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Facilitator Resources

Facilitators truly are guides that bring information alive with activites, engagement and the wisdom of the groups they lead.

As corporate trainers at Northern Lights Canada, we go beyond the fundamentals to honour what adults are looking for when they commit to a learning experience.

If you are a new or seasoned  facilitator, bookmark us as a favourite for new and proven methods to keep your love of facilitation alive.      

What's So Funny?
August 30, 2011
joanne

What’s So Funny?

In today’s working world not much.  Which is why even a little bit of humour goes a long way to changing how we feel about going to work. The stats reveal that unprecedented numbers of employees are taking sick and stress related days off to offset the ill effects of long hours, grindstone atmospheres and endless commutes.

Humour is a simple and effective way to inspire and engage people and that emotional connection makes the workplace a happier and more productive place to be.  As a facilitator, it is a great tool to add to any workshop design both formally or informally.

When we laugh we quickly form bonds and build nice little bridges of understanding with each other.  And there is usually much to laugh at given that problems tend to be funnier than solutions.  Laughter creates flow and allows us to look at serious issues with often fresh and innovative perspectives.

Humour helps to establish goodwill. When you leverage the elements of humour any message coming from you receives more weight than from someone who has not created rapport.  When we laugh together we recognize how much we are alike.  We share dreams and hopes and a real sense that we are all in this together which changes how people invest in their work.  Think about what it feels like next time you are in a meeting and someone makes everyone laugh.  There is a real sense of community that comes from it.

Years ago, I remember being one of ten candidates competing for a big training piece with an international auto maker.  I love morning energy and when I drew the last interview spot of the day, I anticipated facing interviewers who would be dog tired and looking longingly for the day to end.  The interview involved a traditional exchange of questions and answers as well as a chance to demonstrate elements of the training to be delivered. When they called to congratulate me they told me what separated me from the others was my sense of humour.  They said it was so refreshing to laugh; it had really energized them after a long day.  They also believed that humour would help to keep the learners engaged who would be entering the classroom on the heels of an 8 hour shift. 

One of the first things to go when things get serious is our sense of humour.   And as that story proves, it can be a great ally.

John Cleese of Monty Python fame recognized the workplace could use some humour and created training videos and a company that was sold in 1989 for 50 million British pounds.

Games and Activities
Step Away From the PowerPoint
May 24, 2011
cdolliver

      One of the best and worst inventions connected with training has to be the "slide show." I remember when I first discovered slide shows. I loved the creative possibilities.  Being a visual learner, I immediately liked what it could do for me. Now, 16 years later, I have mixed feelings. I've experienced too many boring training sessions where the slide show, not the trainer, led the session.

     Too often people end up reading their slides, instead of using them to create interest and help make information memorable. Now I challenge myself to step away from the slide show and select action rather than talking to a slide. I limit the slides in my training and presentations to simply create visual interest and reinforcement. Now, I use music and movement to get people actively participating, instead of passively listening. Whenever I think about reading a slide, I remember the power of stepping away and choosing interaction.

Crystal

How to
What makes a speaker memorable
April 12, 2011
admin

What makes someone memorable as a speaker? In my mind, a great speaker follows some simple rules.

Check out this Globe and Mail article "The 18-minute presentation" here

Joanne

Resources, Speaking
The 3 Simple Rules of Improv
May 20, 2011
admin

1.Work with what you get

2.Say whatever comes into your head and avoid saying no

3.Always make your partner look good.

 

       As simple as the three rules of Improv are, they are not always easy to put into practice especially for adults. If you have watched improv on television or gone to see a Second City production, you may believe that improv is about being really quick and really funny at the same time. That can set you up before you even start.

      The kind of improv we use in our workshops is designed to help people get comfortable on their feet using some simple techniques and exercises.  No one has run screaming from our improv workshops. But there is always a lot of laughter and the kind of camaraderie that takes place when we loosen up and just be ourselves.

     We put our own ability to live in the moment to the test recently at this year's Cannexus conference. When our colleague fell ill we offered up improv as a substitute for her workshop. With just a half hour to spare, we were able to pick some tunes from my smart phone, push the tables back and pick out ten improv exercises from our repertoire. The 40 plus people, who very spontaneously attended, were a highly memorable group. One fellow offered up one of the best rants I have seen and there was some great body walking too.

     Here is one of the exercises we did that morning. This is a positive way to start a meeting or lead a group.

Have everyone form a large circle so they are able to see each other. Ask each person to say the thing they like most about.....in our case we were in Ottawa so we used Ottawa.

     It was 35 degrees below that morning so this prompted comments about weather, but the responses included hats, skating on the canal, beaver tails, shopping, parliament buildings and great food. Some people said the same thing and that is perfectly fine.

     This simple exercise demonstrated how many great things the group had to look forward to over the three days at the conference, and showcased both similar and varied interests. People really paid attention to what was being said and what had not been said.

     Improv is a great way to help a group get comfortable and share ideas.

     Joanne

Improv, How to