Holding a workshop is a perfect way to get away from day-to-day routines and brainstorm new ideas or learn something new. However, workshops require a lot of energy from both the one running it as well as those who are participating. Therefore, it is important that an active effort is made in order to get everyone in the workshop energized and to also keep the energy up for the entirety of the workshop. This guide will show you how to exactly do that with plenty of practical tips and advice.
Start with some icebreakers
Kick-off your workshop with some high-energy icebreakers to get everyone warmed up. Icebreakers can set the right tone for a workshop. Check out this guide full of icebreaker templates that you can use in your workshop!
Know your audience
Before your workshop, make an effort to get to know who you will be working with. If you know who your audience is, it makes it a lot easier for you to create content that really appeals to them. If the content is interesting, it will make it a lot easier to keep the energy up!
Take breaks
Taking breaks during workshops is important, especially if they are long sessions. If you can see the energy dragging during your workshop, that’s usually an indicator that it’s time to take a break. During breaks be sure to load your workshop members up with plenty of brain foods! Offer coffee, water, and fruit to keep them going!
Get up on your feet
Opt for a change of pace at your workshop. Think about how you can get your workshop members on their feet and active. This will get the blood circulation going and promote higher energy level. If the weather is good, even consider conducting portions of the workshop outside - give it a try!
Keep things interactive
One sure way to keep the energy levels high at your workshop is to keep everyone involved. You can do this is by using an interactive presentation to help execute workshop activities. With Mentimeter, creating interactive presentations is really easy. Your audience can use their smartphone to share their thought and even answer quiz questions. An added bonus is that everyone attending the workshop will be busy voting using their smartphones so won’t be able to get distracted by text messages or other phone notifications! Check out these workshop focused Mentimeter templates for inspiration:
- Reinforce key learnings in a fun way
- Test and increase knowledge from a workshop
- Make the training session more fun
Give praise and feedback
Make sure that throughout the workshop you give feedback and praise where appropriate. This will show team members validation and will encourage them to keep contributing to the workshop. Remember to thank everyone for participating in the workshop, as this has required time and energy from their side as well.
Bonus tip: Ask for feedback so you can keep improving
Of course, you can always improve the workshop experience you provide. At the end of your workshop, collect feedback from your participants that you can use in the future to create even better workshops, with even more energy! Try out this Mentimeter templates that make collecting workshop feedback easy: