Workshops are only as effective as the engagement of the participants. But what happens when you find yourself working with quiet, shy or disengaged attendees? Whether you are a business analyst facilitating a requirements elicitation workshop, a project manager running a planning session or a team leader brainstorming solutions, this is a common challenge faced by facilitators.
The truth is, disengagement is not always a sign of disinterest. Quiet participants might be introverted, processing information internally, or unsure how to contribute. Shy individuals may fear judgment or feel overshadowed by more vocal colleagues.
The good news? With the right strategies, you can create an inclusive environment that encourages everyone to participate. Here are some ways to tackle this challenge and ensure your workshops are productive and engaging for all.
1. Invite Them to Speak
NOTE: Give them time to think before putting them on the spot.
Some people may not feel comfortable jumping in into a discussion uninvited. They may fear their input is not valuable enough or they may be waiting for the right moment (that never comes) to say something.
The invitation to speak should make them feel welcome to contribute. For example: “Julie, you have a lot experience in this topic, is there any other approach that we can look into?”. Avoid making them feel confronted for not speaking: “You haven’t said much since the start of the meeting, Mark. Have you been listening?”.
Help them explain and elaborate on their ideas by asking “open” questions. For example: “what are your thoughts on…” instead of “do you agree?”.
When they speak, let them speak uninterrupted (by you or by another participant). As a facilitator, you are responsible for “protecting” your participants.
It is also important to reinforce their good ideas and refer back to them so that they feel valued and heard.
2. Break Into Smaller Groups
Speaking in a smaller group is not as daunting, and the participants may be more confident presenting their ideas after they are validated by the smaller group.
3. Ask for Non-Verbal Feedback
For example, use Fist-to-Five to quickly gather feedback. In Fist-to-Five, all participants are asked how much they agree with or understand a certain topic by holding up a number of fingers from 0 to 5.
A quiet / shy participant may not feel comfortable voicing their disagreement verbally, as they may feel it is too confrontational.
To facilitate a productive workshop, it is important for you to create the environment and understanding that disagreements are not only fine, but encouraged, because the whole point of a workshop is to gather different ideas.
There are many other strategies and techniques that you can use to engage quiet or shy participants. Sometimes you may also need to manage participants who are disruptive or overly dominant / talkative. In some situations, conflicts may even arise in a workshop.
Join the Workshop Facilitation Skills course to learn the strategies and techniques to deal with the above issues and more. Practice applying them in realistic workshop scenarios. You will come out of the course with the confidence that you are now equipped with the skills to handle some of the most challenging workshop situations.
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