A trainer entering a training room, apart from the task of delivering knowledge, faces a much greater challenge – constantly motivating participants to learn.

What is the foundation of MOTIVATION? The trainer’s relationship with the participant, the participant’s sense of safety, appreciation, and building bonds within the group.

So, without further delay, let’s move to practical tips. Below are suggestions for tools (techniques, exercises, methods) that build motivation for learning in groups of adults.

Building relations with participants

1. Use the participant’s first name from the very beginning when addressing them. You can familiarize yourself with the participant list beforehand, suggest placing name tags in a visible place, and above all, switch to informal forms of address, which makes communication easier.

2. Share your personal story connected with the training topic. This can be a story about a failure turned into success, or about a crisis that led to searching for a way out of a difficult situation. Such a story serves two purposes – it builds trust between the trainer and the group and fosters the relationship needed in the learning process. The risk of using this method is that more reserved participants may withdraw, fearing they are expected to show the same level of openness.

3. Pay attention to participants who are reluctant to engage in the learning process – they don’t speak up or participate in group discussions. Don’t put pressure on them; instead, invite them to work in pairs or smaller groups, so they have a safer space to express themselves.

4. At the beginning, collect information about participants’ expectations regarding the training and write them down in a visible place. This is important, but what matters even more is referring back to these expectations throughout the training. Linking back to what was noted during the first minutes of the meeting shows that needs are respected, and participants feel seen.

5. An icebreaker game: WHO IS WHO? Explore participants’ motivation by asking them to classify themselves as either “PRISONER” or “VOLUNTEER.” The game reveals their motivation (or lack thereof) for attending the training and reduces resistance by naming it. It also eases tension in the group and builds initial connections among participants.

“Pay attention to participants who are reluctant to engage in the learning process – they don’t speak up or participate in group discussions. Don’t put pressure on them; instead, invite them to work in pairs or smaller groups, so they have a safer space to express themselves.”

Safety

6. Ask the opening question: WHAT AM I HERE FOR? instead of the regressive “WHY AM I HERE?” Even the answer “I DON’T KNOW” makes this one of the most effective opening questions, as it triggers reflection.

7. Ask a transfer question: WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM THIS TRAINING? This shifts the participant’s focus to results in their everyday or professional life.

8. Ask participants about their expectations regarding the training content in relation to the trainer’s stated goals. Open questions such as: WHICH GOAL IS CLOSEST TO YOU? This has two effects: first, the participant becomes familiar with the goals (since they need to read through them to choose one), and second, it connects participants who share similar priorities.

9. REMINDING ABOUT TRAINING GOALS through a game. For example, ask participants to recall one or all training goals. This can take the form of a quiz where they reproduce the goals word-for-word (without looking at notes). This can be done at the end of the day or as an opener for the next session. The exercise mobilizes participants to revisit the goals, while also recreating the atmosphere of the first moments of the training, reigniting their initial motivation.

10. The multiple-question method, which digs “to the bottom” of motivation. In pairs, start with the question: WHAT WILL COMPLETING THIS TRAINING GIVE YOU? The next question deepens the answer: e.g., “Completing the training will help me change jobs.” – WHAT WILL CHANGING JOBS GIVE YOU? – “It will give me higher earnings.” – WHAT WILL HIGHER EARNINGS GIVE YOU? And so on. The exercise ends when the respondent feels they’ve reached their ultimate answer – their deepest motivation, often a sense of satisfaction, happiness, or living in alignment with oneself.

11. The trainer tells a JOKE or HUMOROUS STORY connected to the training topic. It may be an anecdote from another group or a joke directly linked to the subject.

Appreciation

12. Reward participants for speaking up, volunteering for an exercise, or being active. The reward can be applause, a personal thank you by name, or encouraging the group to acknowledge them with a cheer or a previously agreed-upon gesture.

13. Refer back to participants’ contributions during the training, while crediting the author. Be careful not to “overdose” by only referring to the most active people, which may discourage quieter ones. Even recalling a funny gesture or word that resonated with the group can be equally effective.

14. Encourage participants to speak while standing. This helps them overcome resistance and increases their sense of involvement. In small groups, it may feel artificial, but in larger ones, avoiding speaking up can become a form of self-protection, so this technique can gently push participants to engage.

Building group bonds

15. Appreciate participants for following group-agreed rules, such as punctuality or wearing name tags. The benefit of this method is that it builds a sense of belonging to the group through simple behaviors. A secondary effect is an increased sense of safety within the group, which enhances positive attitudes and motivation to stay engaged in the training space.

16. RITUALS created together by the group. These can include greetings, closing rituals, welcoming the trainer, or signals of agreement (gestures or collective shouts). Though this technique resembles anchoring from NLP, its main benefit is building group cohesion – invaluable for strengthening motivation to learn.

17. Pair or small-group exercises that give participants the chance to get to know each other and build trust.

The source of the exercises and techniques is my own practice and the trainings provided by the ERASMUS + program (Emotional Intelligence, Event Wise).

This article was produced as a result of the “Competence Improvement Program”, implemented by the Innovation Development Foundation.

Project is co-financed by the European Union Erasmus + (Action 1 Educational Mobility, Mobility of Adult Education Staff, Agreement number 2016-1-PL01-KA104-025815).

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.