Anti Gravity

Here is an idea that comes from our Wizbanger book - http://www.calderonconsulting.com/products.html

It is a great way to energize your training, and create memorable key learning points.

Anti- Gravity #82 of over 101 of these activities

key learning points: trust, faith

Hold a water glass upside down to make a dramatic point.

Here's What You Do
Fill a glass with water right to the brim and place an index card on it so that the entire surface is covered. Holding the card in place with your hand, turn the glass upside down. Do this carefully and quickly. Slowly remove your hand from below the index card. The water should stay in the glass supported only by the index card. Air pressure from outside is holding the card against the water.

This trick can be used to illustrate trust; trust in the process, trust in the situation, trust in the operator, etc.
Invite a volunteer to join you in the demonstration and turn the glass upside down above the person's head.

Keep in mind that occasionally the card will slip and water will spill out, so make a big production out of dressing your volunteer in a raincoat and hat. Practice this trick to perfect if before you use it in a presentation.

A variation: Write a word that represents something powerful to your group on the index card. Examples: love, commmitment, partnership, loyalty, the company name, etc. Then show the group that the word is so powerful that it can hold back the water (let the water represent something negative, e.g. evil, hysteria, the competition, the falling dollar, stress, rap music, what have you)

Okay, I just threw the rap music bit in - it isn't really in the book.

Anyway, I learned this trick a long long time ago. I have used it in a number of situations and it really gets the audience's attention.