Tips for Handling Common Group Problems



Tips for Handling Common Group Problems

To handle no-response situations:

▪ Summarize the main point of the statement.

▪ Invite reaction from team members.

To handle the overly talkative team member:

▪ Paraphrase the idea to close the discussion.

▪ Slow the person down by tactfully interrupting.

▪ Invite reaction from team members.

▪ Direct the discussion to another team member.

▪ Structure the discussion for equal participation (e.g., brainstorming).

▪ Ask the talkative person to summarize.

▪ Talk with the person off-line.

▪ Recognize the value of the speaker verbally and ask how others think or feel about his/her ideas.

▪ Stand behind speaker when addressing his/her issues.

▪ Suggest off-line attention.

▪ Call attention to “air time issues” openly.

▪ Enlist “talker” in drawing others out.

To handle quiet team members:

▪ Summarize frequently to clarify understanding.

▪ Notice changes in facial expression of quiet members and ask a question to encourage them to participate; compliment on answer.

▪ Ask members to write down ideas first, then ask for responses.

▪ Be careful not to embarrass a shy participant.

To handle members who bring up irrelevant or inappropriate issues:

▪ Clarify the purpose of the discussion.

▪ Refer to time budgets on the agenda.

▪ Write the issue on an easel pad for future reference.

▪ Use a question designed to bring out the correct answers.

▪ Provide an idea and ask for a response to it.

To discourage side conversations:

▪ Simply continue and see if the conversations end.

▪ Ask team members to share their discussion.

▪ Reference ground rules.

▪ Ask that the side conversations stop.

▪ Take a break and privately talk with participant.

▪ Avoid getting into confrontation or arguments.

To handle fights and feuds among team members:

▪ Encourage equal participation; hear both sides of the disagreement.

▪ Ask questions that require factual rather than emotional responses.

▪ Arrange an off-line meeting and push the parties to some “contract” about their behavior.

▪ Focus on areas of agreement.

To handle a member who rejects a suggestion:

▪ Reaffirm the importance of divergent thinking.

▪ Ask the team member to propose another idea.

▪ Ask other team member to modify and build on the suggestion.

To handle participants who become bored:

▪ Ask for the participant’s opinion or insight from experience to arouse interest.

▪ Try to get participant “into the act.”

To respond to a participant who demonstrates a know-it-all attitude:

▪ Indicate your respect for the person by mentioning something he or she had done well. (Realize that this person needs occasional recognition.)

To respond when a participant complains about a matter not pertinent to the discussion:

▪ If the matter is valid and related to the subject, post it for the team to consider. If totally unrelated, agree to discuss it privately.

To handle a participant who maintains a point of view even when clearly wrong:

▪ Listen and respond with empathy

▪ Perhaps negotiate a truce by saying, “We seem to have an honest difference of opinion. Let’s talk about it over the next break because we need to move along in the interest of time.”

To respond when a participant becomes argumentative and angry:

▪ Maintain your composure.

▪ Talk in a calm tone.

▪ Try to maintain self esteem.

▪ Use empathy to defuse some the anger.

▪ Focus on areas of agreement.

▪ Discuss this matter privately outside of the workshop.

To respond when a participant verbally attacks you or another participant:

▪ Stay calm and don’t get drawn into a confrontation or argument.

▪ Try to identify the issue and focus on the facts.

▪ Close this discussion as quickly as possible.

▪ Agree to discuss this concern during a break.

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