When the Room Gets Difficult

How to work out what is happening, what matters, and what to do next.

How do you know what to do when a group gets difficult?

You might be leading a team meeting, facilitating a workshop, coaching someone, delivering training or trying to move a difficult conversation forward.

  • Someone dominates.

  • Nobody says what they really think.

  • People disengage.

  • There is conflict or resistance.

  • The same issue keeps returning.

  • Everyone appears to agree but nothing changes afterwards.

Sometimes the challenge is not needing another facilitation technique.

It is working out what is actually happening, what matters, and what to do next.