FAQ on how to deal with difficult training situations
Sometimes you have one of those days in the training environment – where the students appear grumpy or everyone is fidgety or no-one answers questions, or some are argumentative or others just can’t settle into the day. Never had one of those …? Oh well, you are bound to at some stage. It’s how you handle the situation/s that really counts, though.
So, here are a few suggestions if you do encounter them:
- The group remains silent.
It may help to ask them why they are bombarding you with their silence; it may be that they have a good reason. Perhaps you are covering material they have already been presented with. Perhaps they don’t understand what’s being presented, or perhaps your delivery method needs to be revised. You need to actively engage them to coax them out of the silence. Just remember however, the environment also needs to support a sense of security to be able to speak out in front of the others of their group.
- Things are moving too fast.
Sometimes the group will become enthusiastic very quickly. This is good as long as you are prepared for it. You can ask for greater clarification of responses, ask other participants to comment on responses or simply pose more difficult questions to the individuals or the group to allow them time to think and slow down. Be aware that some of the more enthusiastic may be silencing more subdued group members by their pace and excitement. You need to slow this by being inclusive with your actions.
- Alternatively, things are moving too slowly.
It’s possible that the group isn’t motivated to involve themselves in your training. There are other reasons as well, but the same solutions apply. Ask for participant comments by nominating people to reply. Deliberately mis-stating information can spark comments from the group but if it doesn’t, it’s time to wake them up. You must give them a reason to listen and to become involved. Try to build on things they already know. Don’t speed your presentation up to get them moving. It’s most likely not going to work.
- A talkative participant.
This can be acceptable as long as the situation doesn’t get out of hand. One or two talkative participants can add to the total value of the session. It’s only if they become distracting to the rest of the group that you need to step in. Before you step in, try to use their peers to quieten them down. If that fails, you can cut the speaker off and summarise what he or she has said and then move straight on. If nothing else works, talk to them during a break, thank them for their input, but ask them to slow down a bit so that others may participate.
- A silent participant.
It may be that this person came along just to listen to pick up certain things. If you need them to participate, you might have to ask them some direct questions. Tread cautiously to start with by asking questions that can be answered easily. If it happens to be a long-serving employee of that group, it may be more relevant to ask them to share their experiences with the group. Be careful to not cause them too much embarrassment if you keep asking them questions. They may be quite at home picking up information at their own pace.
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