Caffeinated Learning
  • Home
  • Anne Beninghof
  • Consulting
  • Tips Blog
  • The Book
    • Sample Chapter
  • Contact

Potential Pitfall of Using This Type of Virtual Polling

8/28/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture

Last week I attended a webinar. Let’s say that the topic was time management. After introducing herself, the presenter chose to use a poll question as an activator. I leaned in, ready to engage and answer the question. Here’s the question, varied just slightly to protect her identity. 

​Which of the following is the biggest time waster for you in the work place?
  1. Interruptions by colleagues
  2. Too many unnecessary meetings
  3. Inability to prioritize
  4. Inadequate technology 

I stared at the question for a few moments and then began to work on something else on my desk. None of the answers applied to me! I work for myself (no colleagues), I control how many meetings I schedule, I am skilled at prioritizing and have up-to-date tech solutions.  Instead of feeling connected to the content, I felt a bit left out and began to wonder if the webinar wasn’t going to be of value to me. I turned my attention to something else, and eventually walked away from my computer. 

If you are going to use poll questions, be sure they are inclusive. A forced choice answer can be used if there is one correct answer, but in this case the correct answer for me would have been “other” or “none of the above.”

Better yet, replace poll questions with a variety of other engagement techniques. Want to know what those include?

​Look back over the last few years of Tips on my website (here are a few), or contact me to explore some virtual training on best practices for virtual training!

Caffeinated Training Design: An Engagement-Centered Process , filled with ideas, can be on your desk in just a few days!

0 Comments

Successful, Out-of-Their-Seat Summarization Strategy

8/8/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture


This quick summarization strategy provides learners with an opportunity to retrieve and review new learning – all with NO PREP on your part!  I call it High Five Retrieval.




​
  1. Ask your learners to stand up and partner up, facing each other.
  2. Direct them to raise a closed fist with their dominant hand. 
  3. The person whose first name is closest to the beginning of the alphabet begins by sharing one thing they remember from the new content. As soon as they finish, they are to raise one finger on that hand. 
  4. The next person shares and raises a finger. 
  5. Both take turns until all five fingers have been raised (a total of 10 things remembered and shared.)
  6. Partners finish with a high five before returning to their seats. 
 
Virtual Variation

If you are using break out rooms, you can pair participants and ask them to work together to list ten items and then raise their hands. If not, ask learners to jot down five things they remember and email it to you. Then share your screen to show a few of the emails for review. (I use a dedicated email account so that I don't have to worry about private emails showing in my in-box.)


As an alternative, try this at the beginning of your session to activate prior knowledge about the topic and to get your learners talking with each other.

Looking for even more research-based strategies to improve learning? Check out my most recent book, Caffeinated Training Design: An Engagement-Centered Process or contact me to work with your organization. 

0 Comments
    For even more ideas...

    Subscribe to our mailing list

    * indicates required

    Author

    Anne Beninghof is passionate about teaching and learning.

    Archives

    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015

    RSS Feed

    var switchTo5x=true; >
Privacy Policy, 2018
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Anne Beninghof
  • Consulting
  • Tips Blog
  • The Book
    • Sample Chapter
  • Contact