How to Run Seminars and Workshops, 4th Edition

Chapter 6Anatomy of an 8:00 a.m. StartFinalizing On-Site Preparations

At last, the preparation is behind you, and it is time for your training to begin. What I would like to do now is take a rather simplistic look at what your morning may look like before you deliver any real curriculum. Sometimes this is the most difficult time for inexperienced presenters who are finally facing the moment of truth and preparing to go under fire for the first time. The strange thing about training is that, regardless of a presenter's tenure, to some degree, all presenters feel that same moment of truth before training is set to begin. The degree of anxiety is often related to a presenter's experience, but it is there just the same. Most anxiety is caused by a fear of the unknown, so let's look at a typical start to training. If you do not usually start your training in the morning, plug in your own times and come along for the ride.

7:00 a.m.: Arrive Early to Ensure Everything Is Ready

It does not matter how many times I have taught a seminar, arriving a full 60 minutes ahead of time is a necessity for me. I will admit, usually all I do is pace off a little bit of nervous energy, but it is time well spent just the same.

Arriving at 7:00 a.m. also gives you some quiet time to run a few necessary checks before the trainees arrive. To begin with, you will be able to check your visual aids. I like my trainees to see the visuals I have prepared only when it is show time. You are much better off ...