When I ran my workshops at Facebook, an ex-coworker dropped by. Watching me attend to my students, he said, “You clearly have a passion for this.”
As someone who has taken many art lessons in her life (and designed curriculum for over 12 years), the best workshops balance interaction with information, giving students room to explore and create. Being able to tap into “flow” - the creative state of being - is something I hear many of learners crave for, especially at companies as busy as Facebook.
Here are some tips for setting up a workshop for success:
Plan your lesson in advance. Some questions to ask: What are your goals? What should student know or have accomplished by the end? This will set your experience apart from just creative play time - which is what distinguishes a facilitator from a mentor or instructor.
Design and order materials. What genre will you teach? What level are your students at? Professional grade materials may be intimidating and/or less intuitive than student-grade materials. Will your supplies ease exploration and creativity or hinder it? Optional: For drop-in classes, I create print materials that students can pick up and review without waiting for an instructor to guide them.
Confirm logistics. Because we did not have a confirmed classroom space - large conference rooms are notoriously difficult to book around the holidays - I designed my lesson to be mobile (easy to carry around) and flexible (drop-in based). I brought my own paint disposal bucket to facilitate disposal at Recology and factored both set-up and clean-up time in my budget.
Book an assistant (optional). My client was super supportive and provided assistant support when my volunteer bailed on me. NOTE: There are legal considerations to “hiring” someone in CA so I chose to work with a volunteer. Next time I’ll use TaskRabbit!
Balance 1-1 time with larger-group interactions. I start with a general discussion, punctuated by modeling by example with a salon-type review after break(s). The majority of my workshop is spent on 1-1 assistance, as most beginners can be shy about asking questions. Working up-close with each student will give you a chance to evaluate and inform learners how to: hold a paintbrush properly, mix colors and/or develop perspective(s) by stepping away from the canvas, etc.
Connect with your learners. The teacher-learner relationship is a gift of exchange; learning - especially with new mediums - can be a complex process that leverages visual, kinesthetic and rational thinking skills.
Get feedback. I sent out a follow-up email with my info, photos and a survey link. It’s a great way to gather testimonials and see what can be improved next time.
These are simple but fundamental guidelines to help you get started. What are some other tips that you would include in here?