You’ve got a good training design, invited all the right participants (you hope), reviewed the materials, and set the room up just right. Things should be going well, but for some reason, they just don’t seem to be going as you planned.
You’ve hit a roadblock, and you need to work around it. If any of the following five things happen to you, try to catch them early and work them out as quickly as you can – the success of your workshop may depend on it!
1. Someone has made up their mind before the meeting even started that it’s not something they are interested in – so they won’t be an active participant.
Take the person aside at a break. Ask them why they are not involved, and what is needed to get their valuable input. If they remain recalcitrant, allow them to leave. Honest discourse including differences is okay, but not disruptive behavior or allowing one person to ‘cast a pall’ over the whole session. (more…)