{"id":4862,"date":"2020-06-25T10:00:44","date_gmt":"2020-06-25T10:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/?p=4862"},"modified":"2023-12-31T01:51:06","modified_gmt":"2023-12-31T01:51:06","slug":"dealing-with-challenging-training-delegates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/dealing-with-challenging-training-delegates\/","title":{"rendered":"Dealing With Challenging Training Delegates"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Have you ever had to deal with challenging training delegates?<\/p>\n<p>When <a href=\"\/train-the-trainer-course.php\">delivering a training session<\/a>, it would be wonderful to think that everyone wants to be there. However, as we all know, this is not always the case. Occasionally, you may have to not only share the learning, but also <a href=\"\/article-1238-what-skills-does-good-trainer-need.html\">handle some challenging personalities<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few common examples of challenges, and some tactics you will find useful when dealing with them:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4884\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/antagonism-1940188_1920.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/antagonism-1940188_1920.png 1920w, https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/antagonism-1940188_1920-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/antagonism-1940188_1920-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/antagonism-1940188_1920-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/antagonism-1940188_1920-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/antagonism-1940188_1920-100x100.png 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>The monopoliser<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This delegate is a big talker who will swallow up all the airtime if allowed. Every time you ask a question to the group, he or she will dive in and provide an extensive answer. They may just be very enthusiastic (there\u2019s usually no sinister agenda here), but nobody else can get a word in! <a href=\"https:\/\/allthingstalent.org\/2019\/07\/11\/problem-trainee\/\" class=\"broken_link\">Tactics include:<\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Instead of asking a question to the group, ask a specific individual, or say &#8220;ok, we\u2019re going to go round the room and everyone will have 1 minute to say what they think.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Be polite but firm \u2013 \u201cI\u2019d like to hear another opinion. Some of the others haven\u2019t had the chance to contribute yet\u201d or \u201cI know what you mean but we need to move on. We can discuss your idea during the lunch break.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Peer pressure may aid you here. Fellow delegates may suggest to him\/her that they reduce their vocal contributions!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>The quiet one<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This type of delegate is easy to overlook as he\/she melts into the background and doesn&#8217;t annoy anyone. However, a trainer should seek the contribution of all delegates and will need to find a way to \u2018draw out\u2019 the quiet delegate:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Instead of asking questions to the group, start picking delegates and include the silent one. Make sure the first question is an easy one, to boost their confidence. A difficult question will make them retreat further into their shell if they cannot answer.<\/li>\n<li>Use groups of 2 or 3 in discussion exercises \u2013 they will participate happily in the small group.<\/li>\n<li>Some trainers make a point of socialising with the quiet participant at the break: &#8220;We haven\u2019t really heard much from you yet. After the break, if you have ideas you\u2019d like to share, I\u2019d love to hear them.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>The hostile one<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This delegate must be <a href=\"\/syl\/357\/conflict-management-and-resolution-course.html\">handled carefully<\/a>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sometimes, when you ask delegates for their objectives at the start, someone will answer \u201cbecause my boss told me to come!\u201d. An effective response can be something along the lines of, \u201cfair enough, I\u2019ll make a deal with you \u2013 I\u2019m going to run the course and I hope you\u2019ll get something out of it. All I ask is that you keep an open mind. Ok?\u201d This usually has the desired effect \u2013 the delegate doesn\u2019t contribute much but they don\u2019t cause trouble either.<\/li>\n<li>During a break, try to approach them and say \u201cYou don\u2019t seem to be enjoying the course \u2013 is everything ok? I wouldn\u2019t want anyone to be here who doesn\u2019t want to attend and if you need to leave then that\u2019s fine; I will of course have to report back to your employer that you chose to leave.\u201d This closing statement usually brings about a remarkable change in their attitude: \u201cOh no, that\u2019s fine. I\u2019ll stay.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>If they are being really negative, use the power of the group: \u2018Can anyone see any positives to this idea?\u2019 They usually can!<strong style=\"font-size: 1rem\">\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>The clown<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4885\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/clown-1295519_1280.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1198\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/clown-1295519_1280.png 1280w, https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/clown-1295519_1280-300x281.png 300w, https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/clown-1295519_1280-768x719.png 768w, https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/clown-1295519_1280-1024x958.png 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The main characteristic of this delegate is an abundance of irritating humour. If the clown\u2019s behaviour is hindering progress or annoying other delegates, it must stop:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ask a serious question requiring a serious answer \u2013 show them they can be heard, but at a more sophisticated and adult level.<\/li>\n<li>Compliment them when they make a worthwhile, serious contribution. Conversely, do not reward the attempts at humour.<\/li>\n<li>Clowns tend to sit with their friends, who laugh at every comment, so split them up. Mix up the groups and put the clown with people they don\u2019t know.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>The chatty one<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The chatty one continually speaks to their neighbour while the course is in progress.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You could stop talking, so the only voice to be heard is theirs. When they realise, ask if everything is ok? Perhaps you haven\u2019t explained a point adequately and they are seeking clarity? They will usually say everything is ok and you can move on. But now they know you are onto them!<\/li>\n<li>If they continue, tell them that you find it distracting and you\u2019d like them to stop. You have a lot to cover and you need everyone to be listening.<\/li>\n<li>If they persist, you may have to ask them to leave the course!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>The one who goes off on a tangent<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This delegate may have interesting things to say, but they usually belong in another training course.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Be polite but firm: \u201cThis is an interesting point, but could we try and get back on track? I think we\u2019re straying away from the subject here and we need to move on.\u201d As in other examples, you\u2019d be happy to discuss the point further, but during break time!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We encounter challenging delegates from time to time; some may even be trying to wind you up! Use the techniques explained above to come across as calm, professional, concerned and courteous \u2013 you just want everyone to have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/train-the-trainer-course.php\">a good training course<\/a>! And remember: as tempting as it may seem, you cannot fight fire with fire!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Have you ever had to deal with challenging training delegates? When delivering a training session, it would be wonderful to think that everyone wants to be there. However, as we all know, this is not always the case. Occasionally, you may have to not only share the learning, but also handle some challenging personalities. Here [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[638,633,636],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-professional-management","category-professional-development","category-soft-skills"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4862"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4862\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5225,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4862\/revisions\/5225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}