Difficult Workshop Participants: How to Handle Them with Ease
The "Who is Who" and "What to Do."
The Most Difficult Participant Ever and the Worst Possible Reaction
It was quarter past ten on a Tuesday morning in MSD’s Prague office.
30 people in a large meeting room, with the view of the Vysehrad castle.
The workshop started 15 minutes ago - and I was doing great!
My slides were polished. My flipcharts were pretty. My energy was just the right mix of focused and welcoming.
Then she arrived.
Kamila. A director of one of the three departments participating in the workshop.
She hadn’t even sat down yet and already fired two questions at me. I answered, staying calm.
Right after that, she told me that in 40 minutes, she would have to leave for another meeting.
I thought that was a bit rude, but politely thanked her for the information.
But when five minutes later - while I was introducing the brainstorming method - she said: “Why don’t we rather use Liberating Structures,” I grabbed my Macbook, tossed it through the window and screamed:
“And why don’t you run the workshop yourself, when you’re so smart?”
Now, this didn’t REALLY happen.
I have never met a participant THIS difficult. And even if I had, I am not insane. I would never do something like this - to my Macbook.
But if you ever got at least remotely upset by a difficult participant - you understand it’s a topic that we need to talk about.
Because if you don’t have a good way for handling them, difficult participants can bring your workshop down in flames.
Difficult Participants - So What?
When you design the agenda of your workshop, you assume things will go smoothly. Based on that you choose a sequence of exercises, and estimate the time needed.
If only you could run a workshop without people. Things would be much easier.
Here’s one way to look at it:
In every gathering, there exists an order. An unspoken balance of power.
When you stand in front of a group, presenting or facilitating - you assume this power belongs to you.
But like with respect, power can be taken - or lost.
Enter the disruptor.
They interrupt others - and you. They challenge your methods. They simply don’t play by the unspoken rules.
And your only option is: To crush them!
Just kidding.
Even though it may feel this way, it’s neither helpful to lose your nerves and throw laptops around in anger, nor should you think of a disruptor as your nemesis.
Here’s a better way to view disruptors:
They are people who need something - and what shows as a disruptive behavior is simply them asking for having their needs met.
If you give them what they need, you may even turn them into your allies.
Handling disruptors effectively is easier when we categorize them into groups.
Who Are Those People?
All people are different. So are difficult participants.
But after you’ve seen enough of them - you’ll be able to recognize some patterns. These patterns will allow us to categorize them based on what they need, how they show up in your workshop, and what you can do about it.
The most practical way I’ve found so far was the “Greek Alphabet” personality types.
Not based on science - but helpful for preparing your plan of action.
Here they are:
Alpha - The Dominator
Behavior in a Workshop
Takes charge, speaks first, and may interrupt others.
Wants to influence the discussion and assert their opinions.
Can be charismatic but might overpower quieter participants.
How They Can Be Difficult
Talks too much, leaving little room for others.
Challenges the facilitator’s authority or the exercise itself.
Dismisses opposing viewpoints, making others hesitant to share.
Beta - The Agreeable One
Behavior in a Workshop
Cooperative and engaged but avoids confrontation.
Listens well and supports group harmony.
Rarely takes the lead but contributes when invited.
How They Can Be Difficult
Might hold back opinions to avoid conflict.
Follows the group, even when critical thinking is needed.
Can be passive in discussions, leading to a lack of engagement.
Gamma - The Rebel
Behavior in a Workshop
Thinks outside the box, questions assumptions, challenges norms.
Prefers deep discussions over structured exercises.
Can be skeptical, but offers creative insights.
How They Can Be Difficult
Pushes back on facilitation methods or exercises.
Can derail discussions with tangents or skepticism.
Prefers one-on-one debates over group consensus.
Omega - The Lone Wolf
Behavior in a Workshop
Prefers to work alone, avoids group interactions.
Engages minimally unless the topic deeply interests them.
Might seem disengaged but actually processes information internally.
How They Can Be Difficult
Might refuse to participate in group work.
Appears disinterested or disengaged.
Can bring down group energy by staying silent.
You’ve got their type. Now deal with them!
Here are some effective tactic paired with the types they are most suited for.
Don’t take this as the “ultimate truth,” take it more like a menu of actions to choose from!
Record Everything (Alphas)
When a participant says something that you don’t think is relevant, you may have a tendency to dismiss it. And if they “push it,” you may instinctively “push back.” But for the Alphas, this is a big trigger. They may think you’re picking a fight with them. Trust me, you don’t want that.
Instead of dismissing their idea, write it down. Put it in a place where everyone will see it. Thank them for contributing the idea, and turn to others for input.
This is not only a technique how to deal with a dominating participant - but good practice in general.
Create Space for the Agreeable Type (Betas)
The Betas are doing worst in an open discussion. When it’s “whoever grabs the word, has it,” the Betas never have it. But you want their ideas too. Since they won’t take the space, you need to create it for them.
You can do that by first allowing everyone to write their thoughts down (before being influenced by others). And then giving equal time to each participant to share what they wrote.
Isolate the Rebel (Gammas)
Here’s a trick when the Rebel’s frequent questions and challenges become a burden: Introduce an activity where you’ll ask the participants to discuss in pairs, or in small groups of three.
This way, the Rebel will slow down only one or two other people. In cases when their idea actually has merit, their colleagues in the small group will support them and bring it back to the whole room. And in case it will be just a distraction - it will stay in the small group, saving the time of everyone else.
Involve the Lone Wolf (Omegas)
The Lone Wolf is proud of NOT being mainstream, of having their unique point of view, and not needing others’ approval. You actually need people like that to combat groupthink!
When the group finishes brainstorming, ask the Lone Wolf: “What is it that we have not thought of?” When it becomes clear that a group has a preferred solution, invite the Lone Wolf to be the Devil’s Advocate. When it seems like implementation will be easy, ask the Lone Wolf to come up with all the ways things could go wrong.
This way, you will allow them to distinguish themselves from the group, and yet be useful to the group’s objective.
Extra Tip: Don’t Fly Solo
When you’re the only facilitator, you are in a tough spot. You simply can’t give both the group and the difficult participant the attention they need.
The easiest solution is having a co-facilitator. Now one of you can lead the session, the other can address the difficult participant 1:1.
As a bonus: When a disruptor goes REALLY WILD - now there’s two of you facilitators to deal with that!
Bottom Line
Let’s get back to the beginning.
The key is to realize that when a participant is being difficult, it’s nothing personal.
When you spot a difficult behavior:
Think of the likely personality type
Think of the best possible response
Try your selected response
See what happens - and correct course if needed
Treat it as a challenge.
The silver lining?
The more difficult participants you face, the better you get at handling them!
And the less likely you’ll be to throw your laptop in anger.
Hehe, I know the feeling of wanting to toss my Mac 😂 There's also a Philosopher Type, who asks “Can we take a step back?” - and suddenly we’re in 2014 discussing why we even exist.😂