A wise man once said, “Knowledge of other people’s beliefs and ways of thinking must be used to build bridges”. Sharing knowledge is a fundamental part of human contact. Workshops are a great opportunity to teach other people your knowledge about a particular topic. Georgia FBLA offers tremendous opportunities for members to present workshops from the region and state level. I know that presenting a workshop for the first time can be terrifying because you have to figure out how to keep an audience entertained for 45 minutes. Don’t worry! In this article, I am going to tell you some tips and strategies that can make any workshop one to remember for a lifetime.
- Define the Goal- Every workshop must have a goal. Allow your workshop to successfully utilize time by keeping a clear goal at the center of the discussion. Without a clear goal, there’s really no point in getting people together.
- Define the objective of the workshop- Your objective may be to teach a concrete skill, or your aim may be to deliver general information or guidance about a specific topic. Regardless of your focus, it’s important to define your objective first.
- Create an outline for your workshop presentation- You need to create an introduction and list the skills and/or topics you will cover. Move the most important skills or information to the earlier parts of the workshop. Depending on the subject of the workshop, it may also be useful to introduce and build on each topic, beginning with the simplest or most straight forward topic and concluding with the more difficult or complex topic. Determine ground rules for the workshop and decide how you will wrap up the workshop.
- Compelling Headlines- The presentations that receive the most attention during RLC and SLC are always the ones with an intriguing and compelling title. Keep this in mind when crafting the title of your workshop and consider effective formulas that will make your headlines work.
- Be a Storyteller not a Lecturer- This piece of advice changed my entire approach to presenting and storytelling. The story that you tell will make or break your workshop. Your decision to act as a lecturer or a storyteller will determine whether or not people will stay engaged with your message.
- Incorporate interactive activities into your workshop- Activities or games can increase engagement and participation. For instance, incorporate icebreakers and examples throughout your workshop. Activities may occur in small or large groups.
For Region Leadership Conference, Region Officers are required to present a workshop at their local RLC. For more information about workshops at RLC, contact your region adviser. For the State Leadership Conference, any member has the opportunity to present a workshop. If you believe workshops are your bridge to success, ask your adviser to fill out the 2018 SLC Workshop Proposal Form. The proposal is due the 22nd of January. I cannot wait to see the knowledge that I will be able to learn at SLC workshops because of active leadership seeking members such as yourself. See you in March!
