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This guide explores practical strategies for working with difficult adult learners, emphasizing their unique concerns and needs. It outlines methods to address various participant types such as Explorers, Vacationers, and Prisoners, providing tailored approaches to enhance engagement. Key themes include understanding learner motivations, creating a supportive environment, and managing challenging behaviors. Techniques such as classbuilding, establishing ground rules, and addressing preconceived biases are discussed to foster a more effective learning atmosphere, empowering trainers to transform negative attitudes into positive learning experiences.
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Difficult Learners August 2009
3 Stages of Concern • Personal • What’s in it for me? • How much time will it take? • What is my part? • Management • How do I make this work? • Impact • How will the learning of this material impact my teaching?
Adult Learners – Difficult to Work With… • How can I use this – tomorrow… • Preconceived ideas and biases • Why are we doing this? • Old habits die hard • Filled with fear of risk • Don’t want to change • Time…. • Not knowing something may reveal an inadequacy
Adult Learner Needs • Feel Safe • Be Autonomous • Option of working solo, in pairs, or in teams • Enjoy Success • Feel valued and cared for • Enjoy themselves
3 Types of Learners • Explorer • Love being in the training and want to learn as much as they can from the session • Vacationers • Vacationers want to have as much fun and free time as possible. • Prisoners • Prisoners resent being in the training and imagine themselves breaking free.
Difficult Participants… What can we do? • A difficult participant is anyone whose attitude or behavior prevents that person or others from meeting the objective.
Latecomer • Start on Time • Praise “on-timers” • After breaks, start with hot topics • Do a classbuilder • Use a visual timer • Don’t wait and delay your training
Preoccupied • Clear table of all personal belongings • Make a To-Do list, and have them set it aside for later • Structure interaction among team members – don’t use “group work” • Use proximity to encourage eye contact and engagement • Have a private discussion with the participant
Introvert – Shy or Fearful • Classbuilding • Teambuilding • Assign jobs and tasks • Have teammates practice “encouragers” • Enlist their ideas after teamwork or pair work
Domineering – shares war stories, asks meaningless questions, bosses others • Select who starts • Use proximity • Set ground rules for both the good trainer and the good participant • Select the teams • Use talking chips • Use timed turns within the group
Prisoner • Explain the three types of participant: prisoner, vacationer, and explorer. Follow it up with a RoundRobin activity: Which one are you? • List the benefits: “What’s in it for me?” • Allow them to leave • Use negative examples about yourself to illuminate their behavior • Empathize and move on
Prove It • Assign them to do research • Give references • State facts • Ask the class – What are 5 reasons why? • Project quotes
Know It All • Conduct a pre-test • Acknowledge expertise • Ask them to share successes • Draw a common object – penny • Sometimes we don’t know everything we think we know • Watch them teach the content
Can’t Afford to Spend Time • Explain why training material is required and critical • “Parking Lot” – participants put questions on wall and trainer answers them after the break • Explain how lucky they are
Yes, But • Give examples from their job or in their content • Use concrete examples • Give testimonials • Show data • Tell successes, but say that they “May not work for you” • Ask them why? Why not?
Conclusion • Identify and handle the problem participant quickly and effectively. • Turn difficult participants into assets. • Turn questions and skepticism into opportunities to delve more deeply into the material.
