"You have eyes...plagiarize!"

The quote above (from Michael Lewis’s Liar’s Poker) was shared by one of my students at Loyola University. And despite the fact that I have all my students sign an “I will not plagiarize” pledge, I like it!

Pens, play-doh, squishy toys, and pipe cleaners are some of the items I give my participants to fidget with. This keeps active and tactile learners engaged. (Photo courtesy of Kevin Swallow.)

Here’s why: I have long believed that the most effective and engaging training (or speaking, or presentations) borrows from the best.

I began my learning and development career as a software trainer in the late ‘90s. It was some of the best training I ever had. My hiring manager, Alan Jang, was education personified. Before any of the instructors ever led a class, he spent a week teaching us educational principles and having us shadow the rock stars.

The week ended with us teaching back what we learned to demonstrate we were, in fact, ready to teach adults how to use Microsoft Word. (And Excel, and Project, and PowerPoint, and…)

With each class we observed, we were encouraged to “steal” from each other. Nothing was proprietary; we were all there to support and help each other. Honestly, it was the first job I ever loved. It was also the first job where I didn’t drive home with my shoulders touching my ears every day.

Anyway…the spirit of “take whatever works for you” worked.

I hand out pipecleaners and Play-doh for participants to fiddle with because I learned that from another instructor. When I was a bank trainer, my fellow instructors loved that I would explain where something was on a teller’s screen by saying, “Look up and to the left…” and they all used the same technique.

Don’t mess with success. Steal what works. Get rid of what doesn’t.

“I have long believed that the best training (or speaking, or presentations) borrows from the best. ”