It’s not uncommon to see photos of me designing my workshops in a coffee shop, often with a latte in hand and a cozy corner claimed for the morning. But before you think this is just about my love for lattes (although I do enjoy a good Soya Vanilla Latte!)  or my appreciation of coffee shop decor, (although I do love an eclectic mix of random lampshades and mismatched furniture!) let me share a deeper secret. The real reason I gravitate to these spaces is for something I like to call “distracted reflection.”

CONSIDERATIONS FOR A TRAINING ENVIRONMENT?

(Remember everyone is different, so these are just a few possible combinations.)

ATTENTION
Situation: An AuDHD participant MAY struggle with maintaining attention and focus during training sessions, especially if the material is lengthy (ADHD trait), but they could also fixate on a certain topic wanting to drill it down for complete clarity (ASC trait).

Good practice for all: Design your training so it breaks down into smaller chunks. (Give context, then step by step instructions as they are required.) Allow for different interaction levels, and space to reflect and deep dive into certain areas.  Be prepared to bring things back on topic but allowing for outstanding questions to be captured for post workshop conversations.

SENSORY OVERLOAD:
Situation: Training environments can involve a lot of sensory stimuli such as noise, visual presentations, and crowded spaces. ADHD and ASD share this common trait for experiencing sensory input differently.

Good practice for all: We are often not able to choose the rooms we train in, but if you can try to get one with the least possible distractions it will help.  Also consider the following: Assess if some of the lights can be switched off.  Try blanking your presentation screen when not in use (Control B on your keyboard).  Avoid playing music with lyrics when people are trying to focus on an activity.

UNDERSTANDING AND APPLYING NEW CONCEPTS:
Situation: Imagine the scene, you’ve just asked your learners to get into groups, work on a hypothetical scenario, and come up with an action plan to present back to the other groups.  Not an uncommon training practice. The issue here is that understanding abstract or hypothetical concepts can be a struggle (ASC trait) but also there may be an issue with processing and retaining new information, particularly if it requires sustained attention or working memory (ADHD Trait).

Good practice for all: Consider having real life scenarios that participants can relate to.  Have specifics and be prepared to answer more questions about it.  Consider sending out pre-work highlighting which topics will be included in the session.  If they choose to be the spokesperson for the group presentation, allow them to confer with their team if everything was covered.


SOCIAL INTERACTIONS AND GROUP ACTIVITIES:
Situation: Business training often involves lots of people attending that may not know each other.  Add into the mix group activities, discussions, and certain exercises there’s a lot of interaction here. The variety of doing something new can be very appealing (ADHD trait) but interpreting social cues or engaging in reciprocal communication can be quite stressful (ASC trait).

Good practice for all: If possible, let people know prior to the session who is attending and what the set up is when they arrive. Have a good opening section that establishes expectations (ground rules), the agenda and a purposeful icebreaker can help the initial interaction.  Throughout the session allow for different levels of interaction, e.g. individual, pairs, group.  And most importantly let people know they are in charge of their learning, so if something works for them (Typing everything on a laptop or standing up and moving around) that’s all good too.


As you can see with ALL these scenarios, the suggestions given are headed ‘Good practice for all’.  This is because making any changes to enhance learning for a few individuals will often have a better outcome for everyone.

"Creative learning is what takes place when the process of learning allows for creative exploration of a subject, time to digest knowledge before making a commitment to use it, and a culture of succeed or learn." - Nikie Forster L&D Consultant.
​
Sound simple enough right?   

Well, yes and no.  The trouble is we’re so use to receiving traditional training, where we expect to be given information and then construct action plans at the end of a session, we sometimes switch to autopilot. So, when someone rocks up and encourages us to find out the answers for ourselves… and oh by the way you don’t have to commit to anything at the end of the session, we can sometimes feel duped.  What are we paying them for if I have to do all the work?

​Ultimately, creative learning creates more independence, confidence and better decision making.  As previously mentioned, a traditional approach is top down.  ‘I have the correct answer, I will share it with you.’ This is often mirrored outside the training room with some managers coveting the ‘expert’ role.  A creative learning approach is more collaborative. ‘I’ll help you explore what the answer could be.’  The more this is done, the more people seek collaboration and try things out for themselves, increasing innovation and self learning. 

INITIAL TOPIC TRAINING

Group A (Traditional Training). Throughout the first part of the session, the trainer is keen to share information and models that will aid the managers to become better in their day-to-day roles.  There are PowerPoints, discussions, post-it notes, and role play to bring home the learning. The Trainer leads from the front and offers advice when tricky scenarios crop up.

Group B (Creative Learning). Throughout the first part of the session, the trainer is keen to allow the learners to explore the topics by using ‘creative exploration’. They use props and activities to allow learners to discover possible answers.  The trainer has prepared some models and stories to help the learners to dig deeper but will only use these if needed.

DISCUSSION

Group A (Traditional Training). Throughout the session, the trainer feels confident in presenting information to the learners and facilitating discussions by asking probing questions.

Group B (Creative Learning). Throughout the session, the trainer feels confident in allowing the learners to explore.  They facilitate discussions by allowing the learners to ask questions. 

CAPTURING LEARNING

Group A (Traditional Training). Towards the end of the session, the trainer is keen for the learners to create action points.  They believe this will drive transfer of learning back in the workplace.

Group B (Creative Learning). Towards the end of the session, the trainer explains that the best ideas on how to use their new learning, may come to them after the session has ended.  The trainer asks them to jot down any thoughts they may currently have, and then to review these ideas at a set time frame in the future and add to them.  The trainer explains that a follow up session will be available to explore these thoughts further.

AND FINALLY…

Group A (Traditional Training). The trainer uses the final part of the session to recap on the key take away points and gain some feedback on how the session went. This session is now complete.
​
Group B (Creative Learning). The trainer asks the learners to recap on the session and make a note of anything that would aid them further in this topic.  An agreed time frame is set to review the learning and a story or activity is used to bring the session to a thoughtful close.  No feedback is solicited at this stage, this will only be done after the review and via an online portal to allow people to create a considered response.

Did you spot the differences?

Before we go any further it’s important to say that there is nothing wrong with the traditional training outlined here.  It’s a solid training session and learners will still go away having acquired some new knowledge.

​But the group that attended the creative learning session, will have had a much more immersive experience.  And, because the session wasn’t closed down by agreeing to action points, they will feel more empowered to continue thinking about the topic and decide for themselves how they will apply their learning (with the help of the review session.) 

Here’s three ways to start introducing the concept of creative learning into your sessions.
​

1. Have at least one hands-on activity that allows learners to explore and find out for themselves what the answer might be.  The debrief is key here as this is ultimately where the learning will take place.
2. Leave action points / goal setting till they’ve had time to digest the learning.  A great way to do this is design more programmes and less one-off events.  That way you can build on learning over time, allowing for that all important gap for the brain to do its thing.
3. Work with senior leaders, and managers to let them know you’re encouraging a ‘try and learn’ element to your sessions. (They may need some support themselves in this area too!)

Nikie Forster is the owner of Curious Lighthouse Learning Consultancy Ltd, focusing on increasing competence and confidence in Managers & Trainers. For over 20 years, Nikie has used elements of creative learning in her training, but it was only in more recent years that she realised that her 3-point creative learning principles could benefit other trainers and facilitators to increase engagement in their own sessions.

One of the many props Nikie uses to aid creative learning is LEGO®.  To find out more head to:

​https://www.curiouslighthouse.co.uk/learning-and-development.html

As the sun rose over Salisbury plain hitting the stone circle, I breathed in deep and took in the magic of the moment.


Rewind 6 hours and I was completely out of my comfort zone. I had never ‘done’ the summer solstice before, not even in the comfort of my own home, let alone in a field full of strangers. It was cold, noisy, and was heavy with smells last encountered coming from the student union building at college!


As the evening continued, I settled into the environment, people mingled, sang songs, and moved around the stones exploring. As the fateful hour approached (somewhere around 4.40am) more people arrived, and we all faced in the same direction, feeling the warmth of the summer sun on our faces. 


Job done, we scurried back to reality and a massive full English at the local pub. But the experience lives on. This was 5 years ago, and that moment has stayed with me ever since.


How does any of this relate to training?


I’ve worked as an L&D professional for over 25 years now. At the very beginning, as a much younger naïve trainer, I expected people to leave bathed in new light and looking to change immediately. As I progressed in my L&D career, I recognised that learners often leave before the sunrise moment has had chance to take place. This is largely down to the ‘traditional learning’ approach: tell them something, check they understand it, set an action plan, off you go!!! 


So, I started doing some research and came up with my own version of Creative Learning Principles which I now use in my own sessions:


1.    Creative exploration – Playful learning
2.    Distracted reflection – Time for the brain to digest
3.    Succeed or learn – be prepared to not get it right first time and understand that’s ok


Training is an experience, it should allow for that moment when the sun rises, (Minus the student union smells!) It gives people the space to experience new things, to challenge what works and what doesn’t, to come together with likeminded individuals, to put into practice and recognised successes and future learning too


So, on this summer solstice, I’d like to know… how do you let the sun rise in your sessions?


https://www.curiouslighthouse.co.uk/workshops.html


#curiouslighthouse #summersolstice #learninganddevelopment

LEGO® is great for gaining engagement and involvement in sessions, BUT as an L&D professional my eye is firmly on the underlying learning principles, one of which is the debrief. 

Without a purposeful debrief you’re simply playing with LEGO®!

Here’s just a few things to keep in mind:

• As part of the design of the activity, have a clear outcome for the debrief.
• Allow learner/s to consider what they have learnt from the activity individually before asking for examples of learning from group.
• To help solicit more insights, you could ask them:
  • What themes did they notice when others were sharing their learning?
  • Did people have different pieces but the same answer, or visa-versa?
  • What did they notice about their own answers / other people answers? 
• How would they draw their own learning from the activity back to our main topic of the session?
• Recap on main comments and help them reflect on anything not already mentioned.

This is just one of the things we discuss in the ‘LEGO® Workshop for Training Teams and ​​L&D Professionals’.  Check out the full content here:  https://www.curiouslighthouse.co.uk/lego-workshop.html

#curiouslighthouse #learningwithlego #learninganddevelopment

“I like the idea of using LEGO® in my session, but don’t want to go full in yet.  Do you have a quick activity I could try out?”

This is a question I get asked a lot, so I thought I'd share a possible discussion starter as an example of how you can use LEGO® in a session, without making it the main focus.

• Introduce the LEGO®. (Some people might need a bit of theory here to accept play as a form of learning – see previous post on why I use LEGO® in my sessions.)
• Let them know you are going to ask them to build something from the LEGO® to help get a discussion started.
• Explain that the bricks can mean whatever they want them to mean.

Perception discussion starter

• Ask your learners to select three LEGO® pieces that represent their personality at work. (Xtra bags and LEGO® Accessory work really well for this activity)
• Ask them to explain why they chose those pieces.
• Ask them to pick one further piece that they think others may have picked for them
• Again, ask them to explain why they chose that piece.
• Continue the discuss linking to your session outcomes

 
This short activity is good because there are no perceived right or wrong answers.  It also allows everyone to have time to think about the topic before you launch into any theory or deeper discussion.
 
Want to find out more about learning with LEGO®?  Check out: https://www.curiouslighthouse.co.uk/learning-with-lego-courses.html
 
#curiouslighthouse #learningwithlego #learninganddevelopment

Using LEGO® in your training, facilitation, or coaching sessions can really help learners engage on a different level.  But why use it at all? I often use these examples when opening my sessions (or when convincing Managers that we're not just 'playing'... we're learning!)
​

• IT INCREASES ‘LEAN IN’ INTERACTION.  By this I mean, if you ask a question of your learners, they often go into their heads to answer, and if this is a group setting, only a few will actually voice their thoughts. By using LEGO® to build the answer, people have to use external processes too, plus everyone is encouraged to explain their build (answer) meaning more people are heard… they ‘lean in’ to the learning.  (Better conversation means even the quiet ones get heard.  With better engagement comes better overall learning.)
• IT ALLOWS FOR BETTER RETENTION OF LEARNING.  Building, explaining, and having some fun in the process makes the event more memorable, which when mixed with learning new information releases chemicals in the brain to aid retention better.  (Better retention means quicker uptake in changes.) 
• LESS EXPECTATION OF BEING CORRECT - LEGO® is a universally recognisable product. Put it in front of people and they simply start building, this is because LEGO® can mean anything to anyone.  With less restrictions on being ‘right’, more people take part and experience better learning.  (Less expectations mean quicker learning, which means better use of budget)

Want to find out more about how to use LEGO® in your sessions?  Check out:
https://www.curiouslighthouse.co.uk/learning-with-lego-courses.html 
or 
www.curiouslighthouse.co.uk/lego-workshop.html


#curiouslighthouse #learningwithlego #learninganddevelopment

Have you ever been setting up for your training workshop, and as people arrived someone announces, “I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M HERE!”

This question could have two different intents.

1. It could mean communication has failed. From a business perspective, poor communication about the actual training and from a learner’s perspective poor communication with their Line Manager to question why they are attending.
2. It could also mean they think they know everything already and are trying to let you know they don’t think they should be there!

What can you do as the TRAINER?

• Don’t be tempted to coach them (“Why do YOU think you’re here?”) This will just antagonise things.
• Keep factual. Explain what the training involves and who it is aimed at. Ask them what relevance this might have to their job role and look for responses.
• If they genuinely cannot make the connection, between the topics you are covering and their role or behaviour, ask them to call their Line Manager to clarify if they need to be there. (Booking mistakes happen!)
• If they are simply making a point that they don’t WANT to be there, you could dig a little deeper, but this isn’t always possible at the beginning of the session.  Ask them to join you up till the first break (which you can always bring forward) and then suggest they call their line manager to discuss alternative options if they still feel it’s not the right thing for them.
• As part of your opening, also discuss expectations, so if behaviour becomes an issue, you can refer back to it.
• If they (or anyone else for that matter) are continually disruptive ask them to leave and contact their line manager after the workshop to talk things through.
• Remember, it is not your role to make them stay!  It is your role to ensure you’ve established they fully understand what the training is about, and what the benefits of staying are, and the consequences of leaving entail.

Looking to increase your Training teams skills?  Then check out: https://www.curiouslighthouse.co.uk/learning-and-development.html 

​ #curiouslighthouse #learninganddevelopment #HRBP

Have you ever been setting up for a workshop, and as the learners start to arrive, someone asks “HI... WHAT TIME DO WE FINISH?”
​
This can be a genuine question! But the fact that they ask it as soon as they walk in through the door can sometimes feel rather personal!
In my experience this has very little to do with you and is usually either about their external commitments – project deadline looming, childcare concerns or that they do not see the worth in the topic being trained.

So, what can you do as the TRAINER?

• Answer their question straight away and then follow this up by asking if there is anything you need to be aware of.
• If there is a genuine concern about completion of business-critical work, and there are alternative dates, ask if they need to reschedule. (Get them to check in with their line manager before confirming)
• If they need to leave early because of other reasons (Getting a lift / childcare etc, ask them to make arrangement with someone in the sessions to catch you up with what they will miss. By doing this, you are passing responsibility for their learner back to them.
• If they are asking because they actually don’t want to be there, ask what they know about the training and the reason for it. Spend time building rapport and making sure everyone is clear on this as part of your opening
• Above all else, don’t make them feel like they’ve personally insulted you. This will simply cause them to withdraw.

Looking to increase your Training and Facilitation skills? 

​Then check out:
https://www.curiouslighthouse.co.uk/learning-and-development.html 

#curiouslighthouse #learninganddevelopment #HRBP

Back in the early 2000’s I was a Customer Adviser at B&Q helping out with in-store inductions. A Trainer’s role became available for a ‘proper’ Trainer’s roles and I applied. I’m sure I had less formal training experience and I certainly no qualification in training then others applicants, but they asked me to join the team!

Many people had an input into this shift in my career, but two in particular I want to say a formal thank you to. Toby Carpenter who was heading up the training team at the time and saw some sort of potential in me and decided to give me the chance to learn on the job... THANK YOU.

And Andy Granston, my Line Manager and mentor who I often site, when I run my own Management training session, as a great role models in management... THANK YOU. 

Who would you like to thank for helping you out in your career?

Ps The image is of a paperweight handed out to us ‘Trainers’ for a project we ran as a thank you… yes I still have it after all this time! (Proving that a Thank-you can stay with you for a long time!)
​
#CuriousLighthouse #career #ThankYou

The 'knowledge tree' sounded like a great idea in my head. A great visual prop with brightly coloured gift tags for the delegates to right down their learning after each of the 6 sections we were running through during a workshop.

I had planned to use the leaf tags as part of a reflective exercise at the end of the session, but made a call to knock-it-on-the-head and changed the final exercise to a facilitated discussion, as it became clear that things were going to get overcrowded very quickly and getting up to place the tags was becoming rather monotonous.

Did I fail?

Yes, and no!  As a Trainer, it's comfortable to find an activity that works well and repeat it with different audience’s time and again, making tiny adjustments as needs be. But 'repeat and succeed' can only support your own, and your learner’s development for so long. Facilitating creative learning pushes you to think more about your design process.
 
But with more creativity comes more opportunity to fail.

So, why bother?

Put simply, if a Trainer isn’t willing to try out new ways of engaging their learners, they’ll soon have no learners left to try anything with at all!  In a world of instant gratification, our attention levels need more stimulation to learn.  Building in creative activities into training sessions is just one way to help this.
 
Failure is an option, but…
 
No one plans to fail, but with failure comes insight, (and also a healthy dose of resilience!)  So, the trick is to fail with a back-up plan that won't affect your learners experience or leave you in a flap!
 
I will use the tree again, but next time it will be more succinct, allowing my learner’s ‘leaves of knowledge’ to flourish and for my own creative design to continue.

When I landed my first official job as a Trainer for a large DIY store many moons ago, I was delighted!  I learnt on the job, running rousing inductions and traveling the length and breadth of the UK to meet eager (my words not theirs) learners to induct them.

After some time, I realised that if I was going to progress to other forms of training i.e. Management Development, I was going to need to develop my own skills further.  Back then the key attributes of a great Trainer were

Props can really help increase curiosity and engage learners in different ​ways to traditional discussion.

I used this prop during a Mini Masterclass about 'Proactive Management Conversations.'  Can you tell what it is and why I might have used it? 
​

In training design, the 'flow' of the session is paramount. It’s like a well edited movie, you shouldn’t notice the edits, just the great story line. But, sometimes interjecting something unexpected can rouse us from our comfortable state and make us sit up and pay attention. This is often referred to as a ​...

The live on-line Q&A session was starting in 5 mins, and I was frantically making up questions just in-case no one asked any!  Self-doubt is not something I’m used to feeling, especially having spent many years successfully running face-to-face training sessions!  But here I was, about to hit ‘unmute’ on day one of our 5-day challenge, wishing...​