Sentence Stems

'''Abstract''': The trainer provides sentence stems, and participants are invited to complete the sentence(s) from their own perspectives.

'''Overview''': One way to assess what trainees have found valuable in the training session is to have them complete sentences that give the information you want. For example, you might have them complete the sentence stem "One thing I learned was_______". Of course, the stems can be tailored to the setting or even to the unique events in the training session.

'''Guidelines''': Have trainees write down their own answers (see Solitary Writing), then ask for volunteers to share their answers aloud for each stem.

'''Example(s)''':
"I learned _________"
"I relearned _________"
"I gained ______________"
"I appreciated __________"
"One thing that surprised me was ___________"
"I could use motivational interviewing to ___________"
"One thing I hope we cover before this training is over is ___________"
"I am more confident now that I can _______________"
"When I get back to work, I can't wait to try _________________."

'''Notes''': This is a good way to wrap up a training event. Make the sentence stems relatively positive. For example, you might query "Something I wanted more of was________" , which provides a positive context for what might have been missing. Inviting trainees to verbalize negative stems ("Something I didn't like about this training..."), can end an otherwise constructive session on a negative note. Better to obtain suggestions for change in written form, and use the sentence stems to elicit positive statements and change talk.

Thanks to Tracy Wyman for this exercise.