'How would the workshop be like?' 'The others should all be good facilitators from different parts of the world. Will I look stupid in front of the others?' 'Will the master facilitators ask me to do something difficult?'Thoughts like the above came to my mind from time to time when I was on the SQ flight to Mumbai to attend the workshop I mentioned in my previous posts. On reflection, I become aware that participants to my class will probably feel the same. They are probably a bit anxious to meet up with some other strangers, especially if they need to 'perform' in the class. They do not want to look stupid in front of the peer, and they will be cautious at least in the beginning. This is especially the case for Asian participants.
Having been a trainer / facilitator for quite some time, I almost forget how I felt when I was a participant myself. I got to keep such awareness. Bearing in mind how a participant feels is important. It helps you to "work with" them better. (No matter whether you are a trainer or facilitator, I do believe that we "work with" them rather than "teach" them.) You will appreciate better the time to warm up, and thus the need to break the ice and ease their anxiety.
Don't lose that feeling!
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