Make Your Next Training an EPIC Experience!

By Sharon L. Bowman, MA
Professional Speaker and Corporate Trainer
Director, The Lake Tahoe Trainers Group
P.O. Box 564, Glenbrook, NV 89413
Phone: 775-749-5247 Fax: 775-749-1891
E-Mail: SBowperson@aol.com Web-Site: www.Bowperson.com

facilitators), is to create learning

experiences that are larger than
life and totally unforgettable.
Why? So that our audiences will
not only HEAR our information,
but REMEMBER it and USE it
when the learning experience is
over.

The word EPIC is also an

acronym for four elements
Think of an experience you that help make a learning
have had that stands out in your experience larger-than-life
mind - perhaps a personal one and totally unforgettable.
like a wedding, the birth of your When we remember to use these
child, a death, a miracle. Or four elements in our training, we
maybe it’s a professional one - increase the “memorability of
getting your dream job, a the moment,” helping our
sudden reversal of fortune, a listeners retain the information
promotion. Or it could be a they hear.
cultural or national event - 9/11,
war, a discovery, a celebration. EPIC learning experiences are
those that are:
Those experiences are e p i c
events in our lives - they are E M O T I O N A L - Learners
larger-than-life and totally engage emotionally as well as
unforgettable. And one of our intellectually;
goals as trainers, teachers,
presenters, speakers (the label PARTICIPATORY - Learners
doesn’t matter - we are are involved in their own
information-givers and learning- learning;

Sharon Bowman 775-749-5247 SBowperson@aol.com www.Bowperson.com © 2003 1

 Make Your Next Training an EPIC Experience! For Teachers, Trainers, and Presenters

IMAGE-RICH - Learners form “tinker with the tips,” more

mental pictures to help EPIC ideas will spark and you’ll
remember the learning; be able to create your own EPIC
list of ideas and activities.
CONNECTED - Learning is
connected to learners’ personal
lives and experiences.

That’s all well and good, but

how the heck do we remember
to make our training an EPIC
learning experience when we
have too much information to
cover in too little time?

We begin with a simple

question that we ask ourselves Terrific Tips to Create
before we plan our next EPIC Learning
training: Experiences

“Do I want them to HEAR it or EMOTIONAL

do I want them to LEARN it?”
Emotion directs attention which
If we just want our audiences to directs learning. The more
simply listen and HEAR what emotionally charged a learning
we have to say, then we don’t experience is, the more it will be
need to include the EPIC remembered by the ones
elements. But if we want our experiencing it. Try the ideas
listeners to LEARN something below to add positive emotions
so that they can USE it later in to your training.
their personal or professional
lives, then the EPIC elements Best-Kept Secret: Anytime you
are crucial to the learning. use the other EPIC elements -
participatory, image-rich, and
There are a multitude of ways to connected to learners lives - you
make a learning experience automatically create a positive
larger-than-life and totally emotional learning experience
unforgettable. Listed below are for your audiences. They begin
some simple tips to begin using to associate learning with
these elements in your pleasure, and they will want to
presentations. As you begin to learn more.

Sharon Bowman 775-749-5247 SBowperson@aol.com www.Bowperson.com © 2003 2

 Make Your Next Training an EPIC Experience! For Teachers, Trainers, and Presenters

Stories: Anecdotes, verbal ridicule, shame, embarrassment

illustrations, metaphors, and are all painful emotions that
analogies create emotional many people have felt while
connections to the information. learning something new. Be
Stories can also be participatory careful with pain, and move to
(pause in the story and have pleasure as quickly as you can.
your listeners guess what will
happen next), image-rich (use as PARTICIPATORY
much detail as you can), and
connected to learners lives (have
them discuss how the story
relates to their own lives).

Humor: It’s not about telling

jokes. It’s about opening a space
and time for learners to
comment or share their related
experiences so that THEY can
generate humor in learning. It’s
also about using humorous The suggestions listed below all
stories and sayings to accentuate create participatory learning
the information in fun ways. experiences, connecting learners
Remember, humor releases to each other as well as to the
endorphins - the pleasure topic they are learning about.
chemicals of the brain - and we
all like to laugh while we learn. Neighbor-Nudge: Also called a
Pair-Share, or a Dyad-Dialogue,
Pain: Many presenters want this activity is the easiest,
their listeners to feel the pain of quickest, and most low-risk to
a need or unresolved conflict do. Simply direct your learners
before they move onto the to turn to the person sitting next
pleasure of filling that need or to them (making sure no one is
solving the problem. A caveat to left out), and tell that person the
remember: With too much pain, most important thing they’ve
learners will try to avoid learned from the presentation so
reminders of the pain later. That far. Learners can also share a
means learners will avoid any question or a response to the
learning situation that reminds information they’ve heard. Total
them of the pain, including your activity time is about 30 seconds
presentations. And the worst to 2 minutes.
pain isn’t physical - humiliation,

Sharon Bowman 775-749-5247 SBowperson@aol.com www.Bowperson.com © 2003 3

 Make Your Next Training an EPIC Experience! For Teachers, Trainers, and Presenters

Birds-of-a-Feather: Learners notice about the group? What

stand and find others who like did you learn from the activity?
the same junk food (movies, What patterns emerged? What
colors, vacation spots, genre of questions did the activity raise?”
books, sports, whatever). They Total activity time is about 5 -
form small standing groups, 10 minutes.
introduce themselves to their
group members, and tell one Four Corners: A variation of
thing they want to learn from Take-A-Stand, with the four
the presentation, a question they corners of the room representing
have, an outcome they want, or topic-related material. Learners
a fact they already know about move to a corner (or in-between
the topic. After about 2 - 3 corners), introduce themselves
minutes, volunteers shout out a to those in the same corner, and
few of the comments made in discuss why they chose to stand
their groups. You can also make in that particular place. Process
the sorting topic-related (i.e. the activity as in Take-A-Stand.
find others who have the same
work experience, who think of People Sorters: Use small
the same word or phrase related objects such as miniature toys,
to the topic, who are from the erasers, card decks, plastic tools,
same department, etc.).Total colored dots, or stickers to sort
activity time is about 5 minutes. learners into random groups
(one object per person). Each
Take-A-Stand: One wall of the learner chooses an object and
room stands for a certain issue then makes a group with three
related to the topic. Another or four other people who chose
wall stands for the opposite the same object. Objects can
issue. Learners take a stand at relate to the topic in some way.
either wall or in between After learners form small
depending upon their responses groups, they discuss something
to the issues. Walls can also related to the topic or to the
stand for strongly agree/strongly information just presented.
disagree, yes/no, love it/hate it,
or other topic-related facts. From: How To Give It So They Get It!
Learners introduce themselves and Shake, Rattle and Roll!
Author: Sharon Bowman
to persons standing closest to
them and discuss their “stand.” Continued next page …
You process the activity with
the whole group by asking
questions like, “What did you

Sharon Bowman 775-749-5247 SBowperson@aol.com www.Bowperson.com © 2003 4

 Make Your Next Training an EPIC Experience! For Teachers, Trainers, and Presenters

IMAGE-RICH metaphors. Need some ideas?

Direct learners to choose or
name an object and then create
ten ways the topic is like that
object, or ways the object
represents information related to
the topic. Or have learners draw
or sculpt a representation of the
topic and its various
components.

Stories: See comments under

“Emotional” in the first section
of EPIC tips.
Think TV commercials, movies, I l l u s t r a t i o n s : Whenever
billboards, magazine ads, street possible, use a cartoon, photo,
signs, Microsoft Windows, and doodle, logo, shape, picture, or
the multitude of ways we are symbol to illustrate an important
bathed in images throughout the point. Or have your listeners
day. We are an image-rich create their own “doodles” as
culture, and we rely on images they take notes. The images will
in order to learn and remember be remembered long after the
information. Here are a few words are forgotten.
ways to make your training
image-rich. Learning Aids: Simply put, a
learning aid is anything that
Metaphor: A metaphor is a helps the listener learn better
way of giving the learner the and remember more. Examples
essence of any idea by of learning aids that are image-
representing it with something rich include: toys, props, tools,
else. Metaphors paint mental household gadgets, nature items,
pictures inside the learner’s musical instruments, blank
head, which is one of the most paper, worksheets, skits,
powerful ways of moving simulations, improvisation,
information into long-term stories, songs, jokes, one-liners,
memory. A few reminders: games, cartoons, metaphor,
Keep the metaphor simple, use movement, music.
metaphors that everyone
understands, let learners create Continued next page …
their own metaphors, and create
visual as well as verbal

Sharon Bowman 775-749-5247 SBowperson@aol.com www.Bowperson.com © 2003 5

 Make Your Next Training an EPIC Experience! For Teachers, Trainers, and Presenters

CONNECTED It’s About Them: Always bring

your stories and activities back
to your learners’ lives. Know
enough about them to be able to
make your presentation relate
personally in some way
(remember, apart from their
jobs, your listeners are human
beings, and information that
connects them to things we all
experience as humans is
powerful).
We remember best what is
linked to what we already know WIIFM: “What’s In It For
as well as what is connected to Me?” In pairs or small groups,
our own life experiences. When learners discuss what they want
we link new learning to old, we to learn, what outcomes they
remember the new information want to walk away with, or how
longer and we can assimilate it they can use the information
into our lives more easily. The they’ve heard. They explore
following ideas help learners their own WIIFMs before,
connect the new with the old. during, or after your
presentation. Or you can tell
Learner-Created them what they will get out of
Connections: Audiences need the time they spend with you -
time, even if it’s a simple and how they will be able to use
Neighbor Nudge minute, to what they learn.
connect what they have heard to
their own lives. You don’t Action Plans: As part of the
necessarily need to make these closing of your training, learners
connections for them. All you write and discuss their action
need to do is to create the space plans with you and each other.
and time for them to discuss the An action plan can be simply
connections. Afterwards, allow completing the sentence: “I plan
a few more minutes to process to ...” and saying/writing what
their connections verbally so they plan to do with what
that others in the group who they’ve learned. Or it can have
may have had trouble making timelines and procedural steps.
the personal connections can The action plan becomes the
hear how to do it. learner’s commitment to

Sharon Bowman 775-749-5247 SBowperson@aol.com www.Bowperson.com © 2003 6

 Make Your Next Training an EPIC Experience! For Teachers, Trainers, and Presenters

himself/herself to use what has have to see how they are doing
been learned. with their action plan.

Koosh Throw: Learners form a

standing circle, or stand by their
chairs, and toss a koosh ball (or
other similar soft throwable
object) randomly to each other.
The catchers share the most
important thing they learned and
what they plan to do with the
new information. If time allows,
they can tell the group what they
appreciated about working
together, or compliment
individuals in the group. The Final Thoughts on
koosh is tossed until everyone Creating EPIC Learning
has had a chance to respond. If Experiences
the group is really large, they
can divide themselves into All four EPIC elements help
smaller standing groups, each move learning from short-term
with its own koosh ball. memory into long-term
memory. They help learners not
Let’s Trade: Each learner only HEAR information, but
writes his name and work phone REMEMBER and USE it. And,
or email address on the front of best of all, these teaching tools
an index card. On the back he make the learning experience
writes “I plan to ...” and finishes larger-than-life and totally
the sentence, writing how he unforgettable.
plans to use the information
learned. Then learners stand, You don’t need to make every
pair up, and read their action presentation or training EPIC in
plans to their partners. They size - only the ones you really
trade cards, find new partners, want your audiences to
and read the action plan they remember.
have in their hands. They trade
again until they have read and If you find it hard to include all
traded at least three cards. Then four EPIC elements, then simply
they take the card they end up choose one to concentrate on
with and, in two or three weeks, during a single presentation.
call the person whose card they When you’re comfortable with

Sharon Bowman 775-749-5247 SBowperson@aol.com www.Bowperson.com © 2003 7

 Make Your Next Training an EPIC Experience! For Teachers, Trainers, and Presenters

one EPIC element, then include

another, then another, until you
finally have a presentation that
is emotional, participatory,
image-rich, and connected to
learners’ lives.

Down the road, when you’ve

become accustomed to creating
presentations that are larger than
life and totally unforgettable,
you may be standing in a
grocery store check-out line, Author and traveling teacher Sharon
perhaps a little weary and Bowman helps educators and business
people “teach it quick and make it
preoccupied as you wait. stick,” - fine-tuning their information-
Suddenly a voice behind you delivery skills and turning their passive
calls your name. You turn and listeners into active learners.
the person exclaims, “I heard
you speak five years ago. You Sharon is the author of six popular
teaching, training, and motivation
were wonderful! I remember books, including: “Preventing Death
everything you said. And I’ve by Lecture,” “Presenting with
used so much of what you Pizzazz,” “How To Give It So They
taught me!” It’s a larger-than- Get It,” and “Shake, Rattle, and
life moment you’ll never forget! R o l l . ” She is a member of the
National Speakers Association and the
director of The Lake Tahoe Trainers
__________________________ Group.
The acronym EPIC is adapted and She is also the “Trainer’s Coach,”
used with permission from a keynote helping individual teachers and
speech given by Dr. Leonard Sweet at trainers polish existing lessons and
the South Carolina Baptist Convention, training programs, and creating new
spring 2002. ones that reach all learners.
Dr. Sweet is a traveling teacher and For more information about Sharon
preacher. For more information, log Bowman and her books and training,
onto www.leonardsweet.com. log onto www.Bowperson.com, or
email her at SBowperson@aol.com.
The acronym EPIC was modified by
teachers in the Texas Pasadena For book orders, go to
Independent School District at a staff www.trainerswarehouse.com,
development training facilitated by www.amazon.com, or call
Sharon Bowman in the fall of 2002. Bowperson Publishing at
__________________________ 775-749-5247.

Sharon Bowman 775-749-5247 SBowperson@aol.com www.Bowperson.com © 2003 8