Seven Keys to Using Games in Safety Training Ebook

SEVEN KEYS TO USING GAMES

IN SAFETY TRAINING

By Linda Tapp, ALCM, CSP

Copyright ©2006 by SafetyFUNdamentals™

This eBook may not be reproduced in part or in whole without the express written consent of the author. Bonus games included may be reproduced and used by registered eBook recipients.

2

Seven Keys to Using Games in Safety Training

by Linda Tapp, ALCM, CSP

Published by: Ennismore Publishing 1999 Route 70 East, Suite 13 Cherry Hill, NJ 0003 U.S.A. [email protected] www.ennismorepublishing.com All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical without written permission from the author, except for the Bonus games included which may be reproduced without permission. Copyright © 2006 by SafetyFUNdamentals™ ISBN, PDF ed. 0-9779324-0-0

ISBN, print ed. 0-9779324-1-9

Note: Excerpts may be reprinted from this eBook only with prior written permission from the author and only when full credit is given.

™



3

1 - Select the Right Game Have you ever had to play a game or do any type of interactive activity in a training class? How did you like it? Chances are, if the game was merely an exercise to give the instructor a break from talking or something that made you feel stupid, it was not an effective use of a game in training. Before we jump into how to use games in training, it is important to understand how games or any class activity fits into the overall learning process. The field of accelerated learning is concerned with creating a positive learning environment, encouraging total learner involvement, collaboration among learners/trainees, using a variety of teaching methods, and providing training that applies to real world situations. Games, appropriately used, fit right in with these principles. It is important to be clear about accelerated learning principles. Accelerated learning, although it often involves games, imagery and sometimes even music, is not just a bunch of fluff passed off as training. Accelerated training is not a class or class activity that is clever, funny or cute for the sake of being clever, funny or cute. Everything in an accelerated learning class is focused on the results and not the materials or activities themselves. For example, a safety trainer announces that everyone is going to get up and play Twister® with the goal of getting everyone relaxed and “ready to learn.” While this might seem like a fun icebreaker, the Twister® game is fun only for the sake of being fun. Most likely, none of the information to be covered in a workplace training class is being reinforced by this activity. In an accelerated learning class, you might also play games but the games have a different focus – on the results, instead of the activity. For example, in "Better Bingo,” a clue relating to the class material is called out instead of the typical letter/number combination. Instead of numbers being on the "Better Bingo" card, answers directly related to the training content are listed. This game is still fun, and gets everyone involved, but includes accelerated learning principles, especially when you have small teams work on each "Better Bingo " card instead of individually. A sample "Better Bingo" game used in a safety leadership training class as well as the clue sheet that the trainer used is provided in the Bonus section of this eBook.



4

So, how do you select the "right" game? To find out if a game will work effectively in your safety training class, ask yourself the following questions:

What is the objective of this game? Does it relate to the class topic?

Is the game fun?

Is the game easy to play for this particular class? Different trainees have different levels of ability.

Is there enough time to explain it properly, to play it as it is intended to be played and to debrief the game when it is completed?

Could the game be offensive to anyone?

Do you understand it and are you excited about using it in your class? If you reviewed the above questions and found that the game relates to the class objective, the game is fun and easy to play, enough time is allotted, is not offensive to anyone and you understand it completely and are excited about introducing it, then you have found the right game.



5

2 - Prepare, Prepare, Prepare! Congratulations! You have selected the right game for your class. Now what? You guessed it - Prepare, Prepare, Prepare. We have all heard that practice makes perfect. Actually, "perfect practice makes perfect.” (If you have lots of practice but are never successful, all the practice in the world is not going to make your activity go right when you need it to!) To prepare for using a game, especially the first time you try it out on your class, ask yourself the following:

Have you read through the instructions several times and understand each step?

Do you have all of the necessary supplies available and in order?

Have you practiced facilitating the activity in real time so that you have a really good idea of how long the activity will take?



6

2 - Prepare, Prepare, Prepare (continued)

Have you applied Murphy's Law? What could possibly go wrong? How can you pre-plan for any problems that could occur?

Have you planned out your debriefing questions and comments?

Have you planned out how you are going to put the class into teams? What if only half of the expected students show up? Will your planned method of forming groups work?

Will you give prizes? If so, what will they be and how many do you need? When you are thoroughly prepared, you are ready to proceed.

“Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.” - Zig Ziglar



7

3 - Introduce the Game You have found the perfect game and have thoroughly prepared. Now it is time to introduce the activity to your class. If your trainees have had the benefit of being very involved in training classes in the past, they will welcome another class related activity. If they have been bored to a stupor by past safety training classes that involved nothing more than an old video playing with the lights dimmed or someone standing up and reading from a written procedure, then you may have to pump up your enthusiasm a bit when introducing something new. If training games are entirely new to your trainees, they may have an initial unease or discomfort and you may very well see it in their mannerisms but stay on course. Once they understand the purpose and start the activity, they will come around. When you start a class, assuming it will be lecture mixed with activities, you can either start right out of the gate with a game or provide about 10 minutes of material before starting an activity. The second method is probably more common. When you welcome your trainees, be sure to add that there will be several activities that the class will have a chance to be involved in during the (fill in the length of your class) minutes or hours you have together. This will get their attention. They now know that this class is probably not going to be like all the others they have sat through and will likely pay more attention in case they are asked to demonstrate that they have been listening. When it is time to start the activity, state the objective of the game and how it is played. For example, for the "Better Bingo" game included as an example in this book, you would tell the class that the objective of the game is to review important terminology that was covered in the class. Tell the class that each individual will be given a Bingo card and that each block on the "Better Bingo" card contains a key word or short phrase about the topic. In regular Bingo, the announcer (you) calls off a number and letter and each player marks off that block on the bingo card. In Better Bingo, the announcer (you) calls off a definition. If the word that is being defined is on their card, they can mark it off.



8

3 - Introduce the Game (continued) Tell the class that the first player to mark off an "X" shape or a "T" shape should raise their hand and that they will win a prize. (If you need a shorter activity, you can announce that the first player to mark off a straight line wins). As a side note, as the instructor you will need to have the "definitions" pre-written or typed out and on separate slips of paper. The papers should be folded and placed into a box or bag and randomly drawn out one at a time.

“Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”

- Lou Holtz A great deal will depend on your attitude. If you are genuinely excited and happy about playing the game in your class, this will come across to your trainees. If you really don't want to do it, it is better that you don't. Your trainees will see right through any attempt you make to cover up how you really feel. Using games and interactive activities may be new for many safety and health trainers but be prepared and enthusiastic, and you will be pleased with the results.



9

4 - Divide and Conquer Before we get too far into running a game, it is important to cover team forming. Most training games require that you divide the trainees into groups or teams. Why is this? Besides making large classes more manageable, accelerated learning classes involve collaboration among learners. Research has shown that we often learn more from peers than we do by other means. Additionally, cooperation among learners also helps trainees learn faster. Many people have sat in a class where they were required to count off by twos or threes in order to form a group. This works most of the time but it can be a little boring. With a little advance planning, your trainees can have fun while completing this usually uneventful task. Team Size Different experts suggest different team sizes but in almost all cases, the groups have less than 8 members. If the activity is very short, a smaller group, say 2 to 4 people, will work nicely. For longer more complex activities, a group of 5-7 may be necessary. It is also important to consider the size of the class. If there are 12 trainees, the activities would probably work better with 3 or 4 groups of 4 or 3, respectively, than 2 groups of 6 since there would be a definite "loser" and "winner" in games involving competition. Team Forming Ideas Sometimes, creative methods are needed to put your trainees, who may or may not know each other well, into teams. If you divide the class by seating arrangement, you are likely to group people together who already know each other since the trainees are likely to sit with people they know when they arrive. If you split them up, you may make them slightly uncomfortable but they may also be likely to act differently in the team than they would if they were teamed with co-workers they know well.



10

4 - Divide and Conquer (continued) Some ideas for creatively dividing up a class of 20 include: Candy/Gum Sort - Place 4 packs of 5 different types of gum or candy into a bag. Pass the bag around the room asking each person to select one piece without looking. When they are finished, you will have 5 random teams of 4. (Note: You can often get one large package of mixed candy or gum at a "Dollar Store"). Birthday Divide - Go around the room and ask everyone to shout out their birthday (month and day only). Write these on the board in chronological order. If you need teams of five, go down the list and put the first 5 into one team, the second 5 into a second team and so on. You can also divide the class in a way that requires them to use some of the information they have learned in the class by using methods such as: Matching Cards - Depending on the topic and number of trainees, write key words that go together on the back of index cards (one key word per index card). Mix them up and place one at each seat in a classroom environment. When it is time to form a team, instruct the trainees to turn over their card and then find two or three other people (depending on how you set up the game) that have words associated with their word. For example, 4 key words that make up a team could be "confined", "PRCS", "space", and "rescue". If this is a more formal class and trainees have name tags or place cards, you can place the key word inside the place card or behind the name tag if it is in a plastic sleeve. This is better used after class material has been presented or reviewed so the trainees have familiarity with the words they are trying to match up.

The key is to plan in advance how many groups you need, how many trainees should be in each group and how you are going to form these groups.



11

5 - Be Great - Facilitate! Once the game gets going, you can leave and get a cup of coffee right? Wrong. Even if the trainees are playing a game that does not require your participation, you still need to be present and involved in case there are any questions or if there is any confusion or if particular participants or trainees are getting out of control or off the track in any way. For timed games you will also need to remind the class periodically of how much time is remaining in the activity. For games that require more of your involvement, you will need to play more the role of facilitator. The following points cover the basics of good facilitation and should serve as your guide in facilitating safety training games.

• Your role as facilitator of a safety training game means that it is your job to make the trainees feel comfortable so that they can be productive and have a good learning experience.

• Your job is to make things run smoothly

• Your job as facilitator will require you to keep games on track and keep trainees

focused. It is easy to get carried away with some games and forget why you are playing it in the first place.

• Part of your job as facilitator is to have all of the necessary supplies available. If

all of the group's markers run out or there are no pencils available and these are a required part of the game, the game will come to a halt. Remember Key #2 - Be Prepared!

• Your job as safety training game facilitator is also to act as timekeeper. If you

scheduled 10 minutes for an activity, then stick to the 10 minutes.



12

6 - Debrief and Celebrate The game is over and it was a huge success. Your class had FUN and they learned what they were supposed to but you are not done. The debriefing step is one of the most important and unfortunately, often skipped. Debriefing is the part of an exercise where you make the connection back to the real world. Debriefing allows you and the participants to reflect on the experience. People will learn more from an experience that is reflected upon than from one that is quickly finished and left to go on to the next activity. You may think it is obvious what the purpose and learning outcome of the game was but some trainees might not. You need to lead the debrief so that everyone has a clear understanding of what was learned. Very often, the debriefing will lead to the "Aha!" moment, especially if trainees were so engrossed in the activity that they didn't even realize they were learning. An important part of the debrief is listening to the answers that are given because it allows you to ask follow up questions. Depending on the game, the following are possible questions you can use in a debrief.

• What was the hardest thing about this game? Easiest? Worst?

• What were you thinking when…..?

• What will you start doing differently in the future as a result of this game?

• What was the most important thing you learned or remembered? If possible, you also want the debrief to involve as many participants as possible. Can you find a way for them all to be heard? Trainees may resist sharing their thoughts with the group - do not force them. Consider asking questions that have no right or wrong answer or consider having the trainees share their answers only with the others in their small groups. These techniques may meet with less resistance.



13

6 - Debrief and Celebrate (continued) As Trainer and Facilitator, you need to keep the debrief and feedback focused on the topic. Be careful the debrief does not turn into a management (or any other group) bashing session. You should also let the group do most of the talking. After one trainee has spoken and another takes a turn, try to relate what the second person said back to what the first person said. Concentrate on helping them to see that they are learning and learning how to use and apply information on their own.

Now that you have debriefed the game, what next? If the game resulted in a winner, it is time to announce the winner and celebrate. Hopefully you have a budget for training (even the tiniest of budgets will work) that will allow you to go to a "Dollar Store" and pick up some prizes. If there is no budget - all is not lost. Prizes can be quite small - a candy bar would be fine. If your company is on a tight budget and you do not want to be springing for class prizes every week, there are a few very inexpensive or even free ways you can reward the winner. The following are only a few suggestions for you to consider. Use your imagination and you will probably see prizes all around your workplace.

• Paper certificates you can make on your computer and color printer • Coupons for free coffee or tea in the company cafeteria

• A close parking space for a few days or week • A sticker for a hard hat or cubicle or lunch box

• Permission to get in the lunch buffet line first (this works well for longer

classes where the whole class will break at the same time for a company supplied lunch)

Most of the games and activities in this book involve a good amount of competition. Depending on your particular trainees, you might want to modify the activities slightly so that problems do not occur when very competitive employees are involved.



14

7 - Review, Revise and Replenish (and Recharge!) Congratulations! You have successfully used one or more games in your safety training class. Now you need to sit down and review how everything went. Did your game go as planned? Did you need to make any on the spot modifications? Did the class love it? Did they hate it? While the class and the activity are still fresh in your mind, honestly evaluate the game you selected and the outcome. If class evaluation sheets were distributed and collected, you can look over the pages for feedback but be careful to separate out the feedback for the activity. Someone may have loved the game but hated the topic. Think about how the class responded during the game. Did they have fun? Were they confused? Did they have trouble following directions? All of these questions will help you with the next step - Revise. Once you feel you honestly know how the game was received and whether or not it was effective, you can begin to make the necessary revisions. If the class was confused or the game took longer to complete than expected, you probably need to make revisions. If the trainees got overly competitive, you may need to revise the game so that competition is removed (or at least most of it). If the game went great but the debriefing failed, consider revising your debriefing questions. Also take another look at your game to determine if the game was really just a game and not a true learning activity. Additionally, you need to replenish your supplies. Well before the next training class is held make sure all of your supplies are available and ready to go. You should also constantly replenish your selection of safety training games and activities. An effective game will soon lose it's luster if you repeat it unchanged over and over throughout the year. Finally, sit back and recharge- at least for a minute! The first few times you add games to your safety training, you will likely need to recharge. Preparing for and using games and activities in your training takes a lot more energy that just popping in a video but the results are well worth it in the end. Remember ….. Safety is a game we have to win!



15

Master Checklist for the Seven Keys

What is the objective of this game? Does it relate to the class topic?

Is the game fun?

Is the game easy to play for this particular class?

Is there enough time to explain it properly, to play it as it is intended to be played

and to debrief the game when it is completed?

Could the game be offensive to anyone?

Do you understand the game and are you excited about using it in your class?

Have you read through the instructions several times and understand each step?

Do you have all of the necessary supplies available and in order?

Have you practiced facilitating the activity in real time so that you have a really good idea of how long the activity will take?

Have you applied Murphy's Law? What could possibly go wrong? How can you pre-plan for any bumps in the road?

Have you planned out your debriefing questions and comments?

Have you planned out how you are going to divide the class up? What if only half show up? Will your group forming method work?

Will you give prizes? If so, what will they be and how many do you need? Do you have extras available?

Do you know how and when you will introduce the game?

Are you clear on how much involvement you will need to have during the game?

Do you have a timer? All supplies?



16

BONUS

GAMES

& ACTIVITIES



17

BETTER BING O (For A Safety Leadership Class)

Note: Only 1 version of the BINGO scorecard is shown here



18

BETTER BING O "Ca lls"

Instructions: Either pick randomly from the list or pull clues from a box. You can also go around the room and ask each person to give you a number between 1-25 and then read that clue. Note: Do not reveal the answers until BINGO is called. Read only the clues. (The answers are shown in parentheses after the clue).

1. Repeating back word for word what someone has said (Parroting) 2. One way to question groupthink (Curiosity) 3. One way to reset direction is to share this (Vision) 4. The acronym used with goal setting (S.M.A.R.T.) 5. Type of motivation that comes from within the person (Intrinsic) 6. Type of motivation that comes from outside, like from a boss (Extrinsic) 7. The best kind of questions to ask (Open Ended) 8. Poor listening skills can lead to this (Wasted Time) 9. A way to show someone you listened by telling them what you heard but in your

own words (Paraphrasing) 10. A form of extrinsic motivation (Parties) 11. A way of note taking that allows you to see everything at once (Mind Map) 12. Great for problem solving (Creativity) 13. A way to question groupthink by doing things differently (Risk Taking) 14. The idea of being open to different people’s opinions (Diversity) 15. A way to remind people of your vision (Slogans) 16. A way to lead others to do what they need to do (Sales Skills) 17. A creative and memorable way to get a point across (Storytelling) 18. A leadership strategy that enables you to make changes (Reset Direction) 19. A way to show that you respect employees (Empowerment) 20. A way to guide cooperative action (think SMART) (Goal Setting) 21. A way to empower others (Ask Opinions) 22. An important part of coaching others (Verbal Feedback) 23. Feedback should have this characteristic (Specific) 24. Goals should ask you to do this – a little more than you think you can (Reaching) 25. Negative feedback should be conducted this way (Private)



19

Cryptogram (Topic Area: Housekeeping)

Note: Cryptograms are best used as a pre-class warm up or after-class activity. You can leave copies of the cryptograms by each seat and encourage trainees to try to work on them when they enter the room. Instruct the trainees to work with others sitting near them. Cryptograms are not suggested for an activity during the class since the length of time to complete one is highly variable. As a warm-up, it gets trainees thinking about the topic and working with others at an early stage.

ICTBDVDDJSKR SB SHJCNUFKU SK UID JNDODKUSCK CZ BWSJB FKG ZFWWB .

Cryptogram Solution and Key

Housekeeping is important in the prevention of slips and falls.

Plain: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Cipher:F Y X G D Z R I S Q V W H K C J P N B U T O M A L E



20

Crossword (Topic Area: Chemical Safety at Home)

Across 3 A type of PPE that should be worn when working with many household chemicals 5 The phone number is 1-800-222-1222 (two words) 6 This should remain on the chemical when not in use 8 Found in many garages and used in cars but it is also toxic Down 1 Purchased to get rid of pests but can also harm humans 2 When a liquid chemical dries it may turn into this which can be inhaled 4 Original labels should be kept on these whenever possible 7 An example of a household chemical, usually used to clean, that may be irritating if inhaled.



21

Crossword Solution

PD G L O V E S

C U SP O I S O N C O N T R O LN T IT CA L I D BI D LN A N T I F R E E Z EE S AR C

H



22

Four Square Instructions

Note: This is a more advanced game that can be used in various chemical safety classes. Good reading skills are required. It works along the lines of Trivial Pursuit® in that players must answer a question correctly in each of the four squares. Materials Needed: Game board (next page) for each team, one dice for each team, one marker for each player (not a real marker that you write with but something like a poker chip that can be used to hold a place on the board), pens, and a supply of MSDSs (4 copies of each MSDS used will be needed for each team). Instructions: Divide the class into teams of four. Give each team a game board, a dice and a supply of MSDSs - at least enough for each player to have several. Each of the four players should have the same supply of MSDSs. Each player should start with their marker on a square of the board and the youngest player should go first. The first player rolls the dice and moves their marker that many spaces around the board. Another player must ask the first player a question taken from one of the MSDSs relating to that square (for example, if the first player landed on "health", a health related question must be asked). The "questioner" should tell the player which MSDS he or she is getting the question from. The player can use his or her copy of the MSDS to answer the question. If the question is answered right, the player should write his or her initials in that box. The winner will be the first player to place his or her initials in all four squares. After the first player has attempted to answer the question (whether it was answered right or wrong), the player to the left takes a turn and the process is repeated. The games continues until one player has answered a question correctly in each of the four categories. To encourage collaboration, each game can be played by a team of two playing against a second team of two instead of four individuals playing against each other. Note: The four areas on this board are 1)Health, 2) Fire, 3) Reactivity and 4) Special/Miscellaneous. These categories can be changed to better fit in with your particular class.



23

Four Square



24

A - Z Race Instructions

This game works well as a review after the end of a longer class or before a break after a large amount of content has been presented. An A-Z Race and can be used for any topic Materials Needed: Flip chart paper, markers, tape, timer (optional) Instructions: Divide the class into teams of 4 to 6 trainees. Give each group a large sheet of paper such as flip chart paper and markers. Have them put the alphabet, in two columns, vertically down the page. (See the following page for an example). Tell the teams that they need to think of a word or phrase that begins with each of the letters and that the word or phrase must relate to the material you just covered. Tell the class that they can use their notes for this exercise. If you do not have an overly competitive group, tell the class that this is a race and that the first team to turn in a completed page, with a word or phrase provided for all letters, will be declared the winner. After a team has turned in their completed A-Z page, stop the other teams and then proceed to tape up the first completed page on the flip chart or wall. Review the winning team's answers with the group, stopping briefly after each answer to discuss how that word or phrase relates to the topic.



25

A - Z Race

A B C D E F G H I J K L M

N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z



26

If you like these games and would like to see more, visit www.SafetyFUNdamenta ls.com™

SafetyFUNdamentals ™ - 77 Games and Activities to Make Training Great! conta ins 77 different games and activities tha t can be modified to be used with most hea lth and safety topics. This book a lso includes chapters on Accelera ted Learning, Team Building and the Power of Laughter. SafetyFUNdamentals ™ - 77 Games and Activities to Make Training Great is now ava ilable. Order through the SafetyFUNdamenta ls ™ website and receive severa l free bonus gifts as well. Ordering informa tion can be found a t

www.SafetyFUNdamenta ls.com™ We hope you have enjoyed "Seven Keys to Using Games in Safety Training." If you have any comments, questions, suggestions or even a good joke to share, please send an ema il to linda @ safetyFUNdamenta ls.com.

Remember… Safety is a game we have to win!

™

Entertainment & Humor

Seven Keys to Using Games in Safety Training Ebook