Not long ago, a client warned me about a student. “Be ready for him…he may be hostile.” The student…I’ll call him Peter…had been around. He was an experienced electrician. He’d suffered through miserable training. You’ve been in miserable training… Boring. Not Engaging. Presenters reading slides.
The client told me Peter had been “openly belligerent” in other classes. “If he doesn’t like it, he’ll let you know.” But, I wasn’t worried. I know students like Peter. I hate bad training as much as Peter does. I’ve personally walked out on bad training. I have a low tolerance for wasting my time. I love teaching guys like Peter.
The next day, Peter shows up. Doesn’t say Hi. Sits near the back. Arms crossed. Leaning back in his chair. I did what I always do: Teach life-saving information to EVERYONE in the room. My personal responsibility is not to just SAY the material, But to deliver it in a way each learner can understand.
I want them to go home safe at the end of every shift. Once Peter saw I wasn’t BS-ing him & I knew my stuff, That I CARED if he had the info he needed to be safe, That I led the class to engage with the lesson, He wasn’t hostile…he participated. He was the best student in the class. He even shared his own experience with the others.
By the time I laid a few of my worst …um, I mean best…Dad jokes on him, He was a fan. At the end of class, he shook my hand and gave me a compliment I still remember: ”You know, I really expected today to be horrible. But, it wasn’t. This was the best training I’ve ever taken. Thank you.” I love the work I do. I love teaching life-saving lessons.
I love transforming hostile students into my biggest fans. I’m ready to “un-grump” the grumpiest learners.