Death by In-service? Not Anymore!

You were asked to create and deliver an in-service, but most of the ones you’ve attended have bored you to tears and were unengaging. You want to create a dynamic one, but how?

In-services play a crucial role in enhancing employee skills and knowledge. However, they are often met with groans and disinterest, and that leads to minimal engagement and even less retention of information. To address this challenge, let’s reimagine the way in-services are conducted. Let’s infuse creativity, interactivity, and a touch of fun… and make something worth remembering!

Here are 5 items to consider when you are in the development and delivery stages:

1. Set Clear Objectives

Before diving into creating your in-service, be sure to establish clear and concise objectives. Outline what you want your participants to learn, understand, or accomplish during the session. This helps you and your audience know what’s expected.

2. Understand Your Audience

A one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work very often. Take a little time to understand the needs, preferences, and learning styles of your audience. This information will guide you in selecting appropriate activities and strategies that resonate with your audience.

3. Interaction

Move away from monotonous lectures by incorporating active participation, discussion, and hands-on activities. You can assign group tasks, case studies, or real-world scenarios that allow the audience to apply current and new knowledge and problem-solving skills.

• Games – enhance engagement, energy and motivation through challenges, quizzes, and rewards. Don’t be afraid of digital platforms and apps! They can facilitate the fun and recordkeeping by tracking progress, offering instant feedback, and fostering healthy competition.
• Real-Life Scenarios – discussing actual challenges or using role-playing exercises always makes the content more relevant and engaging. Encourage participants to share their own experiences and insights. Role playing offers employees a safe environment to problem solve and practice new techniques.
• Hands-On Demonstrations— nothing captures attention like a live demonstration. Interactive demonstrations can help bridge the gap between theory and application, making the content more tangible and memorable.

4. Multimedia and Visual Aids

Sprinkle visual aids like videos, infographics, and gifs throughout your in-service to maintain interest and illustrate key points effectively. They are powerful tools for enhancing learning retention. By using them, you can break down complex concepts into understandable, digestible bits. Make sure to cite all of your sources!

5. Reflect and Apply

Reinforce the learning experience by ending your in-service encouraging participants to reflect on what they've learned and how they plan to apply it in their roles. Follow up with peer learning and collaboration opportunities for your team to share their progress, insights and best practices. Group discussions and brainstorming sessions can spark meaningful conversations and lead to novel ideas full of creativity! Everyone’s perspective is important!


Making in-services more fun and interactive requires a departure from the same old thing…lecture-style approaches. By using even ONE of the concepts above, YOU can create engaging learning experiences that not only capture participants' attention but also enhance their knowledge and skills. Remember that the goal is to inspire a genuine interest in learning and create a culture of continuous improvement within your team.

Wondering how you can do this?

A great first step is to join us for our next Certified Montessori Community Educator course! This program is designed with interaction and discussion in mind to provide you with the knowledge to tailor and deliver an orientation that is specific to YOUR care community! You will also come away with new ideas and ways of thinking that you didn’t have at the start!