Participants are pushing back on session objectives. How can you get them on board?

When faced with resistance during a project management software transition, your first step is to understand the concerns of your team. For example, instead of pushing ahead immediately, you hold a meeting to listen actively and empathetically to their worries. Some team members express concerns about the learning curve, while others fear potential data loss. Acknowledging these concerns, you suggest flexible training schedules and a solid data backup plan. By creating an environment where everyone feels heard and respected, you reduce resistance and foster a more cooperative atmosphere for the change.

To get participants on board when they push back on session objectives, acknowledge their concerns and explain the relevance of the objectives to their needs. Involve them in refining the goals, showing how the objectives will benefit them directly. Creating a sense of ownership and aligning the session with their expectations can help gain their support.

Preempt pushback by engaging participants BEFORE a session. Ask about what's important to them and what's not working. use this to inform objective design AND how to frame the session. Result? Much less likely to experience pushback

Engaging with participants before a session to understand their concerns has the secondary benefit of building rapport, trust, and a relationship you can leverage during the session.

Always relate objectives to a broader goal or desire that the participants have. Again, using any pre-session engagement is critical to framing objectives in a way that is meaningful to the participants

I’ve come to see true clarity as a state of mind, body and emotion that enables us to take effective action. When It’s more than just mental mechanisms at work. it activates the kind of emotional and physical action that produces desired results.

By allowing for alternative approaches, accommodating individual needs, or adjusting timelines, you can reduce pushback and foster a more cooperative atmosphere. Flexibility shows that you’re willing to consider different perspectives and adapt to changing circumstances, which often leads to increased buy-in and smoother implementation of decisions. This approach can help turn potential obstacles into opportunities for collaboration and innovation.