The theme of part 6 is the importance of full body listening and being brave – negotiating with a learner who is disrupting the learning of others.
Trying to impress the audience by showing up extra knowledge beyond the scope of the course. Responding to audience tendency of discussing irrelevant or marginal issues and leaving the core learning to struggle for time. Munib Amin Shadid
Not bringing the delegates back to the subject matter. This is a task I previously underestimated the energy involved in doing. Daniel Gribben-Lisle
Call to Action: Ensure the course objectives are covered by managing conversations.
If a trainer does not listen actively, genuinely, and intently to show participants that what they say is valued and heard (even if you don’t agree with the learner), there can be trust issues. When we are heard, in full, we feel in a safe place. Genevieve Hundermark
New, inexperienced and, sadly, even experienced trainers make the mistake of filling silence. Stillness: vocal, physical, emotional. Paul Edmondson
Talking too much, assuming it’s all about them telling people facts and not listening enough and using the experience in the room, as others have said. Sadly, it’s not just a trait of new trainers and there are many experienced trainers who like the sound of their own voice too much! Teresa Cook
Taking the time to ‘read’ your audience. You can pick up a lot by body language, facial expressions, and questions asked & answered. Stacey Jones
Becoming aggressive and defensive and showing closed/negative body language. Khushbu Tiwari Mehta
The above are great points and show how genuinely listening to the fears of learners and being happen with silence for thoughts can establish trust and keep the learner at the centre of the experience, which is where I believe the learner should be. Trainer at The Development Company
Call to Action: Listen actively.
And when we are attending, we can manage a disruptive learner:
I love a training class to be a love fest & really care about the people having a great experience that improves lives & changes behaviour. Kicking someone out of class makes me feel like I am a failure, but it is not. It is an affirmation to the people who came with the right motives & needs.
I have never had a class turn on me for booting someone off, but I have nearly lost classes when I was too longsuffering with the tyrant. Here’s what I do:
I pull them aside at the break & tell them what is about to happen & make my intentions perfectly & calmly clear & tell them what behaviour is causing problems & that I don’t want to lose them. I then offer them the opportunity to stay or go and make very clear what will happen if their actions continue. After that, I keep my word and decide accordingly.
The universal response from the class when “Bob the troublemakers” seat is empty after a break or lunch; has been “What took you so long? Let’s move on!”.
Don’t get me wrong, I have only booted a few folks in the hundreds of classes I have taught, but we all know IT IS traumatic is in class, tyrant & trainer to have to do it.
We all want the training room to be the happiest place on earth, but Disneyland already owns that motto. Be there for the people that want to be there & send the sniper home & let them explain why they got kicked out of class. Don Barrett
Hello Don, I have invited three people to leave a learning event over a 27-year period in training. When I first started training, I was scared to talk to a disruptive person. I’ve learned to empower myself and enable the learning process of all individuals by using techniques like you shared. I’ve found that there are valid reasons – such as workload. Only once, the person was someone I could not fathom out. He showed such intense dislike for me, he couldn’t even use my name, he just called me “that woman”. I was proud I’d saved the rest of the group from his behaviour. Trainer at The Development Company
Call to Action: Say the affirmation to yourself, I am here to look after the learning of all my learners.
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