Tips from an extensive personal experience on how to handle difficult situations and delegates when training / organising training.

1. On a DDJ Trainer’s
Mental Health
Managing difficult moments & delegates
Crina Boroş, Data journalist
Data Harvest 2018, Mechelen

2. What can go
wrong?
Has your projected ever exploded in class during
training?
• Keep calm, call IT, crack jokes
• Having a projector can be a distraction.
• Create a hackathon feel + Consider nearby pub
Ever got stuck on a formula in a public lightning talk?
• Involve your audience
When delegates have a relative relationship with break
times
• Plan for delays
• Inform them on plan changes due to delays
• Let them decide whether they want to stay

3. I was serious about teaching
in a pub… when evicted at
hours notice from gig locale

4. • CASE STUDIES

5. CAR Skeptikosaurus
• POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS
• *PREVIEWS
• A pivot table’s force using party spending data in the
workshop’s preview
• An interactive map (for analysis) on electoral
constituency poverty combine with party dominations
• Picture by USA Today

6. Introverts &
Co
POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS:
Understand why they’re not talking to you
Understand anxiety
Use humour generously
Make them comfortable with being out of the comfort
zone
Low-key support-team
Fake newsroom environment
Feedback part of training, rewarded with chocolate
Get off your high horses and demystify jargon
Let them see you fail & solve error messages together
You’re there to empower journalists and journalism

7. The “Groupie”
• POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS:
• Contributing by helping others
• Suggest skill progression training
• “Show me the (data-driven) stories…”
• Ask if they encounter difficulties in understanding CAR
• Photo by
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/484981453613674952/

8. The Mole
POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS:
Journalism

9. The Shy
• Discriminate them positively
• Create space for them to contribute
• Strategic dialog and eye contact
• Use soft voce
• Don’t leave them behind
• Praise any achievement
• Be aware of gender cultural differences
• Photo by observando via jaclynpaige.tumblr.com

10. The Over-
Assertive
• POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS:
• give them the floor - once
• avoid eye contact in key moments
• talk up the other’s contribution
• do not be intimidated by their intellect
• understand they may have a deeper issue, be
compassionate, but firm moderate and manage
their emotions – it’s your show
• Photo source: journal.thriveglobal.com

11. The Weirdos
POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS
• Do NOT express political affinities. You’ve been warned!
• Set clear boundaries
• Involve everyone & ignore ramblings
• Make them work in groups
• Do not feel obligated to answer their calls or correspondence
• Inform organisers if they follow you around

12. The
Xenophobe
POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS
• Make clear, immediate, polite and firm
remark that you don’t endorse their
comments
• Point out data journalism challenges
prejudice
• Indicate opinion journalism is not part of the
curricula
• Use data to educate them on the
questionable biases