Asked and Answered: Involving Reluctant Participants

Asked: How do you involve participants with little interest in mandated training?

Answered: This may be one of the most common questions that comes up for trainers because training has taken on such a regimented structure that learners often see themselves as cogs in a wheel instead of seeing a training that is designed for them with true benefit.

First, let's figure out some of the reasons that participants have little interest in the prescribed training as that will help us better find a solution to involve them. Here are a few options and solutions:

1) Participants see no value in the training. Too often, learners see mandatory training as something that is about everyone else but them. They are hoping to show up, check a box, and get out as quickly as possible. As trainers, we can put all of the blame there, but it could be that we have not made the case for why this training is important. Better yet, we have not let the learners also decide that this training is of value. People do not argue with their own data so if the participants can find value for themselves it will make all of the difference. Possible solutions:

Have participants write down three reasons why they should not be in the training. After they have done this, ask them to then write down three reasons why they should be in the training. Have them share with a partner and then hear why some people think they can show up and be present. This will help you then cater a class that meets the needs of the learners who truly want to use their time well.

Vote on the agenda. With a training already written, learners often arrive for class and get a canned presentation that may or may not meet their specific needs. One way to remedy this is to ask participants to vote on the agenda items to see where they would like to spend more time. Tell everyone that all items will be covered but that the items with the most votes will warrant more time and those with fewer votes will get less time. If you are well versed in your content, you can simply adapt as you go so that you instruct on content that will make a true difference for learners.

2) Participants do not see support from management for training. In too many organizations, people are sent to training and once they complete a class, management says, "I know you were taught to do things in a certain way, but this is how we actually do it. You've already missed a lot because of this training so get back to work." Learners will, of course, listen to their supervisors over the trainer and know as they come into training that the ideas may be valuable but that none of the ideas are going to get implemented. Things you may want to consider:

Work with managers ahead of time and identify true learning needs. In that process, managers will develop a sense of ownership and will encourage change after the training happens. As we design and deliver training we should always be doing this, but this is a great strategy to encourage training transfer.

Invite the managers to also attend the training. There are times that managers do not know that things have changed and therefore do not encourage or support training initiatives. If they are in the room, then they will at least know what is being communicated and why.

3) Participants see the training as boring and ill-conceived. Training is supposed to be fun and engaging. Somewhere along the way, we have forgotten this and have resorted to what we see most often, which is lecture-based instruction with an emphasis on cramming everything we need to say on a PowerPoint slide. This does not encourage retention or enjoyment of the material nor does it help us achieve the results that training is expected to produce. To help our learners access the material, we should be designing and delivering in a participant-centered fashion. If we can involve participants in the learning process, they are more likely to realize that the material is about them and that there is true value in what is being presented. Some simple tips to incorporate:

Encourage small group discussions. The people who do the most talking (in relation to the content) do the most learning. Decrease your talking time in a trade for learner sharing and growth.

Create interactive learning activities. Lecture will only get us so far as instructors, so ask what other ways the content could be delivered instead of by lecture and overstuffed PowerPoint. Steal shamelessly from other trainers to find new ways to share information.

There are other barriers for learners attending mandatory training, but these three capture a lot of the resistant attitudes. Combining several of these into a training, with a particular emphasis on the third problem and solutions will really help learners opt in and realize that they have some great development to take on and that they could actually walk away with some true value. If you are looking for additional information on these topics and would like to experience how this can look and feel in a classroom, I would recommend attending The Bob Pike Group's Train-the-Trainer Boot Camp. Of course I am a little bit biased, but this is an exceptional course that puts the talk and theory of participant-centered training into easily accessible bites that you can start using immediately. If you are delivering more webinar-based instruction, we apply these same principle in our Webinars that Work course.

Scott Enebo is a training consultant for The Bob Pike Group.