How to conduct a workshop

1. Quotable quote

"The first few minutes of a workshop are the most crucial. If they are interesting, relevant, and pleasant, problems which may arise later can be resolved with a minimum loss to the learning. If the first few minutes are boring, pointless, and unpleasant, the most precious gems of learning are likely to be lost in the mud of misunderstanding, incomp-rehension or apathy."

2. Here's an idea

Four tips for keeping your participants interested:

Use your voice effectively. Ronald Reagan, for example, used to drink a glass of warm water before he presented. He believed that it helped him to relax and make his voice sound resonant.

Tell anecdotes. Anita Roddick of Body Shop fame claimed that it’s story telling that makes the difference. Become a great storyteller.

Vary the pace of your presentation. We can hear at 325 words per minute and generally speak at about 170 words per minute. To maintain interest, all you need to do is vary the pace.

Incorporate participants’ names into your presentation. The one word people love to hear most is their own name, so use it.

3. Here's an idea

In many presentations today it’s almost impossible to avoid using acronyms. By using an Acronym Chart you will not ‘lose’ your listeners…

The Acronym Chart is placed off to the side of your main presentation area. Each time an acronym is used during the session, record it on the chart in acronym form. …