13 Responses

1. Wax Crayons

   Using a highlighter pen is something we can take for granted, it helps emphasise words, phrases or prioritises content. Using a standard highlighter on flipchart text is impractical and expensive and probably explains why we rarely use it in this context.

   However, children’s wax crayons work just as effectively, better still are the large or jumbo size that you can locate in toy stores. Select the lighter colours and strip the paper from the barrels, then use them length wise to highlight the appropriate flip chart text. It works a treat.

2. Tip of the Month

   Hi, here is my tip of the month, create posters to describe processes or to encourage favourable behaviours/attitudes using glogster, or poster street. Use wordle to capture key terms or use wallwisher to capture FAQ’s

   http://edu.glogster.com/

   http://www.poster-street.com/

   http://www.wordle.net/

   http://www.wallwisher.com/

3. Thanks

   Thanks for the 2 ideas so far. I quite like the idea of using different drawing materials…I’m also a big fan of Wordle but haven’t really found a use for it here apart from the department Christmas card!

   This months tip is to encourage the use of Diamond 9…

4. when using powerpoint…..

   ..if you need to blank the screen during a presentation, press B on the keboard and the screen will go black, or press W and the screen will go white

   When you want to come back to it press the same letter again to retunr to the slides.

   Rus

5. PowerPoint

   Thanks Russ…theres also the "hit number / return" to move around a presentation rather than the scroll effect we sometimes see…

   My No 1 PPT tip is to not speak for 30 seconds when a new slide goes up.  Amazing how many people are wafffling on when I am trying to work out whats on the slide!

6. Music

   If not already in use load up a variety of music onto your laptop. My eclectic mix, when put on scramble can go from Sweet – Blockbuster to vera Lynn – white cliffs of dover and then to kenny ball and his Jazz men – midnight in Moscow.  

   Most delegates love it and they all remember it!

   Used before start and at breaks and when the group are carrying out an active exercise (when sometimes I will choose a number to suit) .      

   Cheers. 

    

   Nick      

7. Music

   Thanks Nick

   I’ve done quite a few surveys reference music.

   50% love it and 50% hate it on average. I always have music but only at start, end and break and sometimes very low level during an exercise. I do always ask if anyone minds and adjust to suit.

   I once recommended music to a new Trainer thinking they would have some nice classical or similar and Guns and Roses was belted out to "wake them all up" first thing in the morning!

8. Music – Bird Song

   One option I’ve employed with music is to play tracks from a CD I picked up at Heligan, Cornwall. It’s called Heligan Bird Song and is a collection of tracks of birds singing in the grounds of Heligan Gardens.

   http://www.heliganshop.com/search.asp?types=yes&type=LIBRARY+%3E

   Most (not all) love it while they’re working on exercises or collectively reviewing. The background music is not intrusive (there’s no tune or lyric to follow) and generaly not many people are unsympathetic to it. If I’m doing a programme that extends over a signifcant time frame probably measured in months and has the participants attending one day every so often the bird song acts like an anchor and  memory jogger to and for their experience. On each visit to the training environment the bird song often aids their reviewing and connecting from previous sessions.

9. Tweet tweet

   Garry

   I quite like the idea of creating a familliar environment with Birdsong or any other form of music or even smells.

   I go to Yoga classes and they have the same incense, same lighting, same Indian music and same temperature every week so getting in "the zone" is very easy!

10. Aromatherapy

    At one time I used to use aromatherapy oils to create an additional anchoring state for people. And then the issue of the affect of aromatherapy on certain classes of pregnant woman was raised and I halted the practice.

11. Kuwait

    I used to work with Kuwaitis and they used to bring their own Aromatherapy candles to college. It made an amazing difference to the classrom…Not sure  we would get away with it any more…Elf and Safety…

12. Tip top

    My tip is that each month you ask your Technical Experts for their tip of the month.

    I can see several advantages, not least you don’t have to do it!

     

13. If only…

    "My tip is that each month you ask your Technical Experts for their tip of the month."

     

    If only it was that simple!