Home  Alphabet of Action Learning Shapes of Success

Alphabet of Action Learning/Shapes of Success

Anecdotes

• Just as in fiction, don't just tell, but show.
• Illustrate important points with personal experience or examples in short anecdotes and/or slogans.
• Give participants an image or memory to hang a concept onto in order to increase retention.

Brainstorming

• Action learning requires participants act by using their brains.
• Brainstorming sessions of various types (carousel, free-for-all) get participants thinking/acting.

Closings

• The last thing you do as presenter is make the participants take the first step in transferring the training, by asking them to write action plans, sign pledges, etc.

Discussion/Dialogue

• Participants will more often learn more from each other than from you if you provide them chances to discuss and dialogue. Experiences, practical
• Everyone wants to know in training: "what's in it for me", thus part of training is demonstrating the practical application of the ideas to your own work experiences and/or allowing participants to share.
• Allow time for sharing of "how I did it good" stories.

Flip charts

• In groups under 50 participants, use flip charts to record main points, make lists, etc.
• Either prepare them beforehand or make them up on site.

Group work

• Participants are social animals, allow them lots of chances to work together.
• Consider changing either groups (colored name tags) or varying group sizes.

Handouts

• Librarians love handouts. They always want documentation, bibliographies and examples.
• Handouts should supplement material, not be the presentation.
• Consider using different colors, page numbers and/or three-ring folders/binders to make them easy for participants to use during and after training.
• Involve everyone: Not everyone will ask questions or speak in small groups, thus look for a way to make everyone do/say something.
• This might be by using small groups, teams, and/or a question to large group where everyone provides short answer.  Jobs, during breakouts
• To make things more efficient, in small groups assign or require participants to assume various jobs such as recorder, presenter, facilitator, etc.

Kickstart/beginnings

• Get their attention: use a booktalk, a funny story, a quiz, or maybe a statistic.
• Don't leap into the presentation: get yourself/topic "over" first.
• Classic ice breakers can be used in this way as well.

List making

• Let participants leave with a variety of lists: two things to do, ten magazines to buy, one review source to read.
• Help them organize information in lists to increase chances of transferring training.

Mix up/variety of techniques:

• Use more than one of these techniques in a training.
• It keeps participants interested and involved if each active learning segment is a little different.

Nonverbal

• Presenters communicate with more than words.
• Movement adds action to the learning experience and forces participants to do something (move their eyes to follow you around the room).
• Also lets you "belong" to different sections of the room at various times.

Outlines

• Participants need to know exactly WHAT they are going to learn, WHEN they are going to learn it, and HOW they are going to learn it.
• Providing them with an outline gives them a document to follow along and chart progress.

Play games

• Training doesn't have to be all work: training games are fun and re-inforce points in an entertaining way.

Questions throughout

• Answer and record questions throughout: let participants get information when they need it.

Repetition

• Trainings should have both subjects and themes.
• The theme needs to be revisited throughout and reviewed after each "segment" of the training.
• For example, after introducing "seven developmental needs of young adolescents" return to this list often to relate current subject back to this core idea.

Simulation/role-play

• Either act out for participants or ask them to act out various scenarios.

To-Dos:

• Ask each participant to develop a "to do list" of actions they intend to take based on the learning.
• Then ask them to share one item with group, all items in small group or give to you to mail back to them.

Utility:

• Stress the practical. Always emphasize HOW training can be transferred: outline practical steps participants can take after each segment.

Visual aids

• Most participants learn visually: thus use overheads, charts, videos or other such aids to make and re-inforce points.
• Develop symbols/graphics to illustrate points (see shapes of success below)

Wit/Humor

• Participants are more likely to believe what you are saying if they like you; they are more likely to apply what they've learned if they leave feeling good about the training.
• A little bit of humor, scripted and ad-libbed, goes along way to achieve both of these goals.

Expectations: discover/deliver

• Ask organizer to present you with some sort of needs assessment or idea of expectations of group.
• Outline what you understand them to be very early in training and be flexible enough to modify to accommodate new expectations.
• Expectations are questions; learning objectives provide the answers.

Yakking/lecture

• For many content areas, the best way to train is still lecture.
• Participants do expect to be talked at: yet, many of the techniques here (anecdotes, list making) can be utilized during lecture to make something passive a little more "active."

ZZZ

• breaks, provide for them
• Participants need opportunities for breaks: not just for bathroom/beverage, but to recharge, gossip, and process information.

The Shapes of Success:  Learning cycle circle:  made up of: activity, learner response, learner application  Triangle of training: made up of: skills/attitudes/knowledge  Building blocks:  made up of: expectations/learning objectives/content/methods

Used with permission from Patrick Jones