Choosing the right type of training exercises

Depending on your job and degree of responsibility, you may have a say in the choice of training exercises for your staff.

To help you identify the right one(s) for your situation, here’s a quick list of the main types of exercises:

• • Icebreakers

These help get training sessions off to a good start. Think of them as stretching before a run or walk. People may simply be asked to introduce themselves, or perhaps answer a specific question about themselves, for example.

• • Climate setting

These exercises come early in the session and are topic-specific. If you were doing training on being observant, you might choose an exercise where a variety of items are shown for a short time, and participants are asked to describe as many as they can.

• • Perception

You may want to show employees how there can be many legitimate – even contradictory – viewpoints on the same issue. One popular type of perception exercise uses a visual aid that can be interpreted in several ways.

• • Team building

Typically participants are broken into small groups and given tasks to perform in a set amount of time. They help each member determine where he or she fits comfortably in a team. These can be combined with problem-solving exercises (next).

• • Problem solving

The problem may be of a kind the business is facing or will face. The exercise allows participants to practice a specific problem-solving method, in teams or individually.

• • Leadership

These exercises can demonstrate specific leadership techniques, or show how the lack of these can create problems.

Source: “The First-Time Trainer,” by Tom W. Goad.