‘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
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.
All students share an object on camera that represents the learning
Each student takes turns to share what the object represents and how it connects them with the learning
At the end the facilitator shares his/her learning in their own words while holding the object in their hand
.
An Example
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.
One learner shares they were energized by the workshop as they get energized by a hot cup of tea
Another learner cannot wait to try out the facilitation techniques they learnt and shows off the workbook where they have all of them listed
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
Scrum, Product Management, and DevOps: Simplifying the jargon
The internet and social media are full of Agile, Scrum, Product Management, and DevOps jargon, including incorrect and misunderstood concepts. This could be problematic for a learner seeking knowledge. Without a course with Scrum Alliance, Scrum.org, or DevOps Institute, this knowledge is difficult to achieve.
