Too much too soon? ~ Are you asking too much of your delegates?

Today my personal Facebook page reminded me about an incident that happen four years ago. My mum ventured into her first ever Starbucks store. Nothing particularly interesting about that, however...

they were just starting their 'can I take your name for the cup' shenanigans, and my mum answered, 'Ruth'.

Again, not much interesting about this either, until you understand that a) her name is not Ruth! and b) when I asked her why she had given a different name she replied, "Why do they need my real name to make me a coffee?" Four years later, she visits the store almost everyday and they always greet her with a smile, make her a coffee and call her Ruth!

​This got me thinking about how much some Trainers expects delegates to share on training courses. Especially when they have only just sat down, possibly with a bunch of people they have never met before. Icebreaker and energisers can be used to good effect if they are relevant and/or subject related, but if you are still asking people to share personal information for no apparent reason just be aware that while some will offer you everything about themselves without batting an eyelash, some may well be Ruth's!