Prior to delivering your workshop, it is critical to ensure you are mentally prepared. In other words, where is your head in all of this? And, what skills and experience is necessary to effectively facilitate the workshop you are about to deliver.
By answering the key questions below, you will have covered the main areas that will help mentally prepare you for delivering your workshop. Take some time to answer each question and identify one or more steps to put your answers into action.
1. Are you comfortable with your content? What areas still need to be reviewed and/or expanded?
Spend time in those areas and enhance your materials where necessary and/or practice the material to gain more confidence and familiarity.
2. How can you best connect with your material and make it yours? What stories and/or experiences can you share?
Review your material and write notes in areas where you can add your own experiences/stories to share to lock in the learning. Be careful that you are not sharing for the sake of sharing, but through sharing, you add value.
3. What thoughts run through your head about you facilitating the workshop?
Notice what you think and believe about facilitating the workshop. Do those thoughts empower you or disempower you? If they are disempowering, take some time to get to the core of the issue and be able to let that go.
4. Who would you need to be to have your personal intentions come true?
When you think of what you personally want to achieve out delivering the workshop, who would you need to be to have that intention come true? For example, perhaps you may need to be more confident, or patient, or bold or articulate. Determine a way of being and recite the following statement several times prior to and throughout your workshop delivery: Who I am is <insert way of being> and that is who I am! You will begin to notice you being that without having to do a thing!
5. What would you need to let go of to fully take on this new way of being?
As you think more about this new way of being, what might you need to let go of to fully express it? Consider letting it go and notice how that feels and who you are facilitating.
6. What thoughts do you have about your audience? What might you need to give up or take on to be fully present with your audience?
Notice any assumptions you may be making about your attendees prior to delivering or while you are delivering. Remember, any assumptions you make will subconsciously come through to them. So, it is critical you become aware of them and either let them go or deal with them. If they are getting in the way of you being fully present with your attendees, look to see what you might need to give up or take on to be fully present. And, do just that!
7. How will you practice facilitating your workshop?
Set aside time to physically practice delivering your workshop. It is in speaking out loud that locks in the learning and experience for you. Thinking about delivering it or reciting the words in your head is not the same and does not replace practicing. Come up with a project plan and stick to it. Practice absolutely makes progress.
8. What support do you need and whom can you ask for it?
Who are your role models for workshop facilitation? Or mentors you may have? Seek their time and allow them to assist you even if it’s acting as a mock participant in your practice sessions. It will be the best time you could spend.
Key Takeaway Points
- Check in with your mental state before delivering your workshop. Having all your material ready and the room setup is great, but more importantly is ensuring you are fully ready and present to what you are about to do. Take the time to mentally prepare yourself days before your delivery, not the evening before.
- Notice your beliefs, assumptions and voices in your head. Your head can be a very dangerous place to be. You want to be sure you mind is clear and your intention is focused and you are ready to deliver. Check in to see what might be getting in the way and let it go or deal with it head on (no pun intended!). Do not bring it in with you to the workshop.
- Seek support and ask for help. You do not have to do this alone. Seek out the support you need! You may be pleasantly surprised with all the people who want to help you. See more info on Workshop Coaching under Our Courses.
- Have fun and follow your energy & passion!! Go with where you aliveness is and you won’t be lead astray! Remember, people want to learn from people who are passionate and energized about their topic.
