Instructional delivery methods and strategies should facilitate experiential learning. Well-designed, intentionally chosen methods engage learners more actively with the content.

Engaging Activities

Select a variety of engagement strategies that are harmonized to your training style, the needs of your participants, and your workshop goals. Most tactics produce observable actions the facilitator can monitor to quickly ascertain the degree of participation or learning.

Project Zero's Thinking Routines Toolbox
Thinking routines may be a set of questions or a brief sequence of steps used to make thinking visible.
Center for Leadership & Educational Equity
Over 400 protocols are easily searchable, based purpose: learn and improve collaboratively, plan or set goals, reflect and inquire, etc.
Liberating Structures
A menu of 33 microstructures is used to organize interactions and structure how groups work together.
lead4ward Instructional Strategies Playlist
High-yield instructional strategies categorized by intention: movement and discourse, rehearsal and practice, evidence of learning, etc. Adaptations for virtual delivery are included.
Library of Facilitation Techniques from SessionLab
Almost 1,400 methods are organized by tags and easily imported into your SessionLab agendas.
Resources for Designing Adult Learning from Learning Forward Texas
Strategies are curated into four sections: community building activities, engaging processes, energizers, reflection, group ideas, and using learning agreements.
Endurance Learning's Training Activity Cookbook63 activities are presented in four chapters: anchor activities, content activities, application activities, and future use activities.

Pacing

"Key neurotransmitters in the brain decrease significantly after about 20 minutes of engaging in one type of activity. Within seconds of switching activities - from listening to a lecture to talking with a peer, from watching a video to standing in response to a question - the neurotransmitters replenish themselves to more optional levels. These “syn-naps” or brain breaks, prevent overload during extended learning sessions.” - Anne M. Beninghof, Caffeinated Learning

Supporting Materials

Handout Design

A supportive handout (physical or digital) strengthens a strong presentation. It may allow for greater engagement, assist in reflection, and deepen the understanding of your content.

Considerations:

Include the details (bullet points), eliminating text-heavy slides from your presentation.
Provide space(s) for active responses, reflections to key questions, and/or prompts for participants to complete specific tasks.
Add a shortened link to your slides. QR codes can provide participants with supporting resources and additional materials.

Learning Action Plans

A learning action plan can help participants turn their learning into action in their on-the-job performance context. As an evaluative tool, they provide the facilitator with clues about what was most inspiring, most attainable, and most memorable.

Considerations:

What will I do?
When will I do it?
What resources do I need?
How will I assess the outcome?

An action plan may be developed throughout the session or as a closing activity. Follow up with participants to celebrate their successes and help to address barriers.

R10 Connect Intranet

Plan for Delivery

Crafting the Opening

Building the Body

Developing the Closing

Apptegy Example Section