Elyse Eriksson loves interactive presentations. She hates boring training. And to prove it, she asked her audience at Austin ASTD‘s January 2012 meeting to stand up and chant “I’m mad about boring training and I’m not going to take it any more!” just like in that famous movie.
Using Hollywood film scenes is one of her favorite ways to spice up technical training, she says. For example, to teach international import/export rules, which is her special area of expertise, she asked participants to classify James Bond spy gadgets using the US import categories they had just learned. She also brings props like hats and wigs so attendees can play roles in movie scenes using her adapted scripts that reinforce training content.
You Must Model What You Say
She says participants soon get over their natural shyness once they play several games, sing funny songs, or compete in quiz contests. She also believes in having fun herself while she conducts training. And to prove her point, she put on a two-foot high blond wig to become a “Dolly” character.
Her formula for inventing training activities she calls “F.L.I.P.” You start with the PURPOSE of your training, choose activities based on LEARNER’s needs that are INTERACTIVE and, most importantly, are FUN. In small groups, members were asked to invent a workshop activity that would reinforce OSHA safety procedures. One group described a game they called “Are You Smarter Than an OSHA Inspector” modeled on the TV show “Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader.”
At the end, Erikisson summarized her talk on how to rescue boring technical training, i.e. “Technical Training 9-1-1″ with 7 takeaways.
Listen to Her Presentation
MP3 file of Elyse Eriksson (Duration 34:42) recorded at Austin ASTD January 20, 2012. Recorded with the speaker’s permission; produced by Clay Leben, and shared under a Creative Commons (attribution, non-commercial, share alike) license.
Contact Elyse Eriksson at Taranis International
Elyse Eriksson
Thanks Clay for providing this recording!