ABOUT THE AUTHOR Cricket Buchler is a Master Trainer. READ MORE How do I handle participants who do not appear to be engaged in class? It’s so easy to get triggered by participant behavior in class, believing the way she’s acting is proof that she’s not taking the class seriously or that he doesn’t mind …

So it doesn’t happen all that often, but when it does it usually takes me by surprise. It’s every facilitator’s fear—the inappropriate comment. They come in lots of shapes and sizes, ranging from overly personal to highly offensive.

My sons hate practice—piano, soccer, math—you name it. If it’s the least bit related to practice, they hate it on principle. They even started hating other words that sound like or rhyme with practice. For example, last year we hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru. In preparation for the four-day trek, we decided to do a number of practice hikes. Now, my boys enjoy hiking—until I inserted the word “practice” in front of it. “We know how to hike. Why do we need to practice something we already know?!?!??” After many years, I’ve now come to expect this from teenage boys.

Healthy class participation can be a function of the students, the facilitator, or sometimes both! Since we can’t control the students (no matter how badly we’d love to), the solution starts with you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR   David Maxfield is coauthor of two bestselling books, Change Anything and Influencer. READ MORE This question was first asked on our LinkedIn Training Community. To Join visit us on LinkedIn. How can I measure the ROI of a VitalSmarts training? The challenge with any kind of skills training is that people …

ABOUT THE EXPERT Steve Willis is a Master Trainer and Vice President of Professional Services at VitalSmarts. READ MORE One of my year-end activities is tallying up the total number of training days I delivered (one way to ensure my fingers are ready for any math challenge that comes my way). It gives me a …

Visit the Crucial Skills blog to read Stacy Nelson’s response to this question: What are some ways I can further participants’ learning after the training?

Visit the Crucial Skills blog to read Steve Willis’ From the Road article, “Bueller . . . Bueller . . .”

One word comes to mind to adequately describe the VitalSmarts REACH 2012 trainer conference: AMAZING! For two days in August, trainers from around the world gathered at the base of the majestic Rocky Mountains in Salt Lake City for a truly remarkable experience. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=videoseries?list=PL13800C5849FACCBD&hl=en_US&w=600&h=338] The new BIG Idea sessions—twenty-minute keynote speeches on a wide …