The birth of METALOG training tools

In 2002, there I was standing with my father-in-law Erwin in the basement of a terraced house in a suburb of Munich building the first tools by hand. This was the very moment when the specially designed activities – or “interaction games” / “interaction tasks” – that I had earlier developed with Daniela for two large corporations, and which I had integrated into the training concepts I designed for these corporations, became reality!

Of course, at the time we didn’t know that they were merely the first prototypes of the tools that exist today. It was really thanks to Erwin and his no-nonsense, rolled-up-sleeve approach to projects that the tools would go on to become the aesthetically pleasing and technically innovative tools they are today, and that they would conquer the market so quickly. Today, we place a great deal of emphasis on social responsibility, so much so that most of our production is done at sheltered workshops.

Back then, we also had no idea that what we were doing would have far-reaching consequences for large numbers of people working in the field of training and further education. Our new “activities” motivated the attendees of our workshops and seminars to become increasingly more demanding. In addition to content that was directly applicable to their working lives, they began to expect a lively, engaging and authentic learning experience. At the same time, our groups increasingly showed their dislike of sleep-inducing, projector-based presentations they normally associated with training workshops and seminars. Mouseover the images to discover more.

How it all began

In 1995, my wife Daniela and I founded the METALOG Institute for the Communicative Arts. Over the following years, we developed training concepts focusing on customer focus, communication, team building, and leadership. At the time, the majority of our customers came from the automotive and airline industries. We started to integrate more interactive learning into our work in the form of “interaction games” and soon discovered that these “games” gave our participants learning experiences that we would never have achieved so efficiently through classic training scenarios.

Professionalization

In 2008 we founded METALOG training tools OHG. In cooperation with Daniel Stanislaus, the company expanded and developed into an important source of ideas and inspiration for a great number of trainers.

At the same time, school developers and social workers from several German states discovered our tools and began to use them with their students and in teacher training. Today, experiential and interactive learning is standard in several areas as well as an integral element in the training departments of large corporations.

Internationalization

In 2011, with our tools and methods increasingly being used by our internationally based colleagues, we founded what is now METALOG GmbH & Co. KG, under whose umbrella we developed our international reach. Today, METALOG training tools are available around the world and can be shipped from the following locations through our international partners:

USA, Portland/Oregon: metalogtools.us
Asia, Hongkong and Bangalore: metalogtools.asia/
Japan, Tokio: learningtorque.com
Italy, Mailand: metalog.it
Caribbean and Central America, Costa Rica, San José: metaaccion.com
Europe and the rest of the world, Olching (Headquarter): metalogtools.com
Germany and Austria, Olching (Headquarter): metalog.de

Today

METALOG training tools are used today by a wide range of professional groups. Our customers are trainers, coaches, facilitators, professors, teachers, school social workers, supervisors, family therapists, pastors, and youth leaders. Our clientele also includes a large number of different organizations: whether large automotive or insurance groups, state institutions such as the Federal Employment Agency, various teacher training programs in the German states, or small consulting firms – all of them use our tools to a greater or lesser extent in their training courses and seminars.

The range of topics and themes covered by METALOG training tools is now also considerable: in addition to the classic fields of sales, communication, leadership, teamwork, conflict resolution, and personal development, the tools are increasingly being used to deliver learning content. For example, teachers in different types of schools use METALOG training tools to teach specific topics in their curriculum.

Our team is your team

At our headquarters in Olching near Munich, we are supported by our growing team: Tamara Krauß, Nino Rohn, Alessandra Alizzi, Vincent Leopold, Anna-Lena Huber, Nick Simon, Walter Franz as well as Bastian Karrasch as a further member of the management. Whatever the question or enquiry, they are always willing to listen and find solutions that match your goals.

METALOG training tools generate new, unexpected spontaneous perspectives and aha effects. Hidden skills emerge and familiar aspects can be seen from new angles. Learners feel a tingling sensation between their ears and their emotions are activated. This creates new opportunities for everyone involved!

METALOG training tools are used by many different target groups in numerous countries for a variety of different reasons. Here are some of the most important reasons our customers use Metalog training tools. Discover more by moving your mouse over the pictures.

Fireworks for your nerve cells

Learners don’t like monotony: they want variety and thrills, failure and success. Neurobiologically, they need “fireworks” for their nerve cells. And from different learning positions – sometimes right in the middle of the action, completely engrossed, or sometimes from the outside in the role of observer giving feedback. This enables learning that fully involves all of the senses.

More choice: the systemic toolbox

Give yourself the freedom to make free choices. Simply delve into this treasure trove of tools and steer your process the way you want it to go. Each tool can be adapted to a wide range of groups and topics. Tailor the group dynamics as you see fit. There is a tool for every moment!

Authentic learning situations

Long-winded theory is mostly hard to digest. Our tools “translate” theoretical concepts such as communication, leadership, teamwork, conflict resolution, and sales into multisensory learning experiences, creating the ideal environment for authentic learning. Create the learning environment you want!

Enough talk – clear the stage for the group!

Thanks to groundbreaking concepts in brain research and systemic pedagogy we now know that we cannot “teach” anyone anything. Force-feeding learning just will not cut it any more. The only thing we can do is to create the “space” in which people learn for themselves. Because METALOG training tools create such a space, this takes the burden off the trainer and the tools allow him/her to stop talking and clear the stage for the group!

Enthusiastic feedback

These are all reasons why groups and trainers love METALOG training tools. Turn your learners into fans who come back for more. Get a powerful boost from enthusiastic, heartfelt feedback!

Leave traces

As people who work with groups, our goal is to make a difference: We want to leave our mark on the world and help others achieve a real impact through their work. METALOG training tools create dynamic interactions that generate real emotion and enable in-depth learning. Recent research into the brain underscores this very point: true learning only occurs through the emotions – because people need emotions and relationships to learn.