Do toys and smelly pens really make a difference?

 

Have you been on a training course recently (or run one yourself) where there have been some little toys on the table - springs or bendy men? Or sweets? Or music playing when you went in? Or those smelly felt pens (the brown ones are cinnamon, in case you've ever wondered but didn't want to find out). 

 

If you've been on one of my courses, then the answer will be, "yes", at least to some of those. I don't tend to use music but I do use the other things - chocolate features quite heavily. Why? What's the point? What difference does it actually make? Good questions. And, if you're a trainer, you need to have an answer.