29) Ask them what they want to get out of the class.
28) I engage them by asking specific questions t them and using their name.
I allow them to be a lead in an activity; sometimes they just need encouragement.
I place them with others who are positive and have more knowledge so they can learn from others and not just from me.
27) Identify what's in it for them to learn the material
26) While you want to avoid confronting them, it often is best to enlist those who are your fan base to reach out to them or someone who they do connect with to possibly bring them into the process. Sometime humor and small good faith efforts help. Also figuring out and acknowledging their source of resistance can help unlock their holding back.
25) Doug: We use a lot of table group discussions and rotate the table leader for each round so everyone is leader at least once during the class. We also acknowledge everyone's contributions with a positive spin, even if it doesn't totally match what we are looking for or expecting. Try to make it a "safe" environment.
24) engage in conversation...not necessarily about the training directly
23) We require that a learner has his or her leader's approval before participating in our corporate university classes. We send pre- and class emails to learners' leaders, giving them instructions on objectives for the class and the pre-assignment we expect learners to bring with them to class. Learners are asked to share their post-assignments with the instructor and with the leader. In class, one of the best ways to involve the reluctant learner is to include opportunities for break-out discussions that report in to the main group during the debrief. It's almost a guarantee that others within the break-out group will expect participation from everyone.