Details about LECTURE GAMES

What is a lecture game?

A lecture game combines aspects of the traditional lecture with those of a training game. All lecture games share these features:

It is a lecture. It links a presenter with an audience through the oral delivery of the content.
It is active. Unlike the traditional lecture, a lecture game requires active participation from the audience.
It is interactive. Members of the audience are encouraged-and required-to talk to each other and to the presenter.
It is a two-way process. Lecture games involve frequent feedback from the presenter and from the participants.
It is safe. Unlike some other experiential approaches, the instructor remains in complete control during the play of the lecture game.
It has proven worth. Studies in cognitive science provide solid research support for the effectiveness and efficiency of the lecture game in ensuring recall and application of the content.

Just about any topic, including

Informational content such as basic computer terminology or new-employee orientation
Procedural content such as how to draw a flowchart or how to specify an objective
Conceptual content such as management styles or problem categories
Principles and rules such as lateral-thinking principles or rules for reducing waste
Interpersonal content such as active listening or handling unwanted sexual advances

Lecture games permit the instructor to control the amount of time. They add anywhere from 10 to 100 percent more time to an equivalent lecture.

Any number can participate in a lecture game. We have used them with groups as small as three and as large as 300.

TEAM QUIZ lecture, in which a data dump is interrupted by frequent quiz sessions.
TEAM WORK lecture, in which participants work with others who have complementary skills.
ROLE-PLAY lecture, in which the instructor conducts a spontaneous role-play to illustrate interpersonal concepts.
JOB AID lecture, in which the instructor demonstrates a job aid and follows up with application exercises.
BRAINSTORM lecture, in which the participants generate ideas and the instructor fills in the gaps.
BINGO lecture, in which partners cover the squares of a bingo card with correct answers to interspersed questions.
DEBRIEFING lecture, in which the instructor conducts an experiential activity and debriefs the participants.
EG HUNT lecture, in which the instructor explains different concepts and the participants generate specific examples.