Conflict can arise in any situation where individuals come together.
It is important to first of all recognize that this is natural and that just because conflict has arisen that it may not necessarily represent a negative thing. In fact, difficulties and conflict can signify a point of growth and participants must be encouraged to take ownership so that the whole group can benefit.
In this guide we will explore conflict within a training session and present ways that will help you as a trainer to overcome conflict and difficulties that occur in training sessions.
Warning Signs
Difficulties and conflict within groups can represent a natural and necessary development within a group. The two primary warning signs or sources of conflict within training groups are task and process. It is important that as a trainer that you recognize the primary signals of these difficulties within groups
Signs of task difficulties include:
- Not keeping to the task
- Not setting or buying into goals/objectives
- Not doing what is agreed
- Taking longer to complete a planned task
- Not making decisions
- Not reaching agreed objectives or targets
- Setting poor or incomplete aims/objectives
- Unequal distribution of tasks
- Unable to find common ground
- Loosing sight of the agreed task
Signs of process difficulties include:
- Dependency on the facilitator/trainer
- Not expressing feelings
- Excessive questioning
- Challenging authority
- Resistance to group work
- Opting out of the group
- Constantly judging others
- Silence – remember it is a killer within a training setting!
- Domination by one person or a group of personalities
- Imbalance of power
- Not listening
- Constantly pushing group norms and standards
Causes of Difficulties
As a trainer, especially when you are external to the group or organization, it can be difficult to determine what the exact cause of the difficulties and conflict within the training group. However, it is important to remember that it is not your role to fix this difficulty - unless it was agreed beforehand that this would be part of your remit. In saying this, as a trainer you can bring with you techniques and an understanding of training dynamics that will assist you deliver your primary objective of transferring knowledge, skills or abilities. The following are some of the main causes of difficulties within training settings
- Feelings
- Competition
- Dynamics
- Inexperience
- Lack of Clarity
- Individual Aims/Objectives
- Outside Events
We will now examine each of these causes of difficulties or conflict within training settings.
Feelings
On entering a training setting we all bring with us a range of feelings or emotions that can impact on the progress of the training. As a result the range of emotions that is present from course participants and indeed the trainer is considerable. Whether these are related to the course (e.g., not wanting to be present), from the work environment (e.g., stress) or from the home, the interplay is potentially very challenging.
As a trainer your role is to focus the group and deliver the course to the best of your ability. You will need to recognize that these emotions can cause a positive or negative influence and your role is to manage the situation.
Competition
As within any work environment, competition between group members can also influence the direction of the training sessions. Like in the case of emotions it can be a positive or negative influence. To illustrate, as individuals within the group compete for the attention of the trainer it can result in greater discussion of ideas. On the other hand the trainer may be challenged or have their expertise undermined.
Competition on activities within the training session can result in conflict about who is doing what and can lead to targets not being reached. As a trainer is can be a challenge to encourage positive competition and handle the impact of negative aspects of competition within the group.
Dynamics
In all group situations individuals need to believe that they belong and even share a common purpose while at the same time keeping their own identity or expertise. As a result challenges can occur as the training group members attempt to achieve a level of balance.
This can impact the group in the following ways:
Intruding on members by checking their work or passing comments on their contribution
Feeling left out or jealous at the attention and positions that others are gaining
Not feeling involved in the decision making or learning process and as a result opting-out of activities
As a trainer it is important that you are constantly mindful of the group dynamics and work at ensuring that everyone is contributing and being recognized by the group.
Inexperience
Inexperience can often be a very successful aspect of a training group as it allows the group to grow and learn together. However, when a group comes together to train it is most likely that experience levels will vary across the group. Some will bring with them experience from their roles that others may not have and others may have more formal training experience that can be brought to the group. This variety of experience and accompanying expectations can also be a source of conflict which will need to be balanced with the learning objectives of the training.
Lack of Clarity
Nearly every trainer has found themselves in the position where there is a variation between what is expected by attending participants and what was contracted in the initial stages of course development. This can be heightened when ‘replacement’ participants attend in lieu of the originally chosen attendees.
The greatest technique at the trainers’ disposal is the clarification of learning objectives at the start of the course. Clarity here and a level of flexibility by the trainer will help ensure that the course remains on-track.
Often it is a perceived expectation that the trainer can bring clarity to.
Individual Aims/Objectives
As in the example above, individuals can often be assigned to training and may have not chosen themselves to attend the course. This can be a major source of conflict within the group and at times the reasons are not known to the trainer. In addition other participants may be attending the course to get their own point of view across.
In these situations, the trainer must balance personal and organizational agendas and focus the group on the learning objectives.
Outside Events
It is fair to say that we all bring outside events and history with us to work and equally to training events. Building a shared sense of purpose or contract between the participants on the training event will help the trainer overcome negative conflict that may impact the course.
Techniques For Managing Difficult Situations
Now that we have highlighted the range and sources of difficulties that can impact a training session, we can turn our attention to sharing simple techniques that will allow you to effectively manage these situations.
Establish Ground Rules – The first step that you can take to manage the emergence of difficulties with training sessions is to establish the ground rules for the session. This should take place at the start of the training event and all should be encouraged to participating in setting these shared rules. It is useful to write these rules on a flipchart that can be referred to during the session when difficulties arise.
Encourage Participation – As a trainer you should always encourage participation within the group. Make sure that you are aware of the silent and non participating members of training session and work to encourage their involvement. Also just because a participant it doesn’t always mean they are not participating.
Focus Participants – During the training session focus the attention of the participants on the learning objectives of the training session. This will help to build a shared commitment and build trust levels amongst participants.
Work Together – An important technique to break down barriers is to group participants together to work on particular tasks.
Model Behavior – As the trainer or expert, participants will look to you for what is acceptable behavior within the session. Therefore it is always essential that you are patient, enthusiastic, open and honest.
Roles & Responsibilities – Clarify your role as trainer/facilitator and also the role that participants should adopt. There are a variety of opportunities to do this within any training session (e.g., icebreakers, introductions, games, and activities).
Build Relationships – Ensure that you make every effort to build relationships with participants either during the breaks or within session activities. This will generate a positive atmosphere and ensure that all involved will feel that they can contribute to the session. In addition, participants will feel that their opinions are respected and worthwhile.
Confronting Difficulties
There are times when the difficulties or conflict within sessions require direct intervention. The following steps will help you approach the situation in a non-intrusive way.
- Choose an appropriate time and place
- Ensure that the location is private and that enough time is set aside
- Be specific about the behavior
- Focus on the behavior not the person
- Describe the behavior and its impact on the group
- Ask them for their impression of the situation
- Allow the person express their feelings about the situation without interruption
- Do not be defensive
- Ask for particular behavioral changes
- Deal with any issues one at a time
Remember to be fair and open as you may not have the full picture or know all the facts.
Skill Development Plan
None of us are exempt from needing to learn and develop.
In the final section of this guide on Dealing with difficulties and conflict within training sessions, we outline a short development test that you as a trainer can take to identify areas where you may need development.
Read through the test and identify areas what skills may help you handle difficulties more effectively.
Remember it is important that you answer as honestly as possible – the answers may help you approach sessions differently!
