How to Conduct a Workshop

Learning how to conduct a workshop is important for educators, business leaders and other professionals. A successful workshop provides participants with new skills, information and a sense of accomplishment. Workshop delivery involves several steps that begin with planning and end with evaluation and follow up. Here are some strategies for conducting a workshop.

Edit Steps

1. 1Define the workshop objective. Whether you are teaching a skill, delivering information or increasing awareness, outline the goals of your workshop. This analysis may result in a list of specific skills you will be teaching, concrete topics you will cover, or simply a feeling you will inspire in your participants.
2. 2Plan carefully.
   • Determine the details of the workshop. If you will be delivering information, decide exactly what you will discuss. In the case of skill-building, determine the types of activities you will include in your workshop.
   • Coordinate and organize. You might decide to invite other experts to give demonstrations or short talks. Contact them well in advance. If you will need particular supplies or materials, gather them ahead of time. If your workshop requires that your participants arrive having read or experienced something, notify them in advance.
3. 3Arrive early.
   • Set up all equipment before participants arrive. If you are using video, graphics or other media, test them out before the day of your workshop.
   • Arrange the chairs in advance. Depending on the objective of your workshop, you might arrange the chairs in a circle, in rows or across long tables.
   • Distribute materials. If you have notebooks or other workshop materials to hand out, place them on the tables or chairs in advance to save time during the workshop.
   • Greet participants as they arrive. Arriving early allows you to set up, relax and get to know participants before the start of the workshop. This helps in building relationships with the participants.
4. 4Welcome everyone and begin introductions. Introduce yourself, explain the workshop objective and ask participants to introduce themselves. Limit the introductions to a few sentences by asking everyone to answer two or three specific questions, such as providing their names and what they hope to gain from the workshop.
5. 5Create opportunities for interaction. Deliver information in short spurts and allow participants to ask questions. Divide participants into groups to complete a task and ask them to report back to the entire group.
6. 6Allow regular breaks. Scheduling breaks helps people assimilate the information and reflect. Let participants know how often they will get breaks and the lengths of the breaks. This allows workshop attendees to plan accordingly for restroom usage, phone calls and other personal needs.
7. 7Ask participants to fill out an evaluation form at the end of the session. Include questions that help you gauge whether or not the workshop met your intended objectives. Ask for suggestions for how the workshop may be improved in the future.
8. 8Follow up with the participants after the workshop. Ask workshop attendees if you may contact them in the future for their input. Some people need time to reflect back on their workshop experiences. Following up with workshop participants several days or weeks later might reveal new insights.