An Easy Guide to RSS

What is an RSS Feed and What Does it Do?
RSS stands for Rich Site Summary or, alternatively, Real Simple Syndication. An RSS Feed allows users to subscribe to interesting websites or blogs and have the new content updated directly in the user’s RSS Reader or Feed. Typically with web-based content, users must visit the web site in order to read updated information. With an RSS feed, however, the content is scanned automatically and brought directly to the user. No need to visit web site after website since it gathers it for you quickly and automatically!

What is an RSS Reader?
An RSS reader, sometimes referred to as an aggregator, is simply a software program that can be set to scan the web for newly created content on sites to which to user has subscribed. Think of it as a daily newspaper but filled only with the news that of interest to the person reading it. You can set your reader to scour the web on any preset schedule you’d like and alert you when new content is found or set it to simply do its search and you visit whenever you want to, with or without the alert. Both free and commercial RSS readers available.

The benefits of subscribing to an RSS feed.
RSS Feeds can save you so time! In addition, they allow you to quickly and easily receive the most current information on topics of special interest to you. No more wasted time browsing for to find relevant information. It comes to you! An unlike our in boxes that are filled to overflowing with spam, RSS readers eliminate that problem altogether! You will receive no content other than that which you specifically request via subscription.

The RSS Button
Just look for the button with your feed reader on it, somewhere near the subscribe area. Although they may vary, they will usually name the feeder or say something like RSS or Subscribe here.



On Workplace Toons, it is on the blog in the upper right corner and looks like this:


Get Yourself a Reader
A huge list of RSS readers is here: http://www.newsonfeeds.com/faq/aggregators
Bloglines, My Yahoo, and FeedDemon are all very popular. For an in-depth discussion on popular readers and the pros and cons of each, visit http://email.about.com/od/rssreaderswin/tp/top_rss_windows.htm.
I use Google’s feed reader. You can find detailed info on it here: http://www.google.com/reader/view/?utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-ha-ww-ww-sk&utm_medium=ha&utm_term=rss+feed+reader#directory-welcome-1-page
Whichever one you choose, simply download and follow the instructions to install and you’ll be up and running within minutes. It is really that easy!

Practice what you’ve learned!
Once you have downloaded your RSS reader, go to my blog home page at www.WorkplaceToons.blogspot.com and look for the Subscribe Banner on the top right side of the page. Simply click on “Posts” to get all updates I add to the blog or “Comments” to get all posts/comments made by site visitors. When you click on either, it will open a drop down menu of buttons. Choose your feeder and follow the steps to subscribe. That’s all there is to it!

Consider burning your own feed! RSS Readers are a perfect way for your students to get training content delivered as it's posted. Keep your training varied and your students interested! There are many ways to engage your learners, and don't forget training cartoons! Get a laugh and lighten things up with training cartoons from Workplace Toons!

Celebrity Charades (Icebreaker)

This super fun icebreaker gets people up, moving around and having a ton of fun. You will only need some pens and some sticky notes. Have a list of celebrity names prepared or have each member of the group write one down before you start the game. Just make sure you have one celebrities name on a sticky note for every person in your group.

Seat everyone in a semi-circle. Go around and place a sticky note on the forehead of each person so that their celebrity is known to all but them.

Start with the person to your left. You and others around the circle will offer hints as to who his or her celebrity is. You can make a statement, act out a behavior, or perform some famous lines that the person is known for. Each person has 1-2 minutes to give clues and to get him/her to say the correct celebrity. Go around the room until the person guesses the celebrity or everyone in the room had had a turn giving clues. Follow along until everyone has had a chance to guess their celebrity.

This a really fun game that requires very little prep work and will have everyone giggling, bonding and just having a great time! Perfect icebreaker for the first day but can be used to energize and/or unite a group any time!

Enjoy!

Lorie

Invention: The Teambuilding Game

This is a fun teambuilding exercise. Divide your group in smaller groups of four to five. You will need a paper bag for each group that contains all the same items in each bag. Things like a piece of string, a couple of paperclips, a rock, some staples work best but use your imagination! For best results, make sure there are about 12-20 items in each bag and that each team bag contains identical items.

The groups separate as much as possible (suggest each take a corner of the room) and try to create an invention of some sort. Allow the teams about 10-15 minutes to come up with their masterpiece. When you call time, the finished project must be placed into the bag. No one is allowed to work extra time.

Draw straws or roll a die to see which group goes first, second, etc. Take the first group to the front of the class. One member of the team is appointed spokesperson and will explain the object and demonstrate its features, The other groups judge the effort on a score of one to ten.

The winning team gets a prize. Include all other teams for their effort. They are all winners for trying!

This exercise is great for teambuilding. You will enjoy seeing just how resourceful the teams can be!

Make sure you present and manage thisgame in a fun, lighthearted way. Do not allow any one to get too competitive or serious. Be encouraging.

End the game by thanking everyone for playing and throw out some chocolate.

Enjoy~

Lorie

The Group Press Conference (Icebreaker)

I love training games! They really are essential tools for the corporate trainer.

Press Conference is a great icebreaker, one of my favorites in fact. Here’s how to play:

Choose one person to be “it” and ask him to leave the room for 3-5 minutes.

The people remaining in the classroom decide who that person is going to be. For instance, they might choose someone like “Darth Vader”.

Once decided (take no more than 5 minutes to do so!) call the person back in to the room. Remember, they do not know who they are supposed to be. Have them sit at the front of the class and have participants each ask one question as if they are reporters.

For the Darth Vader character, example questions might be “Do you have respiratory problems?”, “How is your relationship with your family?”, “Are you sometimes violent or have a bad temper?”, “What is your favorite color?” The answers of course do not match what the character would say, but it will have everyone laughing and at ease in no time.

Stress to participants that the idea is not to give away who the person is supposed to be through the questions.

The game is over in one of two ways: When the person guesses correctly the game is over. If every participant has asked a question and the person has not guessed correctly, the game is over and a new person/character is selected.

The person can guess who they are supposed to be at any time during questioning.

This game will have everyone laughing and enjoying themselves!

Enjoy!

Lorie

Remember, my training cartoons are completely unique and perfectly suited for corporate and compliance training. See my library of training cartoons here at www.WorkplaceToons.com!

The Positive Effects of Cartoons in the Adult Classroom

Trainers are always looking ways to engage their adult learners. Try training cartoons! When used properly, training cartoons can engage the student, help them to remember key points and enjoy a laugh or two. Funny, even slightly irreverent, training cartoons can really help your message stick! When you incorporate highly customized, topic-specific training cartoons into your learning program, the content shines and you spark an interest in even the most recalcitrant student.

Training cartoons in the adult classroom can appeal to all types of learners. They send the message to have a laugh, lighten a dry or boring topic, relax and overcome fears, all of which help create a better learning environment. Cartoons can motivate adult learners to take new approaches to more effective learning.

Cartoons are ideal for most adult learning programs, from cultural and language training to soft skills training sessions to compliance training programs like HIPAA, FMLA and Workplace Violence. Training cartoons are an ideal learning tool to bridge the gap between content and learning outcomes.

When selecting training cartoons for the classroom, look for well-designed, topic-specific collections. Never rely on generic clip art! You message can easily get lost and your students confused when your graphics are too generic and/or don’t address the specific training message. When chosen carefully, training cartoons are an excellent tool for use in adult learning environments.

Visit my website at www.WorkplaceToons.com for an ever-growing library of custom training cartoons on topics like diversity, FMLA, and HIPAA!

Crossword Puzzles!

The Crossword Game
Don’t forget the tried and true crossword puzzles! Here are some new takes on an old favorite.

If you are creative with words and want something everyone will participate in and learn from, then use crossword puzzles. They are certainly not new on the adult learning scene, yet crossword puzzles are a hit every time. Who doesn’t enjoy a crossword puzzle!?

You will need a whiteboard or chalkboard and the tools to write with. You can use a variation as well by printing and giving the crossword on paper to everyone and have them each try to solve it for 10 minutes.

The clues to the crossword puzzle should be about words that are relevant to the topic you are teaching your group. The clues can be questions, answers, etc. Look at a crossword puzzle in a book or your newspaper to get an idea of how to format the clues.

If you do it up on a board as a group effort, then just let them blurt out the answers, but only give out one clue at a time so no one jumps ahead.

If you do this individually, you let each person work on their puzzle for 10 minutes, then have them pass it to their left or right depending on your seating arrangement so that the next person tries to finish the crossword puzzle. Do this again every 5 minutes until all the crossword puzzles are completed.

People retain the things they have to figure out and that they write down. The crossword is a great tool to get them familiar with your topic and to give them the basic information they need to get started with the training you are about to do.

Enjoy!

The Benefits of Mentoring: Tips for Trainers

When adults go back to school, either in the formal sense of pursing a degree, or going for any type of training or job-related skill-building, what they’re essentially trying to do is improve their quality of life. Maybe they want to be more productive or efficient, learn a new skill, earn more money or be considered for career advancement. Whatever the ends are they’re trying to achieve, one of the best means of ensuring success through any training program is having someone, any one, take the time to get involved, care about that person’s successes (and failures) and be there to help and support the student in his or her learning goals. To mentor. As a trainer of adult learners, you can be that all-important mentor to your students.

The best thing students can get from their mentors is a personal investment: assurances from you that they are worth your time and the encouragement that whatever they’re seeking to achieve, they can do it. Whether students have come to you to learn computer skills or to increase their life-coping abilities, it is their personal connection with you, as their trainer and mentor, that benefits them most. And this applies to all stages of learning.
How do you mentor? Start by building that personal bond with your students, it’s important that the relationship feels natural and uncontrived. Think of how close relationships are built with those around you in your own life, and model your relationship with your students in that way.
Here are three tips to help you along:

1. Show that you genuinely care about your students. This will make the biggest difference with them. If your efforts are forced or insincere, people will see right through you! You cannot be an effective trainer if you do not seriously give 100% to your students and live for their successes, big and small.

2. Exchange personal information where appropriate. Share funny or touching stories, ask about their weekends, vacations, hobbies – let them know that the classroom is an extension of their lives, and not an isolated cell.

3. Realize that fun and laughter are critical parts of the learning process. Students learn through humor and enjoyable activities. Cartoons and games can be educational, and will go a long way to helping students feel comfortable in their learning environment and ready to absorb your training message.
When students feel validated, appreciated, recognized, and valued their confidence increases. In addition, you will likely see them put more energy into what they are trying to learn. They will be on time, better prepared, and willing to put forth greater effort. Don’t just stand up at a podium and lecture. Get involved and mentor your students!

Training cartoons are a wonderful way to energize your content and drive home your message. Visit my website for custom, hand-drawn training cartoons on topics like diversity, FMLA, and HIPAA!