With the current emphasis on group working, it is worth sometimes reminding ourselves of the basics:

• Why use groups at all?
• How do we optimise them?

Groups work well then they are diverse and have either relevant knowledge to share or process skills, i.e. they're good at bringing out the best in groups. The knowledge and expertise in the group must be relevant for the context. (Imagine lying in pre-op surgery while a group of passers-by discuss how they will carry out your operation, with one guy saying “I know what I'm doing - I work in a slaughterhouse”)

In a learning situation, working in groups is an important part of your design - leading to rich learning and collaboration, but… and here's the challenge to all trainers and facilitators:

We often take far too long over the whole process! (compared with the benefits gained)

Too long briefing it, too long a time actually doing the group activity, and too long de-briefing it (I've been on some courses where participants have lost the will to live, never mind the will to internalise the learning, by the time the trainer has debriefed thoroughly!)

In part, this is of course a function of learning style preferences, but there are some things you, the trainer, can do to help learners squeeze out (squeeze in?) all the learning without it having to take forever. None of these ideas will be appropriate in all situations - experiment!

Ask tightly focused questions which cue up outcomes. Set outcomes with targets where appropriate, e.g. “Five techniques……….” “Three reasons…………..” Avoid briefing them to “discuss XYZ and come back with your thoughts”. Make it specific and action-oriented.

Use tight and odd times (“you have until 10.27 to do this”) and then enforce the times. Tell people how much time they've already had as a percentage, or nominate a timekeeper in each group.

Where material is complex, give different groups a different part e.g.

1. What factors motivate people? - group 1.
2. What factors demotivate people? - group 2.
3. What can we do to remotivate people once they're demotivated? - group 3.

Then have all the groups present back and build on each others' findings.

Avoid running an activity with more than 10 people where everyone has a turn, one after the other. It's too samey. Get people to reflect individually (2 or 3 minutes) share in pairs or small groups (ten minutes) and summarise back in their groups (five minutes). Or, if it's necessary they all have a go individually, break it up. Intersperse other activities in between.

If you plan to visually capture what learners are saying, think of a fast way of doing this that doesn't reduce quality and ensures people feel listened to. Avoid simply writing up everything that's been said on the flipchart yourself - nominate learners to take turns capturing a high-level summary - or give people post-its or pinpoint cards to write their thoughts on and then read these out and stick them up.

Even where you're using activities deliberately to build collaboration and trust such as ice-breakers - always think: “is there a faster way of getting the same outcomes?”

Honour uniqueness by offering a variety of learning methods, and offering massive personal choice: “Who would like more time to chill and reflect? OK, you go and do that….” “Who wants to discuss these ideas with others? OK, take the next fifteen minutes to do that and come back with the 3 things you're going to do differently when you're back at work”… “Who's ready to move on now to a slightly different topic?” and so on. You could even give people cards or hats - things they can hold up or put on when they'd like a change of style. People don't have to all have exactly the same experience to achieve the learning outcomes.

How can you make every single activity really work for its living? So that you are designing activities that build relationships AS they help participants create important learning AS they create an even more resourceful emotional state?