Turn Your Wisdom Into a Workshop

The Technical Revolution has done a lot for us -- we merely have to pick up a phone or send an email to conduct business. Yet, there still is no substitute for live, personal appearances when you want your teaching to count, and that's why I love workshops. Your participants benefit from the short-term intensity of the experience, and you benefit from actually seeing your principles and exercises in play.

If you've got the solution to any problem that's out there, you can deliver it in workshop form. Here are some steps I've developed in my years of designing and delivering self-help workshops:

1. Put together a workshop people actually need. What's the biggest problem your target market faces ? and what do you know about solving it? This is the key to filling your workshop. Find the problem you are uniquely qualified to solve. Do not rely on vague promises like "improving your life" or "boosting your creativity". Offer us something we can really use, such as "How to Create More Time for Your Dream."

2. Decide where and how you'll lead the workshop. Basically, you have a choice: you find a location and hold the workshop yourself, or you pitch and sell it to a larger venue, such as an adult ed learning center. If you hold the workshop yourself, you will have a bigger job, but you potentially could make much more money. If someone else holds it, your audience may be more certain ? or it may not. Also, it may be hard to place your workshop with a larger venue if you don't already have a track record doing such ? unless your idea is so 'killer' that learning venue can resist. There is no 'right' answer here. Test the waters to find the best solution.

3. Choose a great location. Nothing is more depressing than a workshop in a dimly lit church basement painted an institutional green. Instead, look for a sunny, fresh environment that makes you (and them) feel good. When holding your own workshop, look for inns or even B&B's that have a meeting room or living room available. Often such places will provide a room for free if they are catering your event. For shorter workshops, look to grand old libraries that have seminar rooms, or churches or temples that have recently renovated or offer more upscale facilities.

4. Plan the day around food. Believe it or not, this is key. A workshop has to have an air of retreat to it, or it won't have nearly the impact you want. That's why I like to hold longer, full-day workshops that include a nice lunch and afternoon tea and cookies. This gives your participants the sense that they're really getting away from everyday life and nurturing themselves, which facilitates breakthroughs. At the same time, you can offer more benefits, and thus a more valuable workshop package.

5. Structure your day with lots of play. Give these folks some things to do that get them out of their usual routine, right off the bat. In my own How Much Joy Can You Stand? workshops, I have people come to the event with a 'no-name' tag ? something they can comfortably wear that expresses their essence without using their name. It's a fun way to get everyone on level playing ground. This sort of hands-on exercise can be used at least two or three times during the day to make your points more effectively. To create exercises, simply think about what sorts of activities would really move you to have fun, and think outside of the usual box.

6. Combine teaching with feedback. Don't just preach; ask. During your lecture time, take occasional breaks to ask for their ideas, observations, questions, etc. You can also drive home points by creating front-of-the-room lists on a flip chart, or by having brief writing exercises, which they can share from afterwards. I like timed writing exercises, quick top of the mind lists, and written responses to questions.

7. Don't be afraid of group meditations. If you're doing work that is at all spiritually attuned, guided meditations can be fantastic tools. Most people will give them a try, even if they've never done so before. Be sure to speak clearly throughout the meditation, and urge people to sit on cushions or chairs, but not recline. Some may be willing to share what they observed, which is often quite powerful.

8. Let them guide you. Sometimes you need to put aside your plan for a while, and let a powerful group conversation take over. Be sure to design your day with an extra half-hour to hour (if it's a full day) for such tangents to develop. That way, you won't be a slave to the clock, and can allow for spontaneous insights to occur.

9. Start with a group of friends ? and get evaluations. Your very first workshop can always be held with friends, or your R&D group, right in your own living room. Offer it for free, in exchange for detailed feedback on what worked, and what didn't. Then be sure to have the evaluation forms ready to fill out at the end of the workshop ? before anyone leaves. In your evaluation, also include a place for enthusiasts to leave glowing testimonials, for use in your promo materials. (Include a request for a signed okay for use of their name and quote in your form.)

10. Experiment. You're going to get a lot further leading workshops if you can view this aspect of your career as a grand experiment. Some things will work; some things won't. Your job is to find out which is which, so your workshop becomes the very best it can be ? and that's the best way to fill them up!

Copyright 2004 Suzanne Falter-Barns

About The Author

Want to learn more about how to lead your own creativity workshop? Go to http://www.howmuchjoy.com/facilitatorsworkshop.html. Suzanne Falter-Barns is the author of How Much Joy Can You Stand? and Living Your Joy. (Ballantine) You can learn more in her free ezine, The Joy Letter, which brings you a crisp, fresh burst of inspiration for your dream every week or two. Sign up at http://www.howmuchjoy.com/joyletter.html and receive her valuable report, "Thirty-Five Guaranteed Time Savers". It helps you create time to finally live your dreams.

---

The Never Ending Sale

Once you have added a new customer to your book... Read More

The Prejudging Predicament

There's a direct correlation between sales experience and prejudging. The... Read More

Selling -abilities : Part 2

In the last article... Read More

Sales Brochures - 9 Steps to Success

Even in this day of websites, many customers want to... Read More

Whats Your Clients Style?

When it comes to effective selling, one simple fact never... Read More

Peddlers, Hucksters, & Empty Suits

Ever feel like you were "just a salesperson"? I think... Read More

Sales Letters - How to Write Them

You could just send out your brochure to potential customers... Read More

Don?t Waste My Time!

Many participants in my programs ask how to deal with... Read More

Grow Your Business By Increasing the Value of Each Sale - 29 Ideas to Spur Your Brain

There are 3 ways to grow any business:- Get more... Read More

15 Ways To Get Really Motivated

First, recognize that motivation is an inside job. The word... Read More

How to Buy Wholesale Store Fixtures for Your Business

It may sound funny, but honestly, if you're opening up... Read More

Refining Your Telephone Prospecting Techniques To Be A Master Closer!

Let me create a picture for you. This is the... Read More

3 Tips For Getting Through The Voicemail Screen

How many times have you heard that you gotta get... Read More

Who Takes Your Money

Your business is making profits, but where is the cash?... Read More

Long Sales Letters vs. Short Sales Letters

Everywhere I turn, I'm being asked to weigh in on... Read More

10 Amazing Product Selling Formulas

1. Sell your products at a wholesale price to retail... Read More

Breaking Through The Comfort Zone Barrier

After completing a workshop on personal productivity or time management,... Read More

Restaurant Pressure Washing

Many pressure washing companies try to stay away from the... Read More

Consumer Effort And The Purchase Decision

It is a basic tenet of behavioral psychology that people... Read More

Two Mistakes That Will Cost You Money

You've met a new prospect, accurately assessed their needs and... Read More

Unique Selling Propositions

If you have competitors, then you should have at least... Read More

What Do Mobile Auto Detailers Clean When it Rains?

A mobile auto detailer and their profits are tied to... Read More

Value-added Selling?

"Value-added." That word is used so much it has become... Read More

Mortgage vs. Real Estate Lead Generation

It is fairly common for real estate companies and mortgage... Read More

To Buy or Not to Buy? Motivating Your Customers to Take Action!

All customers have a choice to make. Sometimes that choice... Read More

Referrals: Getting Good Business By Doing Good Business

Whether you're a conventional sales person, a professional ? such... Read More

Cracking The Billable Hours Ceiling

How many of you made as much money as you... Read More

Freebies

Freebees--Freebees--FreebeesWHY PAY, WHEN "YOU CAN HAVE IT FOR FREE?"There are... Read More

The Art Of Cold Calling

I know, don't groan. You have to do them if... Read More

7 Ways to Stop Selling & Start Building Relationships

Sometimes we can all use a friendly reminder to keep... Read More

Connecting with Customers

I just got off the phone with a friend of... Read More

Going Back To Get Ahead

Have you ever run DOWN an escalator that was going... Read More

Why Executives Wont Take Your Call

Do you hang up on telemarketers? 9 times out of... Read More