In classes you’ve taught, have you come across any participants who:
- routinely arrived more than five minutes late
- were constantly on their cell phones, laptops, or tablets
- complained all the time
- expressed negative emotions in an aggressive or passive aggressive manner?
These are some of the challenging behaviors participants can exhibit. Such behaviors can disrupt training sessions, distracting the facilitators and other participants. They can affect the morale of the other participants, undermine the authority of the facilitator, and have an impact on learning outcomes. It is therefore critical to manage these behaviors in the classroom.
To manage these behaviors effectively, it is necessary to understand why they occur. All behaviors are motivated. So what motivates these participants to behave in an undesirable manner?
One reason is related to their personality. Individuals have different habits (arriving late, for example), or different ways to deal with frustrations (expressing negative emotions, for instance).
Another reason could be related to their motivation within the session. Do they relate to the content? Do they find it meaningful? If not, they may be frustrated and disengaged.
Yet another reason could be related to the facilitator’s skill and style. How can the facilitator engage the participants, using the appropriate classroom skills?
Join the class Essentials of Managing Challenging Classroom Behaviors and learn ways to manage your challenging participants, be assertive, and facilitate effectively, so the program’s goals are met! You’ll discover the dos and don’ts of managing challenging behaviors, how to modify contents and designs on the go, and what type of facilitation effectively engages participants.
