NAGTAD Resources for Members Only

Training Activities

NAGTAD members would like to recommend these training activities that have worked well in their training sessions.

• Balloon therapy - Have participants practice cleansing breaths (deep breathing) as a form of stress management.  I first tried this about 10 years ago and it has been requested over and over each year.
  -- (Rob Virts – Montana)
  
• As an opener for Career Enhancement, I use some drawings of people and ask the group to create a story about the person)
  -- (Katy Cove – Kentucky)
  
•   I enjoy using the “Coyotes Around the Campfire” activity that we learned about at the 2004 conference in Asheville.
  -- (Cheryl Tinsley – Missouri)
  
• Active, hands-on activities work well, even though people protest a little in having to stand up.  I found one recently in a Customer Service Activities notebook (sold by Skillbuilders) that illustrates teambuilding and handling multiple priorities.  It involves putting a marble inside a balloon, and then inflating it.  You’ll need 1 balloon for each person, plus one extra.  The object is to keep all balloons in the air at once.  The marble makes the balloon behave very erratically.
  -- (Cheryl Tinsley – Missouri)
  
• Ones that require a variety of thought processing. (i.e. individual/self reflection vs. team participation, hands-on vs. visual or audio, etc.)
  -- (Penny  Jamvold – Kansas)
  
•  PUTTING THEM ONLINE!
  -- (Jane Bozarth – North Carolina) 
  
• Trivia questions, scavenger hunts, small group brainstorming, case studies
  -- (Tracy Connelly – Delaware)
  
• Properly designed training aimed at in-class skill building.  Typical approach is short lecturettes enhanced & extended with:
  • small-group discussions
  • small-group problem solving
  • skill practices linked to a video (we use a lot fewer videos now vs. 10 years ago, since we can fine-tune our skill-building activities to a greater degree than commonly seen in generic training films)
    -- (Ted Ball – Louisiana)
    
• Giving breaks at least every 90 minutes. Further, it is very helpful that we have instructors who use, but do not over-use, the wide range of instructional delivery methods (lecture, slides, chart pads, videos, etc.) without overdoing any of them).
  -- (Ted Ball – Louisiana)
  
• Tower building exercise using various materials such as marshmallows and uncooked spaghetti noodles is a good learning activity to demonstrate the importance of communication in teamwork
  -- (Laurette Burdyl – South Carolina)
  
• Any activity that encourages participants to work together and do something they may not have done in the past. Takes them out of their comfort zone and everyone is at the same level of expertise in a subject. All participants become peers learning new skills  and find likenesses instead of hierarchal authorities.
  -- (Laurette Burdyl – South Carolina)
  
• Speaker Showcase -- (Ellen Zeller – South Dakota)
  
• Statewide Training Advisory Network of Delaware:  Local group of state trainers
  -- (Tracy Connelly – Delaware)
  
• Supervision: Competency & Skill Building (Certo)
  -- (Ted Ball – Louisiana)
  
• Supervisor and Administrative Professionals Filmfest
  -- (Ellen Zeller – South Dakota)
  
• Team Dynamics and Leadership.  They both involve working effectively with others or inspiring and developing others.
  -- (Penny Jamvold - Kansas )
  
• Tests that Work (Westgaard – for test writing)
  -- (Ted Ball – Louisiana)
  
• What Every Supervisor Should Know: the Complete Guide to Supervisory Management (Bittel 7 Newstrom)
  -- (Ted Ball - Louisiana)

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