Cartoons for Trainers

By Lenn Millbower, Offbeat Training

Laughter is an important presentation component to participants. They want to laugh. This need is so strong that participants will laugh at the very hint of funny, sometimes at the presenter's expense. They laugh for good reason. Humor is a natural component of communal sharing. It is appropriate for almost any presentation. But what is an instructor to do, become a comedian? Comedy is a complicated art, best practiced carefully. A far easier approach is to rely on cartoons. 

Cartoons permeate our lives. We encounter them in our daily newspaper funny and editorial pages, while surfing the world wide web, in magazines, animated in movies and on television, on wall and desk calendars, and through sharing at the office. It is natural and appropriate to use them in presentations. But using them leads to specific difficulties.

Virtually all the cartoons presenters come into contact with are copyright protected. Their use, without permission, constitutes a considerable legal and financial risk. Permission rights can be obtained, but the turn-around time for obtaining permission does not allow for immediate use when the need is present. And even when permission is granted, the license price can be costly. 

Illustrator Doris Yager and I decided to do something to fulfill this need. We created Cartoons for Trainers, a collection of original licensed cartoons designed specifically for presentations. We then packaged the cartoons in three ways:

1. In pages sized for reproduction onto overhead film

2. In CD-ROM form

3. In CD-ROM form without captions so that presenters tailor the captions to their needs 

In this month's issue, we offer two Cartoons for Trainers cartoons fully licensed for Presenters University members. (If you were notified of this article from Presenters University, you have our permission to use these cartoons in your presentations.) 

The first of this month's cartoons, Volunteers, is one of 39 Cartoons for Trainers cartoons that address common classroom situations. Volunteers showcases participant reluctance as a presenter unsuccessfully asks for volunteers. The cartoon takes the position that participants are often reluctant to volunteer because of their own internal fears. Volunteers honors emotions, thus allowing the participants to transcend them. The presenter would showcase this cartoon, and say, "As you can see by this cartoon, people are sometimes reluctant to volunteer. Me too. I do need a volunteer, but I promise there is no hidden catch." 

Neanderthal Brainstorming is the second Cartoons for Trainers cartoon, and it is one of 36 Cartoons for Trainers cartoons that focus on the subject matter of presentations. It offers a comedic take on the difficulty some people have in accepting new ideas. A clan of Neanderthals has gathered around a fireplace to brainstorm ways to ignite a fire. One member of the clan discovers a solution, but the clan's big mouth dismisses the idea before it can be tried. 

Neanderthal Brainstorming can help establish guidelines for brainstorming. After showcasing the cartoon, the presenter might say, "You may have wondered what happened to the Neanderthals; why they did not survive. Recent research suggests that they lacked the ability to brainstorm successfully. As we brainstorm, remember the Neanderthals and fully explore all the ideas presented. Don't become a Neanderthal yourself!" 

Please use these cartoons, with proper credit to Cartoons for Trainers of course. They will help you channel your participants' need for humor as you focus them on your message. 

Cartoons for Trainers can be ordered from Stylus Publishing, LLC at 1-800-232-0223 or www.Styluspub.com. Learn more about Lenn Millbower and Offbeat Training in our Contributor's section.