Experts on all kinds of subjects, at some point in their careers, often try to run seminars or workshops. There are lots of reasons why they do it, but the main one is money. These can be very lucrative money- spinners if done correctly.
An awful lot are not done correctly. Far too many ‘experts’ think that all they have to do to captivate an audience is to stand at the front with an overhead projector and drone on for a few hours.
The first thing to correct about this way of thinking is that the people who have paid good money to attend are not an audience.
Plays have audiences. Movies do. Even lecturers talk to an audience.
Seminars and workshops have participants. And if they don’t get to participate, they might as well have stayed at home.
Here are my ten pointers for a successful seminar or workshop. There is a lot more to it, but get these right and you will be halfway there.
1. Write a very full outline of everything you need to cover. It is vital that you are totally prepared. Nothing looks worse than a seminar presenter who is not 100% on top of the flow of events.
2. Do a lot of market research before you start to write your outline. Ask people what they want/need to know. You will probably be surprised. I have found many times that the things people find the most fascinating or useful are the things that I would have skipped over or assumed they already knew. Never assume possession of knowledge simply because it is second nature to you.
3. Remember that people learn in different ways. Some people are visual, some are audible and some have to experience things. Bearing that in mind, ensure that you provide educational stimulus for each type of person – visual charts, memorable commentary and interactive exercises.
4. Don’t plan a 2-day seminar around a subject that can be covered in 2 hours.
5. Don’t try to cover in 2 hours a subject that needs 2 days.
6. Learn to present. This little step is so often forgotten by people who think they can teach. Presentation is so important. You not only have to be seen and heard, but you also have to persuade. Think of it as selling your ideas.
7. If you are new to the field of seminars and workshops, make sure you carry out a series of practice runs before you try to impart your wisdom to paying customers. There are lots of thing that can (and will) go wrong. Things like having the wrong content; like reaching the end of your time and finding that you only covered half of what you expected; like finding you pitched the content way above their heads – or too far below; like not having anticipated what questions would be asked – and worse, not knowing the answers. Run your seminar at least twice, completely free-of-charge – the cost to the delegates being that they have to give you honest feedback.
8. Don’t forget leave-behinds. The better the package that you can give people to take away, the more valuable they will think the seminar was. I run a seminar on presentation skills. Delegates pay up to $1000 each to attend the 2-day course. When they arrive, I give them a leather presentation wallet with a crisp new yellow pad inside and three colors of pen. As each session ends, I give each person a beautifully color printed document that covers all the main points covered in easy to refer to summary form. At the end of the course, everyone is given a CD with all the slides and exercises used over the 2 days, plus a load of extra information – articles, back copies of my e-zine, links to Internet sites and so on. Of course, all of this stuff is branded with my name. The perceived value of this package is considerable, but in reality it costs me less than $30 a head. Not a bad gift for someone who has spent $1000!
9. Have a back end. Don’t plan one workshop, plan two. Make sure everyone who attends is sold on the next workshop (maybe with a special discount offer). Consider selling any products that you recommend. Many big names who run seminars make a bundle from selling books and tapes at the back of the room.
10. Finally, remember that people will thank you if they learn something, but they will only recommend you if they have fun in the process.
Martin Avis is the author of the best-selling ‘Unlock the Secrets of Private Label eBooks’ – a complete blueprint to private label rights success. Visit http://www.plrsecrets.com to see how you can tap into this goldmine for yourself.
