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You are Excused from TrainingBy: Jenny KerwinArticle Word Count: 1454 words [Comments (0)] Total Views: 67 Views |
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Trainers, please picture this... You are presenting in a new location to a new group. You are prepared for a one day workshop. Your materials are ready and you are “onâ€. Things seem to be going well. You are building a nice rapport with the class and the pace of the training is right on schedule. About two hours into your day one participant starts to demonstrate disruptive behavior. This individual begins talking to the person beside him during the lecture. A few minutes later, during an activity this gentleman is doing everything in his power to take people’s attention away from the subject at hand. As the calm cool trainer you are, you try to work with him to no avail, and his behavior is really starting to affect the others in the workshop. You’ve got about one hour to lunch, and you are now behind on your timeline…For the sake of the training, what do you do? As a trainer have you ever experienced presenting to a group with one or more difficult participants? The behaviors and attitudes of one or two of your class members can easily throw off the learning of the entire group. In my early experience as a trainer, there were several times when I found I had to make difficult decisions about how to handle a challenging participant. I posed the question to my manager and mentor, “When it’s obvious that a participant is not interested in the training, and determined to disrupt the entire class; do you ever just ask that person to leave?†Before I give you the answer that she gave me, let me tell you a little about my thoughts on training, and give you some ideas for identifying and dealing with difficult participants. Now, I am someone who is dedicated to developing and teaching others. I feel that it is one of my callings in life. Because of this belief the idea of not allowing someone to continue attending a class or a workshop is difficult for me to accept. My philosophy is that the company hired me to train the team members – the team members are in the training session for the benefit of their job – we are all in the situation for ultimately the same reason: to make the company stronger through development. So, why is it sometimes so difficult for people to accept the idea of being in training? Here are some examples of difficult participants The Prisoner – This participant is unhappy to be in the classroom. They feel trapped in a training session that they do not see the need for. A Prisoner can be spotted in two ways. They may be confrontational; challenging information provided in order to discredit the training or the trainer. The Sniper – This participant uses rude comments, sarcasm, as well as verbal & nonverbal behaviors to interrupt the learning process for themselves and others. The sniper is targeting the instructor. Statements may include: “She (the instructor) doesn’t know what she is talking about†The Challenger – This is a participant who challenges subjects on small details; they like to display their knowledge (which they perceive to be greater than the trainers). A Challenger differs from a Sniper in the questioning. The Challenger will question or challenge the information. For example: “Where did you get that fact?†“I was told to do it this way…†“I’ve tried that way and it doesn’t work…†The Lost – This is a participant that is not grasping the concepts being presented. The Lost can be spotted in two ways. They usually display nonverbal expressions of not comprehending. Check out some suggestions I have collected from colleges to handle participant behavior like the prisoner, challenger & sniper. WIIFM – “What’s in it for me?†Deal with challenging participants firmly, but nicely If anger is expressed and learning is disrupted Listen without interrupting “If I understand you correctly…†Don’t make the learner wrong “Let me explain what I think has happened so you can understand my thinking. I think we can work this out together.†Find something you can agree on Use Language to create engagement Positive phrasing has the following qualities: • Tells the learner what can be done Some examples: • One option open to you is… Negative phrasing has the following characteristics: • Telling the learner what cannot be done Some examples that can be interpreted as sarcastic or patronizing: • No doubt… Link the solution to the learners needs or frustrations Indicate that the learner is not the only one with the same fears or frustrations Indicate that others are working on possible solutions • Utilize a feedback process for their suggestions Handling the lost, working with the challenger Clarify if the issue is skill or will. Ask them to indicate which part they don’t understand. Offer to provide additional support during activities. Team a lost individual up with a challenger; make the challenger use their knowledge to help “the lost†grasp concepts. I learned all of the things above from manager’s, mentors, other trainers, and through my own experience. When I experienced a challenging participant (Prisoner) again, I followed the rules above. I spoke to the individual on a break, listened to their feelings and gave him the option to leave if he felt it warranted. In the end he understood why his behavior challenged the whole class. He chose to stay and found a way to make the session work for him. My mentor helped me specifically with my original challenge from the beginning of this article. “When it’s obvious that a participant is not interested in the training, and determined to disrupt the entire class; do you ever just ask that person to leave?†She explained as an instructor you should talk to the participant, respect them and explain your perspective to them in a way that does not turn you into the disciplinarian and them into a child. As adults in a business setting you can give them the option to step out of the training, but let them know they will be responsible for their decision. Responsible for the material missed and explaining the situation to their manager. The participant will let you know when they need to leave. As trainers you have tools to handle and management difficult participants. Give some of these a try and you will never have to say, “You are excused from trainingâ€. If you are interest in leadership theory and practices then you need to visit: http://www.righttolead.com. Jenny Kerwin is a contributing writer and thinker for our organization. For training tools visit: http://trainercorner.righttolead.com/index.html Grab this articles
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