The Match: a warm up to get learners back into the swing of things after a break

What is “The Match” warm up?

What’s a warm up?

A warm up is commonly used in training courses, either between two days or between two main sequences. Before starting a new sequence, the coach needs to get the group back in focus for the next stage, while making sure that the previous sequences have sunk in. This involves encouraging their participation, piquing their interest and inquisitiveness. A warm up can be useful after a lunch break for example, to recap what was covered earlier in the day and check that everyone is with it. It’s a relaxing break in the training course, which can come in a number of different forms and lasts between 5 and 45 minutes.

“The Match”: a stimulating activity to help the team put what they’ve learned into practice

With this “The Match” template, participants can check that they remember what they’ve learned before getting back to work. This method is a quiz to pick learners’ brains. The winner of the previous round writes the next Challenge Question and the group has to find the exact answer. The warm up ends when all previously tackled topics have been covered.“The Match” boosts the learning process with a series of theoretical questions and questions backed up with examples asked by the learners. As the match goes on, the questions become more specific, making it more difficult for learners to ask and answer them. This exercise helps learners to think of in-depth questions to make the match more interesting. Answering the questions helps put theory into practice.

Three good reasons to use the warm up with your learners

1. Stimulate learning with a fun tool

“The Match” template offers a co-active learning solution that promotes learning after the training course itself. The collective and informal aspect of the workshop also helps learners to use what they’ve learned in a relaxed atmosphere. “The Match” is aimed at this type of training as it helps take a bird’s eye view of the activity and try new things. Too often, the fun factor is overlooked as a learning factor.

2. Keeping learning in focus throughout the training course

Developed on Board, a digital whiteboard designed to promote participation, this method heightens the group’s learning abilities, using “fresh” topics in quiz form. During the session, participants use what they’ve learned during the course in two complementary phases designed to help them remember information: by finding answers or thinking of questions. During the warm up, learners must pick their brain and use their short-term memory.  As they review what they’ve learned recently, the information will sink in better.

3. Boosting participation within a limited time frame

Use this warm up to help the group learn actively while using the Board’s engaging features and get them back into the swing of the course after the lunch break. This template aims to back up the training course, switching between the participants’ questions and detailed answers. Participation is all part of the training process and helps conceptualize the course more easily.

Learners take turns to post their Challenge questions and expect a detailed answer. Questions become harder as the activity goes on. When a round winner asks a question, they learn actively while allowing the activity to proceed.

The coach can use Board’s built-in Timer feature. It is easy to use and a good stimulus for the group. The coach can regularly call out the remaining time to add pressure on the group. The warm up requires the players to think of specific questions within a set time frame. It encourages participation and gives learners an active role in their own success.

How to use the “The Match” warm up template

Use the template with Klaxoon’s Board. Ask your team to join the Board in a few clicks and to enter their photo and name in the colored ideas before playing.

Overall, the workshop lasts less than 30 minutes and is a dynamic and efficient bridge between two training modules. You can adapt it and reuse it as often as necessary, for example if your training course takes place over several days. Copy it onto the Board to use it several times.

Stepwise instructions

Use the Challenge Question feature to play. When the winner answers correctly, the Challenge question closes and no other answers are allowed. The winner is the person to win the Challenge question. It’s now their turn to ask a question.

The coach is the game master. They decide who goes first by adding the player’s photo in the first box. They then time the activity using the timer. They can increase the number of rounds to make the game more interesting. The more rounds there are, the more difficult the questions will be.

Use the template for both in-person or remote training courses

Use Klaxoon’s Board’s built-in videoconferencing tool to adapt this warm up, wherever the coach and learners are located. Sign into the Board at the same time and enable the videoconferencing feature for a better experience.

“The Match” warm up gives learners the opportunity to review items they are not sure of. It’s up to the coach to decide when all these notions have been covered. If you’re running out of ideas, you’ve probably covered all the training course’s topics. This activity can be added to the ready-to-use training course template.