2008 - September
Yours In Training
 |
September 2008 |
Freecall 1800 2 TRAIN (1800 2 87246) www.mrwed.com.au |
In This Issue
Training News: Launch of AusLIST
MRWED News: MRWED Finalist in Queensland Training Awards
Training Tip: Butterfly Effect
Website of the Month: www.businessballs.com
Training Game: Mingling Scrabble
Also...
Training News: Launch of AusLIST
There is some good news for Australian education and training providers who also deliver education or training outside of Australia - they can now apply to be on AusLIST.
AusLIST is an online directory of:
- Australian education and training providers who currently deliver education or training in other countries;
- the Australian courses they deliver in those countries; and
- the locations where those courses are delivered.
Each sector of education and training in Australia has its own quality assurance measures. AusLIST was developed as a simplified way of promoting the quality of Australian education and training delivered overseas and of ensuring that Australia’s quality assurance arrangements are well understood and well-regarded internationally.
Providers seeking listing on AusLIST can apply online through the AusLIST application system. Listing can be sought for institutions or additional courses at anytime.
For more information and access to User Guides visit the AusLIST website at http://www.transnational.deewr.gov.au/AusLIST/default.htm.
MRWED News: MRWED Finalist in Queensland Training Awards
The Minister for Education and Training and Minister for the Arts, The Honourable Rod Welford announced the Queensland Training Awards finalists in August. Queensland's best employers, apprentices, trainees, vocational students and training providers are a step closer to statewide success after being named as finalists in the 2008 Queensland Training Awards.
MRWED were excited to be named as one of three finalists in the category of Private Training Organisation of the Year. The winner will be announced at an Awards Ceremony held at the Brisbane Convention Centre on the 11th of September.
Training Tip: Butterfly Effect
I was at a closing ceremony at a course being run in Makassar, Indonesia recently and in my speech I provided some tips for giving successful presentations. I talked about the “Butterfly Effect”, (not to be confused with that film with Ashton Kucher), where people get nervous in front of the group. In delivering the speech, I was reminded about a quote I once heard about not letting the butterflies in your stomach worry you. Rather, you just have to “get them flying in formation”! So, I thought this would make a useful focus for the Training Tip in this edition of Yours in Training.
Being nervous is a good thing. It means that you care enough about what you are doing to be nervous. Elite athletes often know it is time to leave the sport when they don’t get the butterflies in the stomach when competing. I think the same can be said for trainers. The challenge is harnessing this adrenalin for success. Following are some tips to consider:
- Preparation is critical – if you know what you are doing and how you are doing it, your stress levels will be reduced.
- Surround yourself with great resources. Your audience will be impressed and this will start to build their confidence in you.
- Mingle with the audience before you start. This will make them feel more comfortable and allow you to warm-up your voice in preparation for your official commencement.
- Use the group as a resource. You don’t have to have all the answers yourself. Forums, discussions and student presentations will make for a more interactive session and give you some respite from being in front of the audience the whole time.
Website of the Month: www.businessballs.com
Thanks to Karen for her question on where to find team building games. In response, I would like to recommend www.businessballs.com, which has a selection of innovative and inspirational team building activities to choose from. In addition to this, it is also packed full of other free training resources. This includes a comprehensive selection of motivational quotes, training exercises, teaching tools and templates.
Training Game: Mingling Scrabble
This is a both a brain warm-up and get-to-know-you activity. It is fast, fun and likely to get scrabble fans into a frenzy!
Each person is given a card with a letter of the alphabet printed on it. Tell the group their task is to arrange themselves into words using all the letters. The group can come up with many words or just a few longer words, but every letter must be used. After arranging themselves into these words, encourage them to introduce themselves to each other. The group can then be directed to make new words and find new people. Be sure to include a proportionate number of vowels to the consonants. Also, go easy on the X’s, Q’s and Z’s.
As an extension, you could have a competition for which group can come up with the most amount of different words. Furthermore, you could use it as a way of forming groups during the session – e.g. “get into a five letter word” (rather than simply asking for groups of five). Additionally, the group could be asked to come up with words that relate to the subject matter or topic of the session. Have some fun with this!
Next Issue
In the next issue of Yours in Training! we will preview the key conferences to add to your diary for 2009 and explore tips for cross-cultural delivery. Until then, keep all your butterflies, flying in formation!
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Happy training!
Marc Ratcliffe
Principal – MRWED
