Pen and paper games for training - Lucy Seifert

Every picture tells a story, a clich as true in the training room as it is in the news.
Pictures, graphics, drawing and writing are key elements in the way that we communicate with each other, process information and learn.
Original cartoons, clip art, competitions and conundrums are some of the means used to offer an enjoyable and productive experience for trainer and trainee in Pen and Paper Games for Training. Lucy Seifert's eclectic treasury of games and activities illustrates how pen and paper and flipchart paper are all valuable tools for learning. Looking at learning in often unexpected ways, and appealing to all five senses, the games challenge both the logical left- and inspirational right-side of the brain.
Use the games and variations with trainees to:
Relax and involve them, diffusing concerns and anxieties;
Develop their visual, auditory, linguistic, interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences;
Engage diverse personalities - hostile, quiet, shy, serious, anxious, talkative and keen;
Help them see beyond the mindsets they have at work;
Bring challenge, co-operation and teamwork into the group dynamic;
Simplify complex ideas, theories and skills;
Engage people - and their thought processes - using all of their senses;
Create an explosion of ideas, impart skills, solve problems and give feedback;
Assess their knowledge and development;
Sustain their attention, even in the most repetitive of training tasks such as introductions, expectations and debriefing; and
Have fun without flippancy.
The author has tested these games in a wide range of group training and one-to-one coaching, including assertiveness, customer care, public speaking and working across cultures. Some cover core elements such as in-depth problem solving; others are fast adrenaline-raisers. At a cursory glance some appear light, but this lightness provides the very tool to dig deeper, to explore and confront complex emotions and issues.