When you ask a question to the group, it can be challenging when a participant gives an answer that is blatantly wrong. In order to keep interaction high two things hang in the balance here: you want to reward the person for having a go at the question and at the same time you want to make sure everyone understands what the right answer is. Dealing with wrong answers is a critical trainer skill. If you’re too harsh, the group will think twice before they answer going forward for fear of looking stupid. If you’re too quick to correct them, the group will become more reticent to answer because they already expect you to give them the answer.
So how do you tread that balance? Here are some techniques that help you when someone gives you a wrong answer:
Option 1
Figure out where they made a wrong turn, give them a tip and shape their way to the right answer
‘So you think X? Tell us why.
[answer]
‘I see. And if you consider this [X], does your answer remain the same?’.
Option 2
Use the group:
‘Hmm, interesting. Does everyone agree, or does someone see it differently?
[some non-verbal no’s]
No? Then what do you think?
[Right answer]
‘Yes, that is indeed also what the theory suggests/ Yes, that has also been my experience/ Yes, that’s right.
Option 3
Sometimes the answer is not necessarily wrong, but just not the one you are looking for. Reward the answer and invite them to come up with another answer
‘Yes, it is always an option to stop a conversation when emotions get heated. But what if you wanted to try to turn the conversation around, what could you do then?’
This is an excerpt from my upcoming book on how to deliver awesome trainings. It comes from the chapter Interaction. This theory is also covered in my Train-the-Trainer programme: Inspire to Develop.