Glance through previous issues for training tips, links to great articles and mentors, new products and ideas.

April 2008
Feature Article: No More Excuses: Data supports Brain-based Learning by Susan Landay
"...The truth is, Brain-Based Learning is imperative, and we're not just talking about fancy PowerPoint slides. In this article, No More Excuses, I share more than a dozen research data points that point to the effectiveness of BBL. Please take them and share them with your class and supervisors. . . more

February 2008
Feature Article: Build Confidence in Your Learners by David B. Wilson
"My successful, intelligent and experienced adult learners are riddled with anxiety! What's going on here?" asks Trainer David B. Wilson. Wilson offers more than a dozen tips that will help your learners to build the confidence they need to be successful in your training programs.. . . . more

January 2008
Feature Article: Discovery Learning by Catherine J. Rezak
"It's not surprising," says Catherine Rezak, "that our minds wander during a lecture--brains just aren't made to be talked at. Talking, no matter how animated or passionate, doesn't provide enough stimulation for our brains to work . . . and so they don't. And if our brains don't work, we don't learn. . . . more

October 2007
Feature Article: Free Icebreakers! by Greg P. Smith
Gregory Smith has written extensively on icebreakers and team building activities for corporate groups.  He has some terrific ideas and shares three of his favorites on line for FREE . . . more

September 2007
Feature Article: Why "Learnertainment" Works by Lenn Millbower
Millbower shares the theory that resulted from his journey to become a "Learnertainer," focusing on a chain of reactions: Entertainment creates Emotion > Emotion creates Attention > Attention creates Meaning > . . . more

August 2007
Feature Article: Interactive Lectures - 36 Formats by "Thiagi"
Master of training and games, Thiagi serves up 36 quick snippets that will make your next training session more interactive, more fun and more effective. Each of these 36 Formats is rich in creativity. . . more

June 2007
Feature Article: Make Your Message Stick by Sharon Bowman
In her article, "Four Ways to Make Your Message Stick," Sharon Bowman shares a few "must-have" tricks to have up your sleeve. Although you may not be surprised by these straightforward techniques, she reminds us that they're easy to implemen. . . .more

March 2007
Feature Article: Ten Great Reasons to Use Classroom Games by Steve Sugar
Why use classroom games? From his discussions with countless clients and workshop participants comes this list of the ten very best reasons for using learning games. We hope they will remind and stimulate you to consider learning games as a training alternative. . . more

February 2007
Feature Article: Five Stages of Group Formation by Karl M. Kapp
Kapp identifies 6 different types of knowledge that can be taught through games, including: facts, concepts, rules, procedures, principles, and problem-solving. . . more

November 2006
Feature Article: Five Stages of Group Formation by Jim McCain
For each of the five stages, Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Transforming, McCain offers an explanation and a series of activities that will help teams understand and successfly move through that phase. . . more

September 2006
Sleuth Your Way to Success by Sue Doctoroff Landay
...30-minute communication game will enrapture your learners. And, it will teach them the importance of working together to uncover facts and sort their way to a solution."... more

July 2006
Feature Article:Teach Serious Learners Playfully by Sue Doctoroff Landay
Some trainers would like to bring playful learning into their classroom but feel they simply can't--their students are just too serious--accountants, bankers, vice presidents, techies, etc... more

June 2006
10 Tips for Better Presentations by Peter R. Garber
The most important visual in your training presentation, he says, is YOU! Included in his Top 10 (and explained in greater detail) are:

• Look the part
• Pay attention to your non-verbals
• Get your voice heard...more

• Listen actively
• Keep your cool
• Don't get drawn into arguments
• Know your audience
• Get help
• . . . and above all, tell the truth!. . . more
  

April 2006
Feature Article: Making Meetings Fun by Bernie De Koven
"Sometimes a meeting is actually fun. You may not realize it until after the meeting's over," says Bernie DeKoven. When that happens, he says, you're likely to reflect back on the meeting and find that you were speaking intelligently and actually accomplished something!... more

February 2006
Feature Article: Creating Dynamic Presentations by Carolyn B. Thompson
No matter how much you practice what you'll say, surveys show that "less than 10% of your impact comes from the words you speak. The real impact comes from your tone, facial expressions, and body language. Discover 35 tips for using your brain and body to create a dynamic presentation... more

January 2006
Feature Article: Coaching-Approaches and Archetypes: Eight Possibilities for Event-Driven Coaching by Dr. Steve Albrecht, PHR, CPP
Change, in most areas of our lives, is driven by events. Coaches can get called in when problems reach a pinnacle. Albrecht shows the trainer what he or she can do when a coaching intervention is needed. . . more

December 2005
Feature Article: The Power of Play by Teambonding
Team building games and training have been played for centuries. The game of chess was created in the 4th Century for teaching strategy to military and political leaders. Goldstein quotes Plato, saying, "You learn more about a person in an hour of play than in a lifetime of conversation." . . . more

November 2005
Feature Article: A Lesson in Comedy by Lynn Grasberg
In public speaking, humor works. "In fact," Grasberg says, "it's essential. You do not have to be a stand-up comedian to hold your audience but you do have to be able to find and share the absurdities of life with them. . . . . more

October  2005
Feature Article: Make Orientation a Success by Jean Barbazette
Jean explains there are 12 key factors to making an new employee orientation program a success:
KEY FACTOR #1 -- Orientation must be an ongoing process, a process that needs to be refined and customized for each organization and group of employees. It is not just a single-day event... more

September  2005
Feature Article: Doing the Right Thing by Lou Russell
"Have you ever attended a seminar that you enjoyed enormously ... and months later, stumbled upon the workbook you took away from that seminar, read the title and realized that while the class was great fun, you learned nothing valuable about its ostensible topic?"... more

July  2005
Feature Article: Be Prepared by Denis Gratton
True or False?
1. All trainers are naturally well-organized and neat. 2. All training sites are well-stocked with supplies. 3. Training supplies are easy to organize and carry.  Gratton recommends a "must-have" packing list for all trainers.  . .  more

1. Training is a process, not an event.
2. There are multiple people involved in getting results from training.
3. The purpose of training is for people to leave impressed with themselves, not intimidated by the instructor.. more

May 2005
Feature Article: Generating Participation by Peter Renner, EdD
How do you encourage shy students or rein in over-eager hand raisers? How do you start up healthy discussions where students REALLY listen to one another? Peter Renner, EdD offers 35+ practical activities and approaches to help you with your group... more

April 2005
Feature Article:  How to Stay Stressed  by Dr. Jane Bluestein, Ph.D.
Stress is so prevalent, one might make this conclusion: We all want to stay stressed!   In this humorous article, find a myriad of reasons explaining why we've come to prefer stress . . . more

March  2005
Feature Article:  Hecklers, Hardliners, and Heavy Questions: Handling Difficult Questions and Questioners with Eloquence and Ease  by Craig Harrison
Teachers and trainers are frequently in the "hot seat," fielding difficult questions from difficult questioners.
In this brief article, Harrison shares some mental and physical strategies to help you think on your feet, speak on your feet, and avoid putting your feet into your mouth...more

February 2005
Feature Article:  Learnertainment Works   by Lenn Millbower
When Millbower realized that he could not keep his college students' attention, but a 3 hour long Titanic movie could, he began looking for entertainment techniques he could apply to his classroom... more

January 2005
Feature Article:   Check For Understanding by Sharon Bowman
You ask if they got it. They smile and nod, "uh huh." But did they?  In this article, Bowman explores how to make sure your trainees "get it" the first time you say it. She offers 5 "check-for-understanding" strategies that will give you a good idea of whether your group got it, will remember it, and then apply what they learned...  more

December 2004
Feature Article:  Humor: It's Serious Business by Doni Tamblyn
In this article, Tamblyn asserts that humor is, indeed, a skill and a gift--but it is one that everyone was born with in spades. All it takes is a bit of creativity and playfulness...   more

November 2004
Feature Article: Weave Course Content into your Icebreakers by Mel Silberman
"It's always a good idea to use the beginning of a training session as a time to get to know your participants and for your participants to get to know each other. By doing so, you begin to create the interactive community that sustains active learning...more

October 2004
Feature Article:   Secrets of Successful Facilitators by Dr. Sivasailam "Thiagi" Thiagarajan
In this timeless article on successful facilitation, Thiagi explores 6 tensions that facilitators wrestle with every day. The key to effective facilitation, he explains, is flexibility. Facilitators need to be adaptive, proactive, responsive, and resilient. But how? By carefully balancing these 6 tensions...more