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Silence Buster


Have you ever asked a question during your training session only to be confronted with silence so deafening that you can hear a pin drop? Would you like to learn a way to change the atmosphere of your class from dead silence to total participation? If so, here's a valuable tip from our reader Michelle Tomczyk (who is the Director of Curriculum Design at EBS Sales Training Division in Parsippany, NJ).

If there is no response to your question, simply say, "Turn to the person next to you and discuss this." You will magically transform your room from absolute quiet to lively discussion in 5 seconds or less. What's nice about this method is that there isn't any need for props or preparation. You can use it in any class, with any topic. Participants usually think you planned the group discussion and don't have a clue that it was a spontaneous decision to promote interaction.


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