1. Activating Mental Velcro: Facilitating Learning That Sticks!
Activating Mental Velcro: Facilitating Learning That Sticks!
AEA Coffee Break
May 3, 2012
Cassandra O’Neill, Wholonomy Consulting
Amy Schaller, University of Arizona

2. Six Secrets to High Impact Presenting
What we’ll be sharing today is part of an e- book called Six Secrets to High Impact Presenting
Available for purchase at

3. Whoever does the work does the learning.
Thought for the day
Whoever does the work does the learning.

4. Why Do We Need the Six Secrets?
People don’t walk into a presentation or training ready to learn.
They are often thinking about other things.
There are simple steps to help people focus and get ready to learn.

5. High Impact Evaluation Presentation
Think about the next evaluation presentation you will make with clients, stakeholders, or at a conference…
Would you like to be able to hold your audience’s attention and gather insightful feedback?
Would you like to know at the beginning what they expect from your presentation instead of at the end?

6. Secret 1: Focus and Activate Positivity
Positive Psychology research tells us that if you want people to be creative, and to be able to see both the big picture and the details - forest AND trees - positive emotions must be activated!

7. Simple Ways to Help People Focus
Ask them appreciative questions
Strengths based approach to change called Appreciative Inquiry
Think of a time that something was going well, you were successful, you felt alive, excited, and engaged.

8. Sample Appreciative Questions
Think of a time you:
…learned something that made a difference
…made a contribution to a team or group

9. Strategies for Effective Sharing
Write down and share with one other person
Share with whole table
Share with whole group
Share what you heard from a partner with table or whole group

10. Get Creative! Use cards to prompt sharing Group cards
Pause Cards by Inspired Mastery
Zen Cards by Daniel Levin
Group cards
Make your own quotes
Ways to share: have people pick and read a card, and make a connection with the message
Share at tables or with larger group

11. Quick Tip: Short on Time?
Ask people to share a quality they are bringing to the group
People share things like:
humor
curiosity
creativity
flexibility

12. Secret Two: Establishing Learning Goals
Step 1: Share the presentation or group learning goals
Step 2: Ask people to identify and share their own learning goals

13. Crafting Questions Crafting the inquiry determines the outcome
Avoid asking “Why are you here?”
Instead invite learning by asking “What do you want to get out of this session today?”

14. Prompt Questions
When you think about what you want to get out of our time together, what comes to mind?
If you imagine our training is over and you’ve gotten something valuable, what have you learned?

15. Sharing Personal Learning Goals
Have them write down one of their personal learning goals first to make it easier
Have people share their learning goals in pairs, with the table, or with the whole group

16. Step 3: Respond
Does what you have planned align with what people want?
If not, can you adjust?
If you can’t adjust, develop a plan for getting people what they want at a later time.

17. Usually… What people want is aligned with what is planned.
When it is not, it is best to get this surfaced in the beginning.

18. Why it Works! Every person has
identified something they want to learn,
shared it with others,
heard what other people want, and
are clear about what they’ll get
You’ve just invited them to be present, be positive, and as a result they are ready to learn!

19. Back to Your Evaluation Presentation
Think about the next evaluation presentation you will make with clients, stakeholders, or at a conference?
What might you try or do differently?

20. Summary How does this create readiness to learn?
Engages participants in learning about evaluation processes & outcomes
Creating an environment that fosters flexible thinking
Clarifies goals and prepares participants to engage with evaluation findings

21. Resources Pause Cards and Book Books on Appreciative Questions
Books on Appreciative Questions
Appreciative Teambuilding
The Encyclopedia of Positive Questions
For more information:

22. Contact Us Cassandra O’Neill cassandraoneill@comcast.net Amy Schaller