Fear is everywhere
The fear for the participants is high. Particularly for people who have been in the workforce for a while… and are in front of their peers. Their annual performance review may be affected. As trainers, we will leave the workgroup after the session… but they’ll stay and for them anything they do may become an office in-joke for years. Fear is high. 
Our job is to reduce the fear. If we struggle or challenge a participant it will create tension… and that will continue to grow and eventually become aggression.
3 ways to Reduce Fear:
- Never fight: I never fight with participants who don’t want to do something. When they opt-out it is immediate feedback for me. I’ve pushed the activity too much…and I need to re-set the room.
- Private Pairs: Have the group work in smaller groups without the sense of exposure and vulnerability when working in front of everyone in the room. You can have them work in pairs finding three things they have in common.
- Do it badly: Ask the group (or subset of the group) do an activity the wrong way. You may be surprised at how much laughter (tension) it can release in the group.
If they still don’t want to participate
They will get a lot of benefit from watching. And it’s we can successfully creating the right mood. They’ll join in after a while… because you are so supportive and they can see how much fun others are having.
Concepts above participation
We are teaching the concepts, not creating an improv company (although that might come later). Participation is a great way to learn… but it is not absolutely necessary.
Reward them for not participating
When someone doesn’t want to participate, how do we celebrate their choice? This is the opposite of almost every educational system in the world. Which makes it interesting and worth our curiosity.
Thank you for saying you don’t want to do it. How many other people are thinking the same thing?
After all a conversation about the fear of participation may be just what they need from you.