Langevin has a three-level intervention process when dealing with difficult situations/persons in the classroom. It is a process that assists us in maintaining our professionalism in the classroom when we are confronted with these challenges. My experience with difficult participants in the classroom is rare. However like many of you, I’ve had a few.
There is one situation I often share with learners when teaching this process because it highlights that while the three levels are there for us as a guide, we must also use our professional judgment to choose which level needs to be used at any given time. We may sometimes need to jump to a level two. That’s what happened to me.
It all began on the morning of day 1 of a 3-day course. We had just completed introductions when suddenly a participant arrived late. I would liken her arrival to a tornado engulfing the room. She dropped her bag loudly on the table with a grunt and a frown. I remember distinctly thinking in that moment, “Wow—everything was going so well.” I, of course, smiled, welcomed her to the class, and invited her to introduce herself. It was clear to me after her introduction, which was saddled with sarcasm, that “Houston there’s a problem.”
My level one question, “Does it Matter?” lead me immediately to declare a level 2 judgment to announce a break. I felt it necessary to have an off-line check-in with our new arrival.
I opened with my observation that she appeared disturbed and asked, “Is everything ok?” I then zipped my lip and waited. After all it could’ve been anything…a flat tire, traffic etc. She responded that she had 15 years of experience and didn’t feel she should be in a course designed for new instructors. I immediately offered her an out and told her about our advanced course. She didn’t take the bait stating that her manager told her that this was the course she HAD TO TAKE. It was a clear PRISONER ALERT for me. I then moved into reflecting her feelings identifying how frustrating this must be for her. However, knowing that she had to be with me for 3 days, after I reflected her feelings, I looked her in the eyes and stated that, since she would have to stay, I needed her to change her attitude before we returned to the class. I then zipped my lip again. I was kind and yet firm. It was clear to me that I took her off guard and that she was shocked that I called her out on her behavior. She then apologized. I shared that I understood. I then invited her to help me by sharing her expertise with the class since most were new to the industry of training and that I felt that she could be a real asset to the class. I also suggested that, as a bonus, she may even walk away with some nuggets. I remember she smiled and agreed. The result was a wonderful three days without incident.
At the end of class on day 3 she shared with the class how much she had learned and was able to take away. She even understood why her manager recommended this class for her.
I often share this experience because it was my teachable moment to identify immediately that this was a level 2 intervention and to take action. I feel that, if I had waited it, could have been a difficult 3 days for all of us. Several participants acknowledged on their evaluations that they appreciated whatever it was that I did or said to diffuse a potential problem in the classroom. Obviously they, too, witnessed the tornado in the room. The bottom line is that we cannot allow participants to hijack our trainings. Sometimes we have to use our judgment and identify which level of intervention is most appropriate and then, maintaining our professionalism, we must Nip it in the Bud.
For more great information about dealing with difficult participants, have a look at what Mama has to say about it…
Linda
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