Handle It!
Participation
When you're leading a training session, how students participate can make or break the experience—for you and for them.
Overly vocal students may be the result of enthusiastic interest in the course material, or they may be expressing an inner need for recognition.
Maybe you've noticed that one student speaks up constantly, while others barely say a word. While enthusiastic involvement can be a good thing, too much of it from one person can throw off the balance and limit group engagement. On the flip side, when students don't participate enough, you might miss valuable feedback and struggle to tell how well the group is absorbing the material.
Too Much Participation
If one student is constantly answering every question or dominating group discussions, others may start to tune out—or worse, shut down. You might even spot signs like another participant sitting with their head on the table, clearly bored or discouraged. Overly vocal students usually mean well. They may just be really excited about the material, or they might be looking for attention or validation. Either way, it becomes a problem when it stops others from joining in.
- Group activities can become one-sided, with one person doing all the talking.
- Other students might feel like they don't have a chance to speak—or that their ideas aren't as good.
- You may struggle to keep the session on track when one person consistently changes the direction of the discussion.
Too Little Participation
When one student talks too much, others may back away. Some might not feel confident enough to jump in. They could be unsure of their knowledge or just feel uncomfortable speaking up in front of a group. That means their insights—possibly very valuable ones—never get shared. It also makes it tough for you as the trainer to know what they're learning. Then there are students who just aren't motivated. They may have stressful job duties pulling their attention away, or maybe they just don't see the value in the training yet.
- Silent students may be lost in thought or distracted by work-related stress.
- You may not get the feedback you need to improve your teaching or check for understanding.
- Students who stay silent miss the chance to learn from each other—and to let you know if they're struggling.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
5-1. Students who participate too much in training, may be doing so for this reason.
You forgot to answer the question!