Guest Author: Tobi Johnson & Associates
As common as it is, presentation-style training is actually one of the least effective methods for training volunteers, and anyone else for that matter. Presentations, on their own, cannot adequately teach behavioral skills, critical thinking, or values, all of which are an important part of volunteer training courses.
So, what can you do to boost learning? Increase interaction, reflection, and practice. Below are some examples of activities that include one or all of the above. You might try one in your next volunteer training and see how volunteers respond. It may surprise you how much fun they (and you) have!
12 Creative Volunteer Training Methods
- Buzz Group – A large group is divided into smaller groups. Groups are given a topic to discuss or problem to solve for only five to 10 minutes. They then report out one or two top line takeaways. Groups can be as small as two and as large as eight volunteers.
- Case Study – A written account of a common situation that might be encountered by volunteers in their new role. They analyze, either individually, in pairs or in small groups and present their recommendations.
- Clinic – Similar to a case study, however, volunteer present a particular problem and ask others to help solve it. Providing a simple, but thorough, problem solving process sometimes helps generate better, more thoughtful, results.
- Colloquy – A panel, where half the participants are new volunteers and the other are subject matter experts (e.g., staff, veteran volunteers, community partners, etc.). The new volunteers come prepared to ask questions.
