 she was the strongest and wisest person I have ever known, Bill Cosby because he is so funny and would keep my spirits up, and Billie Holiday so we would have great music.
3. Provide time for each participant to present. Ask clarifying questions as necessary.
4. After everyone is finished, ask people to share what they learned about the other participants in the group.
Materials Needed: Table tent for each participant and marker
About the Icebreaker: This is a two-part activity that also helps people learn each other’s names. First, each participant comes up with an adjective that describes him or her but also starts with the same letter as his/her name. In the second part, participants introduce themselves by first sharing the names and adjectives of everyone who has been introduced before them, and then themselves.
1. Instruct participants to each come up with an adjective that describes how they want to handle their finances, and that starts with same letter as his/her name.
2. Provide an example: Thrifty Thomas.
3. Give everyone a minute to do this.
4. Then instruct participants to introduce themselves by saying the adjectives and names of everyone that has gone before them, ending with their own names. For example, “Penny-Pinching Peter, Intelligent Irene, and I am Thrift Thomas.” [Note: This is easy for the first person to do; you could ask that person to cite everyone once the last person in the room has spoken.]
5. The facilitator can write down all the adjectives as people state them.
6. When the introductions are complete, congratulate the group for finishing.
7. Instruct participants to fill in their table tents using their new names (adjective + name).
8. Call attention to the list of adjectives and invite participants to write the other attributes they would like to develop during the class. Invite them to write these on the other side of their table tents.
Openers are distinct from icebreakers in that they introduce content in an interesting way. Generally they are used at the beginning of a session, often instead of an icebreaker or to introduce a new topic in the middle of a session. They can also be used to bridge to distinct topical segments of training sessions. Using different methods to open or begin segments of training sessions can create an energized and involved atmosphere; it generally signals that the training will be participatory.
Openers can take various formats and most break the traditional and expected model of the facilitator standing in front of the class making introductions and reviewing an agenda to start a training session. Instead, the facilitator can encourage participants to immediately engage in an activity, and then report out on that activity.
Openers are most effective when they are:
- Relevant to the material to be covered during that session7
- Thought-provoking and help participants see information differently through self-discovery rather than lecture
- Linked to participants’ own experiences. In other words, they draw out participants’ knowledge about a topic
- Bridged to the session through use of transitions
Openers should not be used just because they are novel.8 They should provide effective and engaging ways to introduce new topics. As with icebreakers, facilitators should be sure not to let these startup activities drag on too long.
Following are some examples of openers used in financial education sessions:
General Description of the Activity and Instructions for Facilitating
(Opener to Training)
Materials Needed: Flip chart/newsprint pad and markers for facilitator; copy of training course agenda, outcomes, and objectives for each participant
About the Opener: Participants are invited to share the knowledge and skills they expect to get from the training and compare those expectations to the agenda.
1. Explain the importance of hearing participants’ expectations. Remind them that the program has expectations of them that were explained to them upon enrollment into the program.
2. Ask participants to write down their expectations on their workbook or on a scrap p