As I’m sure you’re aware, you can sometimes hit a brick wall when trying to design training that participants will remember and be inspired by. Perhaps you’ve noticed how bouncing ideas off other professionals can really help you find creative ways to make training stick. You might be wondering where the opportunities to learn from peers and L&D experts are that don’t involve a huge investment.
If you answered yes to any of these, then our
Discovery Days are for you. I love attending them. I always come away energised with new ideas and insights and, with so many of the same people returning, they are beginning to have a real sense of community and friendship; a gathering of like-minded professionals who share a passion for learning.
Here are five things I gained from our last Discovery Day, in London.
1. An understanding of ‘Yes Sets’. If you’re not aware of these, my opening paragraph will give you a clue as to what they are, and how to use them. They’re a powerful way to launch any presentation, or indeed, training event.
2. Graham Shaw’s introduction to the ‘4 What System’. This too, provides a fantastic structure for introducing any presentation or training, but I also realised, that with a bit of redesign, it’s a fantastic model for effectively debriefing experiential training activities – especially those where you’ve deliberately withheld the reasons for the activity. I’m using these insights to write a new module for Trainers’ Library, which I believe will really help trainers manage the experiential learning process, ensuring the purpose and learning from experiential activities is extracted and developed.
3. Perhaps inspired by the conversations, or just the space to be creative, I had a brainwave for a new icebreaker around assumptions, equal opportunities and diversity, which I’m also going to develop.
4. I gained a new perspective on customer service and the balance between technical and personal skills from Ali Bull’s fantastic session - which also showed how to use personal experience and anecdotes to bring training to life!
5. The most important message I took away from London’s Discovery Day might seem obvious. But sometimes, a message demonstrated in a new way can really make you stop and think. Ali’s session really made me reflect on the fact that we can’t stop bad things happening. But we can choose how we respond to events and other people’s actions. By being more conscious of the impact of our choices, we can equip ourselves to make better, more positive ones. After all, who is most adversely affected, for example, when anger drives our actions – it’s often ourselves and our loved ones.
I took all this, and much more, away from an event that costs just £95.00 to attend and includes lunch. That seems pretty good value to me!
But don’t just take my word for it. Here’s what Michelle Harrington says: “A really fabulous day, thank you so much. I enjoy very much attending, mixing with other trainers, hearing what is happening in their worlds; such insightful conversations.”
We’re running
Discovery Days in lots of locations around the country this year, so there’s bound to be one close to you. Each event includes a session from me that might include new Trainers’ Library activities, and sessions from other professional trainers, each lasting up to 75 minutes. (If you’d like to run an interactive training session on a topic that you’re passionate about that will benefit other trainers, let us know. We have a few slots this year to fill and there’s no extra charge for this unique marketing opportunity to showcase your talents.)
What five gems could you take from your first Discovery Day? Come along and find out!
You can book your places here. (If you're a Trainers' Library member, don't forget to log-in to secure your discount.)