How to Prepare a Workshop

A workshop is an informative or instructional class focused on teaching specialized skills or exploring a particular subject. Workshop presenters are usually educators, subject matter experts, managers or other leaders who possess knowledge of a particular subject or mastery of specific skills. Workshops may be only 1 or 2 hours in length or extend across weeks of time. To prepare a workshop, a presenter must first identify the core objective of the program, as well as the needs of the participants. Workshop leaders can strengthen the effectiveness of their presentations through careful planning, organization and presentation practice. Here are the steps for preparing a workshop.

Edit Steps

1. 1Define the objective of the workshop. Your objective may be to teach a concrete skill, such as how to create and save documents in a word processing application. Or your aim may be to deliver general information about a specific topic.
2. 2Determine the needs of workshop participants. When teaching a particular skill, for example, understanding participants' needs in regards to skill level and learning pace will assist you in delivering appropriate-level content.
3. 3Create an outline for your workshop presentation.
   • Plan your introduction. Decide how you will introduce yourself, the topic and the participant members.
   • List the skills and/or topics you will cover. Create a comprehensive bulleted list. Include subtopics, as needed.
   • Decide on the order of the topics. Move the most important skills or information to the early part of the workshop.
   • Incorporate interactive activities. Find relevant activities or games to increase engagement and participation. Activities may occur in small or large groups.
   • Include a question and answer portion. Depending on the workshop objective and topic, invite participants to ask questions either throughout the workshop or in scheduled time slots.
   • Decide how you will conclude the workshop. You might include a short review of learned skills, announce the next level in a series of workshops and/or implement a participant feedback form.
4. 4Assign an estimated length to each item on the outline. For particularly complicated topics or skills, allot a sufficient amount of time in case participants get stuck or have questions.
5. 5Create handouts for participants. Convert your presentation outline into an agenda for participants and/or prepare hard copy handouts of important information or graphs.
6. 6Use visual tools. Presentation tools, movies, pictures and other elements may be useful in conveying particular concepts or skills. Choose visual tools that complement your presentation and do not distract attention away from your core message or objective.
7. 7Practice giving your workshop presentation. Rehearsal is an important part of the workshop preparation process. Present your information to colleagues, friends or relatives ahead of time, and ask them to give you feedback on the clarity and effectiveness of your presentation.
8. 8Create a contingency plan. Consider the issues that may arise, such as low participant attendance, equipment malfunction or inaccurate time estimates for activities. Where possible, create a backup plan to remedy these issues, such as bringing an extra laptop or preparing additional content for accelerated learners.
9. 9Arrive early on workshop day to set up. This is especially important if you are using electronic equipment and other tools that require testing and set up.