What's Happening

By Annika Shore, MPH | December 16, 2014

My work as a professional development consultant at ETR focuses on developing the knowledge and skills of people in the field of adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Our goal? To collectively enhance the health and well-being of young people.

When I think back on the most powerful moments of my career, they all share one thing in common: they were moments when young people and adults worked closely together for a shared goal. Some of those moments occurred when I was the young person, working with mentors in a health education program. Some were more recent, when, as an adult professional, I joined with youth to co-plan conferences or workshops.

By Debra Christopher, MSM | December 10, 2014

This activity was developed as a closing activity for participants attending last September’s Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) Training Crafting Trainings That Work for All Adult Learners. We got so many positive comments about it, we wanted to share it here.

By Erin Fogarty, PhD cand, and Ryan Erbe, PhD cand | October 21, 2014

Here’s an energizer that was used with great success at the 2014 American School Health Association conference this month. The entire closing general session was revitalized with this one, so give it a try when your training needs an energy boost. 

By Stephanie Guinosso, MPH

This year I had the pleasure of developing a new workshop on a topic near and dear to my heart—fostering resiliency among vulnerable populations of youth. For this workshop to deliver a powerful impact, I had to tap into these experiences, guide participants to acknowledge and question their subtle assumptions, and reinvigorate their attitudes toward the topic. To do that, I had to gain their trust. Only then could they draw from their internal motivation to make use of the research and best practice.

By Debra Christopher, MSM

Breaking a full participant group into small groups to work collectively on a learning activity is a savvy (and brain-friendly) strategy for increasing participant learning. Here are some clever grouping ideas that can make your trainings and presentations more dynamic and engaging.

By Debra Christopher, MSM

If you deliver trainings or presentations, the tips in this ongoing column can help make your trainings more dynamic, engaging and effective. Try them and let us know what you think! This month, learn about using "Pocket Talk" for introductions, team-building or priming participants for the upcoming workshop.

By Debra Christopher, MSM

If you deliver trainings or presentations, the tips in this ongoing column can help make your trainings more dynamic, engaging and effective. "Quotables" is an exercise you can use to introduce a topic, do team-building or invite participants to share something about their own perspectives or experiences.

By Patricia A. Lauer, PhD

While there are numerous publications and guidance documents on effective training, the literature on effective delivery of technical assistance (TA) is sparse. To address this void, ETR’s Professional Development team recently conducted a focus group of ETR staffers who are experienced TA providers. We also searched the Internet for information on how organizations can provide technical assistance to clients that will result in positive outcomes.