HI
Yesterday I was delivering some training in communication skills to a group of 16 Business Executives who are often faced with speaking and presenting to the media. All was going well and then we had a break for lunch. The venue was a very nice hotel and of course there was a bar as well as a buffet provided.

After lunch we resumed the workshop and it became very apparent that one person had had a little too much to drink. He began to speak very loudly and was obviously going to be disruptive. At first I just ignored him and carried on regardless. No joy! He was really being a pain. I couldn’t get the attention of the group and things were getting out of hand.

Then I remembered a couple of tips that I had picked up from Hermain Hilton - her words came back to me “You can only be heckled if you believe more in the heckler than in yourself” So I turned things around by walking up to the offending person and standing right next to him. I smiled and said “This is your workshop and I don’t want to waste your money so I’d like to let you know you have the right to remain silent” Turning to the whole group I said “Please make sure he exercises his rights”

Everyone laughed and I had got the whole group to be responsible for any further disruptions.
I cannot say this was the best workshop ever, but we did manage to get through the afternoon with the minimum of interruptions. So what did I learn from this?
That I need to stay focused and in control even when I feel threatened or vulnerable. If I am confident and show it to the participants then they will respect me. I also think that it is very important to be polite and respectful to the heckler. In this case the man had only had a good lunch and was not rude or agressive. Humour can also defuse a situation and although this was an experience I wouldn’t like to repeat I feel that I learnt a lot.

If you have any tips for dealing with hecklers I’d love to hear from you.

Have a good week
Jackie Arnold
jackie@coach4executives.com