Feel free to have a kip

It is often assumed that people need to be re-energised after a large lunch, and sometimes trainers use energetic exercises to liven them up. However, this idea works against our natural body rhythms, because the body needs to relax to digest food, so exercise does not suit everyone at this time.

I've found that guiding people through a topic-specific visualisation, which allows them to nap briefly if they need to, is another form of energiser and they start the following session alert and refreshed.

Outcomes: This energiser can be varied whatever the topic. I've found it effective in the 'graveyard' slot, when people's natural inclination may be to sleep. It works well during train the trainer or change sessions when you are encouraging different thinking. Or use it when participants will benefit from a complete break.

Participants will:

• Receive positive suggestions about how they can be successful in the application of their learning

• Be encouraged to completely relax, leaving them re-energised and ready to participate fully in the learning ahead.

Target audience: Any size of group as long as there is enough room for people to spread out from each other or lie down if they wish. This activity takes about ten minutes.

Environment and resources: You need an area where you can be private and undisturbed. Bean bags are ideal if you have access to them. Equally, people can sit in their chairs or lie on the floor; it is important that they are within their own comfort zones.

I play relaxing music, with no words, which lasts long enough for the whole visualisation - at least five minutes.

Process: Ask people to get into a position in which they feel comfortable. Some people are eager to take the chance to lie down, others may prefer to sit comfortably in their chairs or move away from the rest of the group.

Advise them that you will be reading to them, playing music gently, darkening the room and they are welcome to close their eyes, if they want; it may be useful to put a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door. Be aware if any of the suggestions appear to cause concern for individual participants, and modify your actions accordingly. Emphasise that nothing else will happen.

When everyone has found their space, and you have changed the environment, take your group through a prepared visualisation or you may prefer to make one up as you go, using material that has come up for the group already. Turn on the music and keep the volume low, so everyone can hear your voice.

As you talk, use a soft voice while making sure everyone can hear. Talk slowly, calmly and be comfortable with leaving spaces that the music will fill. It's worth rehearsing this first if you've not done it before.

The visualisations I write are topic-specific and start by encouraging people to slow down their breathing, relax and begin to get in touch with the parts of themselves that they associate with feeling successful, confident and proud of relevant achievements - past or to come.

Ask people to feel all the sensory inputs - what they see, hear, feel, smell and taste - as they experience a specific time when they feel positive about their abilities; then ask them to bathe themselves from head to toe in those feelings. Suggest they anchor these feelings in a way that means they can easily turn them back on at will; for example, by touching the tip of a finger or an earlobe.

Finally, talk the group through associating these positive sensations with a future situation in which they wish to do their very best, and leave them for a couple of minutes to mentally experience their success, in whatever they plan to do.

And then slowly, get them to open their eyes, come back into the room, sit quietly for a few moments and then shake themselves down, ready to contribute fully to the next activity.

Use this exercise to:

• Re-energise your group after lunch

• Change state between activities

• Encourage people's confidence in their abilities to handle the task ahead.

"Most new discoveries are suddenly-seen things that were always there." Susann K. Langer

Ann Grindrod is founder of Simply Learning and co-founder of Brain in Business. She can be contacted on +44 (0)1380 850192 or via www.braininbusiness.com