Special Case: Closing Activities

Do you recall in chapter 4 when special needs for opening activities were discussed? Closing activities need the same amount of special attention because of the opportunity to wrap up all the loose ends and because the closing will be the last thing the learners remember.

Just as in opening activities, the length of your closing activity depends on the length of the course itself. For a four-hour course, your closing activity might take 15 minutes; for a weeklong course, it might take two hours. A good closing activity has the following goals:

• Review and summarize the main points of the course content.

• Emphasize the most important content points.

• Point out learners’ progress since the course’s beginning.

• Address any “parking lot” issues or questions that remain.

• Begin the task of transfer by focusing on back-on-the-job application of the skills in the activities and discussions.

• Complete administrative work: evaluations, addresses (if you will be sending the participants follow-up material), and a business card exchange if appropriate.

Never cut short or rush your closing activity! If you must adjust on the fly, do it earlier in the course. If the learners don’t get the full experience of your closing activity, what they remember is being rushed or the feeling that something was missing. In particular, your opportunities to support job application and skill transfer will be lost.

Think About This

Opening and closing activities must meet the requirements for good learning activities in general: alignment with the course learning objectives and use of techniques that support varied learning preferences and styles. The course closing is your last opportunity to personalize your facilitation by leaving the learners with a story, object lesson, visual, or some other technique that will make the course memorable and meaningful to them—and to you—and to tie up the learning with a big ribbon!