Adults Need Stickers Too

Before shifting my career path to teach adults, I was a high school science teacher. I loved molding and shaping the minds of teenagers. High school is such an interesting time in life. In case you were unaware, between the ages of 14 and 18 humans actually know everything there is to know. Since they already know everything, educating this age group is quite a challenge.

Teenagers do not want or need to come to class because they, indeed, already know everything. This phenomenon stems back to a fear of appearing stupid. The students want to show those around them that they have it all under control, but they have little to no control.

Guess what, adults are not much different. We all fear looking stupid in front of our peers. We want to show our bosses, colleagues, friends, and neighbors how smart we are. We avoid doing things that are difficult and cautiously approach learning opportunities with trepidation.

As a facilitator, you must break down those barriers.

One day, I was in my classroom and I saw some stickers lying on my desk. I honestly have no idea what possessed me to pass them out, but I decided that my seniors needed those stickers. I stood at the door of my portable (aka trailer because our school was overcrowded and I did not have a classroom), stickers in hand, and proceeded to put a smiley face sticker on the hand of each student who walked into my room that afternoon.

The students' reactions to those stickers were remarkable. As I placed those stickers on their hands they smiled, they giggled, they showed their stickers to their friends, and they thanked me. Then, more miraculously, they sat down and were ready to learn. I remember that class feeling different. At the time, I did not understand why.

The next day, I had kind of forgotten about the stickers. The life of a high school teacher is a bit crazy and I was simply not thinking about it. The first student came in and said, "Mrs. McMullen, where is my sticker?" My response to the first student was simply, "That was just a fluke idea yesterday, it wasn't meant to be a daily thing." But then the next student came in and asked too. They started saying things like, "We really liked them." "Can we get one every day?" "Please." High school students don't often say please unless it is important to them. I got out the stickers and started a pattern.

I told the students in order to get a sticker they had to show up on time to my class. I taught in a portable in the very back of the school so students being tardy to class was a real struggle. I kid you not, I would have senior boys run from the cafeteria to my classroom for those stickers. I was dumbfounded. It was just a sticker. Or was it?

It didn't take me long to realize that it had very little to do with the sticker. One time I was busy putting grades in during class change so I had a student stand at the door, and the kids almost revolted. I discovered that day that it was not about the sticker. It was about the physical and emotional interaction I had to have with each student to put that sticker on his or her hand. It showed them that I cared about them. It made them feel special.

My career shifted not long after that, and I went from having a classroom of my own to traveling to 35 schools in our district. I interacted with students who were not "my kids" and I only saw them for very short periods of time. I would guest teach or watch other teachers teach and I had to build relationships in an instant. I decided to try my stickers again. I probably interacted with 10,000 students during those six years and only 3 students ever turned down my stickers.

During those same six years I started teaching adults. On a whim, I decided to try using stickers with them too. I greeted them at the door before a training, asked them their name and gave them a sticker. I never would have predicted the reaction I got. Men and women alike loved the stickers. They would laugh and say it took them back to their childhood. After the initial sticker for showing up, to get stickers the participants had to share an idea, take a risk, or be a great learner. I have never seen people's hands shoot up to volunteer to answer questions like they do when there is a sticker involved.

It became a competition to see who could earn the most stickers. Sometimes, I would even give prizes to the person with the most stickers at the end of a training. People eagerly dove into the learning. They worked together to gain more stickers and they tied emotion to their learning as they excitedly got rewarded for their efforts. I have now given stickers out across the nation, to superintendents, principals, teachers, students, colleagues, and friends. You are never too old for a sticker, because you are never too old to be valued.

It never was and never will be about the sticker. It was about being noticed, being celebrated, and being valued. The sticker was simply the vehicle that allowed me to break down barriers quickly and completely.

Ten years after I passed out my first sticker, one of my students from that class messaged me on Facebook. She said, "Mrs. McMullen, you will never guess what I found today. My sticker book." She had kept every sticker I had ever given her in a little book, and 10 years later still had that book. She told me that it made her feel loved. Don't we all need just a little more love?

Just recently, I was teaching a master's level course in Educational Leadership. Of course, I gave out stickers, because I really don't know how to function in a professional learning environment without them. There were only six people in the course and five of them absolutely loved stickers. One wore them on her face every time she got one. Another started a collection on his notebook.

One of the six, however, politely declined every time I offered her a sticker for something she had done well. I have been doing this too long to be deterred by her lack of desire for a sticker. I just simply asked her who she would like to give her sticker to, even though she was the one who earned it.

During our final class we talked about the leadership lessons we had learned and discussed over the 10 week course. We started talking about leverage, and how to get people to accept change even when it is hard. The stickers came up, and we discussed their purpose.

This woman, let's call her Tiffany, was listening intently throughout the conversation. At the end, she took the floor. She said, "I know why I don't like the stickers." I was all ears and we all leaned in to hear her answer. "I never received them as a child, and it stresses me out to decide where I am supposed to put them." "But," she added, "I think I see their value now. When trying to make people accept change, you must meet them where they are. The stickers are meant to create instant leverage resulting in a higher likelihood of being accepting of the change. If I am being honest, I tried it with my students and they absolutely loved it."

Tiffany brought stickers to her entire cohort and their new professor in term two of her master's program. She had a new understanding of the value of small gestures. She understood leverage.

Here's a little tip. Buy the smelly stickers. Everyone loves them the most. I have done years of research, trust me. They are a fan favorite.

Maybe you think that a sticker is too cheesy or childish. That is totally okay. It is not natural for everyone to give stickers. It suits my personality. But remember, it is not about the sticker. It is about valuing your participants. So, if not a sticker, then what? How can you celebrate people in your trainings? What can you give them that will make them not only want to participate, but want to truly learn? Bragging rights can be motivation enough in many instances but having something tangible can make all the difference.

Do you have swag for your school? Could people earn time off, or money in the café, or a free coffee just for participating? Could there be a raffle for prizes at the end of a training?

We are in incredibly trying times right now, and our world as we knew it has shifted. What has not changed, however, is the importance of valuing your employees. What kind of virtual “sticker” could make someone’s day?

It doesn't have to be expensive, but it does have to evoke value.

Want to know more? Reach out to Dr. Christie McMullen to chat about how to make corporate training that works. Because learning should never feel like a chore.