The best training activities for adults are short, relevant, and meaningful as they relate to the work process. This article offers 20 tips for conducting live sessions either face-to-face or via video. The tips include icebreakers, discussions, practice, and reviews. Each tip provides instructions on how to conduct it. The article ends with a table that indicates the time, number of participants, and application of each activity.
New trainers always ask for entertaining games first. However, adults judge activities by only one criterion: Does it help me in my job? All activities provided in this article are therefore based on a work-related purpose and not a gimmick. If you conduct instructor-led classes, the tips provided will also help you to adapt your classroom environment and equipment.
What makes training activities for adults work?
Good adult training activities have three characteristics. These relate to the learning objective, make use of learners’ prior knowledge, and provide feedback in time when learners can still use it.
These characteristics correspond to the well-known principles of andragogy. They are listed by Michigan State University in its andragogy definition. Adults should understand the reasons behind their training. They possess experience, and they are problem-oriented. Moreover, the same page warns that adults are not always self-directed and motivated, thus, do not assume that they are.
Three questions may help you assess your training activities before you conduct them:
- Why is this important? Can you formulate the work reason in one sentence?
- What do they know already? Does the task incorporate their experience?
- How will they get feedback? Is it going to be provided by their peers, a trainer or a checklist?
Treat Knowles’ ideas not as the laws, but as the guidelines. If the training activity fails to answer the first question, discard it or reformulate. The shorter session with more efficient training activities is better than the busy one.
What does the research say about active learning?
Active learning is supported by research. In 2014, Freeman and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of 225 experiments with undergraduate science and math courses. Test scores improved by 6% in conditions of active learning. Failure rate was 1.5 times higher in traditional lectures. The results were most significant in small groups of up to 50 people.
Be aware of limitations. This was college STEM education, not business training. Also, the study is outdated. But it provides a good reason for one small change, less talking and more learner activities.
Training decks tend to promote another idea, that we remember 10% of what we read and 90% of what we do. There is no evidence for this statement. In 2009, a paper published in the American Society for Engineering Education linked the claim to an unreferenced 1967 trade magazine article. The author could find no evidence of those numbers. He did not say that active learning is useless either. So forget the pyramid. Use credible sources.
A lot of times, adult learners verify their claims via mobile devices. An erroneous statistic on slide number two can affect your credibility for the rest of the day. Use one credible source and describe its coverage period.
Which opening training activities for adults work best?
Openers have to justify their time. Adult participants dislike mandatory fun games, so pick something appropriate to your topic. They all take less than 10 minutes to perform.
1. Expectations wall
Provide the participants with some sticky notes. Pose a question: “Which work-related issue do you want to solve today?” Read out topics and which ones you will cover. This answers why they are here right from the beginning. On virtual platforms, use a joint whiteboard.
2. Experience line-up
Ask learners to position themselves in a line based on their experience on the topic. Ask the person at the far left and far right to exchange one tip and one question each. In this way, you highlight expertise from the very beginning and create peer assistance opportunities later. In virtual environment use poll and breakout pairs.
3. Quiz of prior knowledge
Use three to five questions related to the topic, without giving any score points. Learners can give responses on paper or in a poll. Then disclose the answers and get responses on anything that was surprising for them. In that way, you can know where to invest your time. It will also improve recall, since testing improves the retention rate of information. As Roediger and Karpicke found in the 2006 research, students recalling test results remembered things better after the delay than those who were engaged only in restudy.
4. Problem of the day
Start the session with a messy practical work-related problem, such as late delivery or angry clients. Have pairs make notes of the solutions and put them into parking spots on the flip chart. Revisit this problem in the end of session and review it with learners.
Which discussion activities get adults talking?
Discussion works when the question is specific and the group size is small. Open questions like “any thoughts?” mostly produce silence. These six activities give people a structure.
5. Think-pair-share
Pose a question. Give learners one minute of individual reflection, three minutes of paired discussion, then solicit some answers from the class. It is fast and effective regardless of class size. Quiet learners have an opportunity to speak.
6. Case study analysis
Give practical cases to small groups, where a conclusion is reached in the end. Let each group reach a consensus on the occurrences in the case, the problems encountered, and what should be done. Compare the results of all groups. Provide the cases from the same industry as the learners.
7. Jigsaw groups
Split the content into four parts. Each learner joins an “expert group” that studies one part. Then learners return to mixed groups and teach their part to the others. This works well for complex content, like information regarding policies or products. This is because everybody has to teach.
8. Fishbowl discussion
Have between four to six students sit around a circle and discuss the topic while everyone else sits around them and observes. Ten minutes later, you switch the roles. It works very well with controversial issues since it makes you slow down the discussion
9. Take a stand
Put “agree” and “disagree” cards at either side of the classroom. You then give a statement to the learners, and they position themselves depending on where they stand in terms of the statement. Moving builds energy after a long talk. Online, use a poll and ask people to explain their vote.
10. Gallery walk
Each group writes its responses on flip chart sheets and posts them on the walls. The groups then move around and add their comments in a different color. Finally, each group reads the comments written on its sheet.
Which practice activities build real skills?
Knowledge is transformed into skills through practice. This process takes more time, but this is where the real value lies. The 2025 Industry Report by Training magazine forecasts growth of in-person training in management (24%), interpersonal skills (21%) and executive development (20%). These are the skills which require practice with others.
11. Role-play
Form learner groups of three people: Two perform the role-play, and the other person observes using the checklist provided. The exercise lasts five minutes, followed by feedback; thereafter, the process is rotated. Assign each role a brief and a goal to achieve. This approach can be applied in sales calls, coaching, and customer service.
12. Scenario simulation
Create a short scenario whereby students will make a number of choices. Each decision affects what will follow next. Students debate and make a decision before revealing the consequence of that decision. This game is good for safety, compliance, and management issues. Card printouts or slides will be adequate. No software required.
13. Tell-show-do
Start with describing the task within two minutes. Further, demonstrate the process step by step. Instruct learners to do the task while you observe and provide immediate feedback. This approach can be used for computer programming, machinery and other practical processes. Restrict the number of learners in each group.
14. Peer teach-back
Have each learner explain one point to a partner within three minutes without any visuals. Then, the partner asks one question. Verbal explanation of the material reveals problems right away and is best done at the end of a content unit.
15. Action learning on a real problem
Form teams of four to six. Each team takes a real problem from one member’s job. The team asks questions for 15 minutes before it offers any advice. Then the owner chooses one action to try. This gives adults immediate value from the session. However, it needs a confident facilitator who keeps advice from coming too early.
If your team shares trainers, classrooms and equipment among different courses, then resource management tool will prevent any clash.
Which review activities help learning stick?
Review is the section that trainers tend to skip when there’s not enough time left. Don’t skip it. All five of these exercises will only take a couple of minutes each.
16. Team quiz game
Put students into teams and give them a short quiz about the current lesson’s material. Provide some kind of reward or just let them boast about their achievements. The idea is to test memory, not compete. The questions should require a brief answer, not selection from choices. It’s much more beneficial for memory development to retrieve information than read it again.
17. Muddiest point
Distribute index cards. Tell learners to write down what they don’t understand. Gather the cards and address the top two or three issues. It takes five minutes. This also gives you an idea of what to cover in the next class.
18. Action plan
Each learner must write down one thing that they will do within the coming week, together with its first step. A concrete plan, for example, “to run the team meeting using the new agenda on Monday”, is better than a general one. It is important to capture the picture of each plan with consent.
19. Buddy check-in
Pair up students at the end and have them schedule a five-minute call within two weeks. In the call, every individual reports his action plan. This will ensure accountability in an almost no-cost way to you. Just give a simple prompt: “What did you do? What happened? What next?”
20. One-minute summary
Let each individual come up with the central point of the discussion in just one minute. They can exchange and complete their summary in pairs. It is a clean way to close and gives you a final check on understanding.
Review activities are also your evidence of impact. Clients want to know the course worked. The muddiest-point cards, action plans and check-in calls give you real examples to share, without a long survey.
How do the 20 training activities for adults compare?
In the following table, the twenty activities suitable for adults have been evaluated on the basis of time, group size, online suitability, and best usage. The values given in the table are purely editorial estimates for a regular session.
| # | Activity | Time | Group size | Works online? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Expectations wall | 5 to 10 min | Any | Yes | Setting goals |
| 2 | Experience line-up | 5 to 10 min | 8 to 30 | Partly | Mixed experience |
| 3 | Prior-knowledge quiz | 5 to 10 min | Any | Yes | Starting point check |
| 4 | Problem of the day | 10 min | Any | Yes | Linking to work |
| 5 | Think-pair-share | 5 to 10 min | Any | Yes | Quiet groups |
| 6 | Case study analysis | 20 to 30 min | Teams of 4 to 6 | Yes | Judgment and decisions |
| 7 | Jigsaw groups | 30 to 40 min | 12 to 30 | Yes | Dense content |
| 8 | Fishbowl discussion | 20 to 30 min | 10 to 25 | Partly | Sensitive topics |
| 9 | Take a stand | 10 to 15 min | 8 to 30 | Partly | Opinions and ethics |
| 10 | Gallery walk | 15 to 25 min | 8 to 30 | Partly | Sharing group output |
| 11 | Role-play | 20 to 40 min | Groups of 3 | Yes | Conversation skills |
| 12 | Scenario simulation | 30 to 45 min | 6 to 24 | Yes | Decisions under pressure |
| 13 | Tell-show-do | 20 to 40 min | Pairs or small groups | Partly | Hands-on skills |
| 14 | Peer teach-back | 15 to 30 min | Pairs | Yes | Reinforcing a point |
| 15 | Action learning | 45 to 60 min | Teams of 4 to 6 | Yes | Real work problems |
| 16 | Team quiz game | 10 to 15 min | Any | Yes | Recall |
| 17 | Muddiest point | 3 to 5 min | Any | Yes | Finding gaps |
| 18 | Action plan | 5 to 10 min | Any | Yes | Transfer to work |
| 19 | Buddy check-in | 5 min plus a call | Pairs | Yes | Follow-through |
| 20 | One-minute summary | 5 min | Any | Yes | Closing recap |
In the case of live sessions, create breakout groups, polls, and a white board prior to the commencement of the session. A virtual instructor-led training system can manage registration and attendance, freeing your time for facilitating sessions.
The pattern is very clear now. Short, whole class activities can be used anywhere. Long activities bring the maximum benefit, though requiring more time and preparation. So each session should be based on one long activity, combined with two or three shorter ones.
How do you choose training activities for adults?
Four questions should be asked in the following order:
- What are the learners expected to do after the lesson? If the answer is skills, choose the practice activity. If it is judgments, choose discussion.
- How much time do you have? Have one extended activity per half day maximum, filling rest of time with short activities.
- How big is your group, and where are they? Large groups require team structure. Groups in virtual setting require preparation of technology in advance.
- How experienced and confident are the learners? Begin with low risk activities like think-pair-share, moving to role play gradually.
As a general rule, change what learners are doing every 20-30 minutes. This is just a guideline, not a research-based recommendation. Conduct the activities in the following format: brief, conduct and debrief. Mention the purpose, steps, duration and outcome during brief. Wander around the learners when they are doing something. Then, ask three questions: What happened? Why does it matter? What will you do differently?
What should you do next?
Select your next live session and select one of these adult training activities from each set: an icebreaker, a practice activity and a review. Write down the time, room setup, and equipment needed for each one. Then conduct the session and collect muddiest point cards.
If you run many sessions, tracking rooms, trainers and equipment gets harder as activities get richer. A blended learning approach can also move some content to pre-work, which frees live time for practice.
SimpliTrain is our own platform for training providers. It includes scheduling, instructor management, and resource management all in one place. If you offer instructor-led classes, see how it can help training providers, or learn about our instructor-led training system.
FAQs
1. What is the difference between training activity and training method?
Training method is an entire method, like a seminar, lecture, or e-learning course. Training activity is an individual task within that method, like case study or role-play. To put it differently, the method defines the format, and the activities define what the learner is supposed to do in it.
2. What if adult learners resist activities?
Purpose of the activity should be explained beforehand and should begin with activities with lower risks, like think-pair-share activity. People should be given the choice of selecting a role which can even include being an observer. First few activities should be kept shorter and should not be juvenile.
3. How can one adapt activities for larger groups?
Break down participants into teams that comprise from four to six people, giving each team a specific role to play (scribe, time keeper and reporter). Conduct polls to get information from all groups in the room. Request only several teams to present their work, not all. Consider adding one more facilitator or a table leader when number of participants exceeds 30.
4. How can one know whether the activity works?
Look at the result intended to be achieved via the activity in question. In case of practice exercises use the checklist from an observer. For review exercises check the results of tests and muddiest point cards and, then after two to four weeks check the skill use by participants in their working environment.
5. How do you engage adult learners after lunch?
Move from sitting and listening to action. Begin the afternoon with a brief activity like Take a Stand or Quiz the Team. Keep your input blocks short. Include movement, change group sizes, and pack the densest material in the morning when possible.
6. Can you use these activities for compliance training?
Yes. Compliance topics lend themselves very well to case studies and scenario simulations, since they give learners practice applying a rule to an actual situation. Include a short knowledge check for documentation purposes. Be sure your scenarios reflect the policy accurately, and get them approved by a subject matter expert.
