Games with Frontiers

 
I have been in Melbourne this week co-facilitating our new Diploma of Training and Assessment. We have been working on it for close to 2 years and it was a thrill to get our first public course going. As part of the development of this new qualification, I wanted to continue our commitment to adding to our students’ trainer and assessor’s tool kit. I was like a kid in a candy store because I had a whole range of new games, warm-ups, energizers and fun summaries to integrate into this new program. Activities like “thought velocity”, “cyclic brainstorm”, “rewind” and “the rich list” made it to the ranks of our delivery and they helped to engage the group and act as transitions between the theory.
 
I often get asked, “aren’t games just a waste of time?” Well my short answer is no! However, my considered rejoinder to this is: the right games, used correctly with the right audience will enhance the content and promote learning. Of course if you open your copy of 101 Games that Trainers Play, then close your eyes and randomly pick an activity for the day, you are unlikely to get bang for your buck. Moreover, games for the sake of playing games are never a good idea. However, selecting activities to complement or partner the material can assist students in making the necessary connections. In most situations, a carefully selected game will support the trainer in attracting and maintaining interest in their session. If they are not playing they are straying, so you need to find the ying and yang relationship of content and supporting activity. Remember, games are not the antithesis of content. They help to challenge, reinforce, persuade, refocus and reassure participants.
 
US Train-the-trainer guru Bob Pike says that just because your audience is there physically does not mean they are there mentally. “It is important to give them a challenge, a puzzle and a message to discuss around your topic as a launching pad or anchor for your presentation or training session”. I couldn’t agree more with this sentiment.
 
It takes courage to try new things in the classroom, but you (and your students) will be glad you did!