Mel Silberman, Ph.D. is former Professor of Adult and Organizational Development at Temple University, where he received?the Great Teacher Award. He is also president of Active Training, Princeton, NJ, a consulting firm that provides courses on active training techniques, interpersonal intelligence, and team facilitation. Dr. Silberman is a graduate of Brandeis University and holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Chicago. He is the author and editor of over 30 books, including Active Training 2e?(Pfeiffer, 1998), 101 Ways to Make Training Active (Pfeiffer, 1998), and The Consultant's Tool Kit (McGraw-Hill, 2002). He is?a member of American Society of Training and Development's (ASTD)?Hall of Fame, and a regular conference speaker for ASTD and the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI).

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• Preface ixAcknowledgments xiiiForeword xvIntroduction 1Chapter One: Getting Acquainted 111. Alphabetical Circle: A Fun Way to Learn Names and a Lot More 122. Group Résumé: Who We Are Collectively 143. Things We Have in Common: Getting to Know You 164. Predictions: Making Guesses About Co-Participants 185. Introductory Go-Arounds: Brief Self-Disclosures 206. What’s in a Name? My Story 22Chapter Two: Communication 257. Communication Tokens: An Awareness Exercise 268. Direct Communication: You Write the Scripts 289. Explaining Something Complicated: Avoiding Information Dumps 3010. Obtaining Participation: Using Different Formats 34Chapter Three: Assertive Behavior 4111. Concerns About Confronting Employees: Overcoming the Anxiety 4212. Assertive Starters: Ways to Begin an Assertive Message 4613. Non-Verbal Persuasion: Assessing Its Impact 5014. Refusing Unwanted Requests: Practicing Saying No 5215. Stating Complaints and Requesting Change: Skill Practice 56Chapter Four: Influencing Others 5916. Alligator River: Looking at People with Different Glasses 6017. Question First: The Best Way to Overcome Resistance 6518. Influencing Others: Four Role-Play Scenarios 6819. Getting Your Foot in the Door: Avoiding Rejection 72Chapter Five: Conflict and Negotiation 7520. Views of Conflict: A Word Association Game 7621. What You Bring to Conflict Situations: Experiencing Different Styles 7922. The Ten-Thousand-Dollar Challenge: Working Through a Conflict 8523. Role Reversal: Arguing the Flip Side 8924. Rating Methods to Deal with Conflict: Yours and Theirs 9225. Breaking a Stalemate: Steps to Move Forward 95Chapter Six: Creativity and Problem Solving 9926. Getting Ready for Brainstorming: Creative Warm-Ups 10027. Part Changing: Demonstrating a Technique to Increase Creativity 10528. Brainwriting: An Alternative to Generating Ideas Verbally 10829. Inspired Cut-Outs: Freeing the Mind 11030. Wearing Someone Else’s Shoes: Taking a Different Perspective 11331. Making Decisions After Brainstorming: Narrowing the Options 116Chapter Seven: Diversity 11932. Being in the Minority: Simulating an Everyday Reality 12033. I’ve Been Curious: Questions I Have Been Afraid to Ask 12434. Setting the Record Straight: Things About Me and Others Like Me 12735. Unlocking Memories: Self-Disclosures in a Diverse Group 130Chapter Eight: Facilitating Teams 13336. Multi-Voting: A Constructive Way to Make Decisions 13437. Rotating Facilitators: Practicing Effective Facilitation 13738. Card Exchange: A Unique Way to Stimulate Discussion 14239. The Problem with Majority Voting: A Double Whammy 14540. Changing the Rules: Altering Group Process 14841. Removing Egos: A Tool for Team Facilitators 151Chapter Nine: Exchanging Feedback 15542. Animal Metaphors: An Exercise in Obtaining Honest Feedback 15643. Giving Effective Feedback: Wheaties Over Donuts 16344. Judging the Impact of Words: Applications to Giving Feedback 16845. When Asking for or Giving Feedback Is Challenging: Your Advice 173Chapter Ten: Leadership 17746. The Window Shade: Depicting Different Approaches to Decision Making 17847. Mirroring: Experiencing the Joys and Tribulations of Being a Leader 18148. Going Outside Comfort Zones: Brief Exercises in Change 18549. Changes You Would Make: Dreaming Beyond the Status Quo 190Chapter Eleven: Teaching and Coaching Employees 19550. Making Butterflies: It’s Not What You Say That Counts 19651. Brain-Friendly Teaching: Using Four Key Principles 20252. Building Skills Through Role Plays: You Have Options 20853. The Components of Effective Coaching: Observing the Process 21854. Show But Not Tell: Upping the Stakes 218Chapter Twelve: Understanding Others 22155. Avoiding Labels: Interpreting Behavior Objectively 22256. Be Curious, Not Furious: Five Ways to Understand Others 22757. Comparing Yourself to Others: Looking for Differences and Similarities 23158. The Three C’s: What Makes People Difficult 234Chapter Thirteen: Sales and Customer Service 23959. A Convincing Sales Presentation: Warm-up Practice 24060. Dissatisfied Customers: How to Win Them Over 24361. To Consult or Not Consult: Assessing Your Selling Style 24862. Your Company’s Sales Philosophy: How Do You Treat Customers? 251Chapter Fourteen: Team Building 25563. The Stages of Team Development: A Card Sorting Activity 25664. Television Commercial: An Unusual Team-Building Activity 26265. Creative House Building: An Exercise in Teamwork 26466. Fishbowl Meeting: Observing Group Process 26667. Making Paper Cups: Simulating a Learning Organization 26968. Are You a Team Player? Things Team Players Do 27469. Paper Airplanes: The Power of Collaboration 278Chapter Fifteen: Train the Trainer 28170. Active Vacations: Topics Versus Objectives 28271. Design Challenges: Planning How to Achieve Training Objectives 28672. Energizers: Ways to Wake Up or Relax a Training Group 28973. Has This Ever Happened to You? Making Team Learning Work 29274. Training Styles: Three Continua 29675. You Have Many Options: Increasing Your Training Repertoire 298About the Author 301