Trainer's Treasure Trove

Do you collect useful ideas? You know the kind of thing: an energiser you''ve just seen that you''ll use for your next customer care course ... a role play you use for communication skills courses ... a team challenge ready to fill a planned or unexpected space in a session ...

Now imagine the value of having someone else''s great collection ready at your fingertips too!
The Trainer''s Treasure Trove is a remarkable collection of ideas, tactics, tools and techniques that new trainers need and which more experienced trainers will really value.

This valuable resource is the brainchild of Beverley Williams, one of Fenman''s most successful authors. She''s picked out a collection of 50 units from her own ''bag of trainer''s tricks'' to help you. Buy The Trainer''s Treasure Trove, and it''ll start to save you time immediately (and there''s a high chance it will even help save your day!). It might help you revive a session next month. It''ll definitely help you increase the effectiveness of your training for years.

There''s great variety here, with ideas that will suit all kinds of audiences and situations. Units vary from excellent energisers that take a few minutes, to brainteasers that''ll neatly fill twenty minutes; or role plays that need half an hour. From templates for pre-session preparations and post-course evaluation, to ideas for brilliant quizzes that could save you hours, days, even weeks!

Author: Beverley Williams
Pages: 504
''OK to copy'' pages: 160

Contents
SECTION ONE: JOINING INSTRUCTIONS, PRE-COURSE QUESTIONNAIRES AND ESSENTIAL INSTRUCTIONS

1. Course invitation and joining instructions - traditional style
A straightforward set of joining instructions containingallthe details participants need to know, such as venue, times, dates and details of pre-course work. The joining instructions template can be photocopied and specific dates and other information added by hand, or, ideally, kept on your computer and completed as appropriate.

2. Course invitation and joining instructions - why not make it more interesting?
Sending invitation cards instead of a letter means that the participants still receiveallthe necessary information, andallows you to give a little advance flavour of the course, enables the participants to keep the card on their desk as a visual reminder, and raises the profile of the training course by acting as a conversation trigger. This resource provides the joining instructions template which will appear inside each card, plus six sets of artwork, appropriate for a range of courses, that can be photocopied for you invitation cards.

3. The pre-course questionnaire
An effective pre-course questionnaire makes the difference between running a training course and delivering the right course for the particular set of participants attending. It also alerts you to potential problem issues in advance of the course. This resource provides you with a pre-course questionnaire suitable for a customer care workshop, plus ideas on adapting the questionnaire for other types of training.

4. Essential domestic details
A standard opener for the trainer, covering essential domestic details and emergency instructions, in which you fill in the local details, such as assembly area if the fire alarm goes off. To be used prior to normal ice-breakers.

SECTION TWO: OPENERS AND ICE-BREAKERS

5. The comfort zone
Introduce the comfort zone in the early stages of any training session to show people how you believe learning is most effectively achieved.

6. The tried and tested ice-breaker
Don''t throw the baby out with the bath water in your quest for things new and exciting. This ice-breaker asks participants to work in pairs to find out more about each other before introducing their partner to the rest of the group. It gets everyone talking immediately, and makes life much easier for shy participants.

7. Pictorial introductions
Each participant has one sheet of flipchart paper and some pens to tell everyone else about themselves without using words. The other participants then try to introduce that participant by using the drawings on the flipchart paper. This is often hilarious and the participant being analysed must be given the right to reply!

8. Relaxation technique
You move away from getting everyone fired up and instead you help the participants to prepare for effective learning by helping them to clear their minds and bodies ofallthe everyday tensions weallcarry with us. A quick and easy physical relaxation technique.

9. Character from literature, history or television
Participants decide who they would like to be from one of the above categories, explain why, and tell how they would tackle a current issue in this role. For example, think about queuing times managed byBasilFawlty, financial management tackled byMrMicawberor communication problems left toHenryVIIIto solve! This resource is meant to be a light-hearted ice-breaker. It also works well in any development where the aim is to develop confidence, particularly in addressing others.

10. An appropriate gift
A spaceship awaits to take your participants on a trip to magical mystery worlds. However, the aliens are strict on etiquette and their entry price is an appropriate gift. Participants have to work out what an acceptable gift would be.

SECTION THREE: BRAINTEASERS AND ENERGISERS

11. The tale of the crab and the fishes
Participants work out the hidden meaning of the riddles.

12. Water torture
Participants work in groups to solve a water torture brainteaser. This can also be done as a practical outdoor exercise.

13. What do these numbers mean to you?
Participants work out the hidden meaning of the number riddle.

14. Number crunching
The participants work in pairs or smallgroups to solve a series of brainteasers involving numbers and related words.

15. The dog, the rabbit and the carrots
The classic river crossing problem, one boat, one sailor and room for only one item at a time. Participants work out how to get themallacross safely.

16. Thirty-secondsound bites
Participants write down the topics that they would feel able to speak about for 30 seconds, they also separately write down their names. You collectallthe pieces of paper. At random points throughout the day you give a signal, such as ringing a bell, and a name is picked out, followed by a topic (not the one that they originally selected!). Other variations on the theme are also suggested.

17. The power nap
One to surprise your participants! Instead of trying to get everyone going again immediately after lunch, you go with the natural flow and ask everyone to have a 5-minute power nap, which is followed by some shaking about to music or with instruments. You can make this as tame as 5 minutes eyes shut in seats, followed by some shaking of hands and feet, or as dramatic as 5 minutes flat out on the floor, followed by playing instruments and dancing.

SECTION FOUR: EXERCISES

18. Thinking outside the box
A seemingly straightforward task but the participants will need to think outside the box in order to complete it successfully.

19. The in-tray exercise
A comprehensive fun in-tray exercise is provided, together with instructions for use. Participants will work individually. This exercise is extremely valuable for making learning points on planning, organising and prioritising.

20. Structure of straws
Teams work to build the highest possible structure using only straws, cotton and a needle. Excellent resource for use in sessions on teamwork. Observation and feedback instructions are included.

21. Design a logo
Teams work to plan and design a logo for their company, which incorporates its values and/or key themes.

22. Painless technical testing
Participants devise technical tests on company products, regulations or other information. These are a more interesting way of getting important information across and also extremely useful, as the actual tests are then used with other members of staff.

23. Find the word
Participants use closed and open questions to discover the work on another''s piece of paper. The resource is designed to demonstrate the value of using open questions.

24. Escape from Room 101
Participants must work out the missing numbers in order to escape from Room 101. There are no second chances!

25. The Captain of the ship
A listening exercise, where the participants can take notes but you will not repeat anything. They have to answer an essential question at the end.

26. Chinese whispers
The first person in a group is given a picture and then describes it in whispers to the next person, and so on; the last person attempts to draw the picture on a flipchart. The learning points focus on accuracy of information and the importance of ensuring that everyone has the same information.

27. It''s all in the emphasis
The trainer writes a sentence on the flipchart and asks each person to say it aloud, giving emphasis to a different word in turn. It is extremely useful for making the learning point about the importance of tone of voice when covering verbal communication. A range of sample phrases/sentences is supplied.

SECTION FIVE: INSPIRATIONAL OVERHEADS

28. Inspirational overheads
Five generic overheads, plus lots of ideas on how to use them to emphasise learning points and/or to provoke thought and discussion.

SECTION SIX: THE QUIZZES

29. Selecting the team name
Participants get in the mood by selecting a team name to reflect their combined personalities, purpose, or levels of intelligence!

30. The company quiz
This is great for induction courses. A series of questions on your organisation are supplied, such as ''What is the Mission Statement?''. You will need to make sure that you know the answers beforehand.

31. The pub quiz
Lots of questions and answers on a number of categories, plus ideas for a current affairs section, if you wish to add one before each quiz.

32. The e-mail quiz
This is a great idea for a monthly or quarterly event, and of particular value for staff who are based at remote locations. It can be a mix of general knowledge and company questions. Lots of ideas for question sources for you or, even better, the winner of each quiz gets to compile the next one!

33. The all-action quiz!
Great as a physical as well as mental energiser. The questions appear on pieces of flipchart paperallaround the room, while the participants are outside or in another room. Teams are given the answers on individual Post-it Notes. Each team sends in one member at a time armed with one response only. The fastest team to get themallright wins.

34. Achievement certificates
Templates for four certificates which can be given as fun awards for quizzes, or framed and formally presented if you want to add importance to any occasion.

35. Suggestions for prizes
A range of ideas for suitable prizes. Some that cost nothing; some that trainers might want to buy themselves or can buy from the training budget. For some longer running competitions, such as the e-mail quiz, prizes that the company or the social fund may wish to donate.

SECTION SEVEN: ROLE-PLAYS

36. Running a role-play

Guidance notes on running role-plays and facilitating feedback. This resource uses the example of a problem with telephone answering technique to illustrate the principles.

37. The meeting role-play
A comprehensive group role-play of a meeting. Use this role-play to fit into training on: meetings preparation/meetings behaviour/communications skills/assertive behaviour.

38. Punctuality problems
A role-play which asks a manager to deal with the problem of late arrival by a member of staff. To be used in conjunction with the full role-play guidelines in Resource 36 Running a role-play.

39. Appearance problems
A role-play that deals with the sensitive issue of unsuitable appearance at work. To be used in conjunction with the full role-play guidelines in Resource 36 Running a role-play.

40. Objectives review
A collection of role-plays that tackle the issue of objectives review, some of which are veering off course. If there are any difficulties, the manager''s task is to find out what the problems are and to work with the team member to get things back on track. To be used in conjunction with the full role-play guidelines in Resource 36 Running a role-play.

SECTION EIGHT: BRAINSTORMING

41. How to run a brainstorm
A useful trainer''s guide on running successful brainstorms.

42. Light-hearted short brainstorms
Lots of ideas you can use to run short brainstorms to illustrate the technique.

43. Brainstorm topics
A range of topics suitable for brainstorm activities in different training and development situations.

SECTION NINE: EVALUATION SHEETS - ESSENTIAL AND INSPIRATIONAL ENDINGS

44. Action planning
An action planning handout, plus suggestions on how to get the best from this resource.

45. Key learning points
Suggestions on how to run this essential section of your training session.

46. Ending on a positive note
This is a way for participants to give each other some positive points from the training session to take away, and can be done openly or privately.

47. The wise old manager
A tale to remind managers why they put so much effort into developing others.

48. Inspirational poem - If you painted your life
A truly inspirational piece to help people take stock of where they are in life. It is particularly good for people you may be helping to overcome problems, possibly with assertive behaviour.

49. Evaluation sheet: Style 1
A selection of straightforward evaluation sheets which ask the participants to comment on various aspects of the course. Areas addressed include facilities and catering, as well as the topics covered and their trainer''s style, knowledge of the subject and ability to communicate.

50. Evaluation sheet: Style 2
Evaluation sheets which can be customised to ask for more detailed opinions from the participants, breaking the training event down into categories and including questions on, for example, the amount of timeallocated to each topic addressed.