Creative Training Techniques - The Bob Pike Group

There are many reasons you need to break up and rearrange your groups of learners.  Becky has a ton of ideas on how you can do that and have fun at the same time. Grab a puzzle, some pens, cards and stickers and listen to her podcast.

Lectures may not be the best teaching technique, but sometime you need to use them. However that doesn't mean your audience has to take it sitting down. They can be standing up…and then sitting down...and then standing up again. Becky says it's all in how you tell the story and use short little activities to drive home a point.

70% of your learners are likely to be extroverted. 30% are likely to be introverts and 46% are likely to be Millennials who like to skim the reading material instead of thinking about it.  So how do you serve all these different learning types at the same time?  Becky says the answer is in the power of two.

There's more than one way to do things, and when you let learners pick the way to do it they'll become engaged.  Becky has some great ideas on how to reinvigorate your training by adding some options to that same old routine you've been using. Bonus: an excuse to eat M&M's! Resource mentioned in this video; www.movies4training.com

What was that? When we ask ourselves that question, we're ready to learn. Becky says you can use curiosity to engineer learning in your classroom.  If you're curious what the Oreo cookie effect is, you're not going to get it from reading this. You'll just have to listen and find out.

People don’t argue with their own data.  So why not use what your audience already knows to make your lesson points and get buy-in to what you’re teaching?  Becky has some tips on how you can get that to happen at your next presentation.

Review time is an important part of learning when you have the learners actually doing the review, not you. But how you set it up makes a big difference. Your job is to review using some of the fun, interactive ways she suggests.

Relaxed brains will learn and recall information better than stressed brains.  Becky says your surroundings, including the smell of where you are, can have a big impact on stress and memory recall.  She has several ideas on what you can do today to reduce stress and bring multiple senses into your learning environment.   Links mentioned in the podcast Brain Rules—John Medina  http://www.brainrules.net Made To Stick—Chip and Dan Heath http://heathbrothers.com/books/made-to-stick/ Dr. Caroline Leaf  http://drleaf.com 

Does tackling a big project make you feel overwhelmed?  Instead of trying to do it all at once, Becky suggests you make those big elephants into bite-sized 10 minute bits. Not only does it work on the things you have to do, but it also works with the things you love to do!

Becky confesses she isn't a planner, she's a crammer.  Some of her best work comes in the moment right before her presentation is due. When’s the most productive time for you to work? Becky has a few simple guidelines that will help you and your audience get the most out of your time.

Got a super important presentation to do and limited time to get it ready? Becky shares her method for pulling it together fast but successfully.

If you want an audience to show up to your next presentation, you need to do it at a time and place that works for them. That sounds simple, but it can be difficult to do unless you use Becky’s scheduling checklist.

This is a checklist that Becky uses every time before she does a presentation large or small.  It makes learning easier, gets buy in from your audience faster and reduces your stress!

It's crunch time and you have too much content for your presentation. How do you get it all in? Becky has three tips to save time and still get your important points across.

How should you decide what goes in your presentation? Becky has a system — three buckets — that will help you decide what you need to put in and what you need to leave out.

Becky says Bette Midler and Johnny Carson can teach you a lot about being a presenter.

What do you do when your learners verbally attack you in the classroom?  Becky has some thoughts on how you can come off as strong and not defensive when these situations arise.   Becky mentions her Heart Math podcast.  Here’s the link to it: http://www.bobpikegroup.com/userfiles/files/Pluth0507%281983%29.mp3

Who you are, what you’re teaching, and who you’re teaching it to can sometimes make it difficult for learning.  Becky has some ideas on how you can be ready to deal with the challenges that differences can present.

If you can get your learners to focus on their clients, you’ll find they’ll work harder and smarter.  Becky has some great ideas on how to make that happen.

Your reputation as a trainer depends on people trusting what you say and you keeping information confidential that should be kept confidential.  It can be harder to do than it sounds.  Becky has some tips on how to avoid common pitfalls that make you appear to be untrustworthy. Book mentioned in this podcast: The Trust Edge by David Horsager - http://www.amazon.com/The-Trust-Edge-Relationships-Stronger/dp/1476711372