Attitude does make all of the difference and while I like the intimacy of a smaller groups every now and then it can be disastrous if the attitude is not there.

I once had a class of 3 in a course that normally runs around 18 – 25. Mixed level with 1 manager and 2 newer employees. Things were going fine until about 2 hours into our day. I had just finished a fairly critical part when the manager said “You are absolutely wrong!” I was not wrong but that was hardly the point as I watched the other two participants physically move closer to the manager. This was an absolute show stopper. In a larger group I would have had enough allies to provoke some wonderful group discussion; with this group I had none. It took me an hour or so to broaden the point out far enough that I got agreement but it was still touch and go for the rest of the day.

Even as a skilled facilitator I think it is easy to take for granted the attitude of the group. This small group with a poor one truly did “stretch” my abilities as a trainer and in the end I am thankful for the experience though I was thrilled when the next class has an enrollment of 20!

Adam