If you facilitate classes or meetings, eventually you encounter a group unwilling to engage. My first unsettled silence came from a team of librarians. While you could imagine they were preserving their hushed voices, what about their most endearing trait: a curious and helpful manner? Not a glimmer. This group wouldn't ask or answer questions. They wouldn’t offer a single example and they seemed determined not to try anything new.
Although at the time I wondered about underground instructions to stonewall or if I'd forgotten to brush my teeth, I suspected (and rightly so) that something would change if I persevered. Out poured a thread of techniques dropped into my head by participation pixies, no doubt realizing I was about to fall over from exhaustion. I think I'd already tried tap dancing. Literally.
It was a lone librarian who stood up that turned the tide in that group. It wasn't one thing, rather an ever-present commitment to help the group find their way, which transformed our time and reestablished my hope.
When asked recently how to coax participants to participate, I summoned memories from the librarians and several other long loud silences I've heard since. I suggested the facilitator focus on both the material to be covered, as well as the group dynamics, openly asking everyone to share responsibility for success.
Then I offered these tips.
Remind everyone they benefit personally from participating. If you're uncomfortable with a direct approach, sneak in the information by saying you recently read a useful article on how to learn more.
Learning is a three-step practice: first you take something in, next you make it your own by processing it, and then you reflect. If you skip any step you're unlikely to truly learn. Listening, even if you take notes, only serves as step one.
You do the second step, processing (making it your own) most effectively when you interact. You hear our own voice, challenge your ideas with questions, or simply hear someone else's review. Internalizing often requires externalizing. The third step, reflection (considering what this means to you), is universally more effective with multiple perspectives.
If you usually begin discussions asking a general question such as, "What questions do you have?" take another path. Questions like this overwhelm people who don't have confidence in what they know and thereby can't pinpoint what they don't know or what they should ask. If you suspect a topic eluded people, ask them to share one thing they understood and ask one question they envision someone else would ask if they were facilitating the discussion. If you think they did grasp the materials, turn the tables: "If you have no questions, let me give you the one I hear most often. What's your guess?"
When you ask open-ended questions with many right answers you encourage people to speak up. Something about big questions reminds us of a time when we had the courage to ask parents and teachers "Why" about everything. You convey tacitly, "This is a safe place where people can ask anything. I may not have an answer, but I'm willing to find it with you." Focus some questions on topics where people have insider information others would benefit from and they begin to see how they can help one another along. If you only ask questions with a single correct answer some will fear they'll get it wrong.
Unless you find total silence, you'll likely respond to a few words. Saying things like, "Right" or "Yes" can lead people who didn't speak up to wonder if they had answered would you have said, "Wrong" or "No." A question from a participant usually warrants, "Great question," said in an encouraging voice. Greet answers which move discussion along with enthusiastic kudos. Welcome partially correct answers with, "You're on the right track" or "That's close and…" Bolster people who are stuck with a "That's okay, who can help us out?" Create an environment where people know you value their participation and won't judge them as smart or dumb. I don't suggest creating a contrived environment where you encourage shallow responses just to hear another voice; rather genuinely show that you appreciate learning from others.
A popular college classroom technique is to call on someone who hasn't volunteered to answer the question. Although this approach increases anxiety, you get diverse responses and show people you're serious about hearing from everyone. Preface your tactic by saying, "If people don't respond to questions, I'll simply call on you." Then summon different people, gracefully helping those who answer awkwardly or way off base. One variation is to ask several people a question, then give them five minutes to frame a response while you talk about something else. If you're certain someone could answer but hasn't, another variation is to ask the group who they think knows the answer. Election from one's peers often feels less frightening than being called out by a facilitator.
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