How can you use group activities to help social learners during meetings?

1 Identify social learners

The first step to use group activities to help social learners during meetings is to identify who they are. Social learners are usually outgoing, friendly, and expressive. They like to ask questions, share opinions, and listen to others. They also enjoy working in teams, brainstorming, and role-playing. You can identify social learners by observing their behavior during meetings, asking them about their preferred learning style, or using a simple questionnaire or assessment tool.

2 Choose relevant and engaging activities

The second step to use group activities to help social learners during meetings is to choose activities that are relevant to the meeting objectives and engaging for the participants. To ensure the activities are stimulating and not overwhelming, avoid those that are too easy, boring, complex, difficult, or stressful. Examples of relevant and engaging activities include icebreakers, such as asking participants to share a fun fact about themselves or find something in common with another person; discussions, such as debating the pros and cons of a proposal or sharing experiences; games, such as trivia or puzzle games related to the meeting topic; and projects, such as designing a product or solution to a problem.

4 Use group activities wisely and sparingly

The fourth step to use group activities to help social learners during meetings is to use them wisely and sparingly. It is important to balance the use of group activities with other methods of learning and communication, such as presentations, demonstrations, or individual work. However, overusing or misusing group activities can have negative effects. For example, they can waste valuable time and resources that could be used for other purposes. They can also create confusion and conflict among the participants, reducing the diversity and creativity of the participants, and limiting their potential and performance. Therefore, it is important to use group activities with caution in order to ensure the meeting agenda and outcomes are not undermined.

5 Evaluate and improve the activities

Evaluating and improving group activities is the fifth step to help social learners during meetings. You need to measure the effectiveness and impact of the activities, and identify their strengths and weaknesses. Collecting feedback from participants, analyzing the data related to the activities, such as participation rate or learning outcomes, and implementing changes based on the feedback and data are all ways to evaluate and improve the activities. After the meeting, you can ask participants to rate and comment on the group activities via surveys, polls, or interviews. Additionally, you can use analytics tools, reports, or tests to collect and analyze data. Then, based on the feedback and data, you can modify the content, format, duration, or frequency of the group activities for the next meeting.

6 Benefits of group activities for social learners

The final step to use group activities to help social learners during meetings is to recognize and communicate the benefits of group activities for social learners. Group activities can help enhance their interpersonal skills, increase their engagement and motivation, as well as improve their learning and performance. By participating in group activities, social learners can develop and practice communication, teamwork, leadership, and conflict resolution skills. Additionally, it can make the meeting more interactive, fun, and meaningful, providing them with opportunities to apply, reinforce, and transfer their knowledge and skills.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?