Introduce an Activity

this needs to be done correctly, or a great big horrible mess will take place and the trainer will be slap bang in the middle of it.  

the students will be annoyed, you'll feel frustrated and some serious self-flagellation is likely to take place later that evening.  the main thing to remember is this; when introducing a topic prepare before hand.

at the very minimum it is suggested you think about the following points, it is also suggested your thoughts are written down at least 24 hours before the training session:

1. the reason for including the activity; how relevant is it to the aims of the training session?
2. now re-think; does the activity really suit the aims of the overall training event?  is it included simply because it was the first thing that came to mind?
3. what are the three key learning points which will be gained by the students by taking part in this activity?
4. can the activity be improved?  the answer is usually a, "YES!" now think; how can it be improved?  what can be added or taken away?
5. what will the students gain by doing this activity?  what is the WIIFM?  can this be explained clearly to the students? [click here for more info on WIIFM]
6. what steps need to be included in the introduction?  is it better to separate the instructions into two or three distinct parts?
7. what will happen if the students don't understand the instructions?
8. what questions can be asked to help the students understand the task?
9. do the students have all the skills needed for this activity to take place?  does anything need to be pre-trained/ taught before this activity is introduced?
10. is the activity organised so the easy/ easier parts happen before the more difficult/ difficult parts? 
11. what do I need to prepare for this activity?  do I have those items available?  can the students do it instead of me and as part of the overall learning experience?
12. will the students need to be moved into smaller groups before the activity starts?  what size is best for this particular activity?  for this particular group?  for this particular room?
13. how will the students move from one chair to a different chair in the training room you're using?  what difficulties could happen?
14. anything else you can think of and which is not listed here

when you start as a trainer always prepare notes on how you're going to introduce the topic.  run it through in your mind before carrying it out in the training room and review.  think about what could go wrong, what might be better and review, review, review.

it goes without saying the students need to understand each part of the above.

when the activity starts watch the students.  ensure the task which you wanted the students to carry out is actually been done by the students.  if not, stop the class and re-explain.  it's easier to re-explain to the entire class than one by one. 

Benefits

1. trainer appears professional
2. students will actually do the activity you want them to do
3. no wasted time in the classroom trying to explain a task, then explain it again, and then yet again
4. no need to repeat instructions and re-state to each group

Practice

try introducing an activity something like this:

1. the name of the topic
2. the reason it's included - how it fits in with the overall training session that is being run
3. the reason the students need to understand and/ or do this
4. the activity - what is to be done
5. who is to do what, where and with whom
6. approximate timing & what is to be achieved in that time
7. ask, "does any one have any questions?" or "what else do you need to know?" wait 5 seconds [click here for more info on waiting 5 seconds]
8. pick a student who looks most confused and ask them to describe what is to be done
9. check again, "does anyone have any other questions?"  wait for 5 seconds and then 
10. start the activity

image taken from here