A long workshop has some

drawbacks, but it does allow

you to present material in
Long Workshop some depth and to conduct a
Over 3 hours number of activities. Six
concentrated hours of work a
day is about as much as most
people can deal with. Be sure
to allow for plenty of breaks,
both because of the need to
stretch and use the bathroom,
and because of attention
span.
Some thoughts about long workshops:
 You can go into more detail on specific issues.
 You can allow longer blocks of time for activities and single topics.
 You can allow more time to practice new skills and more time for
discussion about activities.
 You can allot more time to and follow up on participants'
questions.
 You can present both the context and the specifics of the topic
 You can provide or encourage food and drink.
 You need to decide whether you want to stick to your plan and,
thus, limit activities to approximately the time you planned for
them, or to go with the flow, and let things go on longer if
participants seem to find them important.
Some thoughts about long workshops:
 You can go into more detail on specific issues.
 You can allow longer blocks of time for activities and single
topics.
 You can allow more time to practice new skills and more
time for discussion about activities.
 You can allot more time to and follow up on participants'
questions.
 You can present both the context and the specifics of the
topic
 You can provide or encourage food and drink.
 You need to decide whether you want to stick to your plan
and, thus, limit activities to approximately the time you
planned for them, or to go with the flow, and let things go
on longer if participants seem to find them important.
 Workshops are given for
many purposes, and each
implies some specific
Consider the methods of presentation and
purpose of the other details.
workshop.
Some common purposes and their implications:
Teaching participants a skill which they then might
have to use or will use in the future.
Giving participants a chance to practice and receive
feedback on techniques and concepts they already
know.
Enhancing participants' current knowledge of
concepts, techniques, and methods (new research,
improvement of techniques, etc.).
Teaching participants a new concept that they can
then apply to their work.
Familiarizing people with material important for, but
not directly connected to, their jobs.
Some common purposes and their implications:
Providing, or helping to provide, a job-related
credential for advancement or initial employment,
for instance or for some certification or licensure
might include any number of activities or methods of
presentation.
Using a workshop as a way of helping participants
feel comfortable with one another and/or their
situation.
Introducing people to a way of looking at the world,
either as an adjunct to their jobs or volunteer
situations, or as public education (a workshop on
theories of moral development, for example).