Staff Training
During Training
Page 2 of 5
Opening Activities And
Icebreakers
These activities may be the primary way staff
begin to feel more comfortable, more trusting, and
more familiar with each other. These tried-and-true
ways to "break the ice" will prove invaluable to
you.
I have so many of these to share with you, I've
added a separate section at the end of this
document called Icebreakers.
Teambuilding
Activities
You can use these at the beginning of a
training or once you are warmed up with the
group.
Quiz 'em!
Share brainteasers, thinking games, word
doodles and trivia questions with the group - award
prizes on individual or group effort.
Count To 10
As a group - individually! Only one person can
say one number at a time until the group has
collectively counted to ten. If two or more say a
number at the same time the group must start all
over again. MUCH HARDER than it sounds. May take a
few days to even count to five!
The Eggs Have It
Get small plastic Easter eggs. Questions or
discussion topics are put into some eggs, the rest
have little toys or a coin inside. The majority of
the eggs can have questions like, "How would you
encourage participation in your activities?" Or,
"Share a way to quiet a group." Put the eggs in a
basket and pass to each staff member. Each person
takes a turn by opening the egg, and if it's a
question, offers comments. After she has completed
her statements, others could add to the
discussion.
What's My (Clothes)line?
Colored 5x8 cards are attached to a clothesline
and hung in front of the room. Between 35 to 40
numbers appear on the line. Behind each number is
another card with just one word printed on it. The
numbered cards are in various colors to break the
monotony. A few cards can be blank and four can
have a $1 bill behind them for added thrill. Each
person calls off a number. The cards with one word
say things like: sports, respect, crafts, adults,
and accidents. When they get the word, they discuss
it with the group. You could also ask questions.
People who get blank cards may offer an idea that
would benefit others or say nothing. The people who
draw the money will smile. (It usually takes quite
a while to get the 3rd or 4th dollar.)
A New Look at Policies,
Procedures, Rules &
Regulations
How can we get this information across to staff
in an attention-grabbing, memorable & fun
way?
Timesheets
After discussion, hand out timesheets with 10
mistakes on them, and have a contest to see who can
find the most!
Accident/Incident Reports/Safety Issues
Do a skit using returning staff in the roles of
a junior camper and leader. Susie skins her knee
and Tom the leader has to report it. The staff in
the audience write out their version of an accident
report on the situation and turn it in. This will
help you as a supervisor determine who needs
additional training in this area.
Proper Attire/Dress Codes/Appropriate
Behavior
Model the appropriately and inappropriately
attired leader and rules to follow regarding
behavior. This could be illustrated through a slide
show, fashion show, or video presentation. Use
veteran staff in these scenarios - they will feel
needed and important as co-instructors.
Role-Playing
Scenes of situations that staff may deal with.
Have new and veteran staff mixed in these
improvisational skits. Gather the players and read
off a scenario. Have them act out the situation and
come to a conclusion about it. Examples include the
"angry parent," "party crashers," bored or
obnoxious kid, and "What if?" scenarios.
Reinforcement of Skills
and Knowledge
Many times supervisors wonder how much
information really sticks in the minds of new and
returning staff, or if they even appreciate the
relevance of what is being taught and how it
applies to them and their role in the
organization.
A good way to see how much your staff gained over
the week is to have them list ten things they
learned/enjoyed during the training and circle two
or more that they intend use within a week or
month. This is a nice way for everyone to see how
the training is going to be practically
applied.
Game Shows
Some cities have a written test at the end of
training that may determine what position their
staff will have for the summer. Rather than test
staff in this way for knowledge acquired,
television game show formats can provide the same
results and be fun in the process. You may be
surprised at how much they've learned. Show us
what's behind door #1!
Family Feud (can be the "Friendly Feud")
Same as TV show except no buzzer - instead
contestants grab a stuffed animal sitting on the
middle of a table. Ask questions you want staff to
know the answers to, the ones that they will be
asked by the public ("Name a city Park &
Recreation Commissioner", "Name a city park") or
one that will teach them what to do in a certain
situation ("Name something you would do upon giving
first aid to a child") Of course, harder
categories, ones with only a couple of specific
answers ("Name the two locations that gymnastics is
taught during the summer") can be used to separate
the top leaders from the pack. To be fair -
separate seasoned staff and mix with new recruits.
Make sure everybody gets an equal shot, maybe even
have 'new staff only' question categories.
Jeopardy
The categories can include skills like songs,
games, and crafts, in addition to policies,
procedures and other important information that has
been covered. List these across the top of a poster
board with value points in ascending order. The
higher the point value, the harder the question.
For example under "songs," a typical question might
be "This song discusses carrying an infantile
insect home to Mommy." Answer: What is "Bringing
Home A Baby Bumblebee?"
How about
Win, Lose or Draw - Draw things that relate to
leadership or camps
Wheel of Fortune - St_ff Tr_ining "Vanna, I'd like
to buy a vowel"
The Price Is Right - Use to illustrate equipment
and supply costs and the value of not wasting!
Vision
Quilt
Everyone is asked to write goals for the summer
on a sticky note or two. They could be general,
like "meet new people" or very specific such as
"learn new crafts." Perhaps the first year leaders
would be expected to put down one goal, whereas the
veterans would write down three to provide more
challenge. If you want to reinforce training skills
to be learned, you could do this exercise on the
first day of training and include goals for what
the leaders hope to get out of training as well as
their summer-long goals.
Another effective way to use this activity would be
at an evening campfire program at training. If you
have leader recognition at the end of summer with
another campfire or ceremony, it could give an
opportunity for everyone to check if they completed
their goals and then the quilt could be
ceremonially burned.
You will need butcher paper, masking tape,
scissors, multicultural gift wrap squares, rubber
cement, sticky notes, and pens. To construct the
quilt, cut 2 pieces of butcher paper the same size,
and tape the paper together so it is double wide
and square. Cut a two inch border of wrapping paper
and cement it to the edge of the butcher paper.
Cover the butcher paper with rectangles of gift
wrap paper in "quilt" fashion, leaving a gap of 1/2
an inch in between them. (See diagram below)
You're On Your
Way
The bottom line is to keep your staff involved
- physically and mentally. Get their interest up
before the meeting and once there, keep them going.
Make them a part of the act through skits and
role-playing. Challenge them to demonstrate their
new knowledge in a fun way through game shows. Hold
them accountable to apply their training through
goals or a vision quilt. Don't feel you have to use
all of these ideas at once to be effective. Pick
out the one or two that are most appropriate and
then play it up. Pretty soon, you'll find your
staff looking forward those training meetings!
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