Why did I Agree to do this?
The Activity In-service
By Debbie Hommel, ACC/MC/EDU, CTRS
Inservice education is important for all care providers. Live training experiences are becoming less common because online training is the “go to” source for education. However, there is great value in person-to-person training experiences. Experienced activity professionals are the best source to explain quality of life topics and their importance. However, being asked to present an in-service can be a stressful and daunting experience. It isn’t that we don’t know what we are talking about – it is the idea of standing in front all those people. In the book of lists, public speaking is listed as the #1 fear of most people (above fear of dying, insects and falling). Knowing that we are not alone in our fear may provide some solace. Even if we get beyond our initial fear of presenting to others, in many cases the audience is being forced to attend the in-service and that makes for willing and interested participants. In other occasions, when staff hear that the topic is “Activities”, they often say “why do I have to be here, I don’t do activities”. We approach presenting these in-services with dread, praying they will be cancelled at the last minute. However, with proper preparation and a different attitude, in-services can be fun and an informative way to inspire others.
Live in-services are generally conducted late in the day, at the change of shift. People who are at the end of their shift are tired and those arriving for the next shift don’t look much spunkier. Knowing that, our goal is to keep attendees awake through creative and more active means of sharing information. Nothing puts people to sleep quicker than sitting in a warm in-service room and having someone read to them from note cards.
We can take some basic lessons from public speaking classes. I remember one professor said “A speech is like flying a plane. You need a good takeoff and landing; the rest is easy sailing”. There is a lot of truth to that advice. Start with a snappy opening. Do something unexpected. Start with a game or a raffle. Ask a controversial question and start a debate. Anything to make people take notice and listen. The same principle applies to your ending. Leave attendees with a challenge, some hope, and inspiration. Or, at the very least – a smile.
Once you have your beginning and ending down, how do you fill 20 minutes of airtime? One of the biggest mistakes we make in our in-services is to try and cram too much information into the defined time period. There is no way you can effectively communicate all the value and benefits of activities into a 30-minute in-service. Pick one or two points and think of several ways you can communicate those specific points to the group. Hearing the same idea in varying formats allows the individual to process and actually keep it for future reference.
Another helpful hint is to make the in-service experiential. Sitting and listening to someone talk for half an hour is difficult, no matter how interesting a speaker might be. A better approach is to conduct the training through some sort of experience or activity. Not necessarily a recreational activity, but a specific learning task, group work, role play, or game which will communicate your points and involve participants. If you want to demonstrate the value and benefit of certain activities, have the staff participate in said activity. The benefits can be pointed out through staff participation. Various games and role play activities can demonstrate specific approaches, outcomes and reasons why we do what we do. Using props or visuals often contributes to the success of the in-service. Create a video of your residents participating in activities and then interview them regarding the benefits they feel through participation. Create an interesting PowerPoint with photos of activities and specific residents enjoying programs.
Education can also occur informally. Organize an educational “fair” where tables are arranged with information on several topics. The staff can visit the tables, obtain information and participate in independent learning tasks. Manning the tables with residents who participate in the particular activities would provide direct testimonials regarding the benefits of certain programs.
The next time you are approached to do that in-service, take a deep breath and meet the challenge like the activity professional you are. And if that does not work… remember what Mark Twain said about public speaking….
“There are two types of speakers: those that are nervous and those that are liars.”
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