Focus

Tonight's private training lesson went well. Well, let's just say I know I delivered the information well, but I am not sure how it was received. Or if it was received. I fear that the message was lost due to the over active behavior and distraction caused by that of another participant, but the fact is at the end of the day I did my job and did it well. But still, it bothers me. The lack of focus from my student(s).

What do you do when you know you're preaching to a lost crowd? Try to engage the disruptee. Try to redirect the disruptee. Try to wait out the disruption. I did all of those things to no avail. I wanted to clap my hands and yell FOCUS, but resisted at the risk of offending my client. 

Since then that word, focus, got me to thinking. Just how hard is it to focus? I have problems doing so during the work day, so should I penalize or judge someone else for not being able to do so? No. And then I thought about that - am I judging people for their lack of focus? Not really, rather their inability to control a situation (or a disruptive child in this particular case). 

But how do you deal with the feelings that your time is wasted and thoughts not appreciated? Like, when you're talking to someone and they constantly talk over you? Dismissing your part of the conversation all together. Eventually, in those cases, I shut down. What's the point? But when you're teaching, you can't shut down. The show must go on and you've got to do it with a smile on your face while you tell yourself that you can vent and blog about it later...