I had a co-worker who never went anywhere without her “emergency facilitator kit”. I thought it was a little crazy. Until I was leading a training and my hosts didn’t have tape. Or markers. I could hear my co-worker’s voice (and laughter… actually more of a cackle) in my head: who’s crazy now, buddy?
Over the years, I’ve grown to love my emergency facilitator toolkit. It’s saved me on many occasions. And in having this kit with me, I was able to continue to focus on providing a good learning experience to my audience (instead of running around at the last minute, trying to find tape or scissors or markers).
Here are the must-have items that I generally travel with to be sure I’m ready for any training emergency:
- Mr. Sketch markers
- Tape (generally blue painter’s tape – it doesn’t tear the paint off of walls)
- Blue Stick adhesive putty (in case the venue doesn’t allow tape on the walls)
- Scissors (be sure not to put this kit into your carry-on bag if you have scissors!)
- Post-it notes
- Pens
- Name tags
- Card stock (for name tents)
- Blank paper (for note taking, for scratch paper, for small group work)
- Thumb drive (just in case I need to transfer files from one computer to another and don’t have Internet access)
- 3×5 note cards
- AA and AAA batteries
A couple other things I like to bring along if I have room (though these can be a little bulky for an “emergency kit”) include portable speakers and a small remote to advance slides.
Am I missing anything? What would you put in your kit?
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