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Running a Workshop? Check Out These 10 Tips

Running a workshop is no small challenge. Whether you’re teaching new tech skills to your teammates or exploring a hot-button topic with wider industry peers, there’s a lot that you need to consider. For example, what’s the best way to prepare for a workshop? How should you organize it? What’s your overall goal?

No matter your answer to those questions, the bottom line is that knowing your way around a topic and being able to teach that topic are two very different things. To help you get from the former to the latter, I’m sharing 10 simple tips so you can run better workshops. Hopefully, they’ll help reduce stress, prepare a game plan, and make your workshop a success.

Preparing your workshop is like testing a product before launch. You may know how you’d like it to go, but you need to do the work to make that happen.

2. Communication is Key

This may sound straightforward, but make sure everyone attending your workshop has the important details down. They should know the exact time and address of the workshop, how long it’ll be, and how it will work. That includes information about its structure, your goals, and any materials they’ll need to bring to get the greatest possible value out of the experience.

3. Set Expectations

4. Lay Out the Ground Rules

Every workshop is going to be different, so your ground rules will be different, too. Whether you’re introducing new tech or teaching company best practices, lay out a framework that helps you achieve your specific objectives.

Would you prefer if participants stay off their computers? Say so. What if you’d like attendees to save off-topic questions for a specific portion of the event? Make that clear, as well.

Think of a workshop like a vintage car. You shouldn’t turn on the engine and floor it. Instead, you’ve got to let it warm up.

In your workshop, do the same thing. Use icebreakers to get people talking. Show them that you’re making an effort to speak to their specific needs and interests. That way, you all can reach your destination without that vintage car breaking down and needing a tow truck.

6. Tell a Story

7. Know When to Park Topics

You don’t need to know the answers to every question your participants ask. Whether they’re related to your topic or not, however, it’s a good idea to show the group that their voice counts. So, rather than discounting those questions, “park” them on a whiteboard or notepad to address them later. You can even continue the discussion online after the workshop has ended.

8. Refine Your Instructions

9. Mitigate Problems

People come into workshops with different goals, different points of view, and different personalities. You should plan accordingly. While you want to design a workshop that draws in the most introverted, you also need to account for the most extroverted attendees, too. To avoid getting bogged down with overly talkative or skeptical participants, plan ways to keep those personalities occupied and engaged so that everyone else can keep learning.

Once you’re done, think about your key takeaways. What worked? What didn’t work? What do you want to make sure to do again? What could you do better? Write all of these down while they’re fresh — that way, you can make your next workshop even better. Good luck!

Once you’re done, think about your key takeaways. What worked? What didn’t work? What do you want to make sure to do again? What could you do better? Write all of these down while they’re fresh — that way, you can make your next workshop even better. Good luck!