W is for Warmups - How?

Blog 2 (of 3): Warming Up Your Learners – How?

So, what are WarmUps, why are they preferable to Icebreakers, and how do you reliably design WarmUps that begin to activate the brain functions that are necessary for learning?

Definition: A WarmUp is a transition into a learning activity. It serves three purposes in training……

• like your alarm clock, it gives that initial boost you need to get things going, to get peoples’ attention and capture their interest;

• like a bridge, a WarmUp helps people make a transition from life or work activities into training, or from one topic to another;

• like a magnet, it gets everyone in the room focused in the same direction on the same thing at the same time.

Types of WarmUps

A social WarmUp creates an initial sense of being a part of a group of learners, provides a sense of safety, excites curiosity, and initiates relationships.

An example of a social WarmUp is to form informal small groups and ask participants to find two things they have in common. This is a social warm up that begins to build a sense of psychological safety – that participants will be able to relate to each other and can build a learning community.

A topical WarmUp activates a portion of the brain that already has established ideas and information about the topic, information and ideas that relate to the key ideas in the training, and engages and focuses participants on the purpose of the learning.

An example of a topical WarmUp - At Genentech, as groups throughout PROP (Production and Operation) were introduced to their Accountability Goal – they were asked to think about this

Definition of Accountability – ‘Commitment to taking action and making it work’. They then identified & discussed some examples of shifts in thinking and behavior they personally would need to make to align with this definition of accountability, and then identified and discussed examples of shifts the team would need to make.

Whether social or topical, we try to locate WarmUps within the theme of the Workshop. This of course means that the course’s sessions are aligned around a theme that supports Learning.

Icebreakers – A Cautionary Note: Icebreakers (activities designed to “break the ice”) tend to be randomly chosen from lists or the trainers “repertoire”. They can be fun or challenging, but if they are not workshop relevant, participant brains are at a loss to find the connections.  Rather than prepare or engage them in the learning, “icebreakers” take them out of the game. Without a targeted warm up, they must find their way back by themselves, and struggle to reorient. You can start in; they may not catch up.

To make sure you are helping your participants to connect to the big ideas in your presentations, try these 11 tips.

11 Tips to Create and Lead a WarmUp that Works

Designing a WarmUp

1. Decide if this is a social (build relationships) or topical (focus on key content idea) WarmUp.

2. Clarify the exact focus for the WarmUp. Make sure you are focusing on a key idea, one relevant to the learning, whether social or topical. Ask yourself, what exactly should the learner be focused on to tune into this workshop theme throughout, and the key ideas in each section, quickly?

3. Think of a brief activity that reflects the key idea. Try for one that is a little unusual, a little innovative, but still acceptable by participants.

4. Make sure it is short and focused – less than 5 minutes.

5. Think through all the directions in advance. Practice!

Leading a WarmUp

1. Introduce the warm up by stating the purpose.

2. Coordinate quickly and clearly – whether you are asking quick response questions, or leading a brief activity:

   • Give directions: state what participants will do, with whom, for how long, what result you are looking for, how data will be reported out.

   • Check for understanding before starting.

3. Call Participants back to the session.

4. Facilitate a clear method for a quick report out.

5. Summarize quickly; connect the WarmUp to the learning purpose.

6. Relate the activity to what is coming next

Signs the WarmUp is successful

If you have planned and led a successful WarmUp, you know the signs you will be looking for. The energy level of the entire group supports the work to be done. Participants are feeling secure, yet challenged:  in a safe space and free to contribute. Each is experiencing her/himself as a useful and respected part of the whole.  And, you get the sense that the whole group thinks that the work ahead will be fun, interesting, and useful to them.

Last modified April 24, 2018