Mark's Contributions to Thiagi's GameBlog
Facilitating Street-Smart Performance
Searching in All the Wrong Places
Avoid the Irrelevant and Boring Icebreakers
Free Activities for Trainers and Presenters
Whaddaya Know?
Opener/Assessment
At the beginning of a training module, introduce the topic you're about to address. Ask participants to find a partner and take 2 minute to identify 3-5 things they already know about the topic.
Once they have done so, ask a few volunteers to share their exisiting knowledge of the topic.
Mild and Wild
Opener/Assessment
After introducing your topic, ask participants to take 3 minutes to pair up with a partner and answer these 2 questions:
- What are some of the smaller, milder challenges associated wtih the topic that you are struggling with?
- What are some of the larger, wilder challenges that you experience?
After their 3-minute discussion, ask a few volunteers to share their mild and wild challenges with the larger group.
Artificial Sweeteners
Opener/Assessment
As an icebreaker for a session on conflict management or interpersonal communication, ask participants to pair up with a partner and take 3 minutes to discuss the things we do to avoid having difficult conversations with others. After 3 minutes, ask a few volunteers to share what they learned in their discussions.
Cheat Sheet
Recap/Action Plan
At the end of your training session, provide each participant with 1 Post-It Note. Ask them to take 2 minutes to write 1-3 actions they will take in the next 3 days to reinforce their learning. Have participants attach their notes to the front of their handout materials so they will see and act upon their plan when they return to their workplaces.
Print 