UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENTIAL ACTIVITIES: AN ACTIVE TRAINING RESOURCE

From training expert Mel Silberman, Unforgettable Experiential Activities is a next-step resource based on his well-known Active Training programme. As accessible as it is useful, each one of the book's 75 original activities includes helpful training tips and techniques.

The collection will help all trainers – both novice and experienced – engage their learners in active, experiential learning.

The activities are organized by today's most sought after training topics including:

  • Change Management
  • Communication 
  • Conflict
  • Creativity
  • Facilitation
  • Influencing
  • Leadership
  • Negotiating
  • Team Building 

Table of Contents

  • Preface
  • Acknowledgments
  • Introduction
  • Chapter One: Getting Acquainted
    • 1. Alphabetical Circle: A Fun Way to Learn Names and a Lot More
    • 2. Group Résumé: Who We Are Collectively
    • 3. Things We Have in Common: Getting to Know You
    • 4. Predictions: Making Guesses About Co-Participants
    • 5. Introductory Go-Arounds: Brief Self-Disclosures
    • 6. What’s in a Name? My Story
  • Chapter Two: Communication
    • 7. Communication Tokens: An Awareness Exercise
    • 8. Direct Communication: You Write the Scripts
    • 9. Explaining Something Complicated: Avoiding Information Dumps
    • 10. Obtaining Participation: Using Different Formats
  • Chapter Three: Assertive Behavior
    • 11. Concerns About Confronting Employees: Overcoming the Anxiety
    • 12. Assertive Starters: Ways to Begin an Assertive Message
    • 13. Non-Verbal Persuasion: Assessing Its Impact
    • 14. Refusing Unwanted Requests: Practicing Saying No
    • 15. Stating Complaints and Requesting Change: Skill Practice
  • Chapter Four: Influencing Others
    • 16. Alligator River: Looking at People with Different Glasses
    • 17. Question First: The Best Way to Overcome Resistance
    • 18. Influencing Others: Four Role-Play Scenarios
    • 19. Getting Your Foot in the Door: Avoiding Rejection
  • Chapter Five: Conflict and Negotiation
    • 20. Views of Conflict: A Word Association Game
    • 21. What You Bring to Conflict Situations: Experiencing Different Styles
    • 22. The Ten-Thousand-Dollar Challenge: Working Through a Conflict
    • 23. Role Reversal: Arguing the Flip Side
    • 24. Rating Methods to Deal with Conflict: Yours and Theirs
    • 25. Breaking a Stalemate: Steps to Move Forward
  • Chapter Six: Creativity and Problem Solving
    • 26. Getting Ready for Brainstorming: Creative Warm-Ups
    • 27. Part Changing: Demonstrating a Technique to Increase Creativity
    • 28. Brainwriting: An Alternative to Generating Ideas Verbally
    • 29. Inspired Cut-Outs: Freeing the Mind
    • 30. Wearing Someone Else's Shoes: Taking a Different Perspective 
    • 31. Making Decisions After Brainstorming: Narrowing the Options
  • Chapter Seven: Diversity
    • 32. Being in the Minority: Simulating an Everyday Reality
    • 33. I've Been Curious: Questions I Have Been Afraid to Ask
    • 34. Setting the Record Straight: Things About Me and Others Like Me
    • 35. Unlocking Memories: Self-Disclosures in a Diverse Group
  • Chapter Eight: Facilitating Teams
    • 36. Multi-Voting: A Constructive Way to Make Decisions
    • 37. Rotating Facilitators: Practicing Effective Facilitation
    • 38. Card Exchange: A Unique Way to Stimulate Discussion 
    • 39. The Problem with Majority Voting: A Double Whammy
    • 40. Changing the Rules: Altering Group Process 
    • 41. Removing Egos: A Tool for Team Facilitators
  • Chapter Nine: Exchanging Feedback
    • 42. Animal Metaphors: An Exercise in Obtaining Honest Feedback
    • 43. Giving Effective Feedback: Wheaties Over Donuts
    • 44. Judging the Impact of Words: Applications to Giving Feedback
    • 45. When Asking for or Giving Feedback Is Challenging: Your Advice
  • Chapter Ten: Leadership
    • 46. The Window Shade of Decision Making
    • 47. Mirroring: Experiencing the Joys and Tribulations of Being a Leader
    • 48. Going Outside Comfort Zones: Brief Exercises in Change
    • 49. Changes You Would to Make: Dreaming Beyond the Status Quo
  • Chapter Eleven: Teaching and Coaching Employees
    • 50. Making Butterflies: It's Not What You Say That Counts
    • 51. Brain-Friendly Teaching: Using Four Key Principles
    • 52. Building Skills Through Role Plays: You Have Options
    • 53. The Components of Effective Coaching: Observing the Process
    • 54. Show But Not Tell: Upping the Stakes
  • Chapter Twelve: Understanding Others
    • 55. Avoiding Labels: Interpreting Behavior Objectively
    • 56. Be Curious, Not Furious: Five Ways to Understand Others
    • 57. Comparing Yourself to Others: Looking for Differences and Similarities
    • 58. The Three C's What Makes People Difficult
  • Chapter Thirteen: Sales and Customer Service
    • 59. A Convincing Sales Presentation: Warm-Up Practice
    • 60. Dissatisfied Customers: How to Win Them Over
    • 61. To Consult or Not Consult: Assessing Your Selling Style
    • 62. Your Company's Sales Philosophy: How Do You Treat Customers? 
  • Chapter Fourteen: Building
    • 63. The Stages of Team Development: A Card Sorting Activity
    • 64. Television Commercial: An Unusual Team-Building Activity
    • 65. Creative House Building: An Exercise in Teamwork
    • 66. Fishbowl Meeting: Observing Group Process
    • 67. Making Paper Cups: Simulating a Learning Organization
    • 68. Are You a Team Player? Things Team Players Do
    • 69. Paper Airplanes: The Power of Collaboration
  • Chapter Fifteen: Train the Trainer
    • 70. Active Vacations: Topics versus Objectives
    • 71. Design Challenges: Planning How to Achieve Training Objectives
    • 72. Energizers: Ways to Wake Up or Relax a Training Group
    • 73. Has This Ever Happened to You? Making Team Learning Work
    • 74. Training Styles: Three Continua
    • 75. You Have Many Options: Increasing Your Training Repertoire