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Discover powerful, real-world strategies for handling Multi-Taskers and Saboteurs in your training sessions. This blog shares proven techniques - drawn from top facilitation experts - to turn distraction into engagement and resistance into constructive contribution. Whether you’re facing device-obsessed delegates or open disruptors, you’ll find practical tools and fresh insights to boost participation and group cohesion.

Read on to transform challenges into learning opportunities and elevate your effectiveness as a facilitator!

With the Multi-Tasker and Saboteur, the set of seven disruptive delegate types is complete. Each has taught me something unique about preparation, adaptability, and empathy.

Here’s what I’ve learned about these final two types have shaped my best practice as a trainer.

The Multi-Tasker: Turning Distraction into Engagement

Multi-Taskers seem glued to their devices. My early frustration turned into curiosity after reading Sharon Bowman’s Training from the Back of the Room and talking with other facilitators.

The keys?

Make engagement irresistible by designing highly interactive activities: Keep learners engaged with varied activities that require participation for 11 – 45 minutes before a change of pace or focus even within the one three-hour simulation, game or exercise. Include a discussion slot, a need to move to a different place, work with different people, assign rotating roles, hands-on tasks, paired work, triad work, Post-it Notes or Pinboard brainstorming that require standing up and even peer teaching. And you can use interactive polls which even use the phone like Slido.  The more involved they are, the less likely they are to drift into multitasking.

Make Learning Highly Relevant: Connect activities and discussions to real-world situations that matter to the delegates, increasing their motivation to stay engaged. Relevance is highly connected to delegate’s attention. If what you are covering and what you are asking them to do is very relevant to their current problems, their current role or next immediate project they will view the learning as a direct help and therefore important now.

Set expectations at the beginning of the session: I often explain or discuss the relevance and importance of the session and the negative impact on learning by multi-tasking and then say, with a smile on my face, so if you phone rings it will cost you £10 which will go to “X charity” and if you want to answer it then It costs you £20. At one global Merchant Bank that cost the CEO £10 within the first 15 minutes of our all-day session. Bless her she walked calmly to the front of the room and took £10 out of her purse. No one touched their phone for the rest of the day, apart from breaks.

If someone’s distracted, I check in privately. Sometimes they multitask for a good reason. There could be a family situation they are not keen to share publicly while for them it is way more important than the business topic. If you notice someone multi-tasking, gently invite them to join in a task or ask for their opinion, without singing them out or causing embarrassment. Always ask before assuming. If you nudge privately, they will either explain the personal issue or apologise and refocus.

The Saboteur: Transforming Resistance into Contribution

Saboteurs openly challenge or undermine. Early on, I tried to ignore them, but that only fuelled disruption. I then learned to address the potential risk by establishing ground rules.

Establish and Reference Group Agreements. This is a strategy mentioned by Ingrid Bens in Facilitating with Ease. At the start pf the session, co-create ground rules with the group. Put them on a Flip Chart and blue tack it to the front wall, if possible or a side wall if not. If disruptive behaviour occurs later, calmly reference these agreements: “Remember, we agreed to give everyone a chance to speak.” This depersonalises correction and reinforces shared responsibility.

Often the first step is to recognise that sabotage often stems from unmet needs, fear of change, or a lack of control (Gill Hasson, “How to Deal with Difficult People”; Brinkman & Kirschner, “Dealing with People You Can’t Stand”). Approach the saboteur with empathy, aiming to understand their perspective without judgement.

When disruption arises, avoid direct confrontation. Instead, acknowledge the saboteur’s contribution briefly (“That’s an interesting point, thank you for sharing”), then redirect the focus to the group (“Let’s hear some other perspectives”). This technique prevents escalation and models inclusive facilitation.

Or use the “Parking Lot” Technique (Sam Kaner, “Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making”). When a saboteur raises off-topic or disruptive points, acknowledge their input and suggest “we park” the issue on a visible list for later discussion. This shows respect for their perspective while keeping the session focused and on track.

Or reframe negative statements (Brinkman & Kirschner, “Dealing with People You Can’t Stand”) and turn them into constructive challenges for everyone. For example, if someone says, “This will never work,” respond with, “What would make it work in your view?” This invites group problem-solving rather than digging into the complaint. Inviting the Group’s Wisdom (Roger Schwarz, “The Skilled Facilitator”) is nearly always a great idea. When a saboteur challenges your approach, open the question to the group: “How do others feel about this?” or “Who has faced a similar issue?” This shifts ownership to the group and reduces the saboteur’s influence.

You can harness the positive peer influence by grouping the saboteur with more engaged participants. This encourages social modelling and can help shift behaviour. By blending empathy, structure, and assertive facilitation, you transform disruptive energy into engagement, ensuring a productive, inclusive learning environment.

You could assign the saboteur a meaningful role, such as timekeeper, scribe, or group leader to channel their energy into constructive participation (Bowman, “Training from the Back of the Room!”). This can give them a sense of purpose and reduce disruptive tendencies.

If sabotage persists, use private, one-on-one dialogue to explore underlying concerns, as advised in “Crucial Conversations.” Listen actively and seek common ground, aiming for solutions rather than blame. Throughout, maintain your professionalism, stay calm, avoid defensiveness, and keep the session’s objectives in view.

Finally, you could, at a break, over coffee approach them one-to-one and give them the two authentic options. Stay for the learning experience in a positive and balanced way or leave on good terms. In over 20 years as a trainer, I’ve only offered that option twice. Once the person stayed and thanked me, the other time the person left without a fuss.

Final Reflection

Every disruptive delegate is an opportunity for growth. With preparation, evidence-based tools, and a collaborative mindset, you can turn disruption into development, for your delegates and yourself.

What pre-session rituals or in-session interventions have made the biggest difference for you? Let’s keep learning together!