In our last BLOG we said that planning ahead is your best defence against difficult behavior – almost like preventative medicine.  But you still want to know how to deal with those people, don’t you?  In this BLOG and our next one, we will arm you with remedies for four specific difficult participants.

Participants in IWCC workshops often ask how to deal with difficult people. We have given names to these four specific types they often ask about:

• The Socializer
• The Monopolizer
• The Prisoner
• The Introvert

Bumped into these people? Some of you may even be these people. Have they gotten the best of you at some point? Want some help for the next time?

For this week, you will find some strategies you can use to remedy the behaviors of the Socializer and the Monopolizer…

The Socializer

We all know this person - they talk constantly. If they are not answering a question, they are holding a sidebar conversation while you or others are speaking. Socializers create a problem because you never know if they are asking the person beside them for clarification or engaging in a full-out conversation about something else. Try these strategies:

• Make eye contact with the socializer as you speak
• Direct a question to him or her to gain attention
• Move closer to the socializer and continue presenting/talking
• Use a small group activity to change the dynamic
• Talk to the socializer privately – ask for their help to allow others to focus

The Monopolizer

You know this person – they simply take over. And, they enjoy the sound of their own voice! As the facilitator or presenter, you need to acknowledge their contributions and enthusiasm while allowing other audience members equal opportunities to participate. Try these strategies:

• Reduce eye contact with a monopolizer
• Choose small group activities & discussions that allow for more idea-sharing and less monopolizing
• Move closer to the monopolizer while maintaining eye-contact with the rest of the group
• Involve him or her in a task (delivering handouts, managing a flipchart)
• Thank the individual for their comments and ask if anyone else has something to contribute
• Talk to the monopolizer privately – ask for their help to allow others to contribute

When dealing with a difficult participant, be careful not to embarrass them. Remember, what you do to one participant you do to all participants. If you embarrass one, they all feel that pain. If you maintain one participant’s dignity, they all feel respected.

Stay tuned –remedies for Prisoners and Introverts coming in our next BLOG, August 4.

What do you do when someone in the audience displays challenging behavior?  Instead of hoping and wishing that challenging behavior does not surface, prepare for it. Whether you are presenting, training or leading a meeting, difficult behavior from a participant can derail your session.

Is it fair that as presenters we have to deal with challenging questions…you bet! Is it fair that as presenters we have to deal with rude, disruptive behavior...absolutely not! However, we all know that fair has little to do with it. So let’s stop whining about it and do what we have to do.

We have one key word of advice to prevent or at least minimize problem behavior during your presentations, training sessions and meetings - PLAN! In our effective presentation skills workshops, IWCC provides participants with a Topic and Reader Analysis – the first step to prepare an effective presentation. 

Here is a glimpse of our analysis checklist – Answer these questions to be prepared to give your audience what they need and want. By doing so, you are also preparing to stop difficult behavior before it starts.

The sponsor

• Who has requested this presentation and why? What are the objectives of this presentation? Are you clear about them?
• How does the sponsor think the audience will receive this information?

The Audience

• Who will attend your talk?
• How much do they already know about your topic?
• A lot?
• Absolutely nothing?
• Quite a bit?

• What kind of information, examples, visuals, analogies might appeal to this group?
• How diverse will your listeners be? (Think about areas of specialization, education level, preconceived attitudes/biases, etc.)
• Will any members of your audience be from other countries? Will English be their first language?
• What is their attitude likely to be?
• Enthusiastic?
• Indifferent? Not at all interested?
• Interested but sceptical?
• Curious?
• Hostile?

• Will they be attending the presentation voluntarily? Or is it a “command performance”?
• What can you do in advance to ensure that your audience will support your point of view?
• Do you anticipate difficult behavior from any of the participants? Who? Why?
• How do you plan to handle this behavior if it arises?
• Can you talk to this individual before your presentation to get him or her on side?
• Who could be an ally in the group?

Will planning prevent all difficult behavior during presentations, meetings and training sessions? Of course not – and besides, what would be the fun in that!

Tune in to our next BLOG for some tips to deal with specific difficult behavior.