Active Training with a Large Group
Interactive Learning When Instructing or Presenting to Big Audiences
Oct 7, 2009
Training a large group requires an innovative approach if active learning concepts are to be applied. The tendency with training a large group is to lecture. However, there are techniques that will keep learners engaged despite the constraints of working with a large audience.
Audience Participation
When presenting to a large group, encouraging audience participation is key to keep the audience awake and engaged. There are many techniques that can enable audience participation, but they all centre around one basic concept – that the trainer can not hear from everyone, so select individuals need to be called upon to represent a larger portion of the audience.
True or False Guessing Game
Create PowerPoint slides with true or false statements. Be careful not to make the answer obvious so that the audience waits eagerly for the answer to be verified. Ask for a show of hands to see how many in the audience believe the answer to be true and then how many feel the answer is false.
Pick one representative from each group and ask them to stand. Announce the answer and give the winner (the person standing representing the correct answer) a prize. The prize can be as small as a chocolate bar or as large as budget can allow. The better the prize fits the audience, the more excited the audience will become and therefore the messages will be delivered and retained.
Question and Answer
A question and answer section can be constructed in a couple of ways. The more traditional method is to present information and ask the audience to hold their questions for a set amount of time after the presentation. Typically microphones on stands are set-up to allow a line to form to ask questions or runners with microphones run to the end of a row of participants and the microphone is passed along to the person asking the question. This is a common format when a panel is speaking to an audience.
If the session is being lead by a keynote (i.e. single) speaker, then the speaker/instructor can walk off the stage or away from the front of the room and answer or pose the question while standing in the audience. A portable hand microphone that can be handed to the audience member answering or asking the question works well here.
On Stage Demo
Another method for engaging a large audience is to ask for audience participants to come up to the front of the room or to the stage to help demonstrate a role playing exercise or technique. Again, the remaining audience can be asked for their input during the process to keep them engaged and participating in the demonstration.
Individual Worksheets
Providing audience members with a one page quiz or worksheet based activity can also provide active learning opportunities. Give participants a set period of time and encourage them to discuss the questions with other participants so that they get to know the people around them. Social interaction is very important in adult education. After the set period of time, go over the quiz or assignment providing the answers and encouraging discussion if time allows. Allowing participants to self mark their quizzes in a non-academic environment prevents learner embarrassment.
Active learning concepts can be applied to adult audiences large and small but extra curriculum design creativity is needed to overcome challenges of training large audiences. Keep the audience engaged by using techniques that encourage their participation and input such as games, discussions, demonstrations and individual exercises.
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