Interactive Training and Teaching Strategies

Day 1 – An Introduction to the Design and Delivery of Learning Activities

Benefits. Do you have a love-hate relationship with games and activities? Relax! This workshop demonstrates how to encourage your participants to interact with each other, with the training content, and with you, the facilitator. You begin the design part of the session by exploring 60 different interactive strategies. You learn to rapidly create five of these powerful strategies. In the facilitation part of the session, you learn how to conduct these interactive exercises without losing control, wasting time, and being attacked by participants.

Objectives. Experience, select, create, and modify these types of training games

1. Openers (that set the right tone for your session)

2. Structured Sharing activities (that tap upon the wisdom of groups)

3. Interactive Lectures (that add interaction to reinforce expert presentations)

4. Textra Games (that are built around reading materials)

5. Jolts (that last for less than 3 minutes and provide powerful insights)

6. Closers (that bring your session to a meaningful conclusion)

Use flexible facilitation techniques that creatively blend such opposites as playfulness and seriousness, competition and collaboration, and action and reflection.

Transform participants from hell to your supportive allies.

Maximize reflection and insights through systematic debriefing.

Day 2 – How To Design and Use Different Types of Training Games and Learning Activities

Benefits. Can you count the benefits of using games and activities in your training sessions? Here’s a sample list: Games and activities attract and maintain the interest of the new generation that is entering the workplace in greater numbers. They cater to different types of intelligence and learning styles. They blend education and entertainment to keep participants engaged. They utilize the proven advantages of active participation. As they provide frequent opportunities for practice and feedback, they produce performance-based learning outcomes. They capture the advantages of teamwork and collaborative learning. They transform trainers into facilitators.

If you agree with all these statements but you are daunted by the delusion that it requires a lot of skills and time to design training games and learning activities, wait until you experience Thiagi’s framegame approach: How to design an effective training game in a matter of minutes.

Objectives. Explain the key characteristics, advantages, and limitations of games and activities in corporate training.

Identify the most appropriate type of training game to match the needs of specific performance objectives and participant characteristics.

Experience, explore, design, develop, evaluate, revise, and conduct these types of training games: 1. Board Games; 2. Card Games; 3. Improv Games; 4. Instructional Puzzles

Master and apply additional principles and procedures for designing these types of training games: 1. Closers 2. Interactive Lectures 3. Openers 4. Structured Sharing 5. Textra Games

Day 3 – How To Design and Use Different Types of Simulation Games

Benefits. Can you provide real-world learning opportunities – without incurring the risks and costs associated with them? Yes, you can – by using simulations. As simulation activities are very similar to on-the-job training, they ensure effective transfer and application of what you learn in the workshop to the work place. Simulation games provide immediate and realistic feedback. They reduce the risk to the players. Any inappropriate decision or action during the play results in negative consequences – but only in a make-believe environment. Simulation games also provide opportunities for repeated practice. You can discover important principles and practices through trial-and-error experimentation. Different types of effective simulation activities that focus on selected aspects of reality. This workshop provides you with skills associated with the design and delivery of a variety of simulation games.

Objectives. Experience, explore, design, develop, evaluate, revise, and conduct these types of simulation games: 1. Cash Games; 2. Interactive Stories; 3. Production Simulations; 4. Reflective Teamwork Activities; 5. Roleplaying; 6. Simulations with Playing Cards

The eight different ways of how people learn in our training sessions leverage multiple intelli­gences and cater to different learning styles:

1. Learn from experience. The workshops feature effective and enjoyable training games and learning activities.

2. Listen to interactive lectures. Our presentations are interspersed with interactive inter­ludes.

3. Learn by doing. Our approach to activity-based learning ensures that you are able to use the techniques immediately.

4. Learn by reflecting. We use effective debriefing techniques to help you reflect on your experiences, gain valuable insights, and share them with each other.

5. Learn from each other. Our activities incorporate the power of mutual learning among collaborative teams.

6. Learn from the website. The website www.thiagi.com contains 200 ready-to-use training games and 2000 pages of practical advice.

7. Learn something new every month. As a participant our workshops, you receive a monthly online newsletter with new games and tools.

8. Learn continuously. We continue interacting with our participants through regular online activities.

Participants will be confronted with an outstanding unique training experience. These can be described via five features:

1. Accelerated. We keep the participants totally absorbed with a unique blend of expert presentations, reflective discussions, and creative activities.

2. Functional. We use the techniques that we teach. Just by watching us in action, participants pick up several effective strategies.

3. Authoritative. We know what we are talking about. Our workshops are based on sound theory, validated principles, and solid experience.

4. Practical. We have spent decades in organizational firing lines. We empower participants with realistic tools and techniques for immediate use in today’s workplace.

5. Fun. Our contagious enthusiasm, inclusive humour, and irreverent flexibility make participants enjoy every moment of the workshop.