As a workshop leader you have agreed to take on a considerable responsibility, but one that we hope will bring significant benefit and opportunity to your organization as well. In addition to having your organization promoted as an expert in your field, the workshop itself presents a valuable chance for you to share your expertise in a very focused and in-depth way with a group of highly targeted delegates.
To help you prepare for your workshop, we have included some guidelines below.
All pre- and post-conference workshops at Canadian Institute conferences are 3 hours in length. Workshop leaders are encouraged to take one 15-minute break at approximately the half-way point of the workshop. Refreshments will be provided during the break.
It is important to keep in mind that delegates have signed up for your workshop on the basis of the workshop description that appears in the promotional brochure for the conference. So please do try to cover all the information that delegates expect to receive.
A workshop is intended to be an in-depth examination of an issue that may be the subject of a talk on the main conference program as well. That means that workshops should be very focused and detailed in the information that they give, in order to provide added value to the delegates. Workshops are also meant to be as hands-on and interactive as possible. Delegates appreciate when workshop leaders are able to incorporate exercises, discussion, role-playing, case-study work, etc. into their workshops.
We have also had feedback from delegates that at the beginning of a workshop they like to go around the room quickly (this should take no more than about 10 minutes) and talk about where their organization is at or what they hope to get out of the workshop. This information allows you as the workshop leader to tailor the workshop to the specific needs of those attendees, and also lets delegates get a sense of where their organizations stand vis à vis the others.
If you are delivering a post-conference workshop, please keep in mind that delegates have already sat through two days of lecture-style presentations. They value the workshops as an opportunity to receive additional, in-depth information through a form of learning that is more interactive.
Canadian Institute workshop delegates expect to receive substantial written materials as part of the workshop. These could include papers, copies of PowerPoint slides, overheads or a workbook. Delegates like to have these during the workshop so that they can follow along and make additional notes, but they also value them as a takeaway that they can refer to long after the workshop is over.
Feedback we receive from delegates also indicates that they enjoy a range of audio/visual aids. To whatever extent you can, we encourage you to incorporate PowerPoint, overheads, flip charts or video into your workshop as it will help to make the session more lively and compelling.
A typical workshop would be set up in a U-shape. If you would prefer another arrangement, please let us know. To further assist you in structuring your workshop, we will provide you with a breakdown of who has signed up for your workshop (in terms of job titles and industries) approximately two weeks before the conference.
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