It takes just one person to quickly derail the most well-designed training class. A difficult participant is, by definition, someone who disrupts or interferes with the learning of others (and themselves). With many training classes mandated by managers, some participants may be reluctant from the beginning. To promote a great learning environment, first, identify the most frequently experienced behavior types. Then, develop coping strategies to make all participants learners.
Preparation is Key
Preparation is the key to effectively managing this wide range of behaviors. Before training, make sure you:
- Involve the manager
- Share course objectives
- Assign pre-work
The above steps will ensure buy-in from the beginning and reinforce the reason that the participant is in the class to begin with. At the beginning of a training session, be sure to welcome participants by name to make them feel welcome. This goes a long way to getting the class off to a good start. Also, simply take a couple of minutes in the beginning of the class to acknowledge where people are from to actively engage participants.
During training:
- Reward behavior you want
- Create ground rules
- Vary pace
It sounds simple, but having an unexpected reward like candy to hand out when someone actively answers your questions is an effective way to reinforce class participation. Also, including participants through polls allows them to voice their own opinion and learn from each other.
Difficult Participants
We find the most frequently mentioned trouble makers are the following:
- The latecomer
- The cell phone user
- The withdrawn
- The know-it-all
- The socializer
- The sleeper
- The prisoner
The most difficult behaviors to manage are the Know-It-All and the Socializer. To handle these situations, it’s important to directly address them.
