PART ONE
Lay the Groundwork,
Energize Participants,
and Then Close
P
rofessional trainers always design workshops that will make such an
impact on participants that they will retain and apply what was
learned. The activities in Part One provide a variety of methods for laying
the groundwork for the workshop, reenergizing participants as they learn,
and allowing them to close the program on a meaningful note.
The activity Get Them Readyprepares participants for the upcoming
workshop. Other activities are geared to work groups or teams that can
work together on assignments. Some leadership skills, such as story-
telling, can be introduced at the beginning of the workshop and then
built on at later points. Journaling is another useful training technique;
it gives participants an opportunity to reflect on what they have learned
and then record their ideas for putting the learning into action. Leader-
ship is also about passing on what we know; The Exhibit Hallis one way
to encourage participants to share their wealth of knowledge and experi-
ence.
Most day-long workshops run out of energy about halfway through,
mainly because people need to get up and move around. Walk and Talk
reenergizes participants as they continue their exploration of leadership.
Make the review fun with the Koosh Ball Gamemidway through or at the
end of your program. Other closure activities focus on identifying what
participants learned or wish to put into action: try the fun game called
Word Scrabble,do some journaling with Dear Diary,and be sure to check
out the complete description of how to form a Professional Resource
Group.