into two workshops? Do you find a way to influence management or do you reschedule? The meeting room was double-booked. Do you reschedule your training or do you pare down your workshop by a half hour?

Like most trainers, you're probably used to time constraints such as these. But what about time problems that arise during the training meeting? Maybe discussion is so strong, you spend more time

on a learning point. Or perhaps you have one too many tangents during an activity debriefing. How do you handle those? What can you do to avoid that sinking feeling you get when you realize you won't cover all the learning objectives without going over time? Well, here are some common problems and potential solutions to keep you on track and help you make the most of your training time

Digressions, however, - even if appropriate to the training topic - create sidetracks that disrupt the current training or build to the point that you lose control of your agenda and your time. To help control the discussion, consider the following.

Use a parking lot. A parking lot helps you stay on track by postponing the discussion. Often, an item posted on the parking lot will be addressed later in the session anyway.
Its premise is simple. Before your workshop begins, create a flip chart entitled "Parking Lot" and post it on the wall. When a participant raises a relevant point or question, validate their thinking and assure them you'll discuss it later. For example, say something like, "Good question. Let's park it and we'll talk about it later." As part of your wrap-up, you may want to go through the list and ask participants "Did we talk about this?" and make sure each point was covered during the workshop.

Use a follow-up board. Like a parking lot, a follow-up board helps you stay on track by providing a place for you to post a question, idea, or discussion point. The difference is that what you post on a follow-up board will most likely not be addressed in the current workshop.
Before your workshop begins, create a flip chart entitled "Follow-up Board" and use it for relevant sidetracks. For example, if a dialogue with managers during a customer service workshop expands into a discussion about the need for stronger hiring practices, use the follow-up board to gracefully return to your workshop agenda.

It's important, however, to address the sidetrack as something that is worthy of future discussion. Say something like, "That's an important point and we could easily spend the rest of this workshop discussing our hiring practices and the customer service qualities we should be looking for in potential employees. Right now though, we need to get back to customer service. I'm going to post this discussion point on the follow up board and I will get back to you on it."

The follow-up board is also a good place to post sticky questions, or volatile comments. For example, maybe dialogue about the company's upcoming merger keeps coming up during your customer service workshop. While a participant's question or concern about the merger should be addressed, you don't need to let it derail the training. If a participant says, for example, "How can we expect our employees to continue to offer exceptional service when they're worried about the company and their jobs?". Acknowledge the question by throwing it back to the class; ask participants for their ideas and allow some discussion. Then say something like, "Because this is important and it's something that is on everyone's mind, I'm going to post it on the follow-up board. Right now, we need to get back to customer service. But, I will make sure to get back with you about your concerns sometime this week."

The challenging part for you is how to follow up. Is it worthy of a future training topic? Will management approve a follow-up workshop on the topic? Is it a conversation or practice the company wants to explore? What is the best way to follow up with participants? Because the answers to these questions are unique to each organization, training department, and management team, it's important not to over commit. Tell participants you will follow up but don't say how unless you're sure you can do what you say you'll do. No matter what, make sure you follow up.

Problem #2 - Irrelevant Sidetracks

Handling irrelevant comments and digressions can be tricky because you're actually dealing with a person's need to be heard more than the digression itself. Here are two ideas to help you handle irrelevant sidetracks.

Acknowledge and redirect. A simple acknowledgement and a redirect is generally the easiest and most effective approach. "Thank you for that Linda, now let's get back to..." or "Okay Jon, thank you. Now who can tell me..."

Ask permission from the group to focus on the topic. If the sidetracks continue, you may need to get permission from the group to share only stories, insights, or questions that are directly relevant to the training topic. Say something like, "Several very interesting points have been raised so far. However, in order for us to stay on track and finish on time, I'd like to focus our discussion, questions, and comments on the topic. Is that okay with everyone?" The class will likely be relieved and more than happy to agree.

Problem #3 - Keeping Activities on Track

If you realize time is running short, consider these approaches for running activities.

Facilitate round-robin activities. If you have a small group activity that consists of several discussion questions, assign tables only one question instead of all of them.

Announce time intervals. As the end of time allotted for any activity draws near, announce it by saying something like, "You have two minutes left." For lengthy activities, like case studies or problem-solving models, help participants stay on track by breaking down the activity into parts. Explain at the start of the activity how long they should spend on each part of the task: 5 minutes for discussion, 10 minutes for planning, 5 minutes for execution, for example. Then, as you walk from group to group, tell them how much time they have left for a given task. For example, "You have another minute to wrap up discussion and start planning."

Problem #4 - Ending Breaks On Time

One of the most difficult challenges trainers face after a break or lunch, is getting the participants to return on time. Participants often remove their training hat during a break and their mental focus returns to work or focuses on socializing. As a result, phone calls, handling work problems, and socializing all get in the way of a prompt return to the training room. Consider these ideas to encourage participants to promptly return.

Choose a table timekeeper. Using timekeepers can help you keep on track in a light-hearted and fun way. Give them responsibility for rounding up stragglers from their group after breaks. How you select your timekeepers should set the tone; it should be quick and fun. For example, announce that the next timekeeper is the person at each table with the fewest letters in their name or the one who has the most pets. The one who is most colorfully dressed or owns the most pairs of sneakers. The one who went the farthest away for vacation in the last year or who most recently saw a movie.

Change the table timekeeper after each break so it's not always the same person. By the way, these quick elections also work well for choosing a table leader, table presenter, or any other role you need to quickly and fairly fill. The side benefits are usually a few laughs (and groans) and a raised energy level in the group.

Break at odd minutes. Who says your break needs to be 10 minutes? Or 15 minutes? Breaking at odd minutes will help keep participants focused on time. Look at the clock or your watch (which will prompt participants to do the same) and say something like, "It's 10 after. Lets take a 13-minute break." Then, whatever their watch says, they'll remember their 13-minute deadline. Another way to achieve the same focus on time is to ask for a specific return, like "It's almost 10 after 11. Let's start again at 11:23."

Reward promptness. Tell participants you will reward promptness and then do so. Distribute gum, candy, funny stickers, small trinkets or toys, slogan buttons, or other giveaways to those who arrive on time. Or reward groups in which all participants have returned from break promptly (this works particularly well if you have table timekeepers).

Set up a competition. Depending on the length of your session, you can post trivia questions, or conduct an ongoing game. Award points or giveaways. Post a trivia question or content-related summary question a few minutes before participants are expected to return. Take it down when break is over.

If you are conducting a long training session, consider using a trivia competition or summary game to bring people back on time. Offer table teams extra points for promptness and start the game even if all the participants haven't returned on time.

Problem #5 - You're Behind With No Way to Catch Up

If you're faced with the realization that you will run late in spite of your best efforts, talk to participants about it.

Ask your participants to tell you what they want to learn. Create a flip chart list of learning points that you have yet to cover (do so while participants are engaged in an activity or on break).
Give participants a moment to look at the list and think about which learning point is most important to them. Explain that you'd like to focus on the learning points that they'd most like to learn about during the rest of the session. Tell participants to come up to the flip chart and place a check mark next to that point. Look for clusters and patterns. If applicable, summarize a learning point or two instead of covering it in its entirety. If a pattern doesn't emerge, use that information as you elicit help from the group (see below).

Elicit help from the group. Offer them a realistic choice: skip the break, add a half hour, schedule a follow up session, etc. They'll appreciate your honesty and your efforts to include them in the decision-making process.
Losing time doesn't mean you have to lose control or sacrifice learning. To make the most of your time, consider the suggestions outlined here and try them for yourself. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to keep on track with these time keeping ideas.

Problem #1 - Relevant sidetracks