Dealing with Difficult Student Behaviors:
A Guide for Peer Mentors

Each student you work with will have a unique personality. Expect that you may have to deal with some challenging behaviors, especially when interacting with students in a group setting. Some of the most common issues are listed below, with some guidelines for managing:

1. Rambling -- wandering around and off the subject.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:

• Refocus attention by restating relevant point.
• Direct questions to group that is back on the subject
• Ask how topic relates to current topic being discussed.
• Say: "Would you summarize your main point please?" or "Are you asking...?"

2. Shyness or Silence -- lack of participation
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:

• Give strong positive reinforcement for any contribution: "Thanks for sharing; Good point…"
• Involve by directly asking him/her a question: "What do you think…."
• Make appropriate, non-threatening eye contact.

3. Excessive Talkativeness -- knowing everything, manipulation
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:

• Acknowledge comments made.
• Give limited time to express viewpoint or feelings, and then move on.
• Give the person individual attention during breaks.
• Say: "That's an interesting point. Now let's see what other people think."

4. Sharpshooting -- trying to shoot you down or trip you up
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:

• Admit that you do not know the answer and redirect the question the group or the individual who asked it.
• Acknowledge that this is a joint learning experience: "I can't think of what the answer could be – where do you all think we could find the answer on campus?"
• Ignore the behavior in public and bring it up privately during a break.

5. Heckling/Arguing – disagreeing with everything you say; making personal attacks
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:

• Recognize participant's feelings and move one.
• Acknowledge positive points.
• Say: "I appreciate your comments, but I'd like to hear from others," or "It looks like we disagree."

6. Grandstanding -- getting caught up in one's own agenda or thoughts to the detriment of other learners
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:

• "Can you restate that as a question?"
• "We'd like to hear more about that if there is time after the presentation."

7. Overt Hostility/Resistance -- angry, belligerent, combative behavior
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:

• Remain calm and polite. Keep your temper in check.
• Don't disagree, but build on or around what has been said.
• Always allow him or her a way to gracefully retreat from the confrontation.
• Say: "You seem really angry. Does anyone else feel this way?" Solicit peer pressure.
• Allow individual to solve the problem being addressed. He or she may not be able to offer solutions and will sometimes undermine his or her own position.
• Talk to him or her privately during a break.

8. Griping -- maybe legitimate complaining
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:

• Validate his/her point.
• Indicate you'll discuss the problem with the participant privately.
• Indicate time pressure: "We won't be able to solve that problem immediately, but let's talk during our next break"

9. Side Conversations -- may be related to subject or personal. Distracts group members and you
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:

• Don't embarrass talkers.
• Ask their opinion on topic being discussed.
• Ask talkers if they would like to share their ideas.
• Casually move toward those talking.
• Make eye contact with them.
• Comment on the group (but don't look at them "one-at-a-time"): "I want to make sure that everyone is paying attention while we cover something really important".
• Standing near the talkers, ask a near-by participant a question so that the new discussion is near the talkers.
• As a last resort, stop and wait.

Adapted from: California Nurses Association, AIDS Train the Trainer Program for Health Care Providers (1988)