Advice on arranging a training session

jazzypinkpuppet

Hello, I just wanted to get some opinions of work training sessions. I have somehow been nominated to arrange and conduct a training session at my work. I obviously know what things need to be included, half is very work specific but the other half is customer service. I can do what I like and in any format I choose. It will be for 45 people. I wondered if anyone had any ideas of games they found really good, or any things from previous training that they remember as being worth while and really helpful or fun. Equally is there anything that you hated and thought was a complete waste of time.
I thought I might go for an Olympic theme as we want to be winners !!(I know cringe !!:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:)
Thanks in advance
Jules

ohreally

Keep games out, and powerpoint to an absolute minimum.

ktothema

This may not be what you were looking for but I did some negotiation skills training once and it was awful. You were given loads of example scenarios as role play and were meant to use the skills they were teaching you throughout, but no one could do this as whoever had laid the example scenarios out had given information out in a wierd way. Person A got info on person B that they didn't have and vice versa. Everyone found it really hard to negotiate as in real life you know about yourself and in this someone else knew facts on you that you didn't. Was really odd. So I'd suggest staying clear of that!

jazzypinkpuppet

oh god I'm not even considering using power point.
Really no games ? I love games !! We won't need icebreakers or anything like that, everyone works with each other every day so there will be no awkwardness and talking about the weather.

paddyrg

There is a classic episode of 'The Office' that sums up corporate training days, and the apathy people tend to feel towards them. It is very easy to create an embarrassing car-crash and impossible to get right! Good luck!

I don't mean to sound discouraging, quite the opposite - to point out that it is a TOUGH deal, and actually impossible to please everybody, so don't take it to heart if some people don't engage, just carry on through with your head held high

heretolearn_2

There's quite an art to organising these days in a way that doesn't bore everyone to death or turn into an 'The Office' style cringefest. So good luck :-)

Games and things can be excruciating but the right one with the right people can loosen everyone up a bit and the best ones make a point. Currently we only have one big training event off site and I do an after lunch activity to get everyone going again. Sometimes I do little quiz type activities too but only in a good team that know each other quite well and it's tailored to them, so may not be appropriate for you.

The only game I have found that people enjoy, don't get embarrassed by, and makes a good point about team-work (which applies to pretty much any training situation)without any cringe factor is called 'levitating sticks'. The best part is that it sounds so simple...but it's quite hard, and people end up in hysterics laughing.

You put people in teams of three and give them a long but light stick, about 4foot long, the packs of garden bamboo canes you can get in £1 shops are ideal. Chuck any really bent/wonky ones though, the sticks needs to be 90% straight to be fair.

Then they stand in a row balancing the stick across one outstretched finger from each person at elbow height, one at each end and one in the middle. All they have to do is put the stick down on the ground with no ones finger coming off it. If someone's finger stops touching it, they go back to where they started.

Most people laugh as they think 'this is stupidly easy' but they find it isn't (as it pivots around the centre finger and goes horribly wrong until they work out how to move in complete syncronicity with each other and that normally takes a bit of communication) Lots of the sticks start to go up instead of down (hence the name).

Has to be 3 people exactly, some people don't quite grasp why and want to do it with two (well duh yes of course you can do it now), but it is a good laugh, no one is made a fool of, and it really gets the cooperation/communication point home.

It's best to pair up the teams to take it in turns to do and act as 'judges' for each other. It's really funny to watch the others trying and it stops cheating.

Owain_Moneysaver

Get a DVD of Fawlty Towers, watch it and discuss customer service.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hWWtA7npmE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRAM5EE5kgg

Sambucus_Nigra

Have you been on a 'train the trainer' course? Have you ever delivered a course before?

flutterbyuk25

This website has lots of games/activities etc

http://businessballs.com/

HTH

jazzypinkpuppet

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

Have you been on a 'train the trainer' course? Have you ever delivered a course before?

no never been on a course, I have done small training sessions before on a specific thing but not as long as this.

I am not too worried all the people there, are my friends, we all get along and are a close little bunch. But I want to make it effective, fun and not bore the life out of them.

I love the faulty towers idea, they would really find that funny.:rotfl:

jazzypinkpuppet

flutterbyuk25 wrote: »

This website has lots of games/activities etc

http://businessballs.com/

HTH

Thankyou :beer: