Michelle Stage suggests a very subtle and nonthreatening approach to gauging the learning in the classroom: a game called Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down, Thumbs in the Middle. If participants grasp the material you’re covering and can honestly say they understand it, know how to apply it and can explain it to someone else, ask them to give you a thumbs up. If they only understand it but are unsure of application or of their ability to teach someone else, have them give you a “thumbs in the middle.” If the participants feel like they have learning gaps, have them give you a “thumbs down.” Stage, in a sales training, might ask participants to give her the thumbs when she makes statements like:
- Do you know how to locate sale information?
- Do you know how to explain the sale information?
- Do you know the guidelines for written sales?
- Do you know the guidelines for phone sales?
Stage is a learning and development consultant for Wells Fargo in South St. Paul, Minn.
