How to Stop Late Arrivals
Late arrivals. Every facilitator, trainer and group leader deals with this. People trickle in 5, 10 or 15 minutes late, and you’re stuck waiting.
Or, you start without them and have to catch them up later. Either way, it kills your momentum and wastes everyone’s time.
And here’s what most of us do. We accept it. People are busy. Traffic happens. Bad time management.
But here’s the real issue…
We haven’t given them an incentive to show up on time.
And this is a lesson I learned the hard way while lecturing at a university for 7 years. And it’s a mission-critical principle that works in any group setting.
The Lazy Facilitator: Episode 13
Click play below to learn about this latest lazy facilitator strategy.
Three Simple Ways to Build Rapport
First, smile. Make eye contact and learn people’s names early. And then use their names when you meet them and repeat them throughout. It’s simple, but it shows you care, and people feel that.
Second, help humour flourish. You don’t have to tell jokes. Just notice and highlight those moments when funny things happen naturally. Laughter builds connections faster than anything else I know.
And third, look for clues to make connections personal, such as commenting on what someone is wearing or sharing or carrying. For example, if their t-shirt promotes a country you’ve visited, mention it and ask if they’ve been there too. I promise you, every person gives you something to connect with, but only if you’re paying attention. And here’s the truth.
Rapport isn’t magic.
It’s just intentional small actions that say, I see you, you matter.
Do this well, and everything else becomes easier.
An Illustration
Every single one of my classes started with what I call an unofficial start. A fun game, a puzzle, a story, a video. Something fun and engaging the moment people walked in.
The result? Over the course of 7 years, or 14 semesters, teaching 2 subjects, I rarely had a late student after the fifth week of the semester. Why? FOMO. The fear of missing out.
The students didn’t want to miss what was happening at the start of my classes because everyone else was clearly enjoying it. Word spread fast.
Now, I didn’t lecture about punctuality. I didn’t penalise lateness. I just made showing up on time more valuable than showing up late.
This concept of the unofficial start works in corporate training, team sessions, conferences, you name it.
Bottom Line
Anywhere you facilitate groups, give people a reason to show up on time and more often than not, they will.
Want to create unofficial starts that eliminate late arrivals in your programs? Check the link below for a bunch of real, field-tested strategies.
Learn about Unofficial StartsVisit Lazy Facilitator Video Library
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