You will encounter three types of participants in your classes: vacationers who view the training as a nice little getaway from the hum-drum of work; explorers who came to learn, and the prisoners who have to be there and make it clear that they do not want to be there. You can feel the tension coming from them, and it can be a killer to the kind of energy you are trying to foster.
Ask every person to write down 10 reasons why they don’t need to be at the training or why they should be someplace else. They can: a) write it on post-its and stick them on a flip chart, or b) add them to the flip chart themselves or have a scribe do it.
Take the time to read as many as you can out loud. You can add something like, “For all these reasons you don’t want to be here, I’m not sure I want to be here now either! Since we are here, I will do my best to address your issues (and address the ones you can), and make this as beneficial for you as possible. All I ask is that you meet me halfway.”
This is what Bob Pike suggests, and he’s a renowned training specialist.