Light Bulb Learning

1. First impressions

This activity would be a suitable opening session for any training event. It illustrates how first impressions can affect our views about others. The subsequent discussion covers how easy it is to make impressions and how these can affect our ideas about, and behaviour towards, other people.

2. Second impressions

Providing an excellent follow-on to Activity 1, ‘Second impressions’ demonstrates how much our first impressions can be misleading. It gives participants an opportunity to break the ice in a non-threatening way while providing them with a chance to see themselves as others see them. Not only will it help break down barriers, the activity will also help to reduce participants' nerves at the start of an event.

3. The riot act

An activity recommended for any event which focuses on interpersonal skills and aims to change participant behaviour. It results in an agreed set standard of behaviour and ground rules, and is particularly beneficial for residential courses where the ground rules can be extended for out-of-course hours.

4. Verbal designs

‘Verbal designs’ illustrates the difficulty of using only one-way communication and the benefits of using two-way communication.

5. State control

The aim of the activity is to get participants to realise they control their own state of mind. They will be shown how to use their knowledge to control stress and harness relaxation techniques.

6. Fists

The Fists activity involves practising various forms of influence and persuasion. It explores how we are or are not influenced and why.

7. Fair's fair

This fun activity will help to improve negotiation skills and develop the ability to see things from another point of view.

8. Fruit salad

An energiser that is designed to be used when the participants can benefit from a change of pace or subject, this activity is based on the British children's party game of musical chairs.

9. Moving sales

An activity demonstrating sales skills in action which can be used to illustrate how and when rapport skills can influence a sales encounter. It enables participants to test different approaches to achieving a successful sales outcome, while giving them the opportunity to gain an appreciation of congruent and non-congruent body language.

10. Old learning v new learning

This hilarious activity demonstrates to participants the difficulties that are presented when they challenge old ways of doing things by encouraging their clients to adopt new methods and approaches.

11. Nodders and shakers

The aim of this very physical activity is to enable participants to experience how incongruent body language affects verbal communication.

12. The Margolis wheel

An innovative activity designed to enhance creative problem solving through expert and experience transfer. The technique is equally applicable to all sort of workplace problems and any sort of training event.

13. Sabotage the saboteur

Even positive behaviour can been seen negatively and negative behaviour can appear positive. In this activity participants will discover that what they may like or dislike in others may be more to do with what they like or dislike about their own behaviour.

14. Democratic voting

Democratic voting enables everyone to have the opportunity to vote on an issue without feeling undue pressure. The trainer introduces a method of reaching a decision through voting which avoids the usual pressures of group dynamics affecting the outcome of the vote.

15. The £1 coin auction

The auction aids the development of participants' listening skills, and also examines issues such as competitiveness, collaboration and the benefits of a win-win approach.

16. All change

A series of short micro-exercises enable participants to experience change by trying out new behaviours as something 'different'. Simple actions, such as wearing their watch on a different wrist, will make them aware of unconscious behaviour, and of how difficult or uncomfortable it can be to try out new behaviours.

17. Ha ha rumble tum

An energiser where everyone shares in a fun experience. It is also useful for building up trust and rapport between the participants.

18. Fingertips

‘Fingertips’ shows how some individuals obtain their objective at the expense of others. It provides an opportunity to explore the benefits of a win-win approach to problem solving.

19. Mirroring your mirror

This activity illustrates the power of body language when developing rapport-building skills, and shows how actions become virtually synchronised without conscious thought.

20. Mirror the joke

A fun activity which allows participants to receive feedback on their body language and voice tone. It can also be used to develop the ability to tell jokes, stories or make presentations to a group.

21. Act of my life

Behaviour influences attitude, which in turn influences behaviour. This activity allows participants to act more positively and confidently in a variety of potentially stressful situations.

22. Be a buddy

An activity to give participants the opportunity to develop the skills of working as a mentor. Be a buddy helps develop support, listening and rapport building skills and allows the transfer of knowledge during any training event.

23. You make me

In this activity participants learn that expressing feelings is better than repressing them.

24. It's mine

A 'struggle for possession' subsequently gives the opportunity for participants to reflect on how they handle conflict. It has also been designed as a fun-based energiser which allows participants to get in touch with their 'inner child'.

25. Take that

This activity allows the participants to get in touch with their aggressive feelings. It is designed to help them explore pent-up anger in a non-destructive manner and is based on the premise that learning to express feelings is better than repressing them.

26. Exotic fruits

‘Exotic fruits’ is a fun activity which energises participants at any stage of a training event.

27. The dark at the end of the tunnel

Based on the premise that negative words produce a negative attitude, this activity illustrates how rigid posture, voice tone and words affect behaviour and attitude.

28. The light at the end of the tunnel

This activity illustrates how open posture, voice tone and words affect behaviour and attitude. It is based on the premise that positive words, gestures and tone produce a corresponding positive attitude.

29. The problem bin

The problem bin enables any problems, questions and concerns that participants may have to be dealt with at a more convenient time. It introduces a creative way of resolving problems by generating fresh ideas for their solution.

30. Truth or lies

The aim of this activity is to improve observation skills and awareness of body language by noticing when people lie and what they do when they lie.

31. Free attention

Participants practise their non-verbal communication skills and explore their thoughts, ideas and feelings about a topic without interruption.

32. Peeling the onion

This activity, based on the Johari Window concept, is designed to assist participants' self-development through self-disclosure. It will enable them to develop personal insight, receive constructive feedback from others and improve their relationships by building a climate based on mutual trust.

33. Floppy doll

Floppy doll illustrates how passivity can, in fact, be very controlling.

34. Slow down

Slow down introduces participants to a quick and easy technique which can help them relax and reduce stress in a busy working environment.

35. Speed up

Participants recall a situation when they had a great deal of energy, and reuse those associated feelings when they need them at other times.

36. Feelings follow attention

This activity provides an opportunity to observe non-verbal facial, body and breathing states. The exercise is based on the premise that feelings follow attention. By changing where and what we focus our attention on we can produce more positive outcomes.

37. What's on top?

An activity which enables participants to clear their minds of any external problems or concerns, allowing them to focus more fully on the training event.

38. Giving the sign

Giving the sign helps participants to develop their rapport-building skills. It will enable them to identify different styles of communication and increase their flexibility to communicate in a compatible style to their partner.

39. Being upstanding

This activity demonstrates how posture, breathing rates, thoughts and feelings affect motivation.

40. 'It's all your fault'

Participants see how easy it is to get into a 'blaming mode' where we blame others for how we feel and react. The activity allows them to release themselves from internal, negative thoughts and develop a positive approach.

41. Conflict resolution model

Conflict resolution model allows opposing parties to air their different points of view and receive direct acknowledgement that they have been heard. The exercise improves listening skills under pressure and makes it more likely that an agreement can be reached.

42. Verbal judo - using the AURA framework

This activity illustrates how it is possible to produce agreement even on highly polarised issues. Participants learn how to acknowledge another person's communication without ignoring it, or denigrating it with negative qualifiers. The group are introduced to the idea that one way of coping with conflict is to give their opponent nothing to hit and score points from - as in some forms of judo. The trainer introduces the AURA framework which helps take the wind out of their opponent's sails.

43. Putting 'pow' into presentations

An activity to develop confidence in making presentations which can energise any learning event. Participants are given the opportunity to present their main points to an audience in a powerful and effective manner.

44. Lawyer

Lawyer effectively enables participants to explore their perception of others. It challenges judging things on face value or through stereotypical perceptions, and helps individuals to build rapport and allow self-disclosure.

45. Hello. Anyone there?

Based on Transactional Analysis, this activity allows participants to identify and discharge Child and Parent feelings. They learn to acknowledge within themselves the effect of these feelings during any interpersonal encounters or the learning process.

46. Ideal other

The aim of this activity is to discover past expectations and perceptions, and to acknowledge the differences between 'Ideal Other' and what it is reasonable to expect in another person.

47. Chip on your shoulder

Participants practise their intervention skills when observing an interpersonal encounter. The activity can be run alongside any role-rehearsal exercise that forms an integral part of the training event.

48. Contradiction technique

This activity helps to improve self-confidence and self-esteem by developing alternative positive internal dialogue to overcome negative dialogue.

49. Resents and appreciates

Resents and appreciates can be used at the end of either a training event or individual sessions (days) on an event. By helping flush out feelings into the open, no negative feelings or thoughts remain. It also illustrates how constructive feedback is easy to assimilate.

50. Please Mr Postman

An exercise designed to encourage goal and outcome setting at the end of any learning event.

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