FRONT OF THE ROOM Brian Lange
I’m grateful to be at a point in my career where I can quiet the voice in my head that wonders if writing an article with a few workshop evaluation comments (about me) is selfcongratulatory or comes across as a “humblebrag.” I prefer to view sharing the quotes below as a learning opportunity, particularly in the context that this is an article about the front of the room!
I recently delivered a two-day workshop on influence and collaboration skills in which people from many types of roles within the client company attended, including customer service folks, sales professionals (inside and outside), warehouse workers, finance and order picking. This presented a unique situation to be aware of as a facilitator: Some of these roles were very used to being in training environments, and some definitely were not.
This meant I was going to have to pay particular attention to creating an environment where new-to-training participants (such as the warehouse teams) could feel comfortable and open to learning — and where I made sure not to become too dependent on my experienced training folks (like the sales folks), who may have been more likely to actively participate.
In the opening section, I focused on sharing some company-specific examples to earn some comfort with participants who saw I was familiar with their world. I explained my style as a facilitator (tend to not call directly on people, etc.) and invited participants to share some of their examples of what they saw as unique about their company’s culture.
Then, I had each write down an aspect of their work life (such as a need or a relationship) that – if they could improve it – would allow them to enjoy their work more or be even more productive. This gave them something personal to focus on as we explored skill development.
During a break, I invited two participants to demo a conversation in the front of the room where they had opposing viewpoints — I made sure to pay attention to roles and not simply go for the sales folks (who might have been stereotypically expected to embrace the role-play situation). Once I confirmed the volunteers, I put extra energy into making sure they knew what I was looking for — and that they felt comfortable and ready to do the demo.
I had note cards for each to highlight a couple of bullet points about their views for the demo. I prepped the audience that what they were about to observe was a “typical” conversation between two people who disagree — and that each was playing a “role” I had outlined for them.
And, I told them, when we got to the debrief of the demo, we were going to be discussing the role each was playing. It wasn’t critiquing them as themselves.
All this energy was exerted in service to the idea that when you create a “safe environment” in the classroom, participants will be more likely to step up and make themselves vulnerable — and the potential for learning is therefore enhanced. This is why I found these post-workshop comments so reassuring:
“Getting to use my brain in a different way, learning new/helpful skills in a relaxed and lowpressure environment was great.”
“I really enjoyed the teaching style with much group input.”
“I really enjoyed the interactive learning approach. It helped me remember the (content) better.”
So often, we as facilitators focus on the content we’re going to deliver, and the way in which we’re going to deliver it. The more time I’ve had in front of the room, the more I’ve come to appreciate how crucial it is to really think about the audience, and how to bring things to life for them and include them in the process.
This two-day workshop served as a powerful reminder of these principles. I’m grateful I got to play a part. I am consistently humbled by the opportunity to help others learn — in ways that work for them.
No brag needed.
Brian Lange is with Perim Consulting and serves as lead facilitator for LTEN PrimeTime! For Trainers workshops. Email Brian at blange@perim.com or connect with him on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/brianplange.