Presenting a workshop is scary. Add young people into the mix and the fear grows. They’ll yawn, their eyes will glaze over, and you, Dork Vader, will mercilessly show another slide. How can you–and your audience–be spared that grisly fate?
Submitted
5/1/2009
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actnow
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12/2/2009
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Do you really mean a workshop?
A workshop is not a lecture, speech or slideshow. It is a learn-by-doing exercise aimed at skill-building. While it can be part of a larger program, a workshop should be self-contained and have a single main goal–the takeaway message.
What’s in it for me?
Presenting a workshop builds the relationship between young people and your organisation. Workshops can train young volunteers to take roles within your project. For youth-centred organisations, holding workshops will provide more avenues for meaningful youth engagement.
Help me Brett de Hoedt, you’re my only hope…
Let us start by giving thanks to Hootville Communications and their Jedi Master Brett de Hoedt who helped us to produce this guide. Brett presents workshops which teach non-profit organisations how to workshop. We’ve combined his advice with some research and our own experience with young people.
BEFORE they show up:
1. Make sure the details of the workshop are well advertised. If anyone says, “Wow, it goes for four hours! I thought it was an hour tops”, then you’ve failed. Likewise, some young people may not have the skills needed for your workshop, and they need to know what you are expecting.
2. Have a pre-workshop activity.You want your audience to think about the topic before they show up. It will give them something to contribute. Get them to scour newspapers, or find internet resources, and bring their findings with them on the day.
3. Make them fill in a quick survey. Get them to do this BEFORE the workshop and send it to you. Then you will know your audience and what they want. You can use the knowledge to draw them in to discussions.
First impressions:
1. Choose a good space with hi-tech resources. No one pays attention when they’re cramped in a small, stuffy room without air conditioning. Technical hiccups will likewise not be tolerated by this generation–so practice setting up your PowerPoint.
2. Start on time. Keeping people waiting does not endear you to them. If you’re playing catch-up, all your activities will feel cramped.
3. Cater for short attention spans. The attention span of your average audience member is only fifteen minutes, according to communications author Andy Goodman. Even more disturbing, audiences will decide if they like you in the first seven seconds of your presentation. So keep it short and use lots of energy.
4. Icebreakers. Workshop games are likely to sound the “loser alert” with young people. Getting each person to introduce themselves should suffice. If you’re really worried about group dynamics, apply chocolate.
5. Don’t do theory first. You’ll get more energy out of your group if you start with an activity rather than background information. Get them to role-play relevant activities. Hint: don’t actually USE the word role-play in front of young people, because it sounds geeky.
Structuring the workshop:
1. Have a concrete goal. Your audience should get something out of your workshop–a new skill, access to online resources, personal development.
2. Don’t swamp them with information. Keep all information in small, digestible blocks. Ask for feedback from the very start to check that they’re following, and to keep them engaged.
3. Break it up. Plan several activities between presentations where your audience gets active, practical experience. Encourage them to stand up and move around.
4. Engage different types of learners. Statistics, anecdotes, activities, a logistic overview, music, and show and tell activities all appeal to different types of minds. So try to include a little bit for everyone. For more information, consult Gardener’s Multiple Intelligences.
5. Keep the content centred on your audience. Make sure all your anecdotes are 100 per cent relevant to the group. The first time they internally respond “that is not me”, you’ve lost them.
6. Have written material to take away. This is the place for details, guides, and takeaway messages. Give them out at the END though, or people will read the notes and ignore you.
Tips for the presenter:
1. Presenters should not sit down. When you’re on your feet, you command attention, move and have energy. Ask questions at random, and don’t let the quiet ones get away with hiding in a corner.
2. Don’t adopt a persona. Changing your language or tone to try and engage with young people will not work. They can smell your lack of authenticity. Be yourself.
3. Never read from the PowerPoint slides. There’s no point in having a presenter and a slideshow if they both say the same thing. It’s boring and that’s what handouts are for.
4. Questions? When an audience member asks a question, ask “Has anyone else got an answer for that?” to stimulate discussion. If there’s a tricky question, this approach will also buy you time to think.
Don’t ever pretend to know the answer to something you don’t know. Young people will lose respect more readily for a pretentious know-it-all than a person who honestly engages with them.
