At the annual The Bob Pike Group Training and Performance Improvement Conference held last year, trainer Becky Pluth used a variety of common household items as illustrations or object lessons to drive home points in one of her concurrent sessions. So what applications can you find for things like drinking water, a comb and a blender?

Lesson #1:

 For her opening illustration, Pluth used a transparent water goblet filled with water. Then, to give a visual, she added a bit of potassium permanganate crystals (available at all pharmacies) for each mistake a trainer might make. As the illustration went on and more of the chemical was added, Pluth pointed out that, like the water, it doesn't take long for the training to be tainted, discolored, and distracting from the material.

Lesson #2:

She then gave her participants the option to create their own improv object lessons. Each participant was handed a comb. "Comb your hair without bending your elbow," Pluth instructed. What participants have to figure out is that they have to have someone else brush their hair for them at arm's length. Pluth then asked the learners to tie this back into the training at their organizations. Some of the responses were, "You need to cooperate and not be so siloed," and "We have the tools (the comb), but not all the pieces (elbows) to accomplish the task."

Lesson #3:

Then Pluth gave a verbal illustration using a blender. "Imagine a blender. You combine ingredients like a cup of ice cream, a cup of chocolate, a cup of milk-all good things. But what happens when one bad thing, like a teaspoon of cayenne is added?" Pluth asked. "It's hard to undo when it's all mixed in. This is what a little anger or words said in an unwatched moment can do. It takes a whole lot more of the good stuff to attempt to eradicate the bad taste left by one unguarded moment."

Simple tools can be used strategically to give powerful reminders of quality leadership principles. It's important to keep your training, and daily leadership, fresh and creative.

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Leadership training opportunities are offered in many ways to meet your organization's specific needs and budget. Take a look at our different training approaches, including these On-Demand traning courses:

• Supervisor 101
• Bringing Out the Best in You and Others
• Managing Staff in Stressful Times: Celebrations and Challenges of Leading Multiple Generations
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• Creating a Culture of Customer Service Excellence
• The Healthy Leader: Learning to Lead Yourself