Rob Vetter is technical director and managing partner with the Ives Training Group, in Blaine, WA, USA, a leader in North American mobile equipment training systems since 1981.
In these days of extreme political correctness, it is hard for trainers to define where the line is drawn between accommodating and offending. I recall a wonderful train-the-trainer program I was delivering in Kansas City, Missouri, and completely ruining it by letting slip a reference to the place of fire and brimstone where the Prince of Darkness dwells.
Business guru Stephen R Covey coined the phrase "seek first to understand, then to be understood" in his book
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. It's a philosophy by which I try to live my life and deliver training programs.
In most cases, if you take the time to find out why a trainee is behaving poorly, you can learn a great deal about what is motivating the behaviour and, in so doing, diffuse the problem. I have also learned that some people are rude, boorish buffoons who relish attention, regardless of how they get it.
Trainers are typically taught to make every effort to accommodate trainees, regardless of the motivation for their behaviour. That is a sound and proper practice but there are only so many hours in the training day. Once you determine that the only issues that seem to be motivating poor behaviour are a bad attitude or an abrasive personality, and there is no indication the behaviour will end, you're going to have to get rid of them.
Trainees must always be treated with due respect. By keeping our voices down, discussing things in private and observing Covey's mantra we can ensure everyone's dignity remains intact. Sometimes that show of respect alone can bring an otherwise wayward trainee around. However, trainees must understand that disruptive behaviour will not be tolerated, for any reason. If motivation for the behaviour is due to unfortunate circumstances (for example, death, illness, or family issues), it may be wise to re-schedule training for the affected trainee. However, if reasons are due to less significant circumstances, trainees should be given the choice of staying under your terms or leaving under theirs. There is another choice, but it involves too much fire and brimstone.