Blog Archives

Virtual Training
Quick Draw

Have you heard of the saying, “A picture speaks a thousand words”?

 

In today's blog, I'll walk you through a technique that is used in all of my virtual training and students just love it!

 

 

The technique is called “quick draw” that helps students learn an abstract topic with ease and also become part of their long term memory.

What is Quick Draw?

 

Quickdraw is a technique which can be used in the classroom as well as virtually where a facilitator shares a word and asks the students to draw an object that depicts the word.

 

The topic could be the 6 brain science principles or the 5 scrum values or the 12 Agile principles

 

Facilitator Guide

  1. The Facilitator shares one of the six brain science principles- “Images trumps words” and asks the students to draw a picture depicting this statement. For example they might draw a “camera”. Other students draw a “art gallery”, etc. Each student draws the object that comes to mind on a post-it or a blank sheet of paper
  2. The facilitator continues to share each principle and the students draw an image that comes to mind thats connect with the principle.
 
 

3.  The facilitator can then split the learners into groups, in the virtual environment they can join breakout rooms. There the learners are invited to a time box for 5 to 6 minutes to take turns and share their beautiful “masterpieces” and why does their drawing connect with the principle.

4. When they come back into the main room, their brain is already primed with the principles and now the facilitator can add things like why the principles are important or what do they mean in more detail. 

Where can you use this technique?

This is a great technique to use instead of a lecture to teach abstract topics which are hard to remember.

This technique can also be used to facilitate how your participants are feeling at the moment by having them draw their feelings in a. meeting. 

This technique can instantly provide feedback to an instructor as to where the students are with a topic and how much have they grasped it.

This can also be used as a review activity after 8-10 minutes of teaching a concept

Benefits of the Quick Draw Technique

Students get enthusiastic and draw quirky, fun pictures. You and your students might not necessarily be an artist to draw a picture depicting a statement. All you need is a willingness to take part in the activity and drawing something that represents that word or principle

 

Most often the picture turns into a funny story that excites the participants to interact with each other in the training and explain what they learnt in their own words

 

This technique takes away the need to teach abstract topics by using boring lectures and connects the learners with each other. The discussions in the breakout rooms help the learners learn the topic in their own words. Again the trainer becomes more of “a guide on the side” rather than “a sage on the stage” imparting knowledge

 

Do you find this blog helpful? Please share your comments or questions below

 

I teach many more virtual techniques in Training from the BACK of the Room Virtual Edition TBR-VE training and our other virtual workshops. Click on the link to know more https://conceptsandbeyond.com/training-calendar/ https://conceptsandbeyond.com/training-calendar/

 

 

 

 

References:

  1. Training from the BACK of the Room – Virtual Edition by Sharon Bowman
  2. Liberating Structures
  3. Skilled Facilitator – Roger Schwarz
  4. Facilitator's guide to participatory decision making – Sam Kaner

About the Author

Certified Trainer for Training from the Back oF The Room, Certified Scrum Master

Educator, Corporate Trainer, Marketing professional, and Entrepreneur. I believe that the only moment is ‘NOW'. My training & workshops apply the mindfulness, awareness, and cognitive neuroscience techniques to engage learners bring joy while learning, get 100% attention, and improved retention

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by Kriti Jaising

Virtual Training
Metaphor Magic

‘I couldn’t believe that I was active throughout the training and the hours just passed us by’, said one of our virtual training students. I’m glad and overwhelmed by this genuine feedback from my students.

 

In this blog, I'll share one of my favorite virtual training technique, ‘Metaphor Magic’.

 

A metaphor is a figure of speech that symbolises one kind of object or idea in place of another. 

 

Let’s get into the technique,

 

What is metaphor magic?

You have taught a new concept to your learners and want to know how well they understood it. You can use the metaphor magic technique so that learner can relate the learning in their own words.

 

 

Facilitator Guide

 

  1. The facilitator picks up an object and demonstrates how they feel about the class or the learning. The facilitator then invites all the students to follow and pick up an object that represents their learning.

  2. All students share an object on camera that represents the learning

  3. Each student takes turns to share what the object represents and how it connects them with the learning

  4. At the end the facilitator shares his/her learning in their own words while holding the object in their hand

. 

 

An Example

 

  1. The facilitator ask their learners to pick an object that represents one thing they learnt in their Certified Scrum Master Workshop

    Students pick up a pen, their workbook, a desk lamp, a cup of tea, etc.

  2. One learner shares they were energized by the workshop as they get energized by a hot cup of tea

  3. Another learner cannot wait to try out the facilitation techniques they learnt and shows off the workbook where they have all of them listed

  4. After everyone has a chance to go, the facilitator shares a globe and how energizing were the interactions and what the learners shared from the world over

 

 

Where can this technique be used?

You can use this technique as a review activity after teaching a new concept for 8-10 minutes. It is also a great conclusion activity for a topic or the entire class.

Benefits of the Metaphor Magic Technique

The power of imagination is limitless and the

interpretation differs from person to person which opens the door for innovative and derived thinking in your virtual training. It also has the students speak about what they learnt in their own words, so that they remember the learning better. Potentially teach others.

 

It helps the student analyse what they learnt and use creativity and presence of mind to elaborate the learning. This technique brings fun, joy and sparks a light of knowledge in the student's brain

 

The participants get inspired by one another and start to connect the learning in their own words as well as learn from other learners other points which they might have missed during the training. It also begins a healthy discussion among the students in your virtual training.

So the trainer gets an opportunity to be “A guide” on the side instead of a “Sage on the Stage”

Students become active, enthusiastic and try to involve themselves in the classroom. They learn from other student’s takeaways, get to know the learning better and become a supportive community. These techniques are taught to other aspiring trainers/ facilitators/ coaches in Training from the BACK of the Room Virtual Edition Workshop.

 

 Does this blog help you? Comment below and let us know your comments

References:

  1. Training from the BACK of the Room – Virtual Edition by Sharon Bowman
  2. Liberating Structures
  3. Skilled Facilitator – Roger Schwarz
  4. Facilitator's guide to participatory decision making – Sam Kaner

About the Author

Certified Trainer for Training from the Back oF The Room, Certified Scrum Master

Educator, Corporate Trainer, Marketing professional, and Entrepreneur. I believe that the only moment is ‘NOW'. My training & workshops apply the mindfulness, awareness, and cognitive neuroscience techniques to engage learners bring joy while learning, get 100% attention, and improved retention

Twitter
Youtube
Linkedin
by Kriti Jaising

Virtual Training
Virtual Ball Toss

Bringing fun, energy and participant interaction is a big challenge in the virtual learning environment. I would love to share a wonderful technique that I use in my training to connect the audience with each other and with the topic using Virtual Ball Toss. 

 

Virtual Ball Toss is a virtual version of a ball toss technique you can use in an in-room class

 

So let’s get to it.

What is virtual ball toss?

You have taught a concept to your students, perhaps for 8 – 10 minutes, you may want to review what your students have learnt or perhaps you like to engage them before you start a new learning so you can gauge what your students already know, one technique you can use is the virtual ball toss.

 The facilitator picks up a play ball and shares instructions “ I am going to  call out the name of one student, I am going to throw the ball and the student will catch the ball and answer an open-ended question like ‘Share one thing you have learnt about the topic?

The student catches the virtual ball and shares his/her experience and passes the virtual ball to another student by calling out their name. It continues in the same manner until the virtual ball is passed back to the facilitator. This is known to be the “virtual ball toss” technique. The video below has a demonstration of how it will work in the classroom.

 

Where can this technique be used?

  • Starting to teach a new topic, you like to connect each learner to a topic and to each other
  • After teaching a concept for 8-10 minutes you want to review what the learners have learnt, use this as a review activity
  • At the end of a module as a conclusion activity to confirm what learners have learnt through the exercises and other learning activities.

Benefits of the Virtual Ball Toss Technique

This technique helps to connect all the learners and make them feel comfortable and supportive of one another. Every learner gets to speak and express the learning in their own words. When learners express what they learnt in their own words, they retain the learning more and are able to explain what they learnt.

References:

  1. Training from the BACK of the Room – Virtual Edition by Sharon Bowman
  2. Liberating Structures
  3. Skilled Facilitator – Roger Schwarz
  4. Facilitator's guide to participatory decision making – Sam Kaner

About the Author

Certified Trainer for Training from the Back oF The Room, Certified Scrum Master

Educator, Corporate Trainer, Marketing professional, and Entrepreneur. I believe that the only moment is ‘NOW'. My training & workshops apply the mindfulness, awareness, and cognitive neuroscience techniques to engage learners bring joy while learning, get 100% attention, and improved retention

Twitter
Youtube
Linkedin
by Kriti Jaising

Virtual Training
Signals

Signals is defined as a hand, body motion or a choral response, used by learners to answer a question or demonstrate their understanding of a concept.

Training from the BACK of the Room uses tools and techniques based on the cognitive and brain science principles. A balance is maintained at all times. Teaching concepts in ways that learners are totally & completely ‘present‘ without sacrificing time or information.

Checking for understanding is a must whenever we are teaching, sharing or presenting. A simple thumbs up or down or yes or no can become mundane and boring. Adding kinesthetic element, different unusual sounds, musical instruments bring novelty. By now we all know Different Trumps Same.

Signals also help learners to think what they have heard and cross check if they interpreted correctly, repeating the information thus shifting it to long term memory path.

What is your favorite signal to check your learners understanding of important material?

Please share.

by Kriti Jaising

Virtual Training
Dot Voting – A Democratic Facilitation Tool

A beautiful example of democracy. Dot Voting a simple yet a very powerful tool in a trainer's tool bag.

Simple because you just show your choice by putting a color dot sticker on your preference.

Powerful because dot voting has science behind it. Trainers print or write learning outcomes on a worksheet or posters or chart paper. Learners read them, analyze them, weigh them, prioritize them and then put the colored dots on the outcomes most important to them.

Trainers are using a psychological technique called ‘Priming' – without conscious guidance letting the learners assess and decide what is important to them. Also getting their brains ready for what they are about to learn in the classroom.

Trainers gets a sense of ‘What learners are expecting‘ thus managing, matching expectations by customizing and delivering the content based on the ‘Learning Outcomes'

How do you use Dot Voting in your trainings? Do share.

Happy Weekend

 

Published By Kriti Jaising

by Kriti Jaising

Virtual Training
Neuroscience of Mindfulness & Learning

In this world of multitasking, checking emails, liking or commenting Linkedin posts, tweets or managing kids homework or folding laundry. Planning our day while preparing breakfast or driving to work. In this haste of ‘Doing' we are loosing connection with the ‘Being' that is our inner self.

Mind is constantly running on the loop of thoughts of past or future and we miss the only truth the ‘Present' or the ‘Now'. Have you notice that you are beaming with happiness and true joy when you do an adventure sport like Rock Climbing, Sky diving, Bungee Jumping or a boot camp in the gym or after attending TBR Practitioner class :). This peace stems from the freedom of our thoughts, we are completely in the ‘Now'. So if ‘Being' in the ‘Now' is so blissful, how can we replicate the same feeling to the rest of our day and life.

‘Mindfulness' is the practice of focusing your attention on the ‘Present Moment'. ‘Being in the Now' is accepting this moment without resistance, judgement and attachment.

In the year 2020, I'm focused on bringing trainings based on Neuroscience of Learning and Mindfulness. All our Training from the BACK of the Room Practitioner Classes delivers the original content based on Brain Science principles as created by @Sharon Bowman and learning's from Eckhart Tolle Books ‘Power of Now' and ‘A New Earth' that both @Anil Jaising and I practice in our lives as well.

 

I'm thrilled to see the prestigious academic institutions like Bergen County Academies, Hackensack, NJ, Englewood Cliffs School district and many others have included mediation & yoga in their daily schedules and after school programs. Shifting the focus from external / materialist life to internal /mystical way of living.

As trainers / teachers, the more we are aware and present the better we will connect, understand and give back to our learners. At Concepts & Beyond we are collaborating with like minded trainers who share our beliefs and philosophies.

by Kriti Jaising