“I will just join the training as an observer”, the HR manager said, installing herself in the corner of the training room. The junior trainer was a bit surprised, but apparently this was agreed with management of the training company he worked for… It was at this moment, he knew the training was going to be different…  The topic “Difficult Conversations” was interesting and relevant enough for the group, but he immediately noticed a change in dynamic. People kept glancing to see whether their input was approved by HR; nobody brought up the topic: “difficult conversations with HR” to practice, and when someone dared to give some criticism to the organization’s compensation policy, the group immediately giggled nervously, giving signals towards the corner. In the meantime the HR manager typed loudly on the keyboard of her laptop throughout the training.  Was she catching up on her emails, or was she writing comments about the participants’ performance in the training? Sometimes she shushed the group when they became a bit too excited during an ice-breaker exercise.  Was she there to see who should get a promotion, or who would get laid off in the next reorganization?  Nobody knew for sure, but nobody was willing to take the risk…. 

Somehow, probably with all the best intentions, the HR manager and the management of the training company caused the training to be even less effective. Participants were on edge, played it safe, with the fear of judgment. If the brain doesn’t feel safe, it is not open to learning. Only in a safe training environment will people have the courage to be vulnerable, make mistakes, reflect on and learn from these mistakes. It is supposed to be a place where they can open up to someone that is not judging them (the trainer). A training session is not the same as a school class, where the teacher is also the one giving you a grade (by definition, unsafe)

When you are dealing with No-Nonsense Training, you will notice there will be clear agreements about observers in the training. If you want to find out more about a safe learning environment, contact us here