Being Real: Successful Workshop Tips

Workshops are serious business. Businesses love hosting workshops just to be able to say they provide continuing education. Speakers across the nation have jumped on the workshop bandwagon trying to become the next great guru.

Anyone with valuable information or notable skills should run a successful workshop. You should because, even though workshops are sprouting up all over the place, there still aren't enough to accommodate everyone. But in order for you to conduct a successful workshop that means something to you, you have to avoid a few mistakes others make.

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Avoid Mixed Signals

If you conduct a certain workshop, it should fit your profile. You can't tell men about being loyal to women if you cheat. You can't conduct inspiring workshops if you are depressed. You shouldn't lead people to believe that you are a millionaire and you can help them make that much money if you're leaving the workshop in your rusty van.

You have to believe what you are conducting the workshop about. My art workshops are about my ability to do art and to teach art. Anyone can learn how to do art and I instill that lesson into everyone I meet. I don't parade to know something I don't. I believe in my workshop and it is very much a part of my life.

Either Know It All or Don't Be A Know-It-All

There is so much to know about any topic that it would literally be impossible to know everything about it. But, some speakers try to come across as if they know all the answers. Some speakers like Anthony Robbins or Dr. Phil might have all the answers about their topic. But, most of us won't. And it's ok.

If you don't know something about your topic, don't be afraid to let your audience know. That moment would normally come at the question and answer time. One of your audience members might ask a question that even you don't know. For my art workshops, I have the opportunity to have my audience members back. So, I normally address a question I can't answer with a statement that I don't know, I'll look it up and get back to them about it the next time I see them.

It's much more credible because most people can see right through a person who is making up an answer as they go along. Most people understand that no one person can know everything about any one topic. And how you handle their question is not a brush off that implies that they should look up the answer themselves. You are willing to go the extra step and find out by the next time you meet with them.

Have Passion

A speaker who doesn't have passion for their own subject matter is a lousy speaker. No matter how much you know, no matter how much you put on, your audience will see through you soon enough. I walked into a hallway at a seminar and overheard one of the speakers saying, "They are so stupid. I can't stand how dense they are. I ask a question and everyone just sits there like a lump on a log."

I can understand the frustration. But if the passion isn't there, don't expect the audience to do your job. And if you don't care about your audience, so much so that you feel the need to put them down, maybe they saw through you. Maybe they saw that you didn't care that much about them, so they didn't show you any respect either.

Three simple things you need to remember to gain your audience's attention and to keep it. Avoid sending mixed signals, don't act like you know it all and have passion. The world is full of fakes. The world has seen its share of fakes. Be for real and you'll stand out in a heartbeat.

Being Real: Successful Workshop Tips

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Successful Workshops: Drawing The Audience

Speak of workshops and people generally perk up with interest. It could be a workshop about gaining confidence. Or it could be about being able to find romance. Workshops are big business these days. So, learning how to attract your audience is the first thing you will need to learn if you are to run a successful workshop.

My art workshops are generally smaller than most workshops you might be imagining. I am not talking about the kinds of audiences that Anthony Robbins and Jack Canfield normally motivate in speaking engagements. But, once in awhile you might see one of these high powered speakers speaking to a group of people the size of one of my normal workshops. A small group of twenty to thirty is about the size you should be expecting as you are just starting out giving workshops.

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In a group of this size, you can attract your audience in several ways. Some ideas come from the many talk shows that have paved the way. Other ideas are products of just plain good business. So, it's a good thing to try them all.

Have a Controversial Topic

When you run a workshop, controversial topics aren't hard to find. Most workshops have controversial issues connected to them anyway. Doing a workshop about gaining confidence has inherent controversial issues. People who have no clue what they are talking about are always attracting all the attention. The people who are the most boring are always the ones with the most information. Those are controversial even though they aren't necessarily on a social or political scale.

Coming up with a controversial issue for my own art workshops is as easy as talking about the board of education. With art slowly being cut from the education curriculum, all I have to pitch is the fact that art benefits the kids and their educations. I can raise some great attention just simply putting the news out about the benefits of art and how it is being cut from the schools.

Give Your Audience a Question

Believe it or not, questions are enticing. Especially if you ask an open ended question and you don't give an answer. Scores of people will come to either find out the answer or to give it. You've just created an issue. It might be your controversial one too. If it's a good enough question, you'll definitely generate an audience ready to listen. What was the question for the art workshop? Simple.

"If you could help improve your child's grades, would you?"

Who wouldn't?

Give Something Away

One of the tactics that attract people is when you give something away. Not everyone can be like Oprah and give a car to every member in her audience. But, you can always afford to give something away. Think about the services you provide, not the products you sell. Give time, no money. In my art workshops, I could give members of my audience a free workshop. I could have a system for choosing that would make audience members want to keep coming back to my workshop in hopes that I eventually give them a free workshop.

Think about the services you provide and try to find a give-away in that. You just have to be creative. Make it interesting enough to want and you'll have audience members.

This is just the beginning of the system. You have to pull them in and keep them there. You have to keep them coming back in order to make your workshop endeavors a six-figure income enterprise. Workshops can easily be six-figure enterprises, art workshops are.

Successful Workshops: Drawing The Audience

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