Have Fun at the Library! Engaging Staff with Fun Meetings, Presentations, and Training Emily Clasper Suffolk Cooperative Library System

Stop smiling! Professional development is a serious business!! MYTH: One must be serious and formal to be “professional.” What about staff training?

Do your staff meetings or training sessions look like this?

Choose the correct index for your search or I will turn you into a frog!

Let’s do a Catalog searching Scavenger Hunt!

Discipline your mind! Well, why aren't you all copying this down? In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun, and - SNAP - the job's a game! Which trainer will make learning more interactive and fun?

Having fun can help us meet our institution’s goals.

How can we make meetings, training sessions and presentations more fun?

Think like a kid. I’m curious and eager to learn! Let’s have some fun!

Play can be a powerful learning tool Hey! What if I try it this way…

Jokes not only lighten the mood around the workplace…

… jokes also help us laugh at ourselves… Confidence Camaraderie Creativity

… and keep things in perspective. Focusing on what’s important leads to increased productivity. Letting go of minor details gives us more resources for handling major stuff.

Games engage us and help us learn… while we have fun!

Games encourage us to take risks… … despite the chances of failure.

Playing games helps build relationships and enthusiasm.

Try a scavenger hunt when training staff to search resources. This also works well for introducing new staff (and patrons) to the library or for usability testing of online interfaces! How many Large Print books in Portuguese are available in the County? What is the third word in the second paragraph of the New York Times article “Food Allergies Take a Toll on Families and Finances.”? Why did a keyword search for Truck Duck bring up the record for The Cat on the Mat is Flat?

Use a Jeopardy! format for quizzing staff on frequently asked questions. Use in meetings, training sessions, or online. Lightens the atmosphere when testing staff knowledge.

FAQ’s about our ILS The Holds Cycle eCommerce Error Messages Name that Search HELP! We’re All PALS!

Multiple choice “quizzes” work well in presentations.

Multiple choice “quizzes” work well in presentations. As of June 24th, 2010, the number of Facebook users worldwide is approximately equal to: The population of the United States The population of Japan The population of Canada The populations of the United States, Japan and Canada combined http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population http://www.checkfacebook.com/

Fabulous (and not so fabulous) prizes can be a great motivator. Training Prizes: Toys Food/Candy Ribbons/Awards Stickers Tech “toys” Promotional materials

Use fun examples in your demonstrations, or ask the participants to choose examples. Why not search for resources on juggling?

http://goanimate.com/ Use cartoons, fun images, music, and other wacky stuff to make things more engaging!

Find some now! “Introduce yourself tell us what library you’re from, and tell us…” …what you like most about working in libraries. …what you like to do on your day off. … the answer to the question you draw from the bag going around. Ice breakers and Team Building exercises may be cheesy, but they work!

Working in “teams” fosters cooperative learning. Conversation Interaction Feedback Teamwork Friendly Competition

Hands on training encourages active participation. Give them a well defined activity with a time limit. Some sort of sharing of results is part of the process. Give participants the chance to mess it up.

We are not all clones. Everyone learns differently.

People can’t learn if they’re bored stiff. Don’t be afraid to have fun and try new things. Keeping things light does not mean you’re being “unprofessional.” Keep your goals in mind, but otherwise let go and have fun!

Emily Clasper Suffolk Cooperative Library System eclasper@suffolk.lib.ny.us