Birds of a Feather: A High-Energy Way to Open a Training

Birds-of-a-Feather: A Unique and High-Energy Way
to Begin a Training Session
By Sharon L. Bowman, MA
Professional Speaker and Corporate Trainer
President, Bowperson Publishing & Training, Inc.
P.O. Box 564, Glenbrook, NV 89413
Phone: 775-749-5247 Fax: 775-749-1891
E-Mail: SBowperson@gmail.com Web-Site: www.Bowperson.com

3. They connect learners to what
they hope to learn from the train-
ing – what skills and new knowl-
edge they want to walk away
with when the training is over.

Unfortunately, many trainers
have little time to create an open-
ing activity that does all three.

Often trainers choose to have
The best opening activities have trainees quickly stand and intro-
three important outcomes: duce themselves (which doesn’t
really connect learners to each
1. They help training participants other at all).
form a psychologically safe, pro-
ductive learning community by Or trainers may choose an activ-
getting learners connected to ity that is fun but that has no
each other before the information connection whatsoever to the
part of the training begins. topic of the training.

2. They connect the training par- Or, because of time constraints,
ticipants to the training topic so trainers may not even do an
that learners become aware of opening activity. Instead, they
what they already know and the introduce themselves, tell and
knowledge they bring to the joke or story, and then plunge
training. into their information delivery.

Sharon L. Bowman www.Bowperson.com 775-749-5247 © 2003 All rights reserved.

Birds-of-a-Feather: A Unique and High-Energy Way to Begin a Training Session 2

This opening activity is one of Materials Needed:
the best to use in a training be-
cause:  One chart stand and tablet
(set up in the front of the
 The three important out- room, visible to all – or an
comes of an effective open- overhead projector and
ing occur as a result of doing screen will do also) with the
it; following questions printed
in large bright print on one
 It is designed to help learners page (or on a transparency):
make important connections
quickly and effectively, with- What three things do you al-
out taking up a large amount ready know about the train-
of training time; ing topic?

 It can be done in as little as Why are you attending this
three minutes or as long as training and what do you
fifteen minutes; hope to learn?

 It’s flexible enough to be What is one question you
used not only as an opening want answered by the end of
activity, but also as a review the training?
activity in the middle of a
training and as a closing ac-  A Random Response Device
tivity at the end of the learn- (a koosh ball or other soft
ing experience; throwable object)

 There are a number of varia- Group Size: The larger the group
tions to the activity so that the better; a dozen people is
the trainer never has to do it about the minimum number
the same way twice in one needed to make it work; it can
training; easily accommodate over one
hundred as long as there is space
 The processing is built into to move around.
the activity itself as it is expe-
rienced. Room Set-Up: Participants will
need to have room enough to
Suggested Time: from 3 - 15 move around, so a breakout
minutes space at the back of the room or
large aisles and space in front
and in back are necessary. The



amount of space needed depends as theirs. Allow about 30
upon the size of the group – the seconds for them to form
larger the group, the more space standing groups of 3-5 people
required. Furniture can remain in with others who have
place as long as there is room to words/phrases similar to
walk around tables and chairs. theirs. If someone is left out,
invite that person to join any
group, or to make a group
with others who don’t yet
have a group.

4 Direct their attention to the
chart or overhead transpar-
ency. Tell them they will
have about 30 seconds each
Procedure: to answer the first question.
Give them about 2 minutes
1 You tell the participants that total time, then signal for si-
there are some people in the lence.
room who are absolutely cru-
cial to their learning success 5 To process the answers, use a
in this training. In order to Random Response Device
find these people and begin a (the koosh ball) and let them
dialogue with them, the par- know that, when the koosh
ticipants will need to take ball is thrown to their group,
part in a “Birds-of-a-Feather” one person needs to repeat
people hunt. what someone in their group
said (which helps build more
2 You explain that they need to psychological safety than if
think of the first word or they had to repeat what they
phrase that comes to their themselves said).
minds when they think of the
training topic. 6 That group then tosses the
koosh ball to another group
3 Direct them to stand and and so on until all or most
walk around the room repeat- groups have had a chance to
ing their word or phrase out share one response.
loud to others until they find
two or three other partici- 7 Tell them to say farewell (or
pants who thought of the give a high-five to their new
same or similar word/phrase friends) and now think of a



sport that could represent the 10 In their final standing group,
topic. Direct them to find they share their answers to
new standing partners who the third question.
thought of the same or simi-
lar sport. 11 At this point, you can either
process the questions in the
Example: In a communica- same fashion by tossing the
tion skills training, the sports Random Response Device, or
mentioned might be team you can ask them to come up
sports like football, baseball, with a group question – like a
etc. Or the sport may be a composite of the questions
metaphor for the topic, i.e., they shared – and say it aloud
raquetball for an accounting while you write it on a chart
training because you have to paper. Or they can write it on
know all the angles). They a 3x5 card or scratch paper
quickly introduce themselves and hand it to you.
to their new group partners.
12 When done, invite them to
8 Direct them to answer the give high-fives once again to
second question. Give them their new friends and then sit
about two minutes, then down.
process with the Random Re-
sponse Device in the same
way that you did the first
time. You might also ask
them to name the sport and
why they thought of it as a
representation of the training
topic.

9 For the final question, they
say farewell to their group.
They think of a word that de- You now have a group of train-
scribes how they are feeling ing participants who:
about being at the training,
and they find two or three * Feel psychologically safer with
others with the same/similar each other because they have
words. connected with a number of oth-
ers in the room;



* Have begun the process of What are the three most im-
forming a productive learning portant things you learned
community; during this training?

* Have focused on the prior What do you plan to do with
knowledge they have and will what you learned?
later connect it to the new infor-
mation they will learn; How will this information
change your behavior?
* Have also become aware of
their own learning goals and Who are three people you
questions they want asked, in ef- can share this information
fect, their own “Why?” for being with?
there.
2. Besides having participants
Depending upon the size of your form standing “Birds-of-a-
whole group, the time you Feather” groups with similar
choose to spend doing the activ- words/phrases or metaphors
ity, the amount of processing you like sports, they can also
choose to do (not all groups have form groups according to the
to answer if time is an issue), and following:
the richness of the dialogue, the
activity can be a short one (3–5 Find 2-3 other people who …
minutes) or a longer one (5–15
minutes). like the same junk food that
you do;
Variations:
like the same genre of movie
1. You can tailor the questions or book that you do;
to be more specific to the
topic, or phrase them as re- like the same hobby;
view questions if you choose
to do the activity after you like the same fantasy vaca-
have presented new infor- tion;
mation. Or the questions can
summarize the learning for a are wearing the same colored
closing activity, for exam- shoes;
ple:
are wearing the same jewelry
item;



were born in the same sea- From: Training and Performance2001
son; Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Editors: M. Silberman and P. Phillips
Contribution by: Sharon Bowman
have the same first or last Reprinted with contributor’s permission
name initial;
Author and traveling teacher Sharon
Bowman helps educators and business
have the same kind of pet;
people “teach it quick and make it
stick,” - fine-tuning their information-
hate the same sport; delivery skills and turning their passive
listeners into active learners.
enjoy the same free-time ac-
Sharon is the author of seven popular
tivity;
teaching, training, and motivation
books. She is a professional member of
were born in the same state; the National Speakers Association
(NSA) and the American Society of
have visited the same histori- Training and Development (ASTD).
cal site; For more information about Sharon
Bowman and her books and training,
The list can go on and is only log onto www.Bowperson.com, or
limited by your imagination. email her at SBowperson@gmail.com.

For book orders, go to
2. Besides the metaphor of a
www.trainerswarehouse.com,
sport to represent the topic, www.amazon.com, or call Bowperson
you can ask the participants Publishing at 775-749-5247.
to think of an animal that rep- _______________________________
resents the topic, or some-
thing in nature, a kitchen
item, a color, a food, a fa-
mous person, a TV show or
movie, etc.
___________________________


Birds of a Feather: A High-Energy Way to Open a Training

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