Time Management: Workshops and Presentations

For preptober* I gave a handful of presentations and workshops on topics such as motivation and representation. A fellow presenter asked how I managed the time and the group. I decided to turn my answer into a blog post 🥳

When you have too much content:

·  send out an interest survey to find out what concepts people already know and what concepts people want to know more about. 

o Which of the following have you heard of?

o Which of the following would benefit you? (include an "other" option to fill in)

·  pick an angle/theme that you wish to talk about / you think you have something unique to add

·  replace some concepts with links to quality sources

For structure:

·  I had three topics. Each topic had a discussion question (with possible answers to mention if people aren't chatty) and 2 activities. For each item I estimated how much time it would take. I also built in time buffers for side topics.

·  You can practice talking through an agenda item to get a rough estimate of the time (but round up)

·  Time estimation is frequently incorrect, which is fine. It's about having a loose structure to adapt off of.

For managing time during the workshop:

·  Tell the group the structure ahead of time. Toward the end of each topic, "cue" aka mention the next topic. At the end, review the structure and ask for further comments. 

·  Set expectations for what's off topic at the beginning (for example you could say "we're not sharing synopses/outlines", or "we're trading synopses for feedback in an activity later on")  

·  Set up a way for participants to ask you questions after the event. If there is a time-consuming question or a question that is hyper-specific to the participant's interests that may not be relevant to the group, offer to discuss their point after the event. 

·  Jot down how much time the group takes for the first few agenda items so you know if you need to cut upcoming items / give less activity time / cut people off 

o To cut someone off who is partially on topic (or being repetitive)- agree with them** and/or tell them their point is coming up or would be great for a future session

o To cut someone off who is off topic - ask if anyone has anything about [current topic] to say before we move on to the next topic

o Personally, I try not to cut people off who are on topic (and not being repetitive). Instead I will trim from future topics. If necessary I'll say in X minutes we'll move on to the next topic and here is a way we can continue the conversation later. 

o Know which agenda items can be reduced (such as recommending a take home activity instead of doing it during the workshop) or expanded (additional discussion questions to get people talking)

*The month of October is spent "preparing" for Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) in November. 
**Sometimes people become repetitive when they aren't sensing acknowledgement/comprehension of their point. Rephrasing someone's point is a useful tactic to check for understanding in one-on-one communication. But in a workshop or presentation you may need to prioritize getting the group through the material in the allotted time. Which is why I suggest agreeing with or acknowledging the point, without engaging it.