Getting to know each other
Icebreakers are activities and games that help the trainees get to know each other and warm up the conversation within the group. Such activities can also be used to open or reinforce the topic of the training. Including such activities ensures your trainees are engaged and enjoying the session, as well as devleoping a sense of ownership over the learning and learning environment.
Icebreakers and getting to know each other activities are generally used at the beginning of the session/training. They can be both complex stand-alone activities and simple and shorter activities used as small building blocks in your session’s design. They can be complex or simple, bigger stand-alone activities or smaller blocked activities, worked into the design of the session.
They allow you to:
Allow participants to share their expertise and prior knowledge on the topic at hand.
To learn names and get to know the other trainees in the group. This icebreaker allows people to: self-define; get a glimpse of each other’s personalities outside of formal presentations; meet multiple people; create memorable visuals that spark conversations during the process; and bond within the group.
Number of learners: Unlimited
Duration: 15 minutes
Materials:
Description
Objective
For participants to meet each other quickly, learn names and get to know each other. In case trainees already know each other, this exercise can be adapted by simply changing the questions to build stronger connections. This method allows shy participants to get engaged and feel like part of the group too. It can also be used to start a conversation regarding the topic of the session.
Number of learners: 10 to 40
Duration: 45 minutes
Materials:
For each rotation make sure to have a question ready (the best way would be to project it on a screen).
Objective: Introduce each other, learn names and explore shared interests and expertise. Create a space to build connections through shared expertise and backgrounds of group members.[AM1]
Number of participants: 8 - 30
Duration: 30 - 45 minutes. The network can remain on the wall for the all duration of the training, maybe added to, updated or studied throughout.
Materials:
Description:
World Café is a method that fosters group dialogue, sharing of knowledge and experience, and group wisdom mapping. It is a simple and flexible method that can be used with all group sizes, even large groups.
World Café is a process in which people rotate in groups on different discussion topics, sharing their opinions, understandings and knowledge. The trainer chooses the topics in correlation with the learning objectives. Each participant gets to discuss each topic and contribute to/add on to what other groups have already jotted down. At the end, the discussion results will be shared with the whole group.
The World Café was not created as a training method, but it can be used successfully to foster participatory learning processes. For example, it can be used to:
The purpose of the World Café will be linked to the training’s learning objectives. Having a clear purpose enables you to consider what parameters need to be set for the activity to achieve it.
Use different table “stations” with chairs around (4 – 5 chairs/table is the optimal number), equipped with flipchart paper (or paper tablecloths on which participants can write) and markers. Make sure the environment is comfortable, allowing participants to move around and inducing a relaxed yet active atmosphere. As the name suggests, the method builds on meaningful conversations people usually have in informal contexts, such as a café.
Introduce the method and process, topics of discussion, as well as some elements of “Café Etiquette”:
Play, doodle and draw—writing on the tablecloths/paper on the table are encouraged!
You can choose how many topic/discussion rounds you would like to have, but 4 – 5 rounds is usually a good number. People start at a certain table, sitting and discussing a certain topic for a certain amount of time. These are all variables that you can adapt to your own learning objectives, training context, time and space constraints. Around 15 to 20-minutes per discussion table allows for groups to deepen their conversation. At the end of the allocated time, each member of the group moves to a new table. They may or may not choose to leave one person as the “table host” for the next round, who welcomes the next group and briefly fills them in on what happened in the previous round.
You may choose to have different questions at each table or explore the same question at all tables and invite participants to build on what is discussed already. Choose the format that is most relevant to your learning objective.
It is important for participants to understand that they are the ones building the discussion results with their ideas and perspectives, while at the same time actively listening and building on each other’s input. Make sure participants have the opportunity to move around during the session, meet and talk to new people, contribute new ideas to areas of interest, and link discoveries to widening circles of thought.
The discussion results will be recorded at each table as people come and go and will be shared with the whole group at the end of the conversations. Encourage both table hosts and members to write, doodle and draw key ideas on their tablecloths/flipchart paper or to note key ideas on large index cards or placemats in the center of the group.
Brainstorming is a method by which ideas are proposed, shared and collected within a group. This method can be used to generate new ideas and solutions around a specific topic or issue, or to assess and share knowledge possessed by the group. People are invited to think and contribute freely. Judgement is deferred and all the ideas are noted down without criticism. After the brainstorming session, the contributions are evaluated or benchmarked.
Tips for Using the Brainstorming Method:
Brainstorming can be used in different ways. Below are some examples.
Number of learners: 2 to 30
Duration: 15 minutes to 1 hour
Materials:
Description:
Number of learners: 20+
Duration: 15 minutes to 1 hour
Materials:
Description:
The numbers 3-12-3 refer to the time allocated for the three passages of this activity. The short duration of this variation helps participants to avoid overthinking and fosters total group participation.
Number of learners: 2 to 20 (30 mins)
Duration: 30 minutes
Materials:
Description:
Ask your participants a question on a domain of interest or an issue.
After presenting concepts back to the group, you can have your trainees do many different things, such as:
Brainwriting allows you to separate the generation of ideas and concepts from the discussion. It also fosters a more cooperative approach to sharing, ensuring the contribution of all participants, not just the most verbally dominant.
Through this process the group generates and shares ideas and then builds on them collectively.
Number of learners: 5 to 15
Duration: 30 - 45 minutes
Materials:
Description:
After presenting concepts back to the group, you can have your trainees do many different things, such as:
For brainstorming to happen remotely, it is crucial to have a central space online where team members can meet and collaborate (forum, cloud-based document storage or an online collaboration tool such as Google Drive).
You can adapt the different forms of brainstorming presented to a forum discussion followed by team work.
Furthermore, there a many great brainstorming tools that transform online brainstorming in a visual and collaborative experience, so you can use a brainstorming exercise with online mind-mapping toosl like:
Wisemapping is a web-based, collaborative tool. It allows teams and individuals to create mind maps and to develop ideas structurally.
Popplet is a tool to capture your thoughts and ideas. It's exceptionally visual and utilizes images and diagrams to build common understanding and overviews. Multiple people can access the same project within Popplet where they can build presentations. A mobile app is also available for iOS users.
How to and Why Use Jigsaw?
Make sure the division is logical and it covers the whole topic you want to tackle within the activity.
Try to ensure diversity within groups in terms of competencies, experience, gender, and background. You can either prepare the groups beforehand or have a more flexible approach and randomly divide people on the spot.
Provide them with resources connected to that segment (written materials, short videos, presentations, graphs, etc.)
They have to become familiar with the content they are responsible for.
In this way they can form “expert groups” in which they can support each other in understanding the content, in discussing the main points of their segment and in rehearsing the presentations they will make to their jigsaw group.
Back to the start
Provide time for questions and clarifications
Observing the process and supporting the participants and group dynamics.
In the adapted version, the participants are divided into small groups, and each group is responsible for one segment of the content. They should understand it and present it to the other groups, facilitating their learning process in plenary.
Make sure the division is logical and it covers the whole topic you want to tackle within the activity.
Try to ensure diversity within groups in terms of competencies, experience, gender, and background. You can either prepare the groups beforehand or have a more flexible approach and randomly divide people on the spot.
Provide them with resources connected to that segment (written materials, short videos, presentations, graphs, etc.).
They can become familiar with the content they are responsible for.
Ask each small group to present their segment to everyone. Allocate time for questions and clarifications. You can also intervene if and when necessary.
Observing the process and supporting the participants and group dynamics.
Case studies use complex situations, either real or fictional, to foster learning. They place the learner in the position of problem solver.
The participants receive a description of a complex situation, a rich narrative and, based on the information provided, they are required to analyze it, explore relationships between events, identify options, evaluate choices, decide on courses of action and on ways to apply their acquired knowledge, skills and attitudes for an optimal approach. Participants become actively engaged in the situation and in discovering underlying issues, dilemmas and conflict issues.
Hyperlink to pre-training assignment methods
The discussion based on the case study can have different formats, from directive questions to open-ended discussions, individual analysis or small group work. Even role play [1] can support the learning process within a case-study.
Hyperlink to corresponding section
Some questions that can help you guide the learning process:
Possible elements to include:
The preparation of a case study requires expertise in the topic analyzed and also access to information from the real-work context of the trainees. Make sure you have both when building case studies for a certain training in order to ensure that they are relevant and meaningful for the trainees and their learning process.
Avoid analysis or a conclusion.
Including potentially irrelevant data in order to support participants in learning how to focus on the relevant
Informations that are correlated to real-life sources of information they would use in their workplace: stories, narratives, studies, tables, charts, quotes, graphs, etc. Make sure they are as realistic as possible and rich in their complexity.
Make sure it fits with the level of competencies within your group, answers to the learning objectives, and responds to the time-constraints you might have within the training. If you want people to read and analyze the cases at first sight within the training session, take into consideration how much time this will take and how this will affect the learning flow.
Human Resources Management/Industrial Relations
Simulations and role-play are immersive methods in which participants pretend to be in a certain situation and behave accordingly. The participants are placed in a context created by the trainer and experience the reality of a given scenario while they are an active part of it, and extract learning from their own behavior, from observing others and analyzing what has happened. The situation feels real and thus creates a meaningful engagement of participants. Simulations and role-play have a non-linear nature, a certain degree of ambiguity, and are open-ended. This allows trainees to make decisions, to act and react, and ultimately to exercise effective and ineffective behaviors.
While in the simulation, people are themselves and act as themselves in a given situation, in a role-play they can play different characters and stakeholders in a given context. Sometimes not playing themselves but impersonating a role might be liberating for participants, as it takes off some of the performance anxiety. They can explore different approaches and allow themselves to make mistakes more easily when performing a role rather than when being themselves. Both role-play and simulations are effective in exploring and exercising skills and attitudes because they provide the opportunity for behavioral change and not only for discussion or observation. Sometimes these terms are used interchangeably as the line is not always that defined. Whatever the name, it is up to the trainer to decide which method and approach to use according to the learning objective, participant profile, and moment in the learning flow.
You will most likely not find a simulation/role-play that responds to the exact learning needs of your participants, so you will most likely need to build it.
Consider it in relation to the participants’ learning needs and professional context. Include the wider context but also enough details in order to make it feel real.
Why do you do the role play/simulation?
Incorporate the characters in the scenarios and provide enough information about them to support people in acting them out. Some of these may be people who have to deal with the situation when it actually happens (for example, managers). Others will represent people who are supportive or hostile, depending on the scenario (for example, a Union representative or an employee with a grievance).
Make sure everyone understands the method. For people who have not experienced it before, it might be difficult to grasp what they need to do, so make sure you provide enough information and explanation. If needed and appropriate, you can perform a short demo of a role-play that is not linked to the current topic (to avoid bias).
Invite them to use their imagination in order to try and understand the people they are playing: their goals, motivation, perspectives, even feelings when they enter and as they navigate the situation. If you facilitate a simulation and people are playing themselves, invite them to also reflect on these issues in order to expand their awareness on all the aspects involved. You can have individual or group roles, as it is most relevant for the size of the group and the learning objectives.
People will need time to understand the situation, the characters they need to play, and to also prepare for their role. There are different ways to approach this phase: people can prepare together and explore different scenarios, they can prepare separately and meet only during the role-play.
Invite people to act out the situation, trying different approaches and exploring how they affect the other characters and the outcome of the situation.
After the simulation/role-play always discuss with the group in order to reflect on their experience, build on their achievements, extract learning points and look at ways to use what they have learned in their jo
Some questions to support you:
You as the trainer and expert can also provide feedback on their behavior. Remember to keep it positive and constructive, specific and always linked to their real-life work tasks and challenges. Focus on what people already do well (there is always something to highlight here), and what has worked. You can also include suggestions on what they can do more of or differently in the context of the competencies to be acquired.
2.Human Resources Management/Industrial Relations
Draw a large quadrant on a chart with the following four words: Know, Challenge, Change, and Feel. Ask each participant to do the same on an A4 sheet and fill in the quadrants by responding to these four (or similar versions of these four) questions:
You can also invite participants to discuss their answers in small groups.
Show participants an image of a suitcase and ask: “Of all the tools and ideas shared here, which three will you put in your suitcase and take back home with you?” Invite participants to share their answers with the group or write them on post-its and stick them to the image of the suitcase. Discuss the outcomes briefly.
If you need to have a quick recap of the day, ask for each person’s “ticket out the door”. This means to share one key thing learned during the session/day (and no repeats are allowed) that they’ll most immediately apply back on their job.
Explain that the aim of this activity is to have a check in with participants regarding how they are feeling. Give participants blank post-it notes. Draw three “Smiley” faces on the flipchart: one smiling, one crying, one neutral. Asks participants to draw one of these faces on the post it according to how they feel at the moment and write their name under it. Participants are then invited to stick their faces on the flipchart below the same face and share briefly why.
You can use as many different smiley faces or emoticons as you wish, get creative!
When we speak about learning transfer we mean, “the effective and continuing application by learners—to their performance of jobs or other individual, organizational, or community responsibilities—of knowledge and skills gained in the learning activities” (Broad, 1992). In a few words, the goal and the why of engaging in learning activities is: to know and to be able to do certain things in our life.
These are small groups of people that support each other in the learning process by sharing experiences, discussing challenges, and providing feedback and expertise on certain topics and competencies. You can create these groups at the beginning of the training and provide people with contexts to work together and reflect on their learning process (for example by providing space for an evaluation of the day within these groups at the end of each training day for fifteenminutes). You can leave it up to the participants to form them, or you can follow a certain structure and group people according to some significant characteristics (they may come from the same company, may have similar or different backgrounds and expertise, etc.). Peer support groups can also be very useful when you plan post-training assignments.
Reflection groups can help participants discuss their learning process and progress and ask questions and learn from each other’s experience. Furthermore, reflection groups create a space for trainees to provide feedback on the learning experience, share feelings and deepen relationships within the group.
They are the most effective when composed by a maximum of ten to fifteen people and facilitated by a trainer. You may let the trainees split into subgroups themselves or opt to organize them based on similar backgrounds in order to foster reflection on how they could use the elements of the program in their specific work or with their specific target group. Reflection groups must meet regularly throughout the learning experience (e.g. every day before the closing). You can provide them with guiding questions (“What was one learning point of today?”, “What could be improved?”, “What would you like to learn more about?”) or let the conversation unfold freely. Especially at the beginning, a question or a simple evaluation technique may help spark conversation.
It is also possible to have the trainees self-facilitate their reflection groups. In this case, make sure the goal of the meeting is clear and ask one participant to present a brief report to you at the end of the session. This allows you to understand a participants’ feedback and adjust the learning experience, even if not directly facilitating the reflection sessions.
Overall learning objectives of the training activity
Pre-training Assignments
You can start the learning process before meeting with the participants. If possible, you could give them small pre-training assignments to get them in the right mindset for the training itself. As you well know, people are really busy, and your objective is not to burden them with this assignment. Consider it like an appetizer for the training, a common story the participants start to write even before getting together as a group.
Communicate the training topic, learning objective, and subjects covered to participants. Invite participants to reflect on their present competencies in relation to the training content.
This is an individual process, so participants will not need to respond. Invite them to think about these questions, to try and find an answer, and then communicate that you will share the outcomes in the first day of training in the opening session. Make sure that you allocate time for this discussion in the first session of the course.
Invite participants to read through the course information (objectives, agenda, description, etc.) and to write down all the questions that come to their mind in relation to it. In order to stimulate a deeper analysis, ask participants to come up with at least ten questions and to share these questions with you via email before the training. This will support their learning and will also give you an opportunity to make sure people get their questions answered during the training.
During the course, invite participants to keep these questions in sight and complete the list with more questions if they come up or to jot down answers when they are clarified within the training. You can also allocate some time toward the end of the training to address these questions: it does not mean you have to answer them. You can invite people to answer each other’s questions, or participants can answer their own questions, or actively look for answers. This will enhance learning and will also support their awareness for progress made.
Invite participants to analyze their practice in relation to the theme of the training.
Ensure within the training some time for people to share these findings. It is an effective method to get people engaged even before the training, to increase relevance in relation to their professional context, and also to value the people with more experience in the field.
You can send a case study to the participants before the training. They will be invited to read it, as it will represent the basis of a group discussion conducted within the training.
For your participants, the training is not the end, but the beginning of applying what they have learned in their workplace. You can enhance their learning process and support them to apply what they learned when back in the workplace (and thus, increase the quality and effectiveness of the training you delivered) by following up with them in the weeks and months after the training. It can take some additional time and effort, but it will surely be worth it. Here are some ideas on how to do it.
These are groups of three to four people that support each other in the learning process by sharing experiences, discussing challenges, and providing feedback and expertise on certain topics and competencies. You can create these groups at the beginning of the training and provide people with contexts to work together and reflect on their learning process (for example by providing space for an evaluation of the day within these groups at the end of each training day for fifteen minutes). You can leave it up to the participants to form them, or you can follow a certain structure and group people according to some significant characteristics (they may come from the same company, may have similar or different backgrounds and expertise, etc.). Choose the method you find most suitable for a particular group and training.
After the training is over, invite these groups to meet (online or in person) once a week for at least four weeks in a row to discuss and reflect on the process of how to apply their newly acquired competencies within their jobs. You can provide them with some guiding questions:
You can go further and request that participants post or share a short summary of their discussion with the whole group. This supports them to take more responsibility with the peer-support groups and it provides the chance to understand how everyone else is doing.
You can send a case study to the participants every week for a month after the training has finished. Then you can ask them to share via email (or any agreed communication method) their thoughts, ideas, or suggested courses for action. The objective is to foster dialogue between themselves and not to evaluate or give feedback to them on their responses. A Facebook group could be a useful platform, as can be videos, articles, and other real-life cases to stir up the discussion.
Ask participants during the training to predict what skills, information, techniques, and attitudes they will most likely use in their workplace and how. In the weeks following the training, ask them to monitor these predictions and invite them to share which ones they are actually using (this can be done in the peer-groups mentioned above, or by any other communication means mutually agreed upon: WhatsApp, Facebook, email).
At the end of the training ask participants to commit to one to three actions of learning transfer to their jobs. Invite them to self-monitor how the process is going in the weeks following the training and share with their colleagues. This can be done in the peer-groups mentioned above, or by any other communication means mutually agreed upon: WhatsApp, Facebook, email.
A learning journal is a collection of notes, observations, thoughts, and other relevant materials built‐up over a period of time as a result of a period of learning and/or working experience. Its purpose is to enhance people’s learning through the process of reflecting on one’s learning experiences.
You can invite participants to fill in a learning journal in relation to the topic of the training. You can provide some supporting questions within the training and include instructions on how to continue journaling even after the training has finished.
Supporting questions for a learning journal in a graphic format:
During the training
After the training
Social networking connects individuals or organizations around similarities. Communication technology, such as WhatsApp, allows for group chats and open communication between many parties. Group pages or chats can be used to connect the trainees, create a positive group dynamic, and offer a space for peer-support. They can be used by the facilitator to share content, tasks, and evaluation tools. Furthermore, they can be used as platforms for remote group work and group discussions.
Their role can be central in pre-training assignments and post-training assignments, when participants are not meeting face-to-face or do not have another learning platform where to connect and engage.
Make sure to set clear limits in the use of such applications with strict rules regarding posting/messaging time. Especially when referring to communication tools such as WhatsApp. Make sure no interactions take place during free time (e.g. evening) and resting time (e.g. weekends and bank holidays).
WhatsApp is messenger app that can have major implications on pedagogies. WhatsApp enhances the facilitator’s availability and interaction with the learners, fosters interaction between students, and makes it easy to share learning material and have group discussions. It allows direct access to many online resources and fosters students’ creativity, autonomy, and responsibility for their own learning. WhatsApp includes the following collaborative features:
How to Apply It:
Make sure to set clear limits in the use of such a pervasive communication app. Set strict rules regarding posting/messaging time, making sure no interaction takes place during free time (e.g. evening) and resting time (e.g. weekends and bank holidays), and that participants are not overwhelmed with a flow of irrelevant messages.
With over 2.45 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the largest social network and therefore represents plenty of opportunities to build and maintain a network of colleagues and participants from all over the world. This free global system cannot be overlooked for its potential for social learning, building communities, and sharing resources, especially now that the feature, Learning Unit, can be used to for learning and teaching in Facebook Groups.
How to Use It:
Where to learn more:
The Facebook Guidebook by Mashable
Use Facebook for Professional Networking
How to Teach in Facebook Groups
Use Your Facebook Group as a Learning Platform (for Training or an Online Course)
LinkedIn is the world's largest online professional social networking site. Widely used, its goal is to connect its members on the professional level. It is used by job seekers to expand their network and increase their visibility, and by recruiters looking for professional profiles.
LinkedIn offers an integrated learning platform with a vast variety of online courses and microlearning opportunities.
How to Use It:
Where to Learn More:
This will help you get started, set up your profile page with your photo and summary paragraph and quickly identify all your contacts in order to build your network.
Online communities provide a more “focused environment” to network, validate and build on existing knowledge and good practices. Many online communities have been set up for professional or interest groups. They often have full social networking functionality such as profiling, message posting, discussion forums and online chat.
How to Use It:
Where to Learn More:
Etienne Wenger: Cultivating a Community of Practice: A quick start-up guide
When we think about presentations we immediately think Powerpoint. Powerpoint is one of many visual aids that can support, supplement and reinforce what the speaker says, but there are many more!
Check them out!
When to use it:
Do NOT use it for presenting documents or to communicate text-based information.
Prezi is a tool to make your presentations more dynamic and visually engaging. It allows the navigation through different objects by moving, zooming and rotating the view, illustrating the relationship of one concept to another. You can download it and use it offline. Because it is also stored online, multiple users can collaborate on it simultaneously.
Slido is an easy-to-use Q&A and polling platform for meetings and trainings. Participants can join the conversation, through an event code. Slido allows you to crowdsource questions from your audience, run live polls and brainstorm ideas. It is very visual and easy to use.
The web-based tool focuses on online collaboration and allows students to answer questions anonymously. Extremely visual, it enables users to share knowledge and real-time feedback though mobile or pc-mobile with presentations, polls or brainstorming sessions in any group activity.
5 Ways to use Mentimeter to Engage and Interact with Students
Padlet is a digital discussion board which allows discussions to be posted on the ‘digital board’ with a colorful sticky note. The facilitator can share learning materials with students and ask them for their reasoning and opinions. Student responses are also color coded to easily match the answer to the question. Students can create boards for learning a concept together via Padlet.
This is a minimalistic and effective feedback tool. Use it to have real-time feedback or as a creative brainstorming tool. You can post your question in a tweet or you can embed it on a website or blog to use it as a poll.
Hungry for more tools? Click here.
Online tools can be extremely helpful when it comes to mapping, monitoring, assessing and evaluating the learning needs, acquired competencies and quality of the learning experience. They can be used in the first stage of the learning management cycle—to assess the learning needs our learning offer will respond to—as well as during the learning experience—to monitor and evaluate learners progress and satisfaction—and after the training—to gain an overview and evaluation. They allow us also to receive feedback to further improve our learning offer.
When to use it:
Google Forms is a tool that collects information via a personalized survey or quiz. The information is then collected and automatically connected to a spreadsheet. It is visually pleasant and very simple to use. You can create your learning needs assessment questionnaire or evaluate the learning experience here. The questionnaire can be shared through a link by email, message or post.
SurveyMonkey is a tool that allows you to launch any kind of online survey. It is an easy-to-use platform and allows you to tailor your surveys according to your defined target audience.
You can create your learning needs assessment questionnaire or evaluate the learning experience here. The questionnaire can be shared through a link by email and message.
Part III - MANAGERIAL AND SOFT SKILLS
Design based on the PPT of IN-HOUSE TRAINING ON: NEGOTIATION SKILLS FOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING; NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE MANAGEMENT & TUGHE REPRESENTATIVES
(Soft skills - Tanzania - ATE Negotiation skills PPT)