I recently enjoyed visiting Mt. Shasta, California for the first time. With a group of friends, I explored the natural wonders of this enchanting place, and on one of our excursions, stumbled upon the biggest leaves I had ever seen.
As a speaker on customer service, I often use unusual props and fun exercises to make my workshops more entertaining and illustrate important points (For instance, I’ve been known to use tiaras, mink stoles, Elvis glasses, Chinese take-out containers, red wigs and security shirts. So of course, I saw tremendous possibilities in these larger-than-life leaves.
The picture above tells the rest of the story…well, almost. I often find gems of wisdom, even in the smallest things of life, so there is actually more to the story. In the photo, you find me, the proud inventor of the latest in Leaf Hats and my friend, who wanted no part of the silliness. As she continued to protest adamently, a friend of ours came from behind and plopped one on her unsuspecting head. Lo and behold, she loved it! It was exactly what she needed to shed a little light and laughter on her day.
The moral of the story is not simply that using props heightens our learning experiences and improves retention. It also demonstrates to me the importance of keeping an open mind when it comes to new discoveries and ideas and serendipitous events. If we had been presented with the option of making Leaf Hats before our trip, most of us would have rolled our eyes and politely declined. And yet, it was one of the highlights of the trip. Have you ever shot down an idea before you even tried it, because your knee-jerk reaction was “That’s preposterous!”? The next time an automatic “No” springs to your lips, take a second to remember the story of the Leaf Hats and reconsider the lesson they teach us. For after all, props are powerful learning tools, you know!
