Always dignify the participant and the answer. Never say, “No.”
Instead, say, “Yes, that is correct if the circumstances are x. However, I am asking about these (different) circumstances. In this event, what would the answer be?” In other words, coach the person to discover the correct answer.
We need to remember how vulnerable a participant can feel. As trainers, we want our participants to be willing to try new things, take learning risks, and ask questions. Mistakes and misunderstandings may happen. We have to make sure that our participants feel safe, that they can trust us when we say that there really are no “stupid” questions, and that we sincerely support their success in our classroom.
