Tip #211: A Kinesthetic Learner

We've focused the past two Tips on kinesthetic objects. Three days ago, I had a wonderful experience with a kinesthetic learner.

I was auditing a Lighting Fixture Maintenance workshop for Southern California Edison to assess whether effective learning was occurring. This workshop was advertised as a hands on program. Before the workshop began, one participant (I'll call him John) asked about other hands on workshops offered by Southern California Edison. I really didn't think anything of the question. I just assumed that he was interested in very practical workshops on how to install, maintain, or fix energy-related items and appliances.

Then the class began. The room was set in classroom style and the tables were bare of any kinesthetic objects.

The learning activities involved a constant dialogue between the facilitator and the participants, as well as visual demonstrations in a lighting laboratory. The facilitator was highly interactive and worked with each participant in the small class to ensure learning and then check for comprehension. There was a lot of good-natured banter and constructive give and take between the facilitator and the participants.

I sat right next to John and noticed that he didn't participate in the banter, or offer answers to questions, or even ask questions. When pressed for a response, John would give a one or two word answer that was almost inaudible. He had no affect and no emotion in his face. He seemed supremely stiff, uncomfortable, and tentative.

After the second morning break, John asked when the hands on portion of the workshop would occur. He explained that he really didn't learn by reading and listening. It finally dawned on me that John was a kinesthetic learner.

Caught without any koosh in my pocket book, I scrounged around until I found a wide purple rubber band. I gave John the rubber band and explained that it might help his ability to learn if he kept his hands busy. I suggested he just play with the rubber band during the rest of the class.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it. Within a minute, John was animated, joking around, making constructive suggestions, answering questions, and completely engaged. The transformation was immediate and amazing! That simple rubber band enabled him to focus and participate.

When we broke for lunch, John thanked me and then carefully placed the rubber band in his materials so he wouldn't lose it. The facilitator also encouraged him to hold on to the rubber band, since its effect on him was so positive!

After lunch, out came the rubber band and John continued to be highly engaged, offering thoughtful insights, asking clear questions, and giving confident, clearly articulated responses.

At the end of the day, John shook my hand and thanked me profusely. He told me that he was going to attend a three day class that he had been dreading, because it was likely to be a lecture with PowerPoint. We discussed making sure that he had something to keep his hands busy. John left with a plan to buy something that he could squeeze in his hand, like the stress relievers they sell in drugstores.

Who knew that a rubber band could be such a significant learning aid?

Tip #210: How to Handle Kinesthetic Objects

Hi Deborah,

I recently conducted a train the trainer and placed a nice variety of colorful kinesthetic objects on the table. What really surprised me was that out of 6 participants, half of them literally "turned their noses up" at the objects and one participant went so far to verbally say that the objects were of no use to her. With such a small group we were all at one large table, and being a very kinesthetic learner myself, I made the decision to ignore the turned up noses and verbal objections. During day one the kinesthetic learners had made wonderful creations and were very engaged in the learning process while I miraculously watch a metamorphous take place with the other half of the learners. The "non-kinesthetic" group began to inquire and admire the creations made by the other half. On day two of the training my "non-kinesthetic" learners cautiously started fiddling with the pipe cleaners and by the end of the day, they were equally engaged in the learning process and had also made some wonderful creations.

Additionally, one of the original "non-kinesthetic" participants delivered the training at her site and incorporated some her own kinesthetic objects in her classroom. Her learners were a combination of supervisors, managers and trainers, and feedback from her training survey, included the following from a trainer:

"I loved the "things to do"(clay, play doh, markers etc.) It is not my personal thing but I did notice how much of an impact it had on some of the others in keeping there focus. I will probably steal that one from you J.

Bottom line: keep doing what you're doing and for those that do not feel the need to utilize the kinesthetic objects, it's always optional.

I hope this helps.

Andrea Simmons
T-Mobile USA

I was in that Train the Trainer class that you are referring to. I happen to be very kinesthetic (as evident by the many pipe cleaner creations) and I think that the idea to split up the different tables as you have mentioned is a good one. I think it should be mentioned of the differences in the tables in the beginning as everyone is arriving as some may be focused on other items and not realize the difference in the tables.

My personal opinion on why there were still some non-kinesthetic people at the tables with lots of stuff would be that our focus was trying to sit with different people rather than being concerned with what was on the table to play with. With that said, when it is asked of the participants to sit with new people, they may be forced to move to a table that has more "stuff" on it. So then the question becomes is it better to have people sit at a table where they may not be happy kinesthetically or is it more valuable to have them sit with different learners to gain different perspectives?

Ross Thomas, CRP
Learning Specialist
Prudential Relocation

Ross, Thanks for writing. And a very good end question. Since the important thing is to have people sit with new folks, to increase their connections and possibility of learning, then- after people have seated themselves, I can remind them it is fine to remove stuff from the tables if it distracts them. Then they can make the table comfortable for themselves. Deb

I think that is a great idea. The learners will get all the positives of sitting with new people and they can still take their toys with them if they so choose. Ross

Even in the most active classes, I think it is good to not let the tables get too overgrown with items that are just there for kinesthetic stimulation. If I have nothing else going on in the class, I will have just one item (koosh ball, stuffed toy or set of pipe cleaners) per participant, and I often set them as a group in the middle front of the table so that only those who want to play can disburse them.

I always think it is most effective if kinesthetic items are tied to actual learning. In that case, you may want to keep them off to the side (but maybe in view) or even hidden until you are ready to use them. Even if they are out from the beginning, people tend to not get so put off by them, because they realize they have a purpose other than creating visual noise.

Also, keep in mind that movement itself can substitute in part for having kinesthetic objects about. So if you can plan to have learners move - change seats, go in group to flip charts, do a physical activity - having a huge number of kinesthetic objects should not be necessary.

Here's another approach: Rather than having things out and about, even in none/some/lots configurations, how about having a central "toy chest" or "goody barrel" from which learners can choose to select something(s) to have with them if they wish. You can have it by the entrance door or sign-in sheet, and they can be instructed to pick something if they wish. I am often teaching in situations where people are at assigned tables, so the none/some/lots approach doesn't really work.

Hope these are helpful.

Tracy Adams, CTP.CD
First Vice President, Product Communications for Sales Enablement
Bank of America

I would suggest that a good way to introduce a wide variety of kinesthetic objects without overwhelming the participants would be to start with a few, then add additional items throughout the training session, at breaks, lunch, etc. That way they don't have too much at once and will be excited by the new items when returning from breaks, therefore paying them more attention than if everything is out at the beginning.

I feel that people tend to choose where to sit by people they know or by position in the room rather than by what is on the table.

Lois Walton
MORE Program Trainer
Hazelden Springbrook

Deborah,

I took a train the trainer class from you in Rochester, NY a couple of years ago and have very much enjoyed your Learning Tips every since. But I've never written you back - I know how hugely busy you are. But I'm always impressed with your tips and the work you put into them. Thank you for all of that.

Your invite for input on this one got me. A research project! There are a lot of variables that effect a person's comfort level and where they might choose to sit - position in the room, being able to hear, lighting, where friends sit, distance to the coffee (or the bathroom) .. . . But I think that if you ran your experiment for long enough, and got feedback from participants, you might learn some really useful things. I wonder, too, what portion of participants would prefer which table choice. What if 2/3 wanted to sit at a table with half the stuff? Maybe, if there's room, some extra tables set up, or ready at hand ways of adjusting the amount of stuff on the table - a side table to put extra or to get more?

At the class I took, all of the tables had tons of stuff. I'm not very kinetic and hardly touched it, but I did not find it distracting either- in fact, I kinda enjoyed it just being there - it set a more relaxed, creative, and fun tone for the class.

I'll be curious to hear how your experiment goes.

Lou Litchison
Program Evaluation
Hutchings Psychiatric Center

Tip #209: How to Avoid Overwhelming Participants

f you have read many of these Tips, you will know that I am a strong proponent of placing a variety of colorful kinesthetic objects on training tables. However, when participants came into a train the trainer class a few weeks ago, a few of them were overwhelmed by everything on the table.

I discovered this fact when I read the evaluations from the first day. So that evening, I removed almost everything from one table, left half of the objects on the second table, and left everything on the third table. Since the participants in this three day training class were told to sit with new folks the next day, my thinking was that they would choose to sit at a table that was more comfortable for them. Some did, and surprisingly, some still sat at a table with everything on it. I'm not sure what that means.

My intent in a train the trainer class is to expand the awareness of trainers to the needs of kinesthetic learners and a variety of ways to satisfy them.. This may, indeed, require that the trainers move beyond their own comfort levels. Sometimes, that comfort level is simply a belief that training should be a more formal situation where "playing"does not belong. Other times, that comfort level relates to their own learning preferences, which may not be kinesthetic at all. For some folks, all of those materials on the table seems like unnecessary "clutter.Ó

In other, non train the trainer classes, my intent is to provide sufficient stimulation for the kinesthetic learners. I always tell participants that they can feel free to remove materials from the table if they find it distracting- and sometimes, they do.

So, I have a question for you. I really want my participants to feel comfortable and not overwhelmed. I am thinking that I should change my approach so that I always set up the tables so that 1/3 have everything on them, 1/3 have half of the kinesthetic objects on them, and 1/3 have no kinesthetic objects on them. That way, people can gravitate to the place they feel most comfortable- yet they can notice that other participants may become actively engaged in using the pipe cleaners or clay.

Tip #208: Spell Check for Flip Charts

n an earlier Tip, I waxed eloquent about the virtues of using flip charts for posting group work. However, we all know that many of us rely on the spell check feature when we use our computers. Writing on a flip chart without a spell check feature can be of great concern to folks who know that their spelling is not the greatest.

Luckily, there is a simple visual device you can use to reduce the concern of poor spellers. In addition to telling them that "spelling doesn't count,"you can place in the upper right hand corner of the flip chart page two boxes, one above the other. The higher box should have a check mark in it and the box just below it should have ABC in it.

These two boxes indicate that the spell check for the flip chart is on and will take care of any misspelled words.

This idea came from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. Isn't it great?!

Tip #207: Opportunities to Train

Folks who are interested in getting into training as a profession often ask me what they can do to gain experience and develop their training credentials. In addition, folks who are already facilitating training for their organizations are often interested in other training opportunities where they can facilitate programs on a wider range of topics.

There are a lot of organizations that need trainers for early morning breakfast, lunch time, after dinner, evening, and even weekend time slots.

First, you need to be clear about the training topics you want to provide.

List all the topics for which you have some credibility as a presenter. For example, I worked in Personnel for the State of Wisconsin and reviewed requests for position upgrades. For this reason, I had great credibility when I facilitated a training program on how to get your position upgraded.

In addition to work experience, what about hobbies and life experience? Have you traveled a lot? If so, you might facilitate a program on what to pack, or how to select a travel guide, or anything related to your travel experiences. Do you cook? Have you lived in a foreign country? Do you juggle a budget for a family of twelve?

In other words, what do you know that others want to learn?

It helps to begin by offering training in topics for which you have credibility. Then match what you have to offer to organizations that might value it.

Every social, civic, charitable, educational, business, professional, and church association needs speakers for their programs on at least a monthly basis. These are typically non-paying, but they offer great marketing exposure. This means that you may get contacted later by participants who enjoyed your presentation and want you to present a (paid) training program for their organizations.

Begin by offering to present a program for your own professional association. Look through the phone book to identify and contact associations in your area. Watch local papers for upcoming programs and contact the associations that sponsor those programs. Tell your friends about the topics you would like to present and ask them for a contact person in associations to which they belong. Look up the Association of Association Executives to find a listing of all possible associations!

Local universities, colleges, technical colleges, and university extension programs often seek (paid) ad hoc instructors for one day or semester-long evening programs. There has been a proliferation of evening programs for adults offered through an increasing number of small colleges. Find out their requirements for instructors.
Also, many universities or colleges offer mini-courses (limited time classes on a huge variety of educational, technical, and lifelong learning topics).

Small business development centers, which are typically located on university campuses, also seek (paid) ad hoc instructors for programs and conferences.

Employee assistance programs in public and private organizations need (usually unpaid) presenters for brown bag lunch programs.

A number of professional organizations (i.e., American Management Association, and American Society for Training and Development) and training companies (i.e., Career Track) need paid presenters for programs of one to three days in length. Your availability will determine how often you are scheduled.

Don't forget nonprofit and charitable organizations, such as the United Way or neighborhood centers. They are often in need of training programs (how to manage volunteers, board development, budgeting 101, grant proposal writing, etc.)

Once you present a program, make sure you have a copy of the evaluations and all of the contact information for someone you can use as a reference regarding your capability as a trainer in this topic area.

Find out if there is a State Training Council comprised of training managers from different state agencies. The Council may sponsor a conference where you can present a preview of the training you would like to provide for future paid programs.

Speaking of conferences, almost all associations have them on a regional and national basis- and require presenters. Get on the mailing list to receive requests for proposals for these conferences. You can find out about the conferences on the association website, in the association newsletter, and in relevant professional magazines.
When you complete the request for proposal, you will frequently be asked to provide references- which you will have from the programs you have already presented. Most conference presenters are unpaid, but the marketing exposure is excellent.

Hopefully, by this time you realize that the sky is literally the limit on the possible training opportunities available to you.

Tip #206: Using Hidden Text- and Two Requests

This week's idea comes from Ross Thomas at Prudential Relocation. If you would like to create trainer manuals and participant manuals from the same document, you can use the hidden text feature in Microsoft Word! Who knew?

First, you enter all of the text that you need for your document.

Next, highlight the text that you want to be hidden (such as answer keys or content notes that only the trainer needs access to).

From the menu, select "Format,"then "Font."Select the "Hidden"Option and press OK.

The text that you selected will no longer be visible on the screen, but it will still be there. To see the hidden text, simply select the "Show/hide"button.

If you want to print a document with all of the hidden text (such as for the trainer's manual) then select "File,""Print,""Options,"and make sure that "Hidden text"is selected.

Isn't that a wonderfully easy way to create both materials at once? I love it! Thanks so much, Ross!

Tip #205: Beach Ball Ice Breaker

This week's idea comes from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, via Natalie and Nicky. To break the ice and help participants get to know each other at the beginning of a training program, they throw a beach ball with questions written all over it. When a participant catches the ball, s/he answers the question facing him or her. What a creative use of a familiar playful object. Thank you, Natalie and Nicky!

If you do something equally creative to help folks get to know each other, please let us know.