Pick one for me
If you cannot decide, this chooses one prompt from the 48 on this page.
All 48 prompts
Each line works on its own. Read the group heading to choose by situation rather than by topic.
After lunch
Use in the first ten minutes after a meal break, when the room is warm and attention is low. Give people a quick task for their hands or a fast decision, not more listening.
- Paper tower: Pairs get one sheet of A4 and 90 seconds to make the tallest shape that stands on its own, with no tape. Compare heights against a pen.
- Four letters on the wall: Ask a multiple-choice question on the morning’s content, with A to D on four walls. People point to a letter, walk to it or hold up a card.
- Sixty-second list: Tables have 60 seconds to list every way a task from this morning could go wrong. Count the lists, then fix the most likely one together.
- Odd one out: Show four terms from the morning. Tables pick the odd one out and give a reason. Any answer with a sound reason counts.
- Sketch, no words: Each person sketches the morning’s main idea in 30 seconds, no words. Neighbours guess what it shows. Showing it is optional.
- Wrong answers only: Ask a simple question on the content. Tables give the most tempting wrong answer, then the right one and why the wrong one tempts.
A long online block
Use after 45 to 60 minutes on a video call. Give eyes a break from the screen and give hands something to type. Cameras stay optional throughout.
- Far focus: Everyone looks at the farthest point they can see for 20 seconds, then types a guess of the distance in metres. Do not ask what they saw.
- Hold until three: Ask a one-word question. Everyone types an answer but waits. On “three”, all press Enter together. Read the spread aloud.
- Mark the slide: Share a dense slide and switch on annotation. Each person stamps the one spot they would like explained again. Explain the busiest spot.
- Screen-off minute: Say: “Cameras off and microphones muted for sixty seconds. Rest your eyes or refill your water.” Show a countdown and stay on screen.
- Five-word summary: Send pairs to breakout rooms for two minutes to agree a five-word summary of the last half hour. Each pair posts it in the chat.
- Guess the poll: Run a one-question poll. Before the result, everyone types the share they expect for the top answer. Reveal and compare.
Before a hard topic
Use before a demanding or sensitive module, such as a policy change, a feedback practice or a difficult procedure. Focus attention and lower the stakes without asking anyone about themselves.
- Sixty seconds of quiet: Say: “One minute of quiet before we start. Eyes open or closed, as you like. Then write one question you bring to this topic.” Collect nothing.
- Jargon check: Show five terms from the next module. Each person privately marks each 1, 2 or 3 for how well they could explain it. Poll anonymously on the hardest.
- Two headlines: Tables write the trade-magazine headline if this change went badly, then the one if it went well. Read both aloud.
- Pick two ground rules: Show six ground rules for the next hour. Each person votes for two with a pen mark or a poll. Put the top two on the wall.
- Questions in the box: Everyone writes one question about the topic on a card, unsigned, and folds it into a box. Draw three and say when each will be answered.
- Myth or fact: Read three statements about the topic. Tables decide myth or fact and hold up a card. Reveal each answer with its source.
Between modules
Use at the join between two modules. Close the last one with a quick action and open the next one on a fresh page.
- Bridge sentence: Each table completes: “The last module was about …, so the next one will need …”. Read two sentences aloud.
- Pick a metaphor: Show six objects: a kettle, a map, a ladder, a key, an umbrella and a sieve. Tables pick the one that best explains the last module and say why in one sentence.
- Clear the desk: Everyone puts away the last module’s papers and tabs, takes a fresh page and writes the next module’s title at the top.
- Three-pile sort: Give each table six cards with the key points of the last module. Sort them into “use this week”, “use later” and “check with my manager”.
- Twenty-second teach-back: In pairs, each person explains one idea from the last module in 20 seconds. The partner replies with one word they will remember. Passing is fine.
- Steps in order: Show the steps of a process from the last module, shuffled. Tables write the right order. The first correct table reads it out.
Quick resets, two minutes or less
Use when attention fades in the middle of a module and you cannot stop for long. Each takes one or two minutes and needs little or nothing.
- Stand or sit back: Say: “Thirty seconds to stand, stretch or simply sit back. Your choice.” Count down aloud. Nobody comments on who stands.
- Spot three changes: Show a slide for ten seconds, then a copy with three small changes: a word, a number and the position of a heading. The group names the changes.
- Alphabet sprint: Tables have 90 seconds to name a term from today for as many letters from A to Z as they can. Count the letters covered.
- Half a sentence: Say the first half of a definition from today and stop. Anyone calls out or types the rest. Repeat with two more definitions.
- Air and water: Open a window or the door, raise the blinds and invite people to refill their water. Restart after one minute.
- Silent ranking: Show four options, such as four ways to tell a client about a delay. Each person ranks them privately in 30 seconds, then compares with a neighbour.
Review with energy
Use when you want the reset to do review work as well. These are short quizzes and sorting tasks on what the group has just learned. Nobody is scored as a person.
- Swap the quiz: Each table writes three quiz questions on the session so far and swaps them with another table. Answer, swap back and mark.
- Answer first: Give an answer, such as “within 24 hours”. Tables write the question from today’s content that it answers. Compare the questions.
- True, false or it depends: Read four statements. Everyone holds up a card or types T, F or D. Ask one “it depends” to say what it depends on, or move on if they pass.
- Find the three errors: Show a filled example with three planted mistakes. Tables have two minutes to find them. Reveal and explain each one.
- Definition grid: Each person has a grid of nine terms, three by three. Read definitions in any order. People tick the matching term. The first full line calls “line”.
- Five-step checklist: Tables have three minutes to write a five-step checklist for a task from today. Compare with your own list and note what each table added.
Large or hybrid groups
Use with 25 to 40 people, or with some people in the room and some online. Everyone answers at once, in a way that both the room and the screen can see.
- Fingers for numbers: Ask a question with an answer from 0 to 5. Everyone holds up fingers or types the number. Describe the spread aloud.
- Table race: Each table or breakout room is a team. Ask five quick questions. Teams write each answer on a card and show it, or post it in the chat.
- Remote asks the room: Remote participants ask the room one quiz question on today’s content. Tables answer on paper. Then the room asks the remote group one question back.
- One-word cloud: Everyone submits one word for the most useful idea so far, by poll or sticky note. Read out the three most frequent words.
- Random table: Number the tables and breakout rooms. Roll a die or show a random number. That team has 30 seconds to agree an answer to a content question, or passes it on.
- Five in an office: Teams have two minutes to list five examples of today’s concept in an ordinary, fictional office. Read the most unusual example from each team.
Late afternoon
Use in the last third of a long day, before the final module. Change the format or hand the group a choice. To end the day, use a closing activity instead.
- Talk walk or talk seated: Pairs discuss one question about the next task for four minutes. Pairs who want to may walk the corridor. Others stay seated.
- Rename the module: Tables give the afternoon’s module a more useful title in under eight words. Vote for the best one and use it on the next slide.
- Parking check: Read the open questions on the parking board. Each person ticks the ones they also want answered. Answer the top two now.
- Hundred-word case: Read a fictional work problem of about 100 words. Tables have three minutes to agree the first step, using a tool from today.
- Which tool fits: Give each table eight short fictional situations on cards. Sort them by the tool from the course that fits each one best.
- Choose the next format: Offer two ways to run the next exercise, such as pairs or tables, paper or discussion. The group votes by hands or poll. Run the winner.
Choose an energizer by situation
Find the situation first, then start with the suggested card. Card numbers run from 1 to 48 in the order of the groups on this page.
| Situation | Cards | Signs you need one | Start with |
|---|---|---|---|
| After lunch | 1–6 | Slow answers, heavy eyes, people checking phones in the first 15 minutes after a meal. | Card 1 with paper on the tables, or card 4 with nothing. |
| A long online block | 7–12 | More cameras off than at the start, slow chat, an hour or more since the last pause. | Card 7 for one minute, or card 11 if you have breakout rooms. |
| Before a hard topic | 13–18 | The next module is demanding, unwelcome or sensitive, and the room is tense or flat. | Card 13, then card 17 if you want the questions first. |
| Between modules | 19–24 | The last module ended and the next starts with a new tool or topic. | Card 21 for one minute, or card 22 to sort what was learned. |
| Quick resets, two minutes or less | 25–30 | Attention drops in the middle of a module and you cannot stop for long. | Card 25, or card 28 if you want it to be about the content. |
| Review with energy | 31–36 | You want a pause that also checks what has stuck. | Card 33 with cards ready, or card 32 with paper only. |
| Large or hybrid groups | 37–42 | 25 to 40 people, or a room plus a remote group on a screen. | Card 37, or card 41 to bring both groups in. |
| Late afternoon | 43–48 | The last third of a long day, before the final module. | Card 48 to hand the group a choice, or card 43. |
Energizer ground rules
Six rules that every energizer on this page keeps. They make each one work for people who cannot or prefer not to move, speak up or share.
| Rule | What you say | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Seated is the default | “Everything in the next few minutes works sitting down. Moving is optional.” | Nobody has to stand, walk or reach. Whoever moves and whoever stays seated is never named. |
| Nobody touches anyone | “You work with your own pen, paper or screen.” | No hand-holding, no passing objects round a circle, no physical contact of any kind. |
| Nobody performs alone | “Answers come from tables, pairs or the whole group at once.” | No singing, acting or speaking alone in front of the room. A spokesperson is a volunteer. |
| Nothing personal | “It is about the content, not about you.” | No questions on private life, health, background or feelings. Rating your own knowledge stays private or anonymous. |
| Passing is fine | “If you would rather watch this one, that is fine.” | A pass needs no reason. Do not call on someone again after a pass. |
| Short, and linked back | “Three minutes, then back to the module.” | Stop on time. Say in one sentence how the reset connects to what comes next. |
All 48 energizers at a glance
Every card with its time from invitation to link-back, the space it needs and its seated or chat version. “Seat only” and “Screen and chat” need no materials.
| Card | Situation | Energizer | How it runs | Minutes | Space | Seated or chat version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | After lunch | Paper tower | Pairs get one sheet of A4 and 90 seconds to make the tallest shape that stands on its own, with no tape. Compare heights against a pen. | 3 | Seat and paper | Fully seated. Online, each person builds alone and types the height in centimetres. |
| 2 | After lunch | Four letters on the wall | Ask a multiple-choice question on the morning’s content, with A to D on four walls. People point to a letter, walk to it or hold up a card. | 4 | Seat only | Hold up a letter card or type the letter in the chat. Walking is never needed. |
| 3 | After lunch | Sixty-second list | Tables have 60 seconds to list every way a task from this morning could go wrong. Count the lists, then fix the most likely one together. | 3 | Seat and paper | Online, the whole group types its list in the chat at once. |
| 4 | After lunch | Odd one out | Show four terms from the morning. Tables pick the odd one out and give a reason. Any answer with a sound reason counts. | 3 | Seat only | Type the term and a five-word reason in the chat. |
| 5 | After lunch | Sketch, no words | Each person sketches the morning’s main idea in 30 seconds, no words. Neighbours guess what it shows. Showing it is optional. | 3 | Seat and paper | Online, hold the sketch to the camera or describe it in five words in the chat. |
| 6 | After lunch | Wrong answers only | Ask a simple question on the content. Tables give the most tempting wrong answer, then the right one and why the wrong one tempts. | 4 | Seat only | Type the wrong answer first, then the right one, in the chat. |
| 7 | A long online block | Far focus | Everyone looks at the farthest point they can see for 20 seconds, then types a guess of the distance in metres. Do not ask what they saw. | 1 | Screen and chat | In a room, look out of a window or down a corridor. Typing is optional. |
| 8 | A long online block | Hold until three | Ask a one-word question. Everyone types an answer but waits. On “three”, all press Enter together. Read the spread aloud. | 2 | Screen and chat | In a room, write the word on a card and hold it up on “three”. |
| 9 | A long online block | Mark the slide | Share a dense slide and switch on annotation. Each person stamps the one spot they would like explained again. Explain the busiest spot. | 3 | Screen and chat | Type the slide area in the chat. In a room, use dot stickers on a printout. |
| 10 | A long online block | Screen-off minute | Say: “Cameras off and microphones muted for sixty seconds. Rest your eyes or refill your water.” Show a countdown and stay on screen. | 1 | Screen and chat | In a room, dim the projector and give a quiet minute at the tables. |
| 11 | A long online block | Five-word summary | Send pairs to breakout rooms for two minutes to agree a five-word summary of the last half hour. Each pair posts it in the chat. | 4 | Screen and chat | Without breakouts, each person types their own five words. |
| 12 | A long online block | Guess the poll | Run a one-question poll. Before the result, everyone types the share they expect for the top answer. Reveal and compare. | 3 | Screen and chat | In a room, use a show of hands and written guesses. |
| 13 | Before a hard topic | Sixty seconds of quiet | Say: “One minute of quiet before we start. Eyes open or closed, as you like. Then write one question you bring to this topic.” Collect nothing. | 2 | Seat and paper | Online, cameras off for the minute. The question stays private. |
| 14 | Before a hard topic | Jargon check | Show five terms from the next module. Each person privately marks each 1, 2 or 3 for how well they could explain it. Poll anonymously on the hardest. | 3 | Seat and paper | Use an anonymous poll for all five terms. |
| 15 | Before a hard topic | Two headlines | Tables write the trade-magazine headline if this change went badly, then the one if it went well. Read both aloud. | 4 | Seat and paper | Online, type both headlines in the chat or a shared document. |
| 16 | Before a hard topic | Pick two ground rules | Show six ground rules for the next hour. Each person votes for two with a pen mark or a poll. Put the top two on the wall. | 3 | Seat and paper | Use a poll or type two rule numbers in the chat. |
| 17 | Before a hard topic | Questions in the box | Everyone writes one question about the topic on a card, unsigned, and folds it into a box. Draw three and say when each will be answered. | 4 | Seat and paper | Online, use an anonymous form or a private message to the trainer. |
| 18 | Before a hard topic | Myth or fact | Read three statements about the topic. Tables decide myth or fact and hold up a card. Reveal each answer with its source. | 4 | Table and cards | Type M or F in the chat for each statement. |
| 19 | Between modules | Bridge sentence | Each table completes: “The last module was about …, so the next one will need …”. Read two sentences aloud. | 3 | Seat and paper | Type the sentence in the chat. |
| 20 | Between modules | Pick a metaphor | Show six objects: a kettle, a map, a ladder, a key, an umbrella and a sieve. Tables pick the one that best explains the last module and say why in one sentence. | 3 | Seat only | Type the object and the reason in the chat. |
| 21 | Between modules | Clear the desk | Everyone puts away the last module’s papers and tabs, takes a fresh page and writes the next module’s title at the top. | 1 | Seat and paper | Online, close the old tabs and open a new note. |
| 22 | Between modules | Three-pile sort | Give each table six cards with the key points of the last module. Sort them into “use this week”, “use later” and “check with my manager”. | 4 | Table and cards | Online, type each point’s number under the three headings. |
| 23 | Between modules | Twenty-second teach-back | In pairs, each person explains one idea from the last module in 20 seconds. The partner replies with one word they will remember. Passing is fine. | 3 | Seat only | Online, breakout pairs, or 20 typed words in the chat. |
| 24 | Between modules | Steps in order | Show the steps of a process from the last module, shuffled. Tables write the right order. The first correct table reads it out. | 3 | Seat and paper | Type the order as numbers in the chat. |
| 25 | Quick resets, two minutes or less | Stand or sit back | Say: “Thirty seconds to stand, stretch or simply sit back. Your choice.” Count down aloud. Nobody comments on who stands. | 1 | Seat only | Online, the same invitation, with cameras optional. |
| 26 | Quick resets, two minutes or less | Spot three changes | Show a slide for ten seconds, then a copy with three small changes: a word, a number and the position of a heading. The group names the changes. | 2 | Seat only | Type the changes in the chat. Describe both slides aloud for anyone who cannot see them. |
| 27 | Quick resets, two minutes or less | Alphabet sprint | Tables have 90 seconds to name a term from today for as many letters from A to Z as they can. Count the letters covered. | 2 | Seat and paper | Online, the whole group types terms in the chat. |
| 28 | Quick resets, two minutes or less | Half a sentence | Say the first half of a definition from today and stop. Anyone calls out or types the rest. Repeat with two more definitions. | 1 | Seat only | Answers in the chat count the same as spoken ones. |
| 29 | Quick resets, two minutes or less | Air and water | Open a window or the door, raise the blinds and invite people to refill their water. Restart after one minute. | 1 | Seat only | Online, a one-minute pause to refill water, cameras off. |
| 30 | Quick resets, two minutes or less | Silent ranking | Show four options, such as four ways to tell a client about a delay. Each person ranks them privately in 30 seconds, then compares with a neighbour. | 2 | Seat and paper | Type the ranking as four letters in the chat. |
| 31 | Review with energy | Swap the quiz | Each table writes three quiz questions on the session so far and swaps them with another table. Answer, swap back and mark. | 5 | Seat and paper | Online, each breakout room posts its questions in the chat for the next room. |
| 32 | Review with energy | Answer first | Give an answer, such as “within 24 hours”. Tables write the question from today’s content that it answers. Compare the questions. | 3 | Seat and paper | Type the question in the chat. |
| 33 | Review with energy | True, false or it depends | Read four statements. Everyone holds up a card or types T, F or D. Ask one “it depends” to say what it depends on, or move on if they pass. | 4 | Table and cards | Type T, F or D in the chat. |
| 34 | Review with energy | Find the three errors | Show a filled example with three planted mistakes. Tables have two minutes to find them. Reveal and explain each one. | 4 | Seat and paper | Share the example on screen and take answers in the chat. |
| 35 | Review with energy | Definition grid | Each person has a grid of nine terms, three by three. Read definitions in any order. People tick the matching term. The first full line calls “line”. | 5 | Table and cards | Share the grid as a file and take “line” in the chat. |
| 36 | Review with energy | Five-step checklist | Tables have three minutes to write a five-step checklist for a task from today. Compare with your own list and note what each table added. | 5 | Seat and paper | Online, each breakout room writes in a shared document. |
| 37 | Large or hybrid groups | Fingers for numbers | Ask a question with an answer from 0 to 5. Everyone holds up fingers or types the number. Describe the spread aloud. | 2 | Seat only | Type the number in the chat. A spoken number counts too. |
| 38 | Large or hybrid groups | Table race | Each table or breakout room is a team. Ask five quick questions. Teams write each answer on a card and show it, or post it in the chat. | 5 | Table and cards | Remote teams post in the chat. Read every answer aloud. |
| 39 | Large or hybrid groups | Remote asks the room | Remote participants ask the room one quiz question on today’s content. Tables answer on paper. Then the room asks the remote group one question back. | 4 | Seat and paper | Remote answers go in the chat and are read aloud. |
| 40 | Large or hybrid groups | One-word cloud | Everyone submits one word for the most useful idea so far, by poll or sticky note. Read out the three most frequent words. | 3 | Seat and paper | Use a word-cloud poll or the chat. |
| 41 | Large or hybrid groups | Random table | Number the tables and breakout rooms. Roll a die or show a random number. That team has 30 seconds to agree an answer to a content question, or passes it on. | 4 | Seat only | Remote teams take part by number like any table. |
| 42 | Large or hybrid groups | Five in an office | Teams have two minutes to list five examples of today’s concept in an ordinary, fictional office. Read the most unusual example from each team. | 3 | Seat and paper | Type the list in the chat or a shared document. |
| 43 | Late afternoon | Talk walk or talk seated | Pairs discuss one question about the next task for four minutes. Pairs who want to may walk the corridor. Others stay seated. | 5 | Seat only | Online, pairs in breakout rooms with cameras optional. |
| 44 | Late afternoon | Rename the module | Tables give the afternoon’s module a more useful title in under eight words. Vote for the best one and use it on the next slide. | 3 | Seat and paper | Type titles in the chat and vote with a reaction. |
| 45 | Late afternoon | Parking check | Read the open questions on the parking board. Each person ticks the ones they also want answered. Answer the top two now. | 4 | Seat and paper | Online, list the questions in a poll that allows several answers. |
| 46 | Late afternoon | Hundred-word case | Read a fictional work problem of about 100 words. Tables have three minutes to agree the first step, using a tool from today. | 5 | Seat and paper | Online, paste the case in the chat and use breakout rooms. |
| 47 | Late afternoon | Which tool fits | Give each table eight short fictional situations on cards. Sort them by the tool from the course that fits each one best. | 5 | Table and cards | Online, number the situations and type the tool for each. |
| 48 | Late afternoon | Choose the next format | Offer two ways to run the next exercise, such as pairs or tables, paper or discussion. The group votes by hands or poll. Run the winner. | 2 | Seat only | Vote by poll or in the chat. |
Make any energizer work for everyone
Seven adjustments that apply to every card. Plan them before the session, not when someone asks.
| If | Change this |
|---|---|
| Someone cannot or prefers not to move | Use the seated version on the card. Say it first, so that sitting is the normal choice, not the exception. |
| The group is online | Use the chat version. Read the question aloud and paste it as plain text. Read typed answers aloud. |
| The group is hybrid | Let remote people answer first and read their answers aloud. Pair or team the remote group like any table. |
| Someone uses a screen reader or cannot see the slide | Describe every slide used in the energizer aloud. Avoid tasks that rely on colour or on spotting a visual detail alone. |
| Someone is hard of hearing | Put the instruction in writing on the slide or in the chat, and give countdowns visually as well as aloud. |
| Someone works in a second language | Prefer paper and chat tasks to fast spoken ones. Give the instruction in writing and allow a few seconds more. |
| The group finds energizers childish | Choose a content-linked card from “Review with energy” or “Between modules”, and say how it helps the next module. |
Filled example: energizers in a one-day course
A fictional course for 14 people on Tuesday 3 November 2026. 6 energizers take 20 of 450 minutes (4.4%); the longest stretch of content is 60 minutes. The workbook calculates the same numbers. A planning example, not evidence that energizers work.
| Start | Minutes | Type | Activity | Card |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | 60 | Module | Module 1: what the reader needs. Opens with an icebreaker question. | – |
| 10:00 | 4 | Energizer | Three-pile sort on the module 1 key points | 22 |
| 10:04 | 41 | Module | Module 2: structure and headings | – |
| 10:45 | 15 | Break | Morning break | – |
| 11:00 | 3 | Energizer | Steps in order: the five steps of planning a report | 24 |
| 11:03 | 57 | Module | Module 3: plain sentences | – |
| 12:00 | 45 | Break | Lunch | – |
| 12:45 | 3 | Energizer | Paper tower in pairs | 1 |
| 12:48 | 52 | Module | Module 4: tables and figures | – |
| 13:40 | 4 | Energizer | Find the three errors in a fictional summary table | 34 |
| 13:44 | 46 | Module | Module 5: editing your own draft | – |
| 14:30 | 15 | Break | Afternoon break | – |
| 14:45 | 5 | Energizer | Hundred-word case: a report the reader ignored | 46 |
| 14:50 | 35 | Module | Module 6, part 1: rewrite practice in pairs | – |
| 15:25 | 1 | Energizer | Stand or sit back, half way through the practice | 25 |
| 15:26 | 34 | Module | Module 6, part 2: peer feedback on the rewrite | – |
| 16:00 | 30 | Close | Closing activity and evaluation form | – |
What you'll leave with
In five minutes or less the group has done one short task, seated or in the chat, that changes the pace of the session, and you have said in one sentence how it links to the next module. Across a training day you have planned a reset into every stretch of content longer than about an hour, without anyone having to move, touch, perform alone or say anything personal.
Before the session
- For trainers and facilitators of adults at work who run half-day or full-day sessions for 4–40 people, in a room, online or hybrid. Energizers restore attention mid-session; icebreakers open a session.
- Mark every stretch of content longer than about an hour on your plan, then choose a card for each from the chooser table.
- Print and cut the card pages you need. For cards marked “Table and cards”, prepare the cards or slides the night before: statements, key points, shuffled steps or a planted-error example.
- Accessibility: say the seated or chat version first, put every instruction in writing as well as aloud, describe any slide used, and accept passes without comment.
The run of show
Name the reset and the options
Say: “Let us take a short reset before we go on. It takes a few minutes. You can do all of it sitting down, and you can type instead of speaking. If you would rather watch this one, that is fine.” Show the instruction on a slide or paste it in the chat. Do not explain why the group needs a break.
Run the energizer from the card
Read the card aloud once. Start a visible timer. Give the seated or chat version in the same breath as the main one: “Hold up a card or type the letter.” Walk the room or watch the chat, but do not comment on who joins in or how. Stop on time, even if some tables are not finished: “Pens down. Thank you.” These timings fit a five-minute card. For a shorter card, shorten this step and keep the invitation and the link-back to one sentence each, so that a one-minute card takes one minute in all.
Link back and move on
Take one or two answers, from volunteers only. Then say one sentence that connects the reset to what comes next: “You found three errors in that table. In the next module you will check your own tables for the same three.” Note the card number on your plan. Move straight into the next module.
Participant worksheet
Copy this table into a document, or print the worksheet from the bundle. Share only what you choose.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where in the day | The time and the module that the energizer follows |
| Situation | One of the eight groups, chosen with the chooser table |
| Card | The card number, its minutes and the space it needs |
| Seated or chat version | The alternative you will say first, before the main version |
| Link back | One sentence that connects the reset to the next module |
Debrief questions
- Which energizer brought the group back to the content fastest, and which did not?
- Did anyone sit out more than once, and was there a seated or written version for them?
- Did each energizer stop on time, and did the link-back sentence connect it to the next module?
- Where in the day did attention drop without a planned reset, and which card would fit there next time?
Adapt it for your group
- For a small group of 4 to 6, run table tasks as one group and replace pair work with a written answer each. Cards 4, 21, 25 and 28 work with any number.
- For a short version, use only the one-minute cards: 7, 10, 21, 25, 28 and 29. A one-minute card still needs the invitation and one link-back sentence.
- Online, use the chat version on the card, keep cameras optional and read typed answers aloud. After 45 to 60 minutes on a call, use a card from “A long online block”.
- For quiet participants and people who prefer not to move, say the seated or chat version first and let a table or a pair answer rather than a person.
- For a group that dislikes games, choose content-linked cards from “Review with energy” and “Between modules”, and call them a review or a reset rather than an energizer.
After the session
Mark the cards you used on your plan and note which fell flat. Next time, swap those for another card from the same situation. Note card numbers and timings, not who joined in. These energizers change the pace of a session; they are not a cure for a session that is too long or too full. If attention keeps dropping in one place, shorten that module. This kit has not been independently evaluated, and the timings are planning estimates.
Questions people ask
What are energizers for training?
One- to five-minute activities that change the pace of a training session when attention drops: after lunch, between modules or late in the day. This page has 48 original ones.
How is an energizer different from an icebreaker?
An icebreaker opens a session; an energizer restores attention in the middle of one, often with a short task on the content. For openings, use the icebreaker questions for training sessions or the virtual icebreakers; this page does not repeat them.
Do participants have to stand up or move?
No. Every card works sitting down, and movement is always optional. None involves touching, singing, performing alone or saying anything personal. Say the seated or chat version first, so that sitting is the normal choice, and accept a pass without comment.
How often should I use an energizer in a training day?
A common planning habit is a reset in any stretch of content over about an hour, plus one after lunch: a starting rule, not a research finding. The example day uses six, 20 minutes in all.
Can I use these energizers online?
Yes. Every card has a chat version, and cards 7–12 are written for video calls. Keep cameras optional, paste each instruction as plain text and read typed answers aloud.
What is in the free PDF and the editable files?
The open PDF has the ground rules, the chooser table, all 48 energizers on four pages of cut-apart cards, a blank day planner, a filled example day, the five-minute run and the table of adjustments. Subscribers also receive the editable Word file, an Excel workbook with the energizer bank, a finder by situation, time and materials, and a day planner that calculates times, energizer minutes and the longest stretch of content, plus a CSV of the 48 energizers.
How to use the files
Print the PDF, edit the Word file in Word or Google Docs, or open the CSV or XLSX in a spreadsheet. Open files need no email.
Can I use this with paying clients?
Yes. Use and adapt this original Superglue kit in your own training, including paid client sessions. Please share this page rather than redistributing the unmodified kit. Read the full usage terms.