Those of us who are extraverts think of icebreakers as a wonderful way to facilitate networking. Those of us who are introverts look at those same events with a mixture of trepidation and dread. Jim Barker’s Monday Cartoon, captures the essence well.
Although Trainers Warehouse doesn’t focus on many content-specific board games, I’ve come across a few really good ones recently. I’ll continue to add to this list as I learn of more. Admittedly, these aren’t all “Board” games, but they’re off-the-shelf, ready-to-play. Continue Reading →
Posted by guest blogger, Betty Lochner, Cornerstone Coaching & TrainingIt may sound overly simple, but adding purposeful appreciation towards others can be one of the most powerful communication tools you can hone. People want and need to feel appreciated [whether you're in a training session, classroom, or working in your office]. People will respond better, and perform better when they are genuinely valued.
Try any of the following appreciation exercises and watch what happens!
Catch someone doing something right and recognize them for it. For example, say something positive when someone picks up a poster that has fallen down, someone holds the door for you, or someone cleans your dish in the sink. You can go one step further, even giving them a small gift, like a small bag of candy, and leaving it with a short note. Continue Reading →
Conflict resolution is a hot topic, whether you teach negotiation, team-building, leadership, or communication skills. Here are a few activities that will help you quickly cut to the core and identify challenges and processes to manage difficult relationships. Continue Reading →
They say a picture’s worth a thousand words — so what’s a video worth? If you’re looking for a quick video on diversity and acceptance, here’s a good one by Pixar.
P.S. I’m not sure about the movie rights on this one.
When I was growing up, gymnastics and skating were my passions. While I loved my sports, I always regretted never playing on a real team–the closest I got was being one of three sisters. Nowadays, I have two young boys who are completely into team sports–baseball, basketball, and soccer are among their favorites. Continue Reading →
I’m always on the lookout for data supporting the use of playful, stress-reducing learning techniques. This article was synthesized by Kim Marshall and posted in his wonderful weekly journal, The Marshall Memo. Of the five happiness-enhancing activities listed below, the one found to have the greatest impact was to “write a positive message to someone in your social support network.” As trainers, perhaps we can build such an activity into the end of a learning session. Have participants write a positive message to someone else in their group, identifying a new idea they picked up from them. The synthesis of the article follows. Continue Reading →
When I was a kid, I collected buttons — not the kind you sew on clothes, but the kind with a pin on the back. I had buttons for gymnastics (my childhood passion), “Big Mac attacks,” political campaigns, you name it. I had hundreds of them. More recently, I’ve been collecting quotes because trainers often need them to adorn their classrooms and motivate learners. Continue Reading →
As an advocate and frequent user of the US postal service, I’ve been closely following the news about their financial woes and efforts to fix it.
And yet . . . when I think about opening MY mailbox each afternoon, I still experience a small rush of anticipation. Will I find a letter, postcard, package, check, favorite catalog, magazine?
Whether you’re an advocate or a foe of the US mail service, perhaps we can agree that a playful postcard reminder can still be useful method to reinforce key learning points. Just this week, Trainers Warehouse is launching a new product, Memory Postcards. Continue Reading →
I’ve been following a rich discussion on Time Management on the T&D Training and Development LinkedIN group. One of the group members recently asked if there was a good way to capture all of the great tips located within the discussion. So, in the interest of Time Management, I took it upon myself to synthesize and organize the contributions. I will try to keep it updated as more comments are added. Continue Reading →
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I'm always amazed at how we can shape people's perceptions of us by the details of our bio that we decide to share at any moment. Some of my past and current titles include: Trainers Warehouse President, Ringling Clown, Conflict Resolution Trainer, Marketing Manager, MBA student, Writer, Researcher, Mom, Daughter, Wife, Friend. I'll let you decide.
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