Easy peasy activities to make your workshops more interactive Part Three

Last week and the week before I wrote about seven reasons why you REALLY need to add interactive activities to your workshops and twelve examples of easy peasy engaging and fun activities.  This week I’m back with twelve more.

Remember, adding interactive activities to your workshop isn’t as hard as it sounds

I have hundreds and hundreds of what I call F.G.L.A.’s (facilitated group learning activities) and while many of them are customized to my specific learning content, lots of them aren’t and can easily be adapted to your workshop content.

Here are twelve more engaging, curiousity raising activities you can easily use in your next workshop.

Watch for next week’s final post with twelve more plus a fun bonus

Note:

• those marked with a * can be used online.
• the ones with a # can be used online and IRL (including if you’re in a physical room with the participants and demonstrating from your laptop).

1. # Jamboard: use Google’s Jamboard for online collaboration. Participants can create thank-you cards e.g. for UN staff supporting the Learning and Development Roundtable (always a big hit).
2. # Padlet: use a tool like Padlet to brainstorm collaboratively.  Here’s an example from my Work-Life Balance course where participants have added what their vision of wellness looks like.
3. # Digital treasure hunt: craft questions with online answers, and have participants collaborate in groups for a digital treasure hunt.
4. # Tiki Toki: use a tool like Tiki Toki to create online timelines of something related to your content.

5. * Adding machine tape timelines: participants recreate timelines of learning in workshops using adding machine tape. Fantastic results guaranteed!
6. # Digital escape room: this one takes a bit more prep work but essentially participants work in small groups to navigate through the ‘rooms’ until they ‘escape,’ which requires them to answer questions about your content correctly. Here’s an example of one I designed for a client.
7. # Two truths and a lie or a wish: play two truths and a lie or a wish but relate it to your content.  Have participants state two things that are true and one that isn’t/or is a wish and have others guess which is which.
8. # Guided visualization: use your most soothing, soft voice and help participants relax as they then go on a little journey as you guide them through something related to your content.

9. # Magnetic poetry: use a cookie sheet to display magnetic poetry pieces if you’re teaching online, otherwise just have the pieces handy IRL.  Have participants make a sentence or two about your content.  It’s a real gateway to some pretty great insight.
10. # Competition: have participants work in small groups to have a little competition based on your content.  Make it extra fun by having each group come up with a sound they must make to ‘buzz’ in before answering a question.
11. # Professionals meeting to give you advice: if you’re working to get participants more creative, have them pick two numbers between 0 and 699. Then find those occupations on this sheet and pretend those two professionals give you some advice related to your challenge based on their profession. Prepare for some wild creativity that ensues.
12. # Metaphor: I have a bag of a bunch of miscellaneous things which I use to ask participants to come up with a metaphor based on the content I’m teaching.  For example, conflict resolution is like ______ (something from the bag) because _______. It’s a wonderful way to see where participants are at in relation to your content.

There you have it, a third set of twelve really easy ways to add interaction and more engagement to your workshops, whether they be online, IRL, or even hybrid.   Which one(s) are you most interested in?  Pick one or two new ones for you and get going. Your future workshop participants will thank you.

And stay tuned for next week’s final set of twelve plus a fun bonus.

Now go on and learn, learn some more, and lead

Learn

• Figure out which two or three activities you’d like to try and get ready for some fun.

Laugh

• I swear your participants will want to frolic when you start using engaging activities like the thirty-six examples I’ve shared with you.  Kind of like these lovely, amazing, frolicking men.

Lead

• Press the gas and actually try the activities you’ve selected.