Storytelling and GET OUT OF YOUR SEATS!
Product Description
From the time most of us were born, we’ve been listening to stories that teach us lessons. It’s no surprise that as adults we will remember a story that was told to make a point.
I once had a prominent trainer ask me to come and sit in on an 8 hour workshop. He wanted some feedback on what he could do to make his trainings more interactive. A few hours into the training we took a break and he asked me how I thought it was going. My exact words to him were, “It’s very engaging, the information is amazing, and the stories you are telling have me at the edge of my seat…..but I am still in my seat.” There were multiple times he stated, “Imagine if we were all standing in a circle……”, “Imagine trying to communicate an idea to a co-worker….” His stories were all engaging and had us thinking, but my brain went to my butt after 2 hours of sitting. I found myself disengaging after awhile due to the lack of movement. There is such value in getting people up out of their chairs and physically engaged into your story and the point you are trying to make. Had he gotten us out of our chairs and all standing in a circle, he would have invited us into his story, and the point would have resonated with us because we could actually imagine being there. The majority of people in the real world are kinesthetic learners. There is an ancient Chinese proverb that states, “Tell me and I will forget, Show me and I may remember, Involve me and I will understand.” Think about the trainings that you facilitate. If you are doing a lot of show and tell, think about ways you can involve your participants so the information will resonate and stick. Get them out of their seats!
~Michelle Cummings
Training Wheels Founder and Big Wheel
I once had a prominent trainer ask me to come and sit in on an 8 hour workshop. He wanted some feedback on what he could do to make his trainings more interactive. A few hours into the training we took a break and he asked me how I thought it was going. My exact words to him were, “It’s very engaging, the information is amazing, and the stories you are telling have me at the edge of my seat…..but I am still in my seat.” There were multiple times he stated, “Imagine if we were all standing in a circle……”, “Imagine trying to communicate an idea to a co-worker….” His stories were all engaging and had us thinking, but my brain went to my butt after 2 hours of sitting. I found myself disengaging after awhile due to the lack of movement. There is such value in getting people up out of their chairs and physically engaged into your story and the point you are trying to make. Had he gotten us out of our chairs and all standing in a circle, he would have invited us into his story, and the point would have resonated with us because we could actually imagine being there. The majority of people in the real world are kinesthetic learners. There is an ancient Chinese proverb that states, “Tell me and I will forget, Show me and I may remember, Involve me and I will understand.” Think about the trainings that you facilitate. If you are doing a lot of show and tell, think about ways you can involve your participants so the information will resonate and stick. Get them out of their seats!
~Michelle Cummings
Training Wheels Founder and Big Wheel
