Is It Safe Out There?
Creating a Low-Risk Learning Environment
The participants are perched in their chairs, their faces rapt, coffee mugs in hand. You
smile broadly and launch into your opening statement. "Welcome," you begin. "Today we'll
be..."
Are they listening? Probably not.
At the beginning of any group, participants may look like they're focusing on the topic, but
many aren't. Instead, they're wondering: "Do I belong here? Am I in or out?" Once they've
satisfied that concern, they may ask themselves, "Where on the totem pole do I fit? Am I
up or down?"
Sensitive trainers and facilitators are aware of this dynamic and create an environment
where people can relax. No subtle messages, spoken or unspoken, should make
participants feel "in" or "out," "higher" or "lower" than anyone else. Whatever your topic,
a safe, learning-friendly climate is critical to the success of your workshop, seminar or
meeting. Here are eight tips for maximizing safety in groups.
Lay the groundwork in your opening remarks
Explain that part of your job is to keep the group on task and on schedule and allow
everyone a chance to participate. This means you may jump in and ask someone to
summarize their point, or hold a question until a later point. Anything "on hold" will be
noted and returned to at an appropriate time. Nothing will be lost.
Give people options
In a workshop I once led, I gave participants sheets of paper and asked them to design
an image of their team or organization. After the designs were completed, I instructed
people to sit together on the floor so we could look at the artwork and discuss it. As we
discussed the drawings, I suddenly noticed a heavy-set participant still sitting in her chair,
removed from the group. Intuitively I realized she had stayed in her chair because she felt
awkward getting down on the floor. Inadvertently, I had set her up to feel excluded. Since
it made no difference to the exercise where people sat, I could have said, "Let's either sit
on the floor or bring chairs over." People feel more comfortable when they have options,
and no one is excluded.
Make interaction non-threatening
Many activities involve forming pairs or small groups. This can bring up anxiety. Some
people aren't sure whether to select a partner or wait to be selected. They may worry
that no one will choose them. My own quirk is I'm always convinced there's one--and only
one--"right" partner, just for me--but that person is so popular that, inevitably, they have
already been grabbed by one faster than me. For many of us, hearing the instruction to
"find a partner" takes us right back to junior high school dances.
I use playful questions to help people find a partner lightly. I might ask, "Are you someone
who prefers baths or showers? If you’re a bath person, find a shower person, and vice
versa." Similarly, I put people into small groups based on shared experiences, such as
birth order, vacation preferences, favorite hobbies, and so on. Sharing this information
removes any nervous energy and helps people get to know each other, too.
Don't assume
Never assume that everyone in the group understands acronyms, in-house jokes, group
history, and jargon. Avoid saying things like, "We all know that..." or "We all remember
the time when..." Those people who aren’t in the know may feel like outsiders.
Give clear directions
When explaining an activity, be surgically clear about what you want participants to do.
Plan your directions ahead of time. Outline the steps, noting them on a flip chart or marker
board if they're complicated, and don’t change the steps halfway through the explanation.
(I know that sounds absurd, but I've seen it happen). Ask for questions from the group
before you start the exercise.
Invite, don’t coerce
Once I assigned a group member to demonstrate a point without asking her permission. I
wanted her to "try" to pick up a marker on the table. She picked it up. This was not what I
wanted; the point I hoped to make is that "trying" is not "executing." I asked her to try
again; she picked it up again. Sensing she wasn’t achieving my objective, she apologized
and blushed, as though she had failed. If she had self-selected for this exercise, rather
than been appointed, I'm sure she would have reacted with curiosity and puzzlement, not
embarrassment. She wasn't wrong; I was wrong to coerce her into participating.
Share your own mistakes and imperfections
In my seminars on resolving conflict, I share several examples of ways I have expressed
anger unproductively. The group chuckles wryly when I say there's a good reason why I
teach conflict resolution. But more importantly, they feel easier about disclosing their own
mistakes now that I have exposed mine.
Acknowledge what is happening in the room
The "here and now" of what is going on in a group is vitally important, and the facilitator
ignores it at her peril.
I once participated in a training involving an enormous, thick workbook of over a hundred
pages. As the trainer referred to models and figures in her manual, the participants kept
riffling through their workbooks looking for the references. You could hear the rustling of
pages around the room, the sighs and whispers of people who obviously felt irritated and
confused. The trainer appeared not to notice. She ignored the cues and kept talking on
topic.
The problem was less the discrepancy between the manuals, and more her refusal to
acknowledge the mounting frustration in the room. My sense is she probably didn't want
to admit she had made a mistake in not designing matching materials. But ANY
acknowledgment would have helped. If she had simply said, "The page I'm referring to
isn't in your manual, so don't worry about finding it," we would have refocused our
attention on her. Instead, she lost credibility.
A safe learning environment is like an invisible fabric enveloping the group. Because it is
usually unstated and subtle, participants may not comment on it directly. Nevertheless,
the time spent creating it is always time well spent. The sense of safety felt in a meeting
or workshop will always be valued, if not voiced. It will lead to fuller participation, deeper
learning, and lasting connections. No matter how many tools you pull out of your trick bag,
a safe environment is the most powerful and effective tool of all.