A D V I C E
There is no single "right" way to deliver a training session. Each group is different and therefore no one solution works all the time. This is mostly due to the wide array of personalities embodied by the participants. Just as there are many different personality types, there are infinite number of ways to respond to any one of them.
The first step in uniting a group of diverse personalities is to pay attention to your own personality. Consider carefully your own perspective and reactions, and combine that view with what you know about the students. Also, be aware of yourself and the topic you are acting and enjoy the game. Do it with an open and concentrated mind.
What about a situation when a trainee is reluctant to get involved because they might get embarrassed?. One solution is to ask questions you are sure the trainee is able to answer. Yes or No questions. Ask trainees' opinions. Make a mutual and subtle agreement with the trainee. Use positive reinforcement and share your self-confidence with this trainee.
Your agenda should naturally be flexible, but sometimes trainees just talk too much. To help keep a session moving along, you can limit the trainees discussion by summarizing key points and by asking other enthusiastic participants to explain an idea more briefly to everyone.
A good approach to dealing with a trainee who is unhelpful or who doesn't work well with others is to discuss the behavior with the trainee personally, away from the group. Explain to the trainee that everyone's experiences are extremely important and that all participants benefit from shared ideas. Use this theme as a tool of your everyday training sessions as well. Be optimistic and grateful for any contribution.
Usually a trainee that is bright, active and well-prepared makes you the trainer feel great. Try not to get to excited, though. Of course, be happy and show your contentment, but do not be so obvious about it that it alienates the others in the group. Ask the bright trainee tough and challenging questions to keep them going, and now and then you can even let the trainee think that he/she knows more about the issue than you do.
Dealing with that overly helpful trainee who is all too willing to show how he or she knows all the right answers requires a bit of tact. Usually this trainee is so wrapped up in demonstrating his or her knowledge that he or she ignores the others. Make it clear to the trainee that you appreciate the eagerness, but keep asking questions from others. A polite suggestion you can use: "Let's get other opinions."
When a trainee rambles on and on and takes the discussion off track, it helps for you to rephrase his or her statements and then give the floor to someone else. If that does not work, refer to your set agenda and try to focus the rambler back toward your original discussion.
If you encounter an obstinate trainee, a challenging person who tries to disrupt or will not cooperate with the training session, it's best to propose a meeting after class so you stay in control and do not let the situation bother the others.
Often a trainee will stray ahead and try to pull the discussion along before the rest of the group can catch up. To keep your intended pace, ask the trainee to pay attention to the topic you are dealing with. You can say things like "You are absolutely right, but could you hold it until later on?"
In all too many training sessions you will find at least one trainee who continually argues. Learning new skills and challenging existing knowledge creates anxiety. You can try to help these trainees by asking them to think about the reason they came there in the first place. You can also offer to discuss their problems with them after class. Another approach is to bring other participants into the conversation - often the group itself will take care of the problem. If this does not work, try to ignore the trainee's disruptive behavior.
Once in a while someone will start to talk about race or political issues. To keep the session from turning into a heated debate, politely steer the conversation back to the original point or just quickly move on. Sooner or later the trainee will recognize the misstep.
If trainees knew everything then trainers would be out of business. There will always be trainees who are absolutely wrong. It is important to keep the learning positive. Instead of saying, "you are absolutely wrong," try to encourage the trainee by focusing on parts he or she got right or by using phrases such as "That could be one way to look at it." Also, do not leave a subject until you feel the facts are clear to everyone.
One way to be positive about challenging personalities is to view them as a challenge for you. Usually you act according to your conditioned mind, how you were taught by you previous experiences to react in all peculiar situations. Preparation and practice will help you get through. Nevertheless, it sometimes pays off to leave preconceived ideas outside the classroom and just be spontaneous, open and loving.
Santtu Hulkkonen just completed an internship with the EMTC Network at the REC Head Office in Szentendre, Hungary. This article was adapted from an article by Mike Hakim that appeared in "Creative Training Techniques 1997," Volume 10.
