Written by Keisha and Elle
When it comes to designing a workshop, using a lesson plan template can be a real game- changer to start with. It’s a solid way to build a solid foundation from which to work from. However, how YOU plan your delivery, is completely up to you. I have seen people use: notes on the back of an envelope, hand written schedules, spreadsheets, using the powerpoint slides and notes to act as a guide/framework, I even saw a facilitator use a playlist of music to plan and deliver their session!!!
Its a great idea to take a detailed look at other people’s lesson plans, use some templates, and attend people’s workshops to see and understand how they plan and then deliver. If you can begin to analyse how they’ve structured a session, and what reflect on what they include, you can use this in your own toolkit. Once you’ve got to grips with the basics, you can then bend the rules and mix and match – but trust me, practice the basics first. Don’t run before you can walk, hey!
Developing and Planning your Ideas:
A workshop needs to have participation and interaction at its heart. But what does this mean to you? Are you interested in exploring an idea with an audience? Or perhaps developing skills will be at the heart of your session? Will you need to look at problem solving techniques and/or ways to approach a topic. Or, maybe you want to deliver a skill like printmaking or social media skills. However you approach a workshop plan, whatever your idea for a workshop, you will definitely need to explore this idea to get a good handle on it, and find ways to share your idea with an audience in a workshop setting.
Here are some online tools to help you with ideas and planning:
See Also: https://www.designorate.com/disneys-creative-strategy/
The Dreamer, The realist, and the Critic is a good way of helping you plan out a workshop idea. It allows you to think big, be creative and consider the magnificent possibilities, while also applying reason and logic to streamline. Take a look and see if this is for you?
Mind mapping ideas, planning and method:
Watch: How To Have Better Creative Thinking
Make a note of what you have learnt from this video. Consider how you can apply this strategy to your planning.
Discover what type of planner you are:
Answer these following questions with yes/no:
- Are you super organised?
- Do you like things to be neat and tidy?
- Are you always on time?
- Do you like to know the correct answer to questions or situations?
- Are you methodical?
- Do you lie to draw or doodle?
- Do you keep a sketchbook or visual journal of any kind?
- Do you understand things better with colour, images or diagrams?
- Do you have a lot of ideas all at once?
- Do you like games?
If you answered mostly YES to Q1-Q5 then maybe your planning style needs to be clear, organised and into a good robust template, using lists and sections…think about what works well for you, what type of environment and how you are going to start planning your session.
If you answered mostly YES to Q6-Q10 then maybe your planning style is more intuitive, visual and question based. You might prefer mind maps, getting everything out of your head first before making decisions to think more clearly…think about what works well for you, what type of environment and how you are going to start planning your session.
Apply Your Thinking:
Have a go at making a mind map or list of your workshop idea