Steve Willis is a master trainer and vice president of professional services at VitalSmarts.READ MORE
When I was boy, I frequently watched old western shows on TV. I liked them because of the rough and rowdy, shoot ’em up action. At the time, I had most of the shows memorized word-for-word. And while I can’t remember much, one line still sticks with me: “Well boys, looks like we’re just gonna have to wait ’em out!”
Over the years, I’ve remembered and tried to adhere to this advice—especially when it comes to training. For example, after asking a thoughtful question, I’d wait ’em out (wait in silence for participants to respond) instead of rushing in with both guns blazing and firing off half a dozen responses. And my wait ’em out technique served me well. That is, until I ran into Dr. Ethna Reid.
Dr. Reid is a professional educator who has dedicated her career to improving the teaching of children. After many years of study, she’s discovered teachers who increase the rate of participation among students are more effective. She also quickly discovered (and was equally quick to point out) that while I was good at waiting ’em out, I missed the opportunity to increase participation during the wait.
Now, as I approach a discussion question, I do something a little different to increase the rate of participation. I set expectations before asking the question. For example, I say something like, “I’m going to give you about fifteen seconds to think about where and how you could use the skills we’ve discussed, and then I’ll ask some of you to share your thoughts.” Then I wait (the part I’m especially good at) and then call on people to share. I’ve found this simple approach gives people time to process the question and increases the number of people who actually process a response. It also produces more thoughtful participation from the group.
I’m always amazed at how little adjustments in my approach make such a significant difference in participation among the participants and the rate at which they internalize the principles and skills. Thanks to Ethna, I’m leaving my “Steve . . . the wait ’em out kid” days behind.
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Great advice – “time the wait”! The newest generation of my family are all homeschoolers and I know the Moms/Dads (aka Teachers) will appreciate this hint to getting their children (aka Students) to answer without having to force the issue. Thank you.
Fantastic tip. I’ll be using in my meetings with my independent thinking physicians. I’ll even introduce the rhetorical questions to release the expectation of a response. Thank you.
i like that story: i think it’s candid in its humility and that inspires me. even if i’m doing well i could probably do better.
I loved what you shared from our boomer backgrounds! I am going to apply this to a few situations and see what happens. I also appreciated your group activity idea. In staff meetings, where often it is tempting to “thought-drift”, this engages everyone and can help the snoozers activate a few brain cells and share their thoughts. No one likes to be spoken at or told all the answers (Wait! Maybe some do!). This is a great solution to an all-to-common problem for non-participants. Thanks!!
Love this tip! Can’t wait to try it out in my session tomorrow.