Page 322 - Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals

A flip chart with a display easel is composed of a tablet of large sheets of paper fastened together at the top.
The sheets are “flipped” over to obtain a fresh sheet of paper. You can write or draw with crayon, felt pens, or
markers. Select products that do not bleed through the paper. Presenters may want to ask someone to do the
writing for them, particularly when audience comments and ideas are being generated. In this manner, the
free-flowing of ideas (brainstorming or “brainwarming”) can be recorded without distracting from the
process.17

Flip charts can be used in multiple ways. Finished sheets can be torn off and attached to a wall to group or
summarize ideas. When you need a record of audience participation, a flip chart is preferable to a whiteboard
because each sheet can be saved after completion without recopying information. Alternately, one can prepare
the sheets in advance and reveal them sequentially while standing facing the audience. It is advisable to leave a
blank page when the audience focus should be on the presenter.

Real Objects

Nothing is more visual than showing real objects that a learner can touch and feel. A lesson on food labeling,
for example, may include a variety of food packages so that the audience can participate hands-on with actual
products in learning to read and understand the labels. To avoid audience distraction, introduce items when
the visual impact is of greatest value and keep other items out of audience sight until required. Enhance
involvement and decrease distraction by having one food package for each learner rather than passing a single
item around.

A visit to a local supermarket or grocery store is another possibility to utilize real objects of foods and
products. When an actual visit is not possible, a video tour or a virtual tour can be used.

Food demonstrations are also a common interactive learning opportunity. Preparing recipes to be tasted in
group sessions when teaching about nutrition or modified diets increases familiarity with foods and cooking
techniques. A person who has observed a professional create an actual recipe, was able to sample it, and has
received the printed copy of the recipe is more likely to try it at home. In a series of classes, audience members
may assist and provide recipes.

In training employees, it is preferable to train them using the real object.7 Actual hands-on experience is
preferable when learning how to use a piece of foodservice equipment such as a meat slicer, dish machine, or
cash register. Touching a set of wooden blocks representing the size of ideal knife cuts helps a learner compare
the proper size of his or her own diced carrot cubes. Breaking the teaching into small segments with a visual
connection reinforced by implementing the skill is also preferable to facilitate learning.

Pictures, Packages, and Menus

Pictures or downloaded clip art may be displayed on posters or on computer screens. Sample packages and
containers of recommended foods may also be provided as props. To teach food allergy awareness with a
client, a file of actual food labels could promote learning interaction. Labels may be removed from packages
and placed into a binder using clear page protectors. Labels could also be laminated or kept as photocopies.
You may want to have different collections for different topics and audiences. For example, a file of food
labels could be sorted by audience focus of carbohydrate or sodium content awareness.

Alternatively, clients could bring video pictures taken from their mobile phones of food labels or food items

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