Purpose: To set up a review session before class even begins.

 Time Required: 10 minutes.

 Size of Group: Unlimited.

 Materials Required: Questions on index cards, prepared in advance by the trainer.

 The Exercise in Action: Setting up your review sessions before a course begins is a great way to keep energy levels up and avoid the trap of announcing, “Let’s review.” Done well, this technique might not even be recognized by participants as a review tool:

Nancy Hall, a trainer in Winston-Salem, NC, prepares a number of index cards with questions on them and distributes them at the beginning of the session. The cards are numbered, and the questions—while pertinent to the course material—are generally opinion-oriented, such as, “What traits would an ideal supervisor possess?” Then, just before relevant material is covered, Hall reads a number and the participant with the corresponding card reads the question and answers it.

Creative twists can turn Hall’s exercise into a small-group energizer. When a number is called, for example, the instructor may opt to have that participant’s small group (instead of the individual) answer within 90 seconds.