workshopswithwow

Workshop notes – whats important?

What to provide for participants handouts and notes?

I find this varies significantly between workshop providers. Some provide frameworks and lots of space for the group to discover their own outcomes while others provide detailed notes.

Feedback I have received from participants over the years is that they do like hand out materials and notes they can refer back to after the workshop. Read Write learning styles particularly like written materials with more than empty spaces to make their own notes.

Personally I like to have notes to refer back to with enough detail to remind me about what the workshop was about, especially if it is a skill I am very keen to develop.

Tips for workshop notes

• Make sure you refer to them and use them during your presentation.
• Have the workshop materials follow the agenda
• Think about how much knowledge based information is required in the notes, I like to use useful links and book references for the data hungry person rather than include too much reading. Remember there will be some people who will not write anything in their books all day and this is OK for their learning style.
• Provide spaces for people to write their notes as you go through the agenda. This can also include spaces for notes about the various activities you use during the workshop.
• Use headings, dot points and a logical flow of ideas
• I know it’s a basic point – include page numbers!
• Make sure graphs and diagrams are clear and easy to read – be aware of developing these in colour and the impact of printing in black and white.

What are your thoughts about workshop notes? What appeals to you?