More attention in seminars and workshops thanks to "interruptions"
Harald Gross is the inventor of "interruptions". The interventions ensure that participants in seminars and workshops stay "with it" and don't suddenly drift off. As a child, Harald Gross and his brother tested educational games from Ravensburger AG and learned anything but by playing. However, he began to develop his own learning strategies at an early age and later passed them on in seminars. In this interview, he personally introduces the concept of "interruptions".
Neuland: Harald Gross, what are interruptions?
Harald Gross: Interruptions are simple, short exercises that can be used to interrupt seminars and events and surprise participants. They get them going and do something crazy.
That sounds unusual. What do you achieve with it?
Breaks in the day bring fresh energy. Many of the breaks require participants to get up and move around. That's good, because most seminars and workshops involve far too much sitting. How can you move your mind if your body has to be still for hours on end? In addition, breaks to liven things up bring variety and fun into the work program. There is usually a lot of laughter. And that makes learning and working much easier. A lot of things become less tense.
Give us a practical example.
Imagine the following situation: Several groups present results. Group 1 is very attentive. Then it becomes increasingly restless. You can counteract this with the "change of position" interruption. You simply explain: "We have heard Group 2. Before team 3 starts, I'd like you all to stand up and change your seats. Please take a seat that you have not yet sat in today. But please note: you only have 30 seconds. Then everyone must be in their new position. Let's go!" Now there's momentum in the room. Then - with renewed attention - you can follow the next presentation.
Let's be honest: that sounds a bit ludicrous ...
(laughs). It certainly is. When I think about it, interruptions are nothing special; on bad days I even find them rather embarrassing and not serious enough for a book. My inner voice is very critical.
And yet you wrote the book.
Yes, because I don't just think about it in general terms. I am a practitioner and have been using interruptions in seminars and workshops for many years. Practice shows that it's worth doing something unusual in between. It keeps participants alert and focused - even over long distances. And it's more fun - for me too!
And how do participants respond to the breaks?
Most of them like them and enjoy them. Many are confused at first. It's important to explain well why we're interrupting for an experiment, doing breathing exercises, throwing balls or raw eggs. And especially at the beginning, it's advisable not to start with the exotic ones straight away.
Which interruptions would you describe as "exotic"?
Singing, for example. Almost two years ago, a participant encouraged me to sing in the seminar. It took me over a year before I had the courage to do it. I've been singing with groups ever since. For example, "Brother Jacob" in canon. It still takes a lot of effort. But when we sing, I'm surprised how much fun it is. Three or four beautiful minutes that bring a lot of liveliness and naturalness to the session!
You're beaming from ear to ear when you talk about it.
Yes! I'm really enthusiastic. And that's also a prerequisite for inspiring people to do unusual things in seminars and workshops.
Will the people who read the book succeed in doing the same?
Definitely. All 22 Munterbrechungen are described in detail and easy to understand and illustrated with lots of practical pictures. The most important thing is to choose interruptions that suit you, that you find exciting, good and thrilling. Because these are exactly the feelings they will radiate.
How did the interruptions come about?
They have many originators. I came across many exercises myself in courses. Some became "hits" as they were, others only through variations, many came about through experimentation. The motivation for the book came from a Berlin business student.
In a course at the Berlin School of Economics, she said at the beginning: "My name is Birgit and I'm actually always in a good mood, but not on a Saturday morning at 8.30 am. I'm curious to see how you manage to keep me going until 5.30 p.m. instead of me falling asleep straight away." Zack, she had honestly said what I'm sure many other students were thinking. And she encouraged me to think about what I could do as a lecturer to make it not quite so bad.
And what did you come up with?
There are many factors that ultimately lead to success. An exciting topic. Proven teaching methods. Teachers who enjoy their work. And a few interruptions in between ...
What did Birgit say?
Read it for yourself. The closing words of the book come from her ...
Interruption "Upside-down world"
This little experiment shows what happens when we look at the same thing from different perspectives. The participants sit in their seats. Everyone has a pen in their hand and leans back in their chair so that they can look up at the ceiling.
Task: Draw circles in the air
With the pencil held vertically in their hands with the tip pointing upwards, they draw an imaginary circle on the ceiling. As if there were a large station clock there, the outer frame of which they keep tracing clockwise.
While the learners continue to circle clockwise with the pencil, they are asked to slowly move the pencil downwards while continuing to hold the pencil vertically in front of them with the tip pointing upwards. First at forehead height, then at chin, chest and finally at stomach height, always continuing to circle in the same direction. Now ask the participants to check whether they are still circling in a clockwise direction...
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