How can you energise a group when training or facilitating. Do you use the right energisers? In this article we explain how you can maintain energy in a group so that everyone is happy.

1. Delivery
Refresh your toolkit
Using energisers to
You might also like to develop your own energisers.
Use the matrix on Page 2 as a basis to prompt ideas;
As a professional trainer and facilitator, you should be or consider these points (with thanks to Kimberley
spending a good deal of time seeking out interesting Hare for sourcing them) that Professor Mihaly
new energisers, trying to build up an equal range
enhance your across the quadrants. By tuning your antennae to this
task, you will discover new ones in unlikely places.
Csikszentmihalyi has found, through his research, to
be the most rewarding aspects of the challenges
people set themselves:
Useful sources q designing something new
workshops Some sources I have used are these:
q Fun e-mails with a novel twist, sent by friends. A
q
q
discovering something new
exploring new places
particularly successful one was a series of lateral q solving problems
John Brooker thinking arithmetic questions, which I adapted to
ask a group. q learning something new.
q Improvisation comedy books with some fun How might you use these ideas to develop new
rooted in facilitator and trainer appealing to different learning exercises, such as Playing Along by Issy Gesell.1 energisers?
Key learning points
jargon, so we’ll use it here. styles and different senses. Make sure that you can relate the exercises to your
q Energisers help change the A well-timed, appropriate Alastair Olby (in Issue 15) learning activity.
state of our participants. Tip
energiser may achieve its outlined how the facilitator’s q Books on team activities and icebreakers. You can
q Energisers are no substitute purpose and make learning or state influences the state of find numerous examples at online bookstores by Size of group can influence the energisers you do.
for good design. Well- participants. He explained that
other group activity easier; typing those terms into the search engine. Most of Some need at least eight people to work. Be on the
developed learning exercises
but, used inappropriately, it state is created by two factors: these are American; I feel uncomfortable at the constant look out for Active / Change physiology
and good pace are a better
may annoy and embarrass focus and physiology. thought of doing some of them, but that may be a energisers that just two or three people can do.
way to maintain constant
participants, and make the personal issue.
energy.
facilitator look foolish. Energisers help to change q Books on a variety of topics such as Tai Chi or
q Match energisers to your
the focus and physiology of meditation.
topic and audience, and
I shall never forget the very participants, and can be viewed Activity
introduce them at q Children’s toys – the Early Learning Centre and
earnest elderly lawyer who as another way, a technique, When did you last put a new energiser in your
appropriate times. John Lewis are good sources. Crazy Kittens is a very
collared me, after a (successful) to create a change of state toolkit? Set yourself a task of introducing a new
q You should have a variety of successful energiser, although not one I use at the
team building energiser, to ask in our participants, from a one for each course or workshop that you run.
energiser types in your start of a session.
toolkit. why I played ‘children’s games’ non-productive state to a
q Websites about the brain or psychology – such as
q Seek to refresh your with adults. It was a good productive one.
www.youramazingbrain.org.uk – have a range of
energiser toolkit constantly. reminder that not everyone Conclusion
useful puzzles.
wants to be ‘energised’ by However, energisers are not a
others – they can do very well substitute for good exercises. q Participants – set them the challenge of developing In conclusion, energisers are a proven way to change
on their own. If you design your workshop energisers for themselves. This has provided some the state of a group, but should be just one technique
Games children play? with a variety of exercises that rich material amongst the mundane. to achieve this. They are not a substitute for
In this module we shall look at involve and stimulate all styles interesting and productive exercises, or a crutch to use
What feedback comment makes
some of the good and bad of learners, varying the pace so when your own state is not resourceful. You can
“
your day when you run a course
or workshop? I’m sure ‘The points about energisers, when that there are times of great As a professional trainer enhance their impact and your credibility if they are
they are appropriate and how energy and times of calmer appropriate, well timed and varied.
trainer was brilliant/superb/
we can best use them to help us reflection, you may not need and facilitator, you should be spending
fantastic’ (complete your own
achieve our workshop aims. to use any energiser.
superlative) hits the right a good deal of time seeking out
buttons. I like those too, but it is
”
also a pleasure for me to read on It’s all about state interesting new energisers References
the ‘happy sheet’: ‘energisers For Issue 2, Kimberley Hare Tip 1 Issy Gesell, Playing Along, Whole Person Associates (USA), 1997.
were well timed’ or ‘energisers wrote a module about creating a Changing state does not
were appropriate for learning’. great state for learning, about always mean changing a
making people feel good whilst group from bored and listless
An energiser is a form of activity they are learning. She listed a to enthusiastic. The group
designed to stimulate and number of factors that can may be overexcited, and a Author
enliven a group. It may also be positively influence the state of calmer state may be more John Brooker leads Yes! And... , which makes change and innovation easier for organisations, teams and individuals.
used to relax a group, so perhaps learners – for example, exciting appropriate for the next They facilitate, advise, train and coach people to find success, in a positive and inspiring way.
‘energiser’ is always not the right pre-workshop notes, a situation. Telephone: 020 8869 9990 or 07866 431046 • E-mail: hi@yesand.co.uk • Website: www.yesand.biz
word to use. However, it is welcoming environment, and
TRAIN the TRAINER • Issue 19 TRAIN the TRAINER • ©Fenman Limited 2004

2. Using energisers to enhance your workshops
• Meditation. A number of rule is to give them the choice of
Types of energiser energisers use meditation
Cultural factors
participating. (My lawyer would
Once trust has developed
techniques. From my experience of providing leave the room when I did an Another factor is the development
The following is a model inspired by
training in many different countries energiser.) However, you can of trust. I have found people who
a version seen in the Open University
By allocating each energiser to a throughout Europe, The Middle encourage them to participate in are nervous about energisers
MBA programme on Creativity and
quadrant, we can see at a glance if East and Africa, I have found that the various ways: quite happily participate in ones
Innovation. Use it to find out if you
we have energisers in all quadrants. energisers work with all cultures. like Roller Coaster after the group
have the correct range of energisers q Build up trust, ensuring that
Do not be constrained by the Some, where close physical contact has been working for a while. Use
in a workshop and if you have nobody is made to look stupid
position within the quadrant – the is required, may, however, be or feel embarrassed. riskier energisers later in the
sufficient types of energisers in your
use of the model is not a science. inappropriate. I have been surprised, workshop.
toolkit. q By the way you ask them to do
though, by the different approach to
Activity tackling energisers in some cultures. the energiser; for example:
Change physiology
‘This one may be difficult for Experience
Take the energisers in your toolkit I witnessed two groups of Russian
Roller Coaster Tai Chi Hands some, but previous participants
and allocate each to a quadrant. bankers silently take one minute to
have told me that (pause) if Otherwise, the timing of
Do you have a balanced selection? do an energiser that UK groups you participate, you will enjoy energisers comes down to
frequently take ten noisy minutes to it’. That recognises doubts, experience – judging that there is
Active Passive do. It might make a good research and embeds the command a desire for movement or change
Why is it important to have a project for someone. ‘participate, you will enjoy it’ Between topics
of focus. You’ll know when you
range of energisers? As mentioned in in a subtle way. You may want to change the focus have it right.
the Tip on Page 1, we want to be q Explain that you do this with between one topic and the next.
Tantrix Meditation able to move the group from an senior management all the time This is a time when you can make
Change focus inappropriate state to an appropriate (if you do). your energisers appropriate. For
one (a more resourceful state in example, before conducting a
q Make the energiser short.
What does the model tell us? Neuro Linguistic Programming small-group exercise involving
“
1 Energisers may be split on two parlance). If participants have just drawing, I like to have people
axes: arrived in the workshop, fresh from Timing work in pairs to draw a face, each Energisers help
an angry telephone call or a stressful drawing one line at a time
• Change physiology / Change focus
drive, and full of adrenaline, it is How do you know when to without talking. We then have a
to change the focus
• Active/Passive. unlikely that a boost of adrenaline provide an energiser? Certainly
from an Active / Change physiology there are ‘ritual’ times: at the start
discussion about how they felt, and physiology of
whether they were frustrated,
2 The two axes form quadrants into
”
which we can allocate our
energiser will enhance their state. of the workshop, 30 or so minutes whether they worked well participants
It’s also important to have a range of after lunch when all the chemicals together. This sets them up for the
energisers: energisers because some people get: have kicked in, and just before exercise, in which they may
• Active / Change physiology • tired of constant Active / Change they leave. experience similar feelings but
• Passive / Change physiology physiology energisers have more understanding to cope
• Active / Change focus • bored if you repeat an energiser with their frustrations.
Activity Before you start
• Passive / Change focus. they have done (although one Try this piece of basic research on
the workshop
company requests that I do the preferences. Explain the matrix to A further example is to use
We allocate them by their primary
same one every year at their one of your groups, give them a Tip
purpose, for example: If you have a group of people linguistic exercises to prepare
planning meeting) sticky dot and have them express who don’t know each other, it people for a fast idea-generation Sometimes a group may appear
• Roller Coaster. The team pretends their preference for types of
• more energy from some exercises can be helpful to provide them session, helping them to generate to need an Active / Change
they are riding a roller coaster in energisers by sticking the dot in
than others – using a sweeping with an energiser as they enter ideas and articulate quickly. physiology-type energiser
an active exercise that creates the appropriate quadrant. Using
generalisation, I find introverts the room. In Britain, people will because they are not active; in
tremendous energy; its main aim this method, I have found varying
prefer Active / Change focus often sit quietly and ignore each fact they appear to be in a state
being to change physiology. splits between Active / Change Tip
exercises, certainly before they other. If that happens, I will ask of hypnosis. At this time they
• Tai Chi Hands. People follow the fully trust the group. physiology and Active / Change them to pair up, introduce each may be in the appropriate state
One argument you may receive
movements of each other’s hands focus. other and talk about a favourite to consolidate their knowledge.
from experienced trainers is this:
just millimetres apart. It is quite film, book or TV programme. if an energiser is appropriate Instead of an Active / Change
passive and tends to change On top of the music I play, this and you have designed it in, it is physiology energiser, you could
physiology and focus (one could have them conduct an exercise
Tip Obstacles discussion sets up a level of really an exercise. Fair cop.
almost call it an ‘active noise so that new entrants to the When the lines blur between to reflect on their learning – a
meditation’). If you are working with a group
Some people don’t enjoy energisers, room are met by an atmosphere energiser and exercise, crossword or quiz – or get them
on a regular basis, note the
• Tantrix. A commercial puzzle fearing they will be embarrassed akin to walking into a buzzing remember the adage, ‘If it to pair up and go for a walk, to
energisers you use, so that you
game that really stimulates or look childish – witness the lawyer restaurant, rather than a doctor’s works, do more of it’. discuss what they have learned.
don’t repeat them.
people. I mentioned earlier. The golden waiting room.
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