WLD Guide to Facilitating_UMass Amherst 1 | Page 8

8

Best Practices for Engaging Participants
Include the senses:
Visual learning: writing on flipchart, providing pictures and charts, showing a film,
demonstrating a task.
Auditory learning: providing lectures, discussions, music, poetry, and opportunities
to talk through ideas and listen to other people.
Tactile/kinesthetic learning: giving people a chance to do and move; giving
movement-based activities like active games, spectrum lines, and roleplays; getting
people to arrange ideas on cut up pieces of paper, or set up paired conversations
where participants change partners for each question.

good time keeping
comfortable
venue

creating a
safe space

Fostering a trusting, learning environment:
We learn best when we feel safe – it means we are more able to take risks, and
more willing to try out things and explore new ideas. Different life experiences,
personalities and cultural expectations mean that what makes us feel safe varies
from person to person, so remember that what might help you feel safe might be
different for your participants. Here are a few factors to consider:
Help participants to get to know each other.
At the start of the workshop you could ask them to introduce themselves in pairs or
in a go around and say what interests them about the subject of the workshop.