Group Dynamics

Group dynamics

A group is more than the sum of its individuals. A group has its own energy, behaviours, and dynamics. The group is, therefore, an important stakeholder in the training room that must be taken into account when preparing for and delivering your training.

Tips

  • Provide time and create a context within the training sessions for people to get to know each other, share experience, and develop a group identity that is connected to the training.
  • Reinforce this group identity and make sure it is one that supports a healthy and safe learning environment.
  • Be aware of the size and structure of the group and how it influences the learning dynamic and the interactions between participants. You may want to foster some of these consequences or balance them if you don’t feel they support the learning process. For example, if you have a very big group that does not allow for all voices to be heard, you can balance this dynamic by dividing it into smaller working groups that report conclusions in plenary.

Be aware of the group’s previous interactions, power dynamics and common history; there might be dynamics that influence what is going on in the training that have nothing to do with what you are proposing. At the same time, you can recognize and capitalize on their previous shared experience.

What if?

Possible challenging situations and constructive responses

  • DON’T wait for everyone to arrive and don’t prolong the session because people were late.
  • DO start on time with the people that are present. If you need to go overtime with a session, communicate this to participants and ask for their approval. Try to make up for this in the following sessions. You can also address punctuality issues when the group is complete and inform participants on how it impacts the learning process.
  • DON’T go into power struggles or try to convince them to re-focus, don’t blame them.
  • DO try to take a break, insert an energizer/body-moving activity to re-gain their attention. People generally lose focus when they are tired, overloaded, or what you are doing is not interesting anymore (Check the How do we learn section ). Therefore, address these causes, rather than the effect. Reflect on what you are doing and what you can change.

 

  • DON’T waste time trying to manage the conflict if they seem willing to solve the issue. Don’t interrupt the learning process to focus on the conflict unless it is a serious issue or a learning opportunity for the group.
  • DO involve the group in managing the conflict by mirroring, asking for support and opinions. Do assess the dimension of the conflict: sometimes things seem bigger than they really are and a few conflictive voices create the false impression of a conflictive dynamic within the whole group.
Difficult participants

Who they are and how to approach them

Dominant, highly verbal, is the first to answer all your questions, has additional questions and comments, does not provide space for others to contribute.

  • DON’T try to control them through a power struggle, don’t focus on silencing them. Don’t insult or get defensive, and don’t let them control the discussion.
  • DO focus on engaging the others more. Do address the additional questions they have to the group or park them for later answer in order to keep the focus of the conversation. Ask them closed questions (Yes/No), thank them for their contribution and indicate it is time to move on to another topic or to hear others’ opinions.