Category Archives: Tips for Trainers

My first job out of graduate school was with an organization that lead 10-day intervention programs with at-risk kids.  I was a co-counselor with two other fabulous facilitators, and we had a fantastic lodge out in the woods on a hundred acres to lead this program.  We had a low-ropes course, a high-ropes course in […]

Type of Activity:  Energizer, Tag Props Needed:  6 Rubber Chickens for up to 18 people. If you have more people, add more chickens and taggers.  Use enough rubber chickens to equal out about a third of the number of people in the group.     Marker cones or other props to create a well-defined boundary. Set […]

Ah, the blindfold.  To use or not to use…  From the fancy sleep-style mask, the lycra-style blindfold to the good ol’ bandana, there are many things to consider when using blindfolds in a program.   As experiential educators, we usually strive to provide participants voice and choice in the activities we present.   Are we still making […]

Those of us in the Experiential industry often ask our participants to step outside of their comfort zones.   I’ve used the concepts of Comfort Zone, Stretch Zone and Danger/Panic Zone with clients for years, and have written several past newsletter articles on the topic as well.  Today I want to share with you a […]

Have you ever stood in front of a group, asked a question and got blank stares as the response? Pairing and Sharing is a wonderful technique to use that helps ‘warm’ your participants up to talking. Some people are not likely to raise their hand and share their thoughts in a group setting unless they […]

The human brain can only hold so much information before it starts to disconnect or shut down. In general, people can remember 3-4 things at a time before they start to miss details. When giving instructions to a group, it’s important keep this in mind to help set you and your participants up for success. […]

In the corporate environment, Name Tents are pretty standard. I will admit to not liking them at first, but now that I’ve had the opportunity to use them more, they have grown on me, and I have found there are some benefits to using them. Clearly these are not a tool of choice if I […]

I’m a big fan of quotes.   One of my all time favorites is from Zig Ziglar:  “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it  daily.”  I love it!  It makes me giggle almost every time I read it.  So simple, yet gets the message across. In the […]