? What one thing you can do as a participant more, better, or differently to get more from this training? What is one thing you would ask your team to do (more, better, or differently) to make the day effective? Team Up: If I need to create small groups for an exercise, I’ll ensure that the “wise guy” ends up in a group with two strong and positive people. They will typically tell him/her the behavior is inappropriate and to tone it down. Use the comments: Lastly, I try to take whatever the wise guy says -even the barbs and quips, acknowledge them, and then bridge them to something “positive” or somewhere I want to go. I know sometimes this can make it seem like I am giving him or her power, but actually, I believe ( and have been told) it is a great demonstration for people in the room of how to handle issues that happen when they are challenged at presentation. Posted online by Ellen Simes

A long long time ago, Trainers Warehouse used to sell humongous nine-inch dice as a training tool. The product lost popularity, probably because they were a little too big, but the notes we created back then on ways to use dice in training still offer some good ideas. When I saw a question posted on LinkedIN about “Activities using dice,” I decided to dig through the archives and find those old notes. I’ll continue to add new ideas as they’re shared. Some of the the ideas shared below would require customizable dice. 1) Game Board Advancer Toss die to generate the number of spaces to advance on a game board. For this use, you might number the writeable card sections from 1 to 4 and then include one or two spaces that say “Back one space” or “Advance 2 spaces.” 2) Game Points Awarder Toss die to determine how many points the next question will be worth. Using this method, you can either have players advance this number of spaces on a game board, or simply tally the number of points each team accumulates. For added fun, label one section “Double the points of your next toss.” 3) Question Selector When playing a question-and-answer game, toss die to select which category of questions to ask each group. The die toss determines the topic from which the question will be asked. If the team responds correctly, points are added to their tally. If they respond incorrectly, points will be deducted. To add additional excitement, add either a “Bonus” question category – valued at double point value – or “Lose a turn.” Another variation is to add “Pass” cards. Simply hand out 2 “Pass” cards to each team. If a team decides to use one of these cards, they do not have to respond to the question and risk losing points. Instead, they can choose a competing team to pass along the question. The receiving team will have points awarded or deducted, depending on the quality of their response. 4) Prize Winner Selector Assign each player a number or use a numbered roster that has been copied to a transparency and can be projected on your training wall. For this application, you would create as many “write-able cards” as you have players. If you have multiple prizes, divide your group into teams and select one team to receive the grab bag of prizes. 5) Contestant Selector Toss die to select a player or a team to answer a question or complete a task. Simply assign numbers to each participating member or team. 6) Time Selector Toss die to select the amount of time teams have to complete a task or the amount of minutes of the next class break. 7) Letter Selector Toss die to select a letter from the alphabet. Allow the tossing team to pick a discussion topic that begins with this letter. (Option: Use a second tosser to determine how many minutes will be spent on this topic.) The group that “got” the letter will either lead a discussion on that topic or present their thoughts on that topic. 8) Discussion Starter Create a toss die with six of your own topics for discussion. Toss die to select which topic will be discussed. Alternatively, prepare a set of 10 to 12 questions for each topic. Then, divide the group into teams and let each team toss the die to determine which question category they must answer. If they respond correctly they get to advance 1 space on the board or receive a designated number of chips or points. If they respond incorrectly, this completes their turn. Consider “upping the ante” by designating a number of points for each question, depending on its difficulty. 9) Scenario Creator This application requires 2 Dice.For die 1, prepare a range of ‘subjects’ such as: customer, manager, client, etc.For die 2, prepare a range of ‘issues’ such as: invoice, performance appraisal, delivery date, progress report, co-worker, etc.Then have a team toss each die to select and report on their random scenario. All of the above is © Trainers Warehouse. Written by Susan Doctoroff Landay, 1998. 10) Selling Skills Activity Prasad Narayan Susarla offered these additional suggestions. I use dice in communication and selling skills training effectively. Give a dice to the participants and ask them to roll the dice to draw a 6. Let them record the number of attempts they needed to roll a 6. Continue this activity for a couple of minutes to average out the number of attempts needed. (I run this for 5 minutes Ask them what it would take to improve their chances of rolling a 6 in lesser attempts. List out their thoughts on a flip chart. Now hand them another dice and repeat the exercise and let them find if their chances of rolling a 6 have improved. After 3 minutes, record their findings. Ask them once again what would it take to further improve their chances of rolling a 6 in fewer attempts. This time, the obvious answer would be another dice. Hand over another dice and let them find how drastically their chances of rolling a 6 has improved. Debrief for Communication Skills: Each dice represents a word. Increasing your vocabulary gives one the power and choice of using the right/appropriate word (rolling a 6) to communicate effectively. Debrief for Selling Skills : The more number of customer calls one makes (each dice representing a customer call) the better are ones chances of closing a sale (rolling a 6).  

When I read this idea I was struck by how versatile it could be. A great way to get your group up and moving, getting to know one another, and digging into their goals or the session content. The idea is that participants create a paper aircraft. They write their name on one wing and a question or expectation on the other wing (you can tailor this to your workshop needs). The idea was posted on the “Effective and Fun Training Techniques” LinkedIN group by Nandini Nayar Sharma. The Take-Off Have the group sit in any classroom formation you like. Give them each a sheet of paper and ask them to fold their sheet into a paper airplane or aircraft. Then have them write their name on one wing, and on the other, they could write one question or expectation pertaining to the program they’re attending. Now tell the class to get their aircraft ready for take off and blow the whistle. They need to fly their planes towards each other making sure it’s not a short flight to the guy next door. It’s fun to watch the planes go all over the place, crashing, lifting up high etc. Next, explain that this was a test flight and everyone needs to pick up one aircraft each again, and this time the take-offs must be simultaneous. You can get them to do this 3 -5 times. Creates a bit of buzz and laughter in the room. Each person reads out the name and question on the aircraft and you get to the who’s who. As a trainer, you can either manage the expectations through this activity or get the aircraft fixed on the walls with blutack, informing the class that we will come back to base (the wall) during and at the end of the workshop and answer the questions asked. This helps review the learning and how well the participants have absorbed concepts etc. Another “take” on the Take-Off exercise would be to have folks write reinforcement questions on the second wing. When participants pick up an aircraft they can read off the name, question, and give their answer. If they can answer correctly, they get a point; or they can hand it off to the group for a discussion.

In our LinkedIN group, Effective and Fun Training Techniques, Noreen Clifford recently posed a question about competitive games: Here’s a challenge! I’m looking for a 5 minute competitive exercise that gets people working together, but also challenges them. So many great ideas have come from the discussion, that I wanted to collect them and make them more available for our reference. Many thanks to all who contributed! Competitive Games for Teams and Workplaces Helium Stick This is quick activity that promises to be fun. I usually break my groups into two teams to add the element of competition. The challenge if for teams to rest a long thin plastic rod on every participant’s index fingers and slowly lower the stick to the ground. If anyone loses contact with the rod, the group must begin again. Although these can be hard to travel with, Helium Sticks that fold down like a tent pole are available from Trainers Warehouse. Alternative: As an alternative to helium stick you can use hula hoops. The dynamic is different because they face each other. I try to have 6 or 7 per hoop and of course, you can get the hoops anywhere. Posted online by Larry Riggs Alternatively, you can look for 2-6′ plastic rods used to hold balloons at a party supply store] Posted online by Tammy Rahamut Missing Piece Get a fairly simple picture and photocopy it onto a fairly heavy card. On the back draw random lines to make a homemade jigsaw of 7 to 9 pieces. They should each be different having unique pieces. Cut up the pieces, then take the middle piece from each jigsaw and swap them so that none of the pictures will quite work out. Put each jigsaw in a zip lock bag. Either in teams or as individuals it is a race to see who completes theirs first. Eventually, they realize that they have to ask others to find their missing piece. Posted online by Dorothy Persic Human Knot Have two groups of 8-10 people stand in a circle shoulder to shoulder. They all reach their right hand into the circle and grab someone else’s hand (WHO’S NOT STANDING NEXT TO THEM)… Then do the same with the left hand-the left hand must grab someone different than the right hand. Then the exercise is to get untangled without letting go of one another’s hands. If you pit two teams against each other and see who can do it fastest, it quickly builds in some competition. You can have the groups do it twice. The first time around, have them do the exercise without speaking. Then let them do it using words. It’s a great example of communication, team building, and leaders emerge as well. You can also see who is more strategic in their thinking and who is more tactical. Posted online by Beth Standlee Photo Finish I found this one in Feeding the Zircon Gorilla . All you need is a rope for the Finish Lin and maybe a Polaroid or Digital Camera (optional). The objective is for everyone on the team to cross the finish line at exactly the same time. Instructions: Everyone must start behind the starting line and go toward the finish line and cross the finish line at exactly the same time. If someone finishes before or after anyone else, the whole team tries again from behind the starting line. The team has an unlimited number of tries.Teams like it because it shows how we can think the task is so simple and we can get it done without much fuss; yet, that tricky human stuff gets in the way. I’ve always had a rich debrief at the end of this exercise. Posted online by Bill Woodruff Get them to Draw it — Discover assumptions Give one person a piece of paper that has a circle, a square, and a triangle drawn on it touching each other. Be sure to hold the paper so that the group cannot see what is on it. Tell that person their task: to get the group to draw what’s on the paper without using words to describe a shape (such as circle, square, box, triangle, pyramid etc.) After a few minutes of them being unsuccessful, take the drawing and turn to the group, show them the paper, and say “Draw this.” This demonstrates that we all bring assumptions based on past experiences to current tasks, which can impede our success. (I never said the group couldn’t be shown the paper) Posted online by Bruce Cooper Another variation: Draw random shapes on a page (squares, triangles, oblongs – doesn’t matter). Have some of the shapes touch each other, intersect, run parallel, different sizes etc. – you can let your imagination run wild. Don’t make it too simple and put a couple of unusual shapes in there too. Pair everyone off and have them sit back to back. Give one of the pair the page with the shapes and the other a blank piece of paper and a pen. The mission is for the person with the blank piece of paper to replicate the shape drawing as accurately as possible.The pairs can’t look at each other during the exercise – all they have are their voices and they can speak freely to each other during the exercise – ask each other questions etc. Give them 5-10 minutes only. Very few pairs manage to get the picture exactly right and some very funny results emerge! This exercise generates some great discussion around the importance of listening skills, questioning skills, paraphrasing, interpretation, giving accurate instructions, having a clear voice, etc. It’s particularly effective for staff who customarily talk to customers over the phone. Posted online by Sharon Ritchie Object memory Create a list of at least 30 words. They can be words related to your topic, or just random words of things (iPod, pencil, cell phone, candy, rock, etc.). Project the list on the screen, give everyone 1 minute to remember as many words as they can. After 1 minute, hide the list on the screen and ask people to write down as many words as they remember. See who can remember the most. Next ask people to share their list with one or two other people to come up with a master list. They will quickly see they remember more words when they collaborate. Debrief and discuss assumptions about working individually vs. collaborating. Posted online by Barbi Honeycutt, Ph.D. Arm Wrestle In this quick and easy activity, pairs are set up in what looks like an arm wrestle challenge. It’s up to each team of players whether they approach it as a “wrestle” or as an opportunity to create more value for both. The debrief uncovers our tendency to make assumptions and approach negotiations as a win-lose game. More here… Group Juggling Maybe you could shorten this one to five minutes. Start with one ball, in groups of 7 or more (I’ve done it with 19), ideally an odd number. Groups of five will make it much easier and quicker, for reasons you’ll see below. The challenge is to figure out a way to keep as many balls in the air as possible. As soon as they add a second ball, they’ll see the need to communicate and problem-solve. At some point, two balls will come to the same person. Setting the rule that you can’t throw to the person next to you, how many balls can the group juggle? Throwing and catching one ball with two hands, the group should be able to keep the same number in the air as the number of the people in the group (plus one, if they don’t through simultaneously). Here’s the most common “solution” to maximizing the number of balls in the air:1) They figure out that they have to throw to the same person every time, then2) They figure out they need to keep their eyes on the person throwing to you, then3) They may figure out that the optimum path of the ball is a star pattern, although I’ve seen overlapping loops (especially a group with even numbers of jugglers). Pit groups against each other. Typically the group that listens and integrates ideas well beats a group with a dominant “leader”, just as in the knot exercise. Posted online by James Foley You’re listening . . . are you paying attention? After people have been working together for a while I ask them to stand back to back and describe what the other is wearing. It creates a lot of energy and laughing because they realise that although they have been in a workshop for an hour or longer, they haven’t really paid attention to or observed others properly. It takes only a couple of minutes but feedback is good. Posted online by Heather McLaughlin Alphabet Exercise Allocate a number of letters of the alphabet to each group. Give them 5 minutes to point to as many objects in the room as possible, which begin with one of their allocated letters. With no real rules, you’ll find that people get very creative. They’ll bring items in from outside the room, point to body parts, empty handbags, etc. Creates great energy and fun. Posted online by Noreen Clifford Create an advertisement Divide the participants into groups of four or five. Each group is given some unusual product for which they must create an advertisement. Time for preparation is about five minutes. Then they come together to design a script and decide their roles. It creates a lot of fun. I often amaze at their creativity. Posted online by Suresh Kumar Assemble the quote Preparation: For a group of 30 people, print 5 or 6 quotes or phrases on a paper (i.e. Face that launched a thousand ships; Fools rush in where angels fear to tread; Picture is worth a thousand words; Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely; etc.) and cut that printed paper so that each word of each phrase is a separate piece of paper. Fold up each of these 30 or so bits of paper and give one to each participant. Activity: When you say “go,” have everyone simultaneously open their folded paper, then move around the room and find other words related to a possible phrase, from people in the room and try to complete the phrases. When they have feel they created a phrase, they can check in with the facilitator. This involves people to suddenly get energized, both in mind and body. Posted online by Vikas Chandwani Teach a dance step For any “working together” exercise I split into teams (minimum of 3 participants in each team) and get them to teach each other a dance step (each team has a different step). Really easy stuff, gets them working and to a deadline. They have to rotate the teacher to the other teams so in the end they all know all of the steps. People love it. If you have anyone with a disability they can still do it with verbal instruction or make them all teach it with verbal instruction only, it’s even funnier! Posted online by Jane Bowen Human Pipeline I just facilitated “Pipeline Challenge” for a team of 14. Split the group into two teams of 7. Give a golf ball, plus 4 or 5 “pipe” sections (if you don’t want to purchase half pipes, you can use folded cardboard and some mailing tubes) to each team. Each team had to get the ball through the pipe from point A to B, which should be a distance larger than the sum of the pipe sections. To accomplish this, each person must hold a piece of the pipe at least once and they can’t stop the ball once it begins moving. (To complete the task, team members have to figure out how to pass pipe pieces down the line so the ball can keep moving). Then I had them join up as one group, took out a few pipe pieces, and had them try it as a unified team. The activity brings up a lot of good points on how to communicate (effectively or poorly, depending on how they did), and how to identify and handle stress. They find all kinds of analogies with work (i.e. “keep the ball moving,” “know what’s coming down the pipe,” etc. View versions of it on YouTube. Posted online by Sapna Padte Knot or No Knot I use a 20′ blue and white rope but you can use a single color and a different length. When the group is not looking or before they arrive I put the rope in a lump on the floor. The object is to get the group to make a unanimous decision. When they pull the ends there will be a knot or not? In almost every case there will be those who feel strongly one way or another. One very important part is to have the group decide on a consequence if they get it wrong. Make it something silly but something they really don’t want to do. If any feel strongly but decide to go along with the group that’s when I start with the questions. “What if I gave you the final say? Would you still go along with the group? What if the consequence was severe? What would it take to get you to stand your ground?” With rope games, the supplies are inexpensive and the possibilities are endless. With the right questions, you can produce some great processing opportunities. Posted online by Larry Riggs Seeing the Point In the Seeing the Point puzzle each individual or small team has 7 pieces and is simply asked to create a number of identical shapes using the components supplied. The first few are relatively easy, but getting that last shape requires creativity and collaboration, as it can only be made once players look at the “negative space” between two shapes. The exercise brings to life a common issue facing many teams –being asked to do more with less, and then hearing “it can’t be done!” from your team members. It’s also an interesting and engaging way of introducing the concepts of ‘alignment’ and ‘synergy’: the solution to the puzzle is a visual representation of ‘doing more with less’. Posted online by Susan Landay

Last week, as a member of the National E-tailing and Mailing Organization of America (NEMOA), I conducted a breakfast roundtable for a group of small business owners. Typically at breakfast roundtables, you sit with one table of eight to ten people and stay there for the duration of the event. You are only privy to the conversation at your own table. I wanted to create an environment where people could engage in discussions around several topics, meet more people, and get the highlights of what others had talked about at the other tables too. And just like that, the “Roundtable Roulette,” an amazing, fluid, content-relevant, large group icebreaker, was born. Roundtable Roulette Preparation: My first question was about what topics to cover. To answer this question, I sent out a survey before the event, asking several questions about the top issues facing this group of small business owners. With the data, I was able to devise spot-on table topics and create table signage in advance. Facilitation: I began by presenting the results of the survey and highlighting some of my observations (while they ate breakfast). Next, I explained how the “roulette” would work and introduced the topics in the following manner: Explanation Tell participants they will have 10 minutes (or 15 minutes — I found 10 to be a little brief) at each of 2 (or 3) tables of their choice. Explain that participants will have three tasks: 1) quickly introduce themselves; 2) select a note-keeper; 3) discuss challenges and best practices regarding their topic. Let folks know they will repeat this process 2 or 3 times, and that all discussion highlights will be shared at the end of the session. (Don’t forget to equip note-takers with flip charts, tabletop easels, index cards, or note pads). Review the table topics. If you come prepared with too many, quickly survey the group by a show of hands to find out which are most popular. Table Topic Discussions For the first round, have folks stay at the table where they ate, and tell them to begin. Be sure to announce time as it’s running down, so they can plan accordingly. Alert the group when time is up, and instruct them each to find a new table. When all are settled into their new tables, have them begin their roundtable — intros, note-keeper selection and discussion. If time allows, repeat for a third round. Review At the end of the session, go topic-by-topic and have note-keepers (or other participants), share the best practices and suggestions. Record these on a flip chart, take notes, or collect the notes, so that you can circulate them later. Notes and Facilitation Options Be sure to gauge your group as the roundtable is going on. You won’t know how they are doing unless you walk around and listen in. You may need to adjust the time up or down depending on how long the “quick” introductions take. If folks are having trouble moving from “challenges” to “solutions” You might also need to specifically ask groups to come up with 3 concrete suggestions. You might also choose to have tables record their suggestions on a flip chart, tabletop whiteboard, or on index cards, so they can more easily be shared later.