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Category: EXERCISES & ACTIVITIES
Draw on the best-of-the-best work team activities and exercises to make learning more innovative, effective, and fun. Experiential training events are one of the best ways to create long-term, memorable learning. Moreover, workplace team-building activities draw participants out of their everyday tasks. Separating workers from their daily duties can reflect non-judgmentally on their inherent tendencies, roles, communication styles, leadership techniques, and more.
Me First: A Firsthand Experience with Game Buzzers
I asked Jonathan Winkler, a seventh-grade history teacher in Newton, Massachusetts to test out a new Me First Buzzer System. At my request, he gave it to me straight and shared his Game Buzzers experience—successes and challenges. To set the scene, understand that he introduced this snazzy new b... Read More
Tight lips at work? It’s time to UNZIP-it!
“I can’t talk about that at work.” “My boss wouldn’t want to hear what I have to say.” Employees have so many reasons for not talking about meaningful topics at work. Sometimes, they’re tight-lipped simply because giving feedback is difficult. In other cases... Read More
For more Class Participation, Know your Goal
The more engaged students are in the learning process, the more they will absorb. While this makes intuitive sense, the assertion is also backed up by loads of brain research showing that when more areas of the brain are involved in an experience, the more memorable it becomes. So, to maximize learn... Read More
Pipe Cleaner Team Building Game
I just happened upon the Pipe Cleaner Team Building Game, a popular STEM development challenge created by Dr. Laura Bottomley & Heather Smolensky, of NCSU. I quickly read through the very clever facilitation notes, and thought the game would also be an excellent, low-cost team building activ... Read More
Training Games? 40 Reason Why!
One recent LinkedIN discussion that drew a lot of interest asked “Why do we use Training Games?” So many people liked and commented, that I wanted to synthesize the conversation and pull out the highlights. Whether you’re using games to improve communication and listening skills,... Read More
Discover which Thumball is best for YOU!
Not sure which Thumball is perfect for your needs? Take a moment to complete this quick quiz and get a handful of ideas about which discussion prompts will be best for your team and what your Thumball Style is! What’s a Thumball? It’s a soft ball imprinted with 32 discussion starters... Read More
Tackling Stress Management at Work
Life before stress looks like unadulterated happiness — laughter, dancing, and ear-to-ear smiles. Life after stress looks like the parents in the image above, who are watching the kids at play. To the extent that happiness and productivity are linked, we need to do more about having Stress Man... Read More
Rose-Bud-Thorn for Processing and Reflection
You already know that learning requires an investment of time and mental focus. Listening to a lecture, reading a book, playing an experiential game, or watching a video can only get you so far. The real learning happens when you apply Thinking Methodologies to digest, discuss, and process the learn... Read More
Getting to know you with Quick Response Whiteboards
If your group would feel more relaxed and benefit from knowing a bit more about one another, try this Quick Response Board activity. Have each person write on the board a most unusual fact about themselves (oddest job, a phobia, worst nightmare, proudest accomplishment, etc.) Then ask everybody to p... Read More
Energize Mini-Trainings at Work
On a recent LinkedIN Conversation in the Effective and Fun Training Techniques group, Jason Hughes asked for some recommended icebreakers, energizers, tips or tools for the face-to-face training of his small team, who generally already know each other. Often, he trains just a couple people at a time... Read More
PRODUCTS YOU’LL LOVE!
Who's First?® v3 Wireless Game Buzzer System
Engage fidgety fingers with a Desktop Fiddle Set
Build team spirit and communication with Team Writer
Learn more about who's who with the Favorites Thumball
WORK TEAM ACTIVITIES FOR TRAINERS
Subsequent to any training or learning game, groups should take time to reflect. A thorough debrief should cover a range of topics, including how: the game dynamics made participants feel, strategies created unanticipated roadblocks, and communication styles led to success. At the end of the debrief, the group should reflect on how their game experience mirrors the "real world.”
TRAINING GAMES FOR ALL REASONS & SEASONS
Beyond work team activities, Trainers Warehouse WorkSMART blog curates best-in-class games for a myriad of workplace learning goals. Whether trainers are looking for communication and listening games, active listening games, time management activities, stress management exercises, assertiveness, or negotiations games, Trainers Warehouse has you covered. You’ll find tons of games -- for purchase and free -- along with excellent facilitation notes and training tips. Understand how to conduct and debrief the workplace team building activities and other soft-skills exercises to maximize organizational growth and learning.
COMMITTED TO TRAINING EFFECTIVENESS
Trainers Warehouse has been committed to curating and developing tools to improve corporate training for over 30 years. No matter what topic you teach, Trainers Warehouse work team activities, fidget toys, game buzzers, and dry-erase resources allow trainers to make their delivery more impactful, memorable, and fun. Their innovative, creative resources promise to make trainers look and perform at their best. While they offer tons of favorite training tools for sale at trainerswarehouse.com, the WorkSMART blog is free and chock full of amazing tips and techniques.