Select a venue
By now, you should have some idea of the size of your workshop. If not, we suggest not going beyond 20 people or so. This is because when you have a larger group, you wind up spreading yourself too thin, and it’s easy for the workshop to turn into something more like a lecture. This brings us to venue selection, an important but often-neglected part of how to plan a workshop.
The right venue sets the whole tone for your workshop and can make the difference between a bland event and an exciting one. You may think this is the most difficult part of the planning process and that dealing with venue logistics will be a headache, but we’ve designed a platform to make it a breeze.
Peerspace is the largest online marketplace for event spaces, and we’re positive you’ll be able to find the perfect venue. Just search for meeting spaces in your city and choose from one of our great options. If you have any A/V, furniture, or catering needs, our Concierge service makes organizing all of those logistics a piece of cake, letting you focus on other important factors of your workshop.
Take a minute and peruse the spaces in your city. Imagine holding your workplace in an inspiring loft or creative space as opposed to a hotel conference room. You’ll find that the right environment fosters an energized, engaged environment. First impressions matter.
Establish a workflow
Constructing the actual content workflow of your workshop is straightforward with some preparation. Make a list of your main discussion points, and break each one down into smaller talking points that are essential to communicate. If you’ll be using visual aids — whether physical or PowerPoint slides — list these for each of your main points. Then, list your discussion ideas and the activities in which you want to lead.
Exercises and activities generally follows this formula:
1. Demonstrate
Show the participants how to do something.
2. Practice
Have the participants complete this task on their own.
3. Discuss
Have a discussion about the task. What worked for people? What was difficult? Talk about the work that each person did and give constructive feedback, while also inviting their opinions.
4. Repeat
Follow this process again from step one for the next task.
The overall length of this cycle can be whatever you need it to be depending on the total amount of time you have and the number of activities you’d like to accomplish.
