Ed Scannell is a speaker and trainerwho has given thousands of presentations, seminars andworkshops across the world.
Carol Burnett is a frequent speaker andtrainer for human resource development organizations.

The big book of brain building games

Fun Activities to Stimulate the Brain—for Better Group Learning, Communication, and UnderstandingBy Edward E. Scannell Carol A. Burnett

The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-07-163522-6

Contents

Chapter One

The Use of Games and Activities in the World of Meetings

When I give a lecture, I accept that people look at their watches, but what I do not tolerate is when they look at it and raise it to their ear to find out if it stopped.

—Marcel Achard

Chapter Highlights

In this opening chapter, you will learn several ways to make your meetings more effective. You'll also discover some of the dos and don'ts for using games in meetings.

Ask anyone who has been around the meetings or training arena for a while, and they'll likely all agree on two things when it comes to experiential learning:

1. Today's meeting and conference attendees want to be entertained as well as be informed. In short, they want proof that learning can be fun. This is not to say that all learning must be "fun and games," but given the admittedly short attention span of most audiences, it is clear that we must engage and involve our attendees as much as possible. In fact, recent brain research clearly indicates that if we don't in some way engage participants every five to seven minutes, we'll lose them. Additional findings in this area tell us that when we physically move around, the body produces chemicals that have a positive effect on our thinking. Finally, according to the Center for Accelerated Learning, "people who learn in a fun, active way learn faster and remember more." This study also suggested that we can reduce training time by as much as 60 percent owing to this faster absorption.

2. Learning is not a spectator sport! Let's think about that for a moment. While we, of course, believe that the content and material we bring to our audiences is relevant, timely, and useful, we're also suggesting that the more they can discuss, debate, and deliberate this information, the more it will resonate with them. It is also true that we often learn as much, if not more, from our colleagues during break times, hallway conversations, and other casual moments we spend conversing with other participants. In other words, the personal experiences we often share with fellow attendees are also a learning activity.

Let's Look at Meetings

Someone once quipped that if everyone attending a meeting at this very moment were all laid end to end, they'd probably be a lot more comfortable! This would be funny if it weren't so often true. But one look at your own corporate or association meetings is all you need to know he had a point.

Every day literally millions of meetings are held, yet many—perhaps most—fail to hit their mark. Ask any experienced meeting professional, and each one will stress the importance of having goals and objectives for any meeting. Check your own organization's track record, however, and you'll see a different story. For example, an association may have its annual conference each year. And why? you ask. "Well, because we always have our annual meeting every year." Sound a bit redundant?

In today's marketplace, with an uncertain economy and continued scrutiny on the entire world of meetings, we'd best be prepared for some serious questions—perhaps even from our superiors, stakeholders, and colleagues.

So, with this brief background, let's look at some tested tips and questions that must be addressed.

Time-Tested Tips for Better Meetings

These suggestions will help ensure that your meetings—from small-group training workshops and seminars to multithousand-attendee conferences or conventions—will all be productive and cost-effective.

Define Your Objectives

• To introduce new information?

• To announce a change?

• To review or modify policies?

• To solve a problem?

• To motivate or reward?

• To introduce a new product?

Do you have a specific goal in mind that others are aware of? If not, why not?

Target Your Outcomes

• What will happen after the meeting is over?

• What are the desired end results of this meeting?

• How will you know if these end results are met?

• How will your manager or the participants know if results are met?

In many associations, we have seen a strong trend whereby potential speakers and facilitators are required to identify, prior to speaking, three or four solid takeaways or outcomes that their participants can expect to learn.

In the old days, an objective could be simply "to understand" or "to appreciate" a certain concept; clearly, that language won't cut it today. Experienced meeting professionals are demanding these objectives in action-oriented, behavioral terms, such as "to identify the five steps in closing a sale" or to "demonstrate at least three ways to increase customer satisfaction."

Define Your Participants

• Who will be coming to your meeting? Are these the appropriate people?

• Do they have sufficient experience or background to be able to contribute to the meeting's goals?

• Do you know what their expectations are? Might there be some hidden agenda items on their minds?

• Can you be sure they'll be listening to you, rather than texting or using their BlackBerrys the whole time?

• Are they there because they really want to be there—or is it a case of a captive audience (i.e., "I'm here because my boss told me I had to come")?

Determine the Agenda

• What are the topics that should be covered?

• For small group meetings, do you have a prepared agenda?

• Will your participants have the agenda in advance?

• Will attendees have an opportunity to make changes or suggestions to the agenda? Can you be flexible enough to allow them to do so?

Consider Timing

• How long will the meeting last?

• What time of day is it scheduled for?

• Has sufficient time been allowed to adequately cover all the necessary items? If not, when will the next meeting be scheduled?

• What day(s) of the week? For example, Mondays or Fridays are often not the best days for meetings, because people's energy levels are best in the middle of the week. Meetings are usually most successful when held on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.

Define Roles

• What roles and responsibilities will the attendees have?

• Will you need a facilitator? Timekeeper? Scribe? Parliamentarian?

• Are the attendees comfortable in their assignments? Have they volunteered themselves, or have they been volunteered by a third party?

Decide on Process or Method

• Do the items on the agenda call for decisions, or are they merely informational?

• If your role is that of a facilitator, have you ensured that everyone will have a chance to participate?

• If yours is a training or speaking assignment, have you allowed time for interaction or other ways of engaging or involving the group?

Identify Action Steps

• As the meeting closes, have you identified the action steps the group has agreed on?

• Does everyone have marching orders?

• Have you made a "to...