The following an excerpt from my book, "Get Engaged:  How great trainers think, and what they do to get participants to stay, play, learn & grow".  Download the introduction and free chapter from my home page.  Buy the full version of the book here.

Great trainers know that skepticism is healthy and understand the difference between gullibility, cynicism, optimism and skepticism.

Gullibility says: I will believe anything whether there is evidence or not.

Cynicism says: I will not believe anything whether there is evidence or not.

Optimism says: I will believe things based on my past experience and evidence.

Skepticism says: I won’t believe anything until I have evidence.

Great trainers create environments that foster both optimism and skepticism.

I had a friend who prided himself on his cynicism. I asked him once what he was currently being cynical about, and he promptly replied, ‘Arnold Schwarzenegger and his inability to act.’

I asked him, ‘Have you ever seen an Arnold Schwarzenegger film?’

He said, ‘No.’

I said, ‘Well you are not being cynical, you are being gullible. Believing something without evidence.’

He did not take it well.

The point is, of course, that you want to encourage your participants to be skeptical. Something I learnt from one of my amazing teachers, Roger, was to provide a skepticism frame at the beginning of your training. He would write on a chart:

I explain to all my participants I don’t want them to believe what I am telling them. It is my truth, not theirs.

In fact, I have so much evidence for techniques working for me that I can tell hundreds of stories for every objection I hear.

But that’s not useful for anyone.

I want people to test and try everything for themselves so they can find their own truth.

Three things to keep in mind:

1. Frame up the difference between each of the modes (gullibility, etc.) at the beginning.
2. Give your participants the opportunity to test and try in the classroom.
3. Encourage skeptical questions during the debrief.

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