CIPD - Creative learning methods

Learning, training and development

Revised July 2009

This factsheet gives introductory guidance. It:

reflects on recent changes in the role of learning and development professionals and their responsibility for organising learning
describes how traditional learning can be enhanced by the wise use of a selection of creative methods.

The learning and development professional's role

Our work on supporting learning has shown that learning and development professionals need to understand the importance of developing an effective learning culture withing their organisation. For more information on our work see our research paper on supporting and accelerating learning.

Go to our factsheet on supporting, accelerating and directing learning

However, within that culture it is still important to understand the role of off-the-job classroom training in implementing talent development strategies and to work towards learner-centered styles of delivery. In facilitating learning, learning and development professionals can take on a wide range of roles in different situations, including:

performer (engaging an audience with a potentially limited attention span(
facilitator (moving training to learning)
performance coach (workplace learning is highly important)
online coach (a 'help desk for untrained managers').

Creative working

Professionals are increasingly asked to be more creative, to learn themselves while encouraging learning in others and to facilitate and make learning happen.

There is an exciting selection of techniques available to enhance and intensify learners' experience and some interesting parallels with what is happening in 'performance' in the world of theatre where practitioners are 'in the street', 'making it happen at the place' rather than performing in traditional spaces. Learning practitioners are coming out of the classroom to be 'in-place trainers', coaches and 'learning consultants' in 'learning spaces'.

Amongst the key gifts trainers can impart to learners are the abilities to:

think creatively
challenge and inquire proactively and constructively, and
problem solve.

Many of the techniques listed below will allow opportunities for developing these abilities.

Creative methods in context

Successfully using creative techniques presupposes that the fundamentals are in place - the overall talent development strategy is aligned with business needs, programmes and sessions are targeted to meet clearly understood learner needs and the environment is appropriate for learning. See our factsheet on training policy and strategy.

Go to our factsheet on training policy and strategy

Types of creative method

Involving other senses to enhance learning and retention

In the past there has been a great deal of concentration on the cognitive aspects of learning and traditional classroom instruction, instead of using techniques of experiential learning (learning by doing). Work by practitioners of neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and accelerated learning techniques aim for a deeper involvement in the learning process by engaging other senses and 'left brain' stimuli.

Go to our factsheet on NLP at work

For example:

Using colour in slides and in learner materials to improve retention.
Scent, music and movement raise attention, energise and provide sensory triggers for recall.
'Construction kits' encourage a physical metaphor' when the real materials are not available.
Testing increases self-awareness and the results are a basis for planning change.
Word exercises in teams pick out significance and connections for them around organisational values or change.
Learners or teams to present back their own research and ideas via a 'playlet', a modified version of a popular television programme, or in the style of a political debate.
Expressing views by way of pictures, banning words, particularly where learners' feelings are important.
Ask learners to seek information to develop their planning and communication skills.
Provide boxes of simple materials - highlighters, matchboxes, paper, straws, blocks, sand, and so on - and have learners create models or analogies to illustrate major learning points.
Have learners create their own tests and answers: have other learners 'sit' the tests.
Use toys and 'koosh' balls. Learners fidget: it helps them engage.

In addition, learning can get close to the 'real thing' by:

in work-based learning, investigating the problems of broken or faulty equipment and seeking to resolve them. This can be an opportunity for humour - award the most humorous, ridiculous, 'just possible' explanation for the fault
using business simulations to provide opportunities to practise and discuss real life
action learning - another experiential means of learning, based on real-life issues brought by the learners.
- Go to our factsheet on action learning
asking learners to bring their own issues rather than preparing generic case studies.

Humour

An appropriate use of humour can be a real catalyst for learning. As well as relaxing the group, its use establishes a base line of the language and conduct in the learning space, or it can be used to re-focus attention and change pace. Used wisely it encourages interaction and highlights key parts of a learning event. The most apt uses of humour include:

throw-away remarks to lighten the tone
jokes and stories
humorous inputs - not jokes, rather re-told illustrative material such as quotations and anecdotes
using humour in exercises, particularly to help people break old habits before absorbing new ones.

Visualisation and story-telling

Visualisation, through learner reflection and the telling of stories and analogies, encourages people to see things from different perspectives and to access and express their feelings about them. Personal issues and concerns can be brought to the surface, and the use of analogies or telling a recent company story in a new form (as a fairy-tale, for example), can help the understanding of other players' views.

Magic

Although reaching high proficiency takes many hours of intense practise, it is possible to learn a few simple traditional magic tricks with, for instance, cards or coins. Their use can provide excellent ice breakers and points of contact. Used at break times they can re-energise the most ‘flat’ of groups.

Juggling

One of the oldest methods of engaging learner groups, juggling still has a powerful role as a training tool. The facilitator can introduce activities that, in addition to developing hand-eye coordination, are used for absorbing a wide range of communication and coaching skills.

Techniques involving the use of third parties

Other ways in which learning can be enhanced involve bringing in experts with experience in learning provision. The learning and development professional may either have a proactive role or hand over the learners to a third party's care.

Outdoor and team development

There are a number of team-based development activities based on sailing, working with horses, quad biking, archery, indoor or outdoor games and simulations, which allow teams to experience a new activity, to interact in a safe but unfamiliar environment and to learn about communication and co-operation. Cooking and drumming are other techniques for team building where learners build skills of planning, communicating, teamworking, self-analysis and feedback. For more detail see our factsheet on outdoor development.

Go to our factsheet on outdoor development

Social responsibility

Team development exercises can be designed to incororate a task that is of use to a local community, such as painting a classroom at a local school or carrying out a project for the elderly. In addition, some charities promote exchanges of leaders or will organise the opportunity for leadership development via projects.

Theatre in business

A number of theatre techniques can contribute to learning when using trained actors.

Using actors in role-play. Familiar problems with role-plays are minimised when specially trained actors are used as role-players. Briefed by the trainer on the characteristics of the role to be displayed, actors repeatedly replicate personalities and behaviours with great endurance and accuracy. Some have also been trained to give feedback. For more on role-playing CIPD members can see our training activity.
- Go to Role play as an effective learning tool
The analogy playlet allows a complex business situation to be considered from a new perspective and with greater objectivity. Learners watch actors perform a self-contained play that communicates, through a human analogy, a learning message. The facilitator encourages discussion about parallels with the real-life business situation without the emotions and 'baggage' that the learners might bring to the situation if handled overtly.
Forum theatre begins with a short performance depicting a business situation. Forum theatre raises a dilemma, the action is stopped at intervals and learners offer possible methods of resolving the situation. The actors play out suggestions in context and debate the outcomes. This has several benefits:
- learners see different solutions to a problem in a safe environment where mistakes and emotions are not potentially damaging
- actors incorporate nuances of voice and body language and learners observe the resulting impact between people
- learners are motivated by being treated as experts whose ideas are trialled and discussed.
Hot-seating is used extensively in conjunction with role-play, forum theatre and analogy playlets. An actor sits in role and is questioned by learners. The character explains his or her motivations and behaviours to prompt debate. This allows learners to discuss their fears and perceptions about something they themselves may face.

Magicians

Magicians, in addition to being highly talented entertainers, are experts in empathetic behaviours and language, handling emotional shifts with a group – experts in conveying verbal and non-verbal messages and experts in reading the ‘state’ of their audience towards rapport. They can be used as part of a learning event to highlight all of these and to make learners more conscious of their interaction with others.

Using creative methods

Using a variety of the methods outlined above can increase the effectiveness of learning by providing memorable events or give a greater variety of leraning approaches within a programme. Timely, well focused follow-up from the learners’ managers provides the platform for orienting the learning into the workplace.

A few notes of warning!

Implementing these methods does not reduce any of the basics of designing, developing and implementing a learning programme. Indeed, bringing in new techniques, probably with additional people at significant cost, really accentuates the need for full project control.
Never allow the medium to overcome the message. It is undesirable for learners to remember the hilarious, highly entertaining sessions while retaining none of the planned learning!
Never forget the basic rules about ‘learning by doing rather than seeing and hearing’ and letting people learn for themselves.
All types of techniques, media and games lose their value if they are used over and over again.
Always consider the potential match between the learners and the tools and techniques employed. Learning styles will have an impact on levels of comfort and learning. See our factsheet on learning styles for more information.
- Go to our factsheet on learning styles

In addition to the learning benefits brought about by the wise use of these methods there are other benefits. Teams that have experienced high impact learning together, sharing new experiences, will almost certainly have bonded more effectively.

Evaluating the learning

Evaluation of learning is always key in any learning process. See our factsheet on learning and training evaluation for more information.

Go to our factsheet on evaluating learning and training

Evaluation of specific learning interventions involving more creative methods is no more difficult than evaluation of any learning programme. The ideal way to measure the value of using these methods is to compare learning outcomes and returns on expectation after using traditional methods with the same measures after using creative methods.

Creative learning methods