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.

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