Preface

HOW THIS BOOK GREW

This book, T he AMA T rainers ' A ctivity B ook , is the result of a collaboration between the American Management Association (AMA)'s book division, AMACOM, and its Seminar Division ”a request for learning exercises and training techniques used successfully by AMA's seminar leaders from throughout the United States and beyond. The collaboration resulted in a selection of 25 of the best activities, chosen for their high interest, business savvy, creative approach, and solid skill-building and knowledge-enhancing presentation. The wisdom and experience of each of the 25 activity authors are written into their learning exercises and instructional approaches.

Collecting and compiling the materials was itself an exercise in creativity. We simply asked each contributor for the best, most successful learning activity. We knew from seminar evaluations that the AMA course leaders are among the most insightful and skilled presenters in the business. We did not specify content ”only that the activity submitted be proven by its wide AMA seminar participants . What I received were materials reflecting the diverse and broad professional background of AMA's seminar leaders and materials demonstrating a variety of useful skills for learning in many different contexts.

My job was to make sense out of the body of information I received and to recast it in a useful format for AMACOM's readers. I chose to group the activities into five chapters:

1. Getting from Seminar to Workplace

2. Learning and Creativity

3. Communication and Connection

4. Influence, Compromise, and Problem Solving

5. Management and Leadership