Dealing with hecklers.

A colleague pointed me to a mailing list that is pretty handy for inspiration, actively posted on by many colleagues in this field:. Browsing archives, I found a topic of great interest:

The Ropes List Service was established in May of 1997. It was designed to allow ropes course and adventure education builders, designers, facilitators, and operators the opportunity to discuss in an open forum type setting the questions, answers, concerns, and comments that arise from such programs.

The members of the Ropes List Service represent a wide variety of backgrounds and represent a number of different organizations within the Adventure Education and ropes/challenge course field.

If you are interested in subscribing or changing your subscription status, please use the form proved at http//:onbelay.com/mailman/listinfo/ropes-list

In a message I found browsing those archives, a person described being publically and formally "heckled" by a group of adults they were facilitating a few months ago, called "annoying," by their participants. This reply I think bears repeating as I go into a segment of the year characterized by a lot of adult group facilitation by Jeffery Gosnell of Lake Williamson Christian Center.

I find that in the first hour with a professional group, I'm dealing with the stereo-type of teambuilding--trust falls, affirmation circles, and frequent usage of the phrase "think outside of the box." It's not you they find annoying, it's the perception of what you represent (One of my favorite commercials is of a businessman desperately trying to find a flight to get him out of a team building seminar.).

I generally start off any adult group with a variation of the following:

"Today, we will not be hugging, holding hands, or singing 'Kumbya.' We are not going to be getting in touch with anyone's inner child, and I don't want to see your feminine side unless you're dying to show it to us. What we are going to be doing is a series of challenges that will aid you in developing your group's communication skills and help build a sense of trust and safety within the group. You have complete control on how involved you are in any given task. If you feel uncomfortable or unwilling to participate in a challenge as I have presented it, please let me know, and I will gladly
adapt the challenge to address those concerns or even move on to something different..."

I've often noted a visible sense of relief on the faces of participants as I have said this. Some have even told me that they only reason they participated is because of that little speech. Perception is everything.


Jeffery Gosnell, Challenge Course Manager
Eagle Crest Adventures @
Lake Williamson Christian Center