Proper Preparation and Practice Prevent Poor Performance.

Even though the structure of a workshop may appear to be looser and more flexible than other presentations, it is imperative to be properly prepared even more prepared than for other venues. In the type of workshop I prefer and give the most often, I gear it toward those who are in attendance. This means that I have to be prepared for a variety of situations, because everyone is different. Their feedback, questions, comments and needs are all different. If I am giving a two-hour workshop, I have enough material and activities planned for at least four hours, so that if one of my plans doesnt work for this particular group, I have another direction I can switch to with ease.

Plan transitions with care.

Smooth transitions are important during any kind of presentation. If we jump from one topic to another too quickly and without any warning, or what I call bridging, we can leave our audience behind, so that they miss some of the new material and/or topic area. Just a short introductory sentence or description of where and why we are going in a certain direction should suffice. You can tell a brief story, sum up what you have been saying, ask a question or introduce the next topic with some sort of attention getting device.

Dont hesitate to give assignments and/or homework.

Preferring workshops that continue at least into a second week, I always give the participants assignments to work on (with the statement that there will be no punishment for not doing the homework). A good number do work on the assignments and are delighted and proud to share their results. The more we expect from our students, the more they will expect from themselves and make the effort to please themselves and us.

Remember that Murphys Law is usually working.

So what can go wrong, will. Patricia Fripp, a well known speaker once said Never assume, always confirm. To the point of almost seeming obsessive, I feel that getting in touch with the meeting planner to confirm time, date, and location, along with what is expected of me and what I expect in the way of equipment and setup is imperative.

Otherwise, we may find that somewhere along the line, there has been some miscommunication which can prove to be disastrous. Also, think of all of the things that might go wrong your handouts didnt arrive, the bulb on the projector blows the minute you turn it on, the directions of how to get there are incorrect, and on and on. Just leave earlier than you need to, so that you will have lots of extra time to take care of any unforeseen problems and details that might occur.

Finally, make sure that you are having FUN!

By approaching every workshop with the attitude that its going to be a blast, you will guarantee that the participants will have fun too. In addition, realize that people learn in the proportion to the amount of fun they are having!