Dramatically Increase Learning Speed and Effectiveness

The TOM  Mats, for using on the floor or attached to walls or easels, are ideal for increasing the speed at which your course or coaching participants learn. They turn any space into a Multi-Sensory learning space.

They have been designed following many years of studying the learning process and experimentation with prototypes. Quite simply, when used in conjunction with the TOM Concepts and the Principles of En-Lightning Learning, they necessitate sensory involvement and the stimulation of the Ten (MILD KELVIN) Multiple Intelligences. (It’s all in the TOM book!) For example, here are just a few, among many, of the mental responses they stimulate:

• Participants move between then, stand on them  (Spatial and Kinaesthetic Intelligence)
• They are colourful (Visual Intelligence)
• Delegates engage one another in conversations about the mats and interact with others (Interpersonal Intelligence)
• Because they introduce a different approach to knowledge acquisition and retention, they stimulate the individuals thinking process (Intrapersonal Intelligence)
• Arranged and used in a pattern or sequence causes structured thinking (Logical Intelligence)
• Used in a rhythmical process and delivered with background or themed music (Musical Intelligence)
• Delegates will be required to converse with others regarding the learning process in hand (Linguistic Intelligence)
• The can be used in a game involving a story and competition (Dramatic Intelligence)
• The TOM story is set in the outdoors, and indeed, these durable mats can be used outside (Naturalist Intelligence)
• Interacting with others while using the mats or posters will stimulate mild (and sometimes strong) emotions – laughter, competitive tension, fear of failure or exposure etc (Emotional Intelligence)

If delegates are only used to using one or two intelligences (often just Logical and Intrapersonal, as in the case of poorly designed PowerPoint slides) then the introduction of these TOM learning aids can often increase the ‘Speed of Learning’ by up to TEN TIMES.

When used in conjunction with the TOM Coaching/Activity Cards, there are hundreds of different ways of combining the Multi-Sensory processes, games and activities into workshops, coaching and learning events.

All 14 Mats are listed below along with some suggestions for how they can be best utilised in the training room. But really, perhaps you are more creative than you think. When you purchase TOMinaBox, we can give you access to thousands of suggestions as to how they can be used to turn your sessions into fantastic learning events.

TOM StoryBoard Floor Mat/Poster

• Can serve as a permanent anchor in the training room that delegates acknowledge subliminally or actively.
• Serve as a template for re-creating the complete storyboard in the training room using all of the Floor Mats.
• Can be used with the presentation table easel for presenting to meetings, for coaching or for working with small groups

TOM Floor Mat/Poster

• The core concept of the TOM journey. All other mats, activities and lessons link back to the three core TOM Principles of: Building Trust, setting clear Objectives and Outcomes and ensuring there is always at least one compelling Motivating factor.
• Sell this mat to your TOM Customers to mount on a prominent wall in a work area. It will serve as a reminder to use TOM in all the interactions and business dealings.
• Use it as the starting point for a TOM board game that turns the whole room into a gaming landscape.

PEA Floor Mat/Poster

• Display it on floor, easel or wall when running Trust activities with individuals, pairs or groups. It can form a self-assessment checklist: Do I look like I can be Trusted? (Persona), Am I demonstrating with my actions that I can be trusted? (Effectiveness) Am I conscious of being accepting of the other person’s actions? (Acceptance)
• Use in conjunction with TOM and VISTA Mats when discussing the core TOM principles.
• Display on wall in a sales office as a reminder to the sales team that they always need to be conscious of using PEA when building Trust with their customers:

VISTA Signpost Floor Mat/Poster

• One of the most powerful tools in the TOM Toolkit – can be used in all activities and projects in the training room as absolutely everything we do should start with a clear VISTA; a vision and signpost which envisions and points towards successful completion of Outcomes.
• Used in conjunction with TOM Coaching/Activity Cards – delegates are asked to check how using any of the other 12 TOM concepts will impact on their VISTA Objectives.
• Used in the workplace and in any department or environment, it will remind employees that every goal is a VISTA goal that requires: A clear Vision which Inspires action to complete the Specific tasks in a Time-bound manner that is Assessable at every critical point.

WIIFU Floor Mat/Poster

• Used in workshops, it serves as a reminder that each and every action that we or anyone else performs has a set of WIIFU Motivating Factors. Delegates and Coaching clients are constantly asked to consider ALL the stakeholders involved and what their motivating factors will be.
• In an office or factory, management needs to consider the WIIFU’s of all involved. Can be used in meetings as reminder of what to consider when motivating self or others.
• Can be used in the outdoors as a point of the storyboard or in a TOM game that highlights how all the concepts interact and impact on each other.

Lemon Man Floor mat/Poster

• An integral part of every activity that reminds delegates that they are a multi-sensory learning machine
• Especially useful in creativity exercises – encourages participants to ’see’ things from different angles, ‘hear’ the various pieces of input, physically ‘feel’ the impact of their decisions etc
• Great for meetings to stimulate discussions from different perspectives.

MAL & BJ Floor Mat/Poster

• Delegates are encouraged to consider every piece of information from the perspective of: Does it Make, Assist or Let something happen or is it Blaming someone for non-success or Justifying inaction.
• An integral Mat in the TOM Board game – forces delegates to consider take Responsibility as to whether their input is productive or counter-productive.
• Useful language reminder – when someone offers a suggestion in the course of an activity, other delegates may just point to  MAL or BJ on the poster to indicate their feedback on the comment being made.

Triple ‘A’ Bridge Floor Mat/Poster

• Can be used on a wall next to a physical representation of the Triple ‘A’ Bridge. Delegates or Coaching Clients have to interact with the bridge and negotiate a successful crossing by Assessing the situation, Agreeing on a course of action, Adapting the plan as necessary and then Assessing again at the completion of the task.
• In a pairs exercise, and in conjunction with the TOM Mat, participants are asked to get Agreement by building Trust, setting mutual Objectives and ensuring a compelling motivating factor (TOM), then Adapt using TOM and Assessing using TOM.
• On a wall in meetings or in the workplace, this poster is particularly useful when handling conflict. The two disagreeing parties are asked to build metaphorical bridges by combining the TOM and Triple ‘A’ concepts.

Behavioural Blends Floor Mat/Poster

• Particpants encountering the Behavioural Blends poster in an activity or game are encouraged to discuss issues from each others perspective so as to develop first of all Awareness and then Empathy with the views of others.
• Combined with the What 4 Feedback Ladder, participnats learn to offer feedback in the ‘language’ og the receiver’s Behavioural Blend at that moment. Fantastic practice for using the technique in real life.
• In meetings, this poster reminds attendees that perhaps there are various aspects of a problem that may only become apparent when they change their point of view.

Values Iceberg Floor Mat/Poster

• One of the TOM Board Game style activities requires that participants take time to consider their own Values and how they are prioritised in their own life
• In combination with the Behavioural Blends Mat, and using the TOM Coaching/Activity Cards, participants are palced in a situation where they need to consider the Values of other Behvioural Blends in order to progress in the game.
• Can be used in Team Meetings when discussing alignment of an individuals personal Values with those of the team or organisation

  

Pause Button Floor Mat/Poster

• In one of the ‘Room-Sized’ Board Games, participants actually gain points for missing a turn when they Pause to consider their options.
• Used with the TOM Coaching/Activity Cards  – Note: usually each delegate has their own pack – delegates have the option of presenting the Pause Button Card to another ‘player’. That participant is then required to Pause for thought. Encourages assessment of the most appropriate times to Speak up and most appropriate times to ‘press the Pause Button’ before saying something you might regret.
• Can be used as a physical Pause Button in meetings. For example, attendees are each allowed one use of the Pause Button to secure sufficient time to express an opinion withour interruption form other attendees.

The Whadayawant Girl Floor Mat/Poster

• Usng this Mat and expanding on the ‘talk about what you want’ idea, participants are required to make lists of what they want and prioritise them, turning these ‘wants’ into VISTA Goals.
• When this Poster is displayed, it reminds participants to speak positively and it terms of desired outcomes rather than problems. The assist each other to become Solution focused’ rather than ‘Problem focused’
• Used in group or team activities, participants become self-regulating by losing or awarding points depending on the type of language being employed.

What 4 Feedback Ladder Mat

• When this mat comes into ‘play’ participants need to structure information using the 4 Whats – What happened > What happend next > What now > What for
• Using the poster as a template, delegates turn the entire room into a What 4 Feedback ladder and in pairs, coach each other through various ‘real life’ feedback scenarios
• In meetings, use the What 4 Poster to structure any or all the information that is either delivered or received

VISTA Mountains Floor Mat/Poster

• The second of the two VISTA mats, it is the culmination of many of the activities, laerning games and even the entire workshop or seminar. On reaching this mat or poster, participants are required to report back on their VISTA Outcomes compared to their original VISTA Objectives.
• The VISTA Mat is also the core of every TOM Coaching session and used as a poster it can be a focal point for workplace coaching sessions or workshop pairs activities.
• Either in a workshop activity or in the work place, it is of paramount importance that achievement of the set VISTA Outcomes are both acknowledged and celebrated.