Difficulties with(in) the group | CNA Priručnik

When participants ignore instructions and requests from the training team

nenad — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 10:16:32 +0000

The reasons for this can be so very diverse that the only way to handle it is to try to find the root cause. If this happens during an experiential exercise, discuss why some people did not follow the instructions during the exercise evaluation. If it happens during a plenary discussion, with problems such as not respecting the moderator and speaking out of turn, then the matter is a bit more serious and probably involves some sort of upset/revolt that must be addressed. Identifying the right moment to talk about the root causes can be a delicate matter and it is good to consult with the team, and perhaps even with the whole group. For example, if you feel that it is not the right moment to talk about the causes, it is important to determine when they will be discussed, because it is a general rule that existing conflicts should take precedence over the pre-set agenda. (This rule is an expression of respect for equality within the group, because a conflict means that someone is bothered by something in the working process and this cannot be ignored.) Still, we must take into account the needs and energy of the entire group and manage the situation, which need not always mean that we jump into trying to resolve the problem on the spot.

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When participants find it difficult to distance themselves from evaluating their personal emotional experience of an exercise

nenad — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 10:17:28 +0000

Some people will need more time to “conclude” the process of emotional investment in an experiential exercise. Feeling unsettled is most often tied to being reminded of real life experiences, and this can completely prevent participants from moving to the rational level and appraising what actually happened. It is important to assess/check how many people feel this way. If it’s only a few, then you can continue with the analysis; but if there are more, then this indicates a need for more time to emotionally come out of the experiential exercise. Working in small groups can be a good way to come out of the exercise, because it allows everyone to speak more freely than some people are able to do in plenary. It is important that the training team takes into account the processing of emotions in experiential exercises, both from the ethical point of view – in terms of giving people respect – and from the point of view of the trust that needs to be fostered between the group and the team.

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When individual group members or the whole group view the trainers as models of “nonviolent people”

nenad — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 10:09:20 +0000

As funny as it may be to be thought of as a model nonviolent person, it is also not really a laughing matter. Perhaps the best way to send the message that judging a person is problematic, even when it is meant as a compliment, namely that of being the “model of nonviolence”, is to use an opportunity presented by one of the exchange of experiences exercises to tell a (true) story about how you yourself were misguided and the change you experienced over time.

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When a participant takes over moderating the discussion

nenad — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 10:13:55 +0000

When a participant starts asking questions of the group or team, expecting an answer before they continue, or when they start behaving like they are responsible for giving the floor to others, you should react right away. If you let it go on, you will lose control of the process, which is something you are responsible for. It is important that you explain the reasons for your intervention so that everyone understands them and so that you can secure the support of the group. Do so politely and calmly and do not get upset. Take into account the questions that the participant wanted to ask and assess their usefulness and suitability at the given moment. Someone attempting to take over moderation, as challenging as this may seem, is also a sign of their participatory engagement.

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Uneven distribution of shared time

nenad — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 06:16:35 +0000

When some individuals take up considerably more speaking time than others, it is possible and necessary to intervene in a number of ways. The intervention should aim to encourage those who speak up less to be freer and more active, and the choice of method can be crucial here, while on the other hand, you want to encourage those who take up more than their fair share of speaking time to become aware of this uneven distribution. Whichever intervention you opt for, it should be encouraging rather than restrictive, because the point is not to have someone who had been speaking up more suddenly withdraw, but rather to ensure that there is mutual respect within the group. Since it is common to invoke the principle of “shared time” in the initial agreement, which includes responsibility for both being punctual and using this shared time, you can invoke this rule or suggest including it, if it has not already been introduced into the agreement.

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The participants are overly ‘politically correct’

nenad — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 10:33:23 +0000

When people are afraid of hurting others, they might resort to ‘political correctness’. There is nothing wrong with the intention, but if we are so restrained that we do not want to discuss the prejudices present in our communities for fear of speaking them out loud, then we have gone too far. Finding the right balance between speaking freely and openly and hurting others is a daily task, and the particular balance will be different for each group. The process of finding that balance is an exercise in dealing with reality.

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Subgroup(s) within the group

nenad — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 10:37:58 +0000

When some of the participants know each other from before or recognise that they have shared opinions, they may set up a subgroup of their own by always wanting to sit together in the workroom, always doing group work together, and spending all their free time together. Sometimes this closeness makes them avoid confrontation amongst each other or leads them to always take a joint stance supporting each other, which may disrupt the work of the training. You should not be too concerned over subgroups even when they are somewhat disruptive, but you should make sure that your methodology imposes group diversity, that you shuffle the seating arrangement, that small groups are selected randomly, etc. Bear in mind that the aim is not to prevent intensive communication within the subgroup, but simply to encourage a similar intensity of interaction with the rest of the group, or to transfer the mode of communication from their free time back into the workshop. It is natural that people within a group should feel different levels of closeness, and that in itself is not a problem. You should calmly resist the paranoia that sometimes occurs with less experienced team members who may see these situations as premeditated acts of subversion.

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Prejudice and distrust towards the trainers from the very start (due to their age, nationality, gender, etc.)

nenad — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 10:26:20 +0000

It would be strange if there weren’t any reservations on the part of the participants, so if it seems to you that there aren’t, it may be a good idea to discuss this very issue. The participants will not openly express their distrust – that is clear – but you will be able to feel it, and this is common in our work. As time goes by, your relationship towards individual participants will change, mature, undergo transformations, sometimes worsen, but in all likelihood, it will get significantly better than at the very start of the training. The participation of the training team in the exercises for getting to know each other and exchanging experiences is important precisely in order to give participants an opportunity to see and feel that the trainers bring their own dilemmas, backgrounds and fears to the workshop, which will bring everyone closer together.

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Passivity, silence, drop in energy level

nenad — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 10:18:58 +0000

Trainers with less experience are particularly afraid of silence during a workshop, but there is no need for fear. If you do not understand why the group is silent, ask them, don’t make presumptions. If everyone becomes quiet after a powerful experiential exercise, they are probably processing their emotions and you will need to choose the method best suited to continuing work and enabling people to become involved again. Sometimes the silence comes from a lack of motivation to deal with a topic, but this is rarely the case. Most often, it’s a matter of matching the method to the energy level in the room. It is also worth noting that when individuals keep quiet during a workshop, that need not mean that they are passive; on the contrary, it may be a sign of internal turmoil.

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Participants preoccupied with themselves and the relationships within the group, excluding the training team is excluded to the detriment of the workshops

nenad — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 10:22:46 +0000

If the participants are more active in informal settings, for example during breaks, than during the workshop itself, this means that there is something wrong with how the training is set up. Review the methods you are using, the topics you open up, seek feedback from the group and try to collect open questions and comments from the participants. Ask them openly and devote time to this issue. Moving swiftly on and conducting another workshop in which participants are not fully active cannot take precedence over establishing a relationship of understanding and support between the team and the participants.

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