Los Angeles Dodger fans are famous for arriving at games late and for leaving early.

According to new General Manager Ned Coletti, he understands theyre braving traffic and he forgives them.

Yet its hard to forgive seminar participants that leave our sessions before the final bell, before they have turned in evaluations, and before we have neatly summarized and tied the class up in an inspiring ribbon.

So, how can you keep people there for the duration?

There is something to be said for placing the most important units at the end, and building toward them as a climax. This can work.

But Ive found a better method is more mercenary.

Simply put, offer an incentive for sticking around.

Often, Ill give one of my classic books to participants, but only after the class concludes and they have handed in their evaluations. The book represents about a $20 value, but it is a first edition, and its in hardcover, so it makes a nice memento.

Feeling that theyre foregoing a perk, or that theyre losing something unique and valuable, most people are willing to put up with a little traffic or to postpone whatever that pressing matter was that was inducing them to prematurely flee.

Ive resorted to this form of bribery, if you will, because often, my best participants have left without providing official feedback about their enjoyment of the class. Without their input, this skews the overall numbers, so what was, perhaps, a great session, merely seems, from a statistical standpoint, good.

People cant learn if they leave, and if its our duty to help them to learn, we need to motivate them to stay.

Sometimes, being our dynamic selves is simply not enough!