You should do your best to make sure you spend at least some time socialising informally with the group. After the team’s evening work is done, I set aside at least 10 minutes to see the participants and talk to some of them in order to let them know that I am not trying to set myself apart from them. The conspicuous absence of the training team from free time socialising can leave the impression of snobbery or lack of personal interest, so it is important to manage the time spent in evening meetings and balance the need to socialise with the group with the need for proper evaluation and preparation of the training. The need to relax and socialise outside the workshop is always present. If the accommodation does not make it easy for people to socialise during their free time, I believe it is up to the training team to at least try to create the right conditions and to participate in social activities outside the workshops as much as they can. It is also very important to explain to the participants on the first day that the training team will have a lot of work to do after the workshops, because this is when evaluations are done and the next day’s workshops are prepared, so they won’t be able to participate in the free evenings as much as everyone else.
