Challenge #1: Domination by Highly Verbal Member
| Ineffective Response | Effective Response |
| Controlling the Person. Inexperienced facilitators often try to control this person. "Excuse me, John, do you mind if I let someone else take a turn? "Excuse me, Peg, you're taking up a lot of the group's time..." |
Focus your efforts on the passive majority. Encourage these participants to participate more. Trying to change the dominant person merely gives that person all the attention. Change the Participation Format. Try a go-round or break up into small groups to encourage others to participate. |
Challenge #2: Goofing Around in the Midst of a Discussion
| Ineffective Response |
Effective Response |
| Engage in a Power Struggle. It is tempting to try to "organize" people by getting into a power struggle with them. "Okay, everybody, let's re-focus." |
Aim for a break as soon as possible. People have become undisciplined when overloaded or tired. After a breather, they will be much better able to focus. |
Challenge #3: Low Participation by the Entire Group:
| Ineffective Response |
Effective Response |
| Assume that Silence Means Consent. Low participation can create the impression that there is group consensus or a lack of disagreement. This leads to one of the worst errors of a facilitator can make: assuming that silence means consent and do nothing |
Change the Participation Format Immediately. If the group is in a large-group open discussion, switch to a different format that demands individual participation. Often small-groups, individual writing, or a structured go-round is a perfect remedy. The facilitator can also test for agreement by using listening skills like encouraging, balancing or drawing people out. |
Challenge #4: Two People Locking Horns
| Ineffective Response |
Effective Response |
| Focus Solely on Individuals and Try to Resolve the Conflict. A lot of time can be wasted trying to "resolve a conflict" between two people who do not intend to reach agreement. People often use one another as sparring partners, in order to clarify their own ideas. |
Reach out the other members of the group. Encourage others to participate by asking: "Who else has an opinion on this issue?" "Let's step back for a minute and see if there are any other issues that also need to be discussed." Remember: do not focus your attention on the dominant minority or focus on the passive minority. |
Challenge #5: One or two silent members in a group whose other members participate actively
| Ineffective Response |
Effective Response |
| Call on the Individual to Participate. This may work when a shy member has non-verbally indicated a wish to speak. However, all to often, the quiet person feels put on the spot and withdraws further. "Sam, you haven't talked much today. Is there anything you'd like to add?" |
Break into Small Groups. Small groups allow shy members to speak up without having to compete for "air time." Use Facilitative Listening Skills. Pose questions that will encourage participation from everyone. "I'd like to get opinions from those you haven't talked for a while." |
Challenge #6: Minimal Participation - people do not seem invested in the topic
| Ineffective Response |
Effective Response |
Ignore the Problem. Act as through silence signifies agreement with what is being said. Ignore them and be thankful they are not making trouble. |
Address the Challenge Directly. Look for an opportunity to have a discussion on "What's important to me about this topic." Have people break into small groups to discuss. This gives everyone time to explore his or her own stake in the outcome. |
Challenge #7: Whispering and side jokes
| Ineffective Response |
Effective Response |
| Ignoring the Behavior. Facilitators commonly ignore this behavior in the hope that it will go away. Sometimes it does but all too often, it will just get worse. |
With warmth and humor, make an appeal for decorum. "As you know, those who don't hear the joke often wonder if someone is laughing at them." If the problem persists, assume there is a reason. Has the topic become boring or stale? Do people need a break? Maybe everyone needs time for small group discussions. |
Challenge #8: Poor follow-through on assignments
| Ineffective Response |
Effective Response |
| Given an ineffective pep talk. Ignore it. "We didn't really need that information anyway." Delegate Future Responsibilities to People whom Follow-Through. Put most of the responsibility on one or two people. |
Break into Teams. Have people do assignments in teams. Check-in to Ensure that Instructions are Clear. Ask the group if the expected outcomes were clear. Build in a report-back process at a midpoint before the assignment is due. This gives anyone having trouble a chance to get help. |
Challenge #9: Failure to start and end on time
| Ineffective Response |
Effective Response |
Wait to Start. Wait for the arrival of all the "people who count." This obviously means starting late, but what else can you do? When it is time to end, go overtime without asking. If anyone has to leave, they should tiptoe out. |
Start when you you are going to start. Waiting encourages lateness. If you must go into overtime, call a break so people can phone home. If going overtime is recurrent, improve your agenda planning. |
Challenge #10: Quibbling about trivial matters
| Ineffective Response |
Effective Response |
Lecture the group about wasting time and "spinning wheels." Abdicate responsibility. Space out, doodle, and think to yourself, "It's their fault we're not getting anything done." |
Directly address the issue. Have the group step back from the content of the issue and talk about the process. Ask the group, "What is really going on here?" |
Challenge #11: Someone becomes loud and repetitive
| Ineffective Response |
Effective Response |
| Ignore the problem. Abrasively confront the person during a break. |
Summarize and validate the participant's comments. People repeat themselves because they do not feel heard. Summarize the person's point of view until he/she feels understood. Talk with the person at a break. During a break, pull the person aside and use your facilitative listening skills to address the participant's behavior. |
Challenge #12: Someone discovers a completely new problem that no one has previously noted
| Ineffective Response |
Effective Response |
| Dispute the validity of the problem. Try to come up with reasons why the group would not need to focus on the issue. Pretend not to hear the person's comment. |
Wake up and address the problem. This may be what you have been waiting for. This could be a doorway into a new way of thinking about the whole situation. |