{"id":31911,"date":"2019-12-12T10:50:08","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T09:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.targettraining.eu\/?p=31911"},"modified":"2021-02-09T11:48:29","modified_gmt":"2021-02-09T10:48:29","slug":"train-the-trainer-dealing-with-difficult-participants-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.targettraining.eu\/de\/train-the-trainer-dealing-with-difficult-participants-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Train the Trainer: Dealing with ‚difficult‘ participants – part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

At Target Training we\u2019ve been delivering \u201ctrain-the-trainer\u201d solutions<\/a> for over 20 years to a broad range of clients across industries. Without fail, one of the most common personal training goals we see is \u201cI want to learn to deal with difficult participants\u201d<\/em>.\u00a0 No matter whether you are delivering on-boarding, technical, safety \u00a0or skills training, training starts and ends with your participants. As a trainer you want to deliver training which is engaging and useful \u2026 and as all experienced trainers know, a single difficult participant can impact this.\u00a0 This blog post shares our advice and experience, so you are better prepared to deal with difficult participants in the training room.<\/strong>
\n\"Go

What do we mean by a \u201cdifficult participant\u201d and how common are they really?<\/h2>\n

Training is about adding value to your participants and organization, by developing their knowledge, skills and behaviours.\u00a0 You want your participants to have a rewarding learning experience \u2013 and you have designed your training to achieve this.\u00a0 You\u2019ve identified and considered the learning goals, you\u2019ve considered the flow so it is smooth and ties together, and you\u2019ve designed varied activities to keep the training engaging and rewarding. A \u201cdifficult participant, is a participant who hinders or prevents the above – intentionally or not. Difficult participants diminish the impact of the training for the other participants and reduce your organizations return on investment.<\/p>\n

All participants have the potential of being difficult, and this depends upon a variety of factors \u2013 ranging from the context of the training to the training design, and from personalities to an individual\u2019s situational circumstances. \u00a0We all have bad days. However, truly destructive participants are thankfully rare. I\u2019ve been involved in delivering training for over 23 years, and looking back I can only think of a handful of „difficult“ individuals.\u00a0 Unfortunately, I remember them clearer than the rest. So, what can you do? Before the training starts, you can minimize the risk of participants becoming difficult before the training even starts, through some simple steps.<\/p>\n

Know who the participants are<\/h2>\n

If you are delivering internally, then get a list of the participants in advance and make the time to speak with their line managers.\u00a0 By doing this you can learn more about the \u201cperceived\u201d context for the training, and the participants knowledge, experience, needs and attitudes. If somebody is cynical, silent or a talker, then the line manager may flag this. Alternatively, just ask straight out \u201cAre there any participants I should keep an eye on?\u201d.<\/em>\u00a0 You can also encourage the manager to speak with her participants and reinforce that they value training and have expectations.\u00a0 Line manager involvement is key to successful training (Clemmer 2008<\/em>) and ensures your organization makes the most of its training investment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you have a chance to meet the participants before the session, you should take it. Give them an impression of who you are. Build rapport before they enter the training room. Introduce yourself, find out what they expect from the training and set their expectations („yes, unfortunately, there will be some role-plays“), or just make small talk for a few minutes. For you, the trainer, it makes a huge difference to walk into a room with ten strangers (not knowing what they want), or to walk into a room with five strangers and five people you already know (whose expectations you’ve already set).<\/p>\n

Design the training so it respects and engages everyone<\/h2>\n

Use what you’ve learned from speaking with the line managers to ensure your training content is appropriate, relevant and challenging. By doing this you can minimize the likelihood of a wide range of difficult or disruptive behaviours \u2013 from boredom to frustration to challenging. You also want to ensure that your training respects the range of personalities and learning styles. Give your participants the opportunity to reflect, consider and contribute both as individuals and in groups. \u00a0Plan \u201cloud\u201d and \u201cquiet\u201d times so both extroverts and introverts get what they need\u2013 not everyone enjoys brainstorming and discussions. Do consider the flow of energy within the training day and consciously design your training around this e.g. after lunch will you energize the group, or give them some reflection time to look back on the morning?<\/p>\n

Anticipate tough questions, difficult learning points and likely areas of resistance<\/h2>\n

If this is a new training solution, then take the time to play \u201cwhat if\u201d.\u00a0 Write down all the questions that you hope they will ask, know they will ask, don\u2019t want them to ask, and dread they ask. Then think about your answers. Practice your responses out loud and ensure your answers are brief, to the point and authentic. As the trainer you have a lot of knowledge and experience \u2013 and synthesizing all this into a clear and brief response can be tough.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve delivered the training before than you\u2019ve already spotted the areas which raise questions or provoke discussions.\u00a0 Again, step back and consider what you want to say, how you want to say, and how much time you want to invest in which topics.<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s an elephant in your training room, then know how you want to tackle it<\/h2>\n

Keep your training human and keep it real. The circumstances surrounding the training can and will influence behaviours. If the organization is going through change, restructuring, laying off staff, or merging then you can expect this to impact attitudes and behaviours. You probably cannot influence these circumstances, but you can acknowledge them and prepare for possible resistance, push back or disassociation.<\/p>\n

I remember delivering a 2-day leadership program to an automotive company where everyone knew that at the end of day 1 a major announcement would be made on the future of some plants.\u00a0 The training content was fixed and \u201cmotivating and driving performance \u201cwas a major part of the first day. We spoke about the circumstances openly, acknowledged that the topic was awkwardly timed to say the least, and agreed to reframe the training as practical management skills for the future, wherever they may be. Keeping the pace fast, the energy high and the themes as \u201carchetypical\u201d helped the training make a personal impact.<\/p>\n

Reframe how you see difficult participants<\/h2>\n

Embrace the challenge of difficult participants. At its heart, training is about people, and we learn more about working with people from difficult situations than from \u201ceverything going to plan\u201d.\u00a0 You want participants to be engaged and challenging you is actually a good thing. \u00a0You want your participants to let you know if something isn\u2019t going right for them during the training and not afterwards. And you want your participants to be themselves.\u00a0 I\u2019ve only ever met one participant who I couldn\u2019t work with at any level whatsoever, and even this was a learning moment \u2013 I learned that was ok, to accept the situation, and to focus on the other participants who clearly wanted to be there.<\/p>\n

Always open the training in a way that sets out mutual expectations<\/h2>\n

Creating and agreeing on ground rules and shared expectations is essential. This then gives you and others the framework to hold each other accountable and have difficult conversations with difficult participants about difficult situations. Experienced trainers do this naturally and each trainer has their own style, but the core you need to agree on is<\/p>\n