According to Collins Dictionary, a workshop is a period of discussion or practical work on a specific topic a group of people will share their knowledge & experience. A workshop can be done internally to produce real results such as a solution to a problem someone is stuck on. Other times, it’s a way for you to gain knowledge or expand on subjects that are of interest to you, or even your work team.

As the workshop facilitator, your role is to create a fun, informative and engaging environment for your participants! This can easily be achieved through these 8 simple steps.

1. Determine your goal and target audience

What’s the purpose of your workshop? What do you want attendees to get out of it? It’s important to establish the goal of your workshop. This sets the base of your workshop, ensures you stay on track throughout and helps you flesh out all the details.

Who do you want to attend the workshop? Is it an internal workshop or is it open to the public? This goes hand in hand when you’re determining your goal, as this directly relates to who’s coming to the workshop. Your target audience directly affects the end goal of your workshop.

2. Find & book a suitable location

How many people are attending the workshop? Can this workshop be run at the office? It’s important to have the right space for your workshop for some quite obvious reasons. You also need the location to be able to work with your goal, such as group work or activities that need several tables. Once you determine a suitable location, you need to book it. Some venues need a certain amount of notice from you, so make sure to plan your workshop well in advance!

For virtual workshops, it’s important to consider what tools and platforms are most accessible to attendees. Nowadays, there are many platforms to use such as Zoom, Google Meet and Teams! Choose whichever platform works best for you and your workshop needs.

3. Invite your attendees (& assistant facilitators if needed) & research them

Your workshop is really coming together! It’s time to invite your attendees. Make sure to provide all the details to either convince people to attend your workshop, whether they be strangers or co-workers to join you during their usual lunch time. At this point you’ll have your basic information needed to create an event visible to the public, such as date, time, and place. You can invite your attendees via email (especially if it’s an internal workshop), a calendar invite (such as google calendar), or you could create a facebook or eventbrite link!

4. Create your incentive

This is a small but mighty step in your workshop preparation. Why should people attend your workshop? Don’t under-estimate the power of tasty treats & refreshments. They don’t have to be fancy, it can be as simple as fruit & veggie tray, a box of donuts or some cheap cookies/muffins from your local big box store. No one will say no to free food.

Unsure of an incentive for your virtual workshop? Digital e-giftcards a great way to entice people to attend your workshop.

5. Prepare your materials

Now it’s time to prepare the most important pieces of your workshop, your presentation and extra materials! The main content of your workshop will be your presentation. Make sure your presentation coincides with the goals of your workshop as well as the attendees. Some workshop attendees even like having a copy of your presentation, to take better notes or simply to reflect on after the workshop is complete. Be sure when sharing your presentation, to consider a format that anyone can use like a PDF. You also need to make sure your extra materials re ready for your workshop. This means anything needed for activities like worksheets, printouts of the workshop schedule, post-its, markers, etc.

6. Prepare your follow-up

What do you want to happen after the workshop is over? Is there a follow-up workshop? It’s important for you to prepare this before your workshop takes place. Your follow up could be a simple email summarizing the workshop, links to materials like worksheets and a copy of your presentation, or a feedback survey. A follow-up feedback survey is a great way for you to gather insight about your workshop from your attendees, without making them feel awkward by asking directly at the end of your workshop the day off. This feedback will allow you to improve your workshop for the next session!

7. Workshop time!

You’ve done your research & preparation, got your snacks, & practiced with friends, family or your coworkers; it’s time to present your workshop. Don’t worry, you got this!

8. Facilitate feedback

You did it, you ran a successful and awesome workshop! Now it’s time for your final step, facilitating feedback. How quickly this follow-up is done is all determined by your goal & target audience of your workshop. Your follow-up can be done as early the next day or a week later as a refresher. This follow-up date/time should have been determined during your early stages, as you established what the goal of your workshop was.

In conclusion

Even implementing some of these steps can improve your workshop skills, but utilizing all of them can make you a workshop master! If you take anything from this list, it’s that preparation is key. Knowing what you want from your workshop & what you’ll be doing during your workshop beforehand can help you facilitate a successful and awesome workshop.

Looking for more ways to level up your workshop game? Thinking Big is here to help! Get in touch with us at [email protected].