When Half The Attendees Leave Your Session

If you saw my post yesterday, you'll know that I stepped out of my norm and hosted a large group masterclass for one of my clients.

What I didn't mention is that half the people left.

Yes, half.

We were at 159 participants, and by the end we were down to 80.

I didn't take the sharp decline as a criticism, though.
I saw it as a mismatch.

An incongruence of values.

I lead all of my sessions with one value in mind -- CONNECTION.
Connection to self, then connection to others.

Yet, connection requires action.

Those 79 people who left my session were there to have a passive experience.

I was there to deliver an active one.

Last week, I was working with an HR team around how to unhook from criticism.

As part of that work, we used the metaphor of a tree.

A tree with strong roots will sway and bend in the breeze, but it often doesn't break.

When it comes to criticism, we need to be like trees - have strong roots from which to stand from, and live by, so when the winds of criticism blow through, we may sway, but we don't break.

Connection and courage are two of my roots.

So when 79 people leave my session, it barely rustles the leaves in my tree.

They weren't looking for what I was offering -- CONNECTION.

What do you look for when you attend a workshop?

Originally posted on LinkedIn with comments.

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