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SMT

In the part-2 of the article we shall now look at how to deal with the issues.- the perpetual late comer, the constant questioner, the indifferent /submissive participant, the dominating/aggressive participant/the joker/ disused in the part-1 of the article.
The trainer becomes so helpless that there are times when he just wants to end the session in disgust more so when they are new in the profession. Nevertheless he has to manage the situation because one can only wish and pray that such participants are few and far in the class. Much of the research which has been done on these special type of participants shows that they are shouting out loud for getting attention, they feel they are superior than everyone around them, that there is some displacement of hostility and generally are disdainful about being trained by somebody, much less by you. As such it has nothing to do with the trainer-trainee relationship. It is simply the situation that the special participant finds himself that brings out the negative in him.
The trainer can have the best of knowledge, skills and experience but these alone will not let him sail smoothly. He must remember that he can at best minimize the damage, but cannot eliminate it altogether as no training group is devoid of such participants: they are unfortunately present, in a smaller or greater measure in every class!! He needs to handle the social dynamics in the class room and needs a set of competencies and skills to manage the same. And what are they?
Emotional intelligence, a tolerance for the diversity in human behavior, a huge amount of patience, alertness and agility, ability to cope with the stress and unexpected situations, ability to respond intelligently and having a good sense of humor himself go a long way in decimating these unfriendly forces in the class. Being mentally prepared that such encounters are an inevitable part of his life; the trainer can turn an almost adverse situation to his advantage and use them deftly to make the session enjoyable for everyone.
The trainer should under these circumstances respond to the participants need for attention, give some amount of appreciation and at the same time be politely firm to tell them that their special queries will be taken up not in class but outside. This usually helps in a big way. Believe me, nine out of ten times the participants never return to have a discussion once the session is over!
So the next time you have a training session, brace yourself, be aware of these types, prepare the subject well and arm yourself with all your competencies together, take a deep breath and turn your nightmare to a dream by being mentally ready to enjoy the Encounters.