Manual for Workshop Leaders

8/13/2019 Manual for Workshop Leaders

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Manual forWorkshop Leaders2 11

Baiba Bekisa (Riga)

Barbara Schwendtner (Wien)

Jakub Ondruch (Brno)

Svetlana Samsonova (Moscow)


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ManualforWorkshopLeaders

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ScientificCommittee2010/2011

Table of ContentsIntroduction 3

PreparationforaworkshopHowtopickathemeforyourworkshop? 4

Workshopleaderapplication 6

Gettingincontactwiththecongressorganizerteam 7

Settingupthestructureandtimetableforthe

workshop8

Tasksforparticipants 11

Leadingaworkshop 13Workshopoutput Howtopreparetheworkshopoutput? 17

Whatcoulditbe(poster,opendiscussion,report)? 19

Howtofinishyourworkshop? 21


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INTRODUCTIONEGEA is a student organization focussing on building up a Europeanwide network for

studentsofgeography.Wemeetduringexchanges,oncongressesandothersemiscientificevents

andseminars

organized

by

the

members

themselves.

Congresses

without

workshops

would

not

be

congresses.Theexchangeofuniversitybasedknowledgeamongthemembers isoneofthemost

importantaimsofEGEA.Learning fromothers,sharingexperienceandhavinggeographyrelated

discussionsisthecontentofeveryworkshop.

Tosupportthescientific levelofEGEA,thisWorkshop leaderManualhasbeencreatedby

themembers from theScientificCommittee.Brainstormingwithallmembersof the committee

helpedtodevelopthemainideasfurtherandtofindcommonelements.Themainworkhasbeen

donebytheabovementionedauthors.

Withthe

help

of

aquestionnaire,

sent

to

former

workshop

leaders

within

EGEA,

this

WorkshopleaderManualwaswritten.Furthermore,facetofaceinterviewshavebeencarriedout

togather informationonamore informalbase.Hereby,wewant to thankallworkshop leaders

whofilledintheformsastheyhelpedalotandgaveabroadoverviewandinsightintheirprevious

work.Your advice,data andexperiencewillhelpprospectiveworkshop leaders!Thank you and

maintainyourgoodwork!

The main aim of this manual is to collect and share experiences, ideas and methods

employedbypractisedleadersinordertohelptoimprovethequalityofworkshopswithinEGEA.

Thechaptersdescribethewholeprocessstartingwithbecomingaworkshopleaderuntilthevery

endof

writing

asummary

for

the

report.

The

first

chapter

deals

with

the

overall

preparation

of

a

workshopandfocusesontheapplicationforbeingaworkshopleaderandsettingupthestructure.

The secondpart isdedicated to theworkshop itself and containshintsonhow to keeppeople

attentiveandhowtorunsessionssmoothly.Thethirdand lastchaptergives informationonand

inspirationforthefinaloutput.Thisisoneofthemostimportantpartswhenleadingaworkshop

aseveryworkshopshouldhaveaconclusionandareflection.Therearemanypossibilitieshowto

finish; some are stated by the organizerwhile some are optional. Themost common ones are

describedinhere,todemonstratefutureworkshopleadersexamplesofthehugevariety.


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PREPARATION FOR A WORKSHOPBecoming a workshop leader is a responsible decision, which should be well thought

through and performed in an extraordinary manner. A good workshop leader requires the

possessionofcertainsoftskillssuchas leadership,speechability,motivationalskillsetc.Theyall

canbe

learned

and

trained

and

will

be

improved

through

the

whole

process

of

workshop

management.Besidescollectingplentyofinformationandknowledge,workshopleadershipoffers

personalscientificgrowth.

During thewholeprocess,startingwith thecreationofan ideaandendingwith thevery

last outcome, many challenges will arise. You should think of your time resources, as the

preparationswilltakemostlysomemonths.Duringthistimea lotofthingscanhappen:youwill

havetowork,studyforyourexamsorevenyourmotivationisshrinking.Beforeyouarestartingto

writeyourapplication,thinkaboutyourknowledgeinyourfieldofinterest:isitprofoundenough?

Youhavetokeepinmindthatittakesalotoftimetogetbasicknowledgesothatyoucanpresent

ittowardsparticipants.

Butalsoyourbenefits canbequite immense:yourpreparationscanbeavalorisationof

yourpresentwork (thesis,projects,specialization),youcangainnewexperience in international

cooperation,youcanobtainnewknowledgeetc.Youmightgetintouchwithcurrentdiscussionsin

theworldofgeographers(e.g.climatechangeand its impactsontheregional level,controversial

buildingprojectslikeStuttgart21ortheBrennerBaseTunnel).Mostlikely,youwilltalktoexperts

toask them for theirpieceofadvice,helpor leadinganexcursion.Therewithyougetyour first

contactsintheprofessionalworld.Furthermore,youwillgainexperienceinleadingagroup,giving

presentations inEnglish,writingareportandcreatingaposter.Yourpersonalitywillbenefitfrom

thewholeprocessofbecomingandbeingaworkshopleader.

Sowhen

making

the

decision,

think

of

the

value

leading

aworkshop

could

have

for

you

but

alsoabouttheworkthatisbeinginvolved.Youshouldbesurewhyyouwanttoholdaworkshop,

whatcontentyouwanttoconveyandwhatyouandyourparticipantsshouldlearnoutofit.

One of themost important stages inworkshop organization and leading process is pre

workshopstagethatstartsfarbeforethecongress(almosthalfayearinadvance).Thischapteris

dedicatedtoapreparationstageinworkshoporganization.

Dependingonhowyouworkatthisstage,thequalityofyourworkshopwillbeinfluenced

directly.Ifyouworkthoroughlyanddoalotatthisstage,youwillprofitfromitlateron.Beforethe

congressyouwillalreadyknowyourparticipants,theirlevelofknowledgeintheareaofworkshop

topic;you

will

receive

their

home

tasks

etc.

The

only

thing

you

have

to

do

now

is

to

be

amoderatorofaworkshopandtomakeagoodteamwhichwillbecapabletogetaninterestingand

usefuloutput.

Theaimofthischapteristodescribewhatyoushoulddobeforethecongress.Wetriedto

dividethepreparationpartinseveralsubstages:

Howtopickatheme?

Howtoapplyforbeingaworkshopleader?

Gettingincontactwiththecongressorganizerteam

Settingupthestructureandtimetable

Tasks

for

participants


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How to pick a theme for your workshop?

WhenyouhavedecidedyourselftoleadaworkshoponanEGEAcongressyoushouldstart

verybasically.Ingeneraleverycongresshasaninnovative,relevantornewthemecoveringusually

alldisciplinesofgeography(human andphysicalgeographyaswellascartography,geoinformatics

andspatial

planning).

Already

having

aspecialization

in

one

of

those

fields

might

make

it

easier

for

you to findaworkshop themewhichsuitsyou,yourknowledgeandyourexperience. Ingeneral

thecongressthemesarequitewidespreadandofferahugerangeofpossibleworkshoptopics.

Sometimesbrainwritingormindmappingcanhelpyoutospecifyyourworkshoptheme.

Writedownallyour ideasandsort them into topicrelatedgroups.Alsoabrainstormdiscussion

withyoursecondworkshopleaderisanidealwaytofindout,inwhichfieldyoubothhavenearly

the same knowledge. One should keep inmind that it should refer to the region where the

congresswillbeheld.Forexample,ifyouarehavingademographyworkshopinRussia,talkabout

Russiasdemographicsituation,notonlyaboutyourowncountry.Ifyouhaveatopicthatisrelated

tothecongresslocationitwillbealsoeasierforyoutofindafieldworkopportunity.

Forthemajorityitisgoodtohaveonesuccinctmaintitleandanexplanatorysubtitle.For

example, 4 countries1problem: Transalpine cargo transport in the21st centuryor Hydro

cities:theintegrationofwaterinurbanareas,etc.Yourworkshopthemeshouldbeconcise,short

and encapsulated. Try to be innovative and creative! Do not have a too ambitious theme.

Concentrateonthemostimportantandsignificantfeatures.Stayproblemcentredanddesignyour

titleeveninaprovocativeway.

A theme is easy to find just

connect the congress theme to

your own interests. If then you

thinkyoucanactuallydoagood

workshop about that (structure,

goals),goforit.

TomDeBruyn(EGEALeuven)

Thinkingabout themain theme

oftheeventaswellasitsplace,I

made a simple research on

internetscreeningapossiblesub

theme that could be interest

both,themeandplace.

DanieleClimente(EGEABologna)

The general theme wasfixed by

the theme of request of the

congress organization. The

specific theme was based upon

myowninterestandknowledge.

EmielBlok(EGEAGroningen)


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Congresses and their workshops are a possibility for a transnational exchange of

knowledge,

interest

and

research.

Therefore,

future

workshop

leader

should

keep

in

mind

to

integratethesepartsintotheirworkshop.Trytofindatopicthatisontheonesideinterestingfora

lotofpeopleandon theothersidescientificand inawayspecial:e.g.acertainmethod that is

taught at your university, a state of the art discussion or something where an international

comparisonandexchangecanleadtonewperspectives.

Tosumitup,athemeforyourworkshophastofulfilltothefollowingcriteria:

Thegeneralcongresstheme;

Yourpersonalknowledgeandexpertise(whataretopicsyouareabletoteach);

Yourpersonalinterest;

Interestsandexpertiseofacoworkshopleader(ifyouhaveone);

Congress location (country/region) and how to combine a topic with the congress

location;

Interestingtopicforparticipants;

ThemeshouldbeaEuropeanwidephenomenon,withEGEArelatedtopics.

Upondecidingforaworkshopthemeyoushouldalwaysconsiderthesepoints.

Workshop leader application

Dueto

the

new

protocol

in

the

EGEA

Statutory

Base,

every

regional

congress

is

asked

to

haveanopenworkshop leadercall for theircongress.Forupcomingworkshop leaders it isvery

helpfultofilloutagivenapplicationform.TheorganizersoftheWesternRegionalCongress2009

in Bingen/Rhein began to develop a wellwrought and comprehensive application form. The

organizersof theWesternRegionalCongress2010 inSteinach/Brennerdeveloped it furtherand

thisformgotreusedbytheorganizersoftheEuromedRegionalCongress2011.Butalsoasimple

motivationlettercanbeaskedbytheorganizers.

Whileyouarewriting, focusonpointsofhighrelevanceanddonotforgettosticktothe

guidelines (length, words). Keep it short and simple and abide to the given questions. In an

introductorypartyoucanshowyourknowledge:yourspecialization,internships,projects,etc.but

alsoyour

knowledge

related

to

EGEA

and

experiences

in

leading

workshops,

being

atrainer,

memberofacommitteeororganizerofsomeevents.Furthermore, it is importanttoweighyour

The theme was different modes of

transportand theirstrengths.This isa

very general theme that always

interested me a lot. Its also a theme

that is easy to understand and learnabout no matter how long youve

studied. The idea was to give

somethingfor the both, the beginners

and the more experienced

geographers.

SatuOnnela(EGEAHelsinki)


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contentrelatedtothecongressandworkshoptheme.Donotpromisetoomuch,youshouldnot

neglectyourpromises!

Iftheorganizingteamdoesnotasktofillinanapplicationform,youshouldsendaproposal

tothecongressorganizers.Agoodapplicationislikeaprojectplan.Itshouldconsistof:

Workshopleader

profile

Titleofyourworkshop

Thematicabstract (subjectandresultsoftheworkshop;theaimoftheworkshop;the

reasontochoosethistopic;whocouldbetheworkshopparticipants?whatknowledge

isneeded?whatshouldtheparticipantslearnduringyourworkshop?)

Timeplan

Methods(likegroupworks,excursions,expertcontactsetc.)

Suggestedliterature

Getting in contact with the congress organizer team

From themoment your submittedworkshopapplicationhasbeenapproved, you should

start towork inaclosecooperationwith thecongressorganizers.Theorganizing teamdoesnot

only guide and help youwith questions, issues and suggestions etc., but also gives youmore

detailedinstructionsabouttheworkshopconceptandtheirexpectations.Itisimportanttohavea

good cocommunication with the organizers to encourage a progressive and successful

developmentofyourworkshop.Moreover,ifyouarenotfamiliarwiththearea/regionwherethe

congressishold,theorganizersusuallyare.Furthermore,itisadvisedtocontacttheorganizersas

soonaspossibleafteryouareacceptedasaworkshopleaderandtrytocommunicateasoftenasit

isnecessary.Itisforyourownandyourworkshopparticipantsgood.

I just wrote an email to the

congress organizers asking

whether they still needed a

workshop()andofferedbasically

two different types of workshop.

The organizers chose one of the

twoofferedtopicsand Iwroteout

amoredetailedworkshopconcept.

If I may say so Iprefer to do itthiswaythanapplyingwithafull

fledged workshop application and

thennotbeingchosen

CindyBruhn(EGEABerlin)

I believe a good applicationfor a

workshop leader should include a

basic summary of the CV,

educational background and

relevant information what is

connecting one to that specific

workshoptopic.Ididmineinaform

ofaPowerPointpresentation,as it

was more interactive and not asboring as a typical A4 page with

justpuretext.

GeorgOftedal(EGEABerlin)


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Usually,there isascientificcoordinator ineverycongressorganizerteam,withwhomyou

willhavefrequentcontact.Asaworkshop leader,youwillfindmanytopicsthatyouwillneedto

discusswiththeorganizersanditisnotpossibletodescribeanddiscussalloftheminthismanual.

However,wewouldliketosuggestthreetopicsthatshouldbetakenintoconsideration.

1)EquipmentWhatkindofequipmentdoyouneed?Doyouneedacomputer,projector, flipchart,and

blackboard?Willyoubeprovidedwithpaper,pensandpencils?Willtherebeanaudioplayer?Do

youneedaprinter?Doyouneedameansoftransportforanexcursion?

Basically,allthesequestionsarerelatedtothetechnicalissuesofyourworkshopandmore

or less thesequestionsaredependingonyourchosenmethodology.However, it is important to

askthembeforeyou findoutthatsomepartsofyourworkshoparenotrealisableasyoudonot

havethenecessarytoolsforthem.Asaworkshop leaderyouneedtoconsiderwhichequipment

toolswill be necessary to increase the quality of yourworkshop,whichwould be helpful and

withoutwhich

ones

the

workshop

still

could

be

managed.

Will

you

need

adata

projector

or

is

a

flipchartjustenough?Andwillyouactuallyhavethesetoolsatyourdisposal?

2)Time managementThemaintimeschedulewillbegivenbytheorganizers,e.g.totalhoursfortheworkshop,

hoursperday,timefortheworkshopoutcome,frameprogrametc.Nevertheless,thinkingabout

and planning your ownworkshop timemanagement is never a bad idea. Usually, twomajor

problemsoccur: itcanhappen thatyouarerunningoutof timeandcannot fulfil theworkshop

aimsortheoppositeyouhavesometimeleft.Manyofthepreviousworkshopleadersagreed

thattheywouldlookandpaymoreattentiontothetimetablethantheyactuallydid.Someofthe

examplescan

be

found

in

the

appendix.

As thewholeeventhas itsown scheduleyourworkshop shouldhave itaswell thus the

latter elements should be harmonized. You might be thinking of an excursion. When is it

manageable?Coulditbesqueezedintothemainschedule?

3)Budget for the workshopIntheplanningphaseyoumightalsothinkofnecessaryworkshopexpenses.Willyouhave

some additional costs for youworkshop, e.g. an excursion or an admission fee for amuseum,

naturereserve?Willyouorganisea field tripor fieldworkduringyourworkshop?Howwillyou

reachtheexcursionplacebyfoot,bicycle,car,trainorbus?Isthereatransportnetworkcloseto

thecongressplace?Isitpossibletorentabus?

You should always keep inmind that the congress organizers have limited resources of

money.Ifyouplantouseadditionalmoneyforyourworkshopactivities,theyneedtoagree.Itcan

alsohappenthatyourplansnotalwayscoincidewiththeorganizersvisionandyouwouldhaveto

changeyourprimaryidea.


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Setting up the structure and timetable for the workshop

Normally,theorganizersgiveyousomeguidelinesconcerningtheworkshop,e.g.thatthere

shouldbe twoworkshop leaders,adefined schedulewith theworkshop time, thegroupsize,a

budget, infrastructure(youcannot leadanArcGISworkshop inanalpinehutwithoutelectricity)

andarequested

output.

You

need

to

orientate

yourself

concerning

your

workshop

according

to

the

givenstructureandsetuptheframeworkofyourworkshop.

Onthebasisofthecongressprogram,whichshouldbemoredefinedfromtheorganizers

side, theworkshop structureand itscontentcanbepreparedmore indetail.You shoulddefine

yourthemeandfocusonthemostrelevantpoints.Thiscanhappenintheprocessofdealingwith

thetopicofthecongressandworkshoptheme.Sadly,theworkshopthemehastobecompressed

in the congress program, it has to be specified and only the most important points can be

presentedanddiscussed.

Accordingtothecongressschedule,aworkshop leaderhastoconstructthetimetablefor

the workshop: e.g. on which day in which hour in which minute will be which part of the

workshop.Youshouldthinkaboutathematicstructureofyourworkshop.Youcansubdivideyour

workshop forexample intoparts (A,B,C).So inBlockA therewouldbe thebasicsof the topic

discussedorthetheorypart,partBwouldbemorespecializedandtheplaceforpresentationof

examples fromdifferent countriesor the appliedpartandC is the conclusionpart.We suggest

Ifirst set up a roughplan, like in

which period what topic

could/should be tackled. By doing

so,Irealizedhowmuch/littletimeI

had and that I had tofocus more

closely on one or two specific

questions, if I wanted to have a

round workshop. I therefore

wrote down the key questions and

thoughtofmethods&materials toconveythemessage.

CindyBruhn(EGEABerlin)

I always need to have a workshop

design with minutes in time per

sessions, each session with its specific

objective, materials to be used and

methodstobeapplied.

VladDimitrescu(EGEABucharest)


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thinkingaboutthemethodsusedduringtheworkshop (presentations, discussions, focusgroups,

roleorsimulationgamesetc.).Furthermore,itisthebesttocombinelistening,thinkinganddoing

somethinginaninteractivecomprehensiveway.

Ingeneral,aworkshopoutlinecanhavethefollowingstructure:

Gettoknoweachother(someicebreakinggames)

General introduction (presentation given by workshop leader, aims and expected

results)

Participantspresentations(presentationsofhomework),appliedpart(casestudy,)

Excursionandexpertmeetings

Discussionsand

wrap

ups

Outcomeandpresentation

Thestructureoftheworkshopshouldbeideallyamixtureoftheory(abasicknowledgeof

all participants should be achieved this can already be achieved before the congress),

professionalabsorption,newtopicsandastateoftheartcontentwithapracticalapproachanda

reflection.

Thedurationoftheworkshopcandiffergreatly.Consequently,thetimescheduleshouldbe

detailedandwellconceived.Anotherdifficultyistheaspectoftimeandbuffers.Veryoftensome

points lasts longerbecauseof intensediscussions, technicalproblems, tiredparticipants,delays.

Thereforeitisessentialtohavetimeandcontentrelatedbuffer.Lessimportantpointsshouldbein

Therewasnotalwaysaneedforan

excursion but I would highly

recommendone. It ismuchbetterto

have a theoretical AND a practical

approachinsideaworkshop.


Its really important to makebrainstorming and this more brain

absorbingpartinthebeginningwhen

peoplestillhavemoreenergyLater

there can be excursions and more

relaxing parts. Workshop leader

shouldntbetoomuchambitiousand

have too big requirements from

participants.

JoannaWawrynowicz(EGEAWarsaw)


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every workshop program, they can be skipped if necessary or left in the schedule. Keep the

keywords inmind:Preparemore,bring less! Ifyouwere luckyandyou fulfilledyourworkshop

programtotally,thinkofsomeaddonactivities,likegroupgames,furtherdiscussionsorfeedback

sessions.

Intheend,whenyoufinishedyourplans,youshouldthinkoftheprobabilityofrealization

ofyourworkshop,ifitisfeasibleunderthegivenconditions.

Tasks for the participants

Whatwouldbeaworkshopiftherewerenoparticipants?! Thus,aworkshopleaderhasto

promote his/her ownworkshopwithout knowing the participants.Making an abstract for the

congresswebsiteisoneofyourtasks.Itwillcontaininformationsuchastheaim,pointsofinterest,

difficultylevelorspecialinterestneeded.Regardingthissmallmessage,peoplewillmakeuptheir

mind and consequently also theirexpectation towards theworkshop. Youhave to stimulatean

interestforyourworkshopinjustafewparagraphs.

Assoonasyourworkshopgroupisformed(youwillbeprovidedwithemailaddresses),the

communicationbetweenyouandtheparticipantsstarts.Themainadvantageliesinthepossibility

ofestablishing

adiscussion

(on

the

forum

f.ex.)

with

inputs

from

various

participants.

Moreover,

in

order to reach a good quality of theworkshop, every participant is asked to obtain a certain

knowledgeandinformationinadvance.

Generally,itdependsonyourconceptwhichtasksmaybegiventotheparticipants.Usually,

twobasicgroupscanbedefined:themorepassiveonewiththeoreticalpreparationandtheactive

approachbypreparingafirstoutput.

Firstly,providingstudymaterialssuchasscientificarticleshelpunderstand theworkshop

topic and its related issues. They are useful to look at a subject in a criticalmanner and by

extracting the first conclusions. Moreover, the studymaterials help to prepare the workshop

presentationsand

discussions

because

the

participants

will

be

familiar

with

the

topic

and

specific

terminology.Valuabletimecanbesavedduringtheconductionoftheworkshopsessions.

We made a schedule of our

workshop,butthenwerealizedthat

we planned to do too much. You

have to be aware that for some

peoplecomingtoyourworkshop its

first time when they met people

from other countries (and have to

sayorpresentsomething inEnglish

tointernationalaudience).

JanSmutek(EGEAKrakow)


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Secondly, aworkshop leader can ask the participants to prepare homework regarding a

certain topic. It can be done in different ways such as making a presentation, writing a

paper/review or an essay, looking for some data or case studies from the participants home

country.Givinghomeworkassuresacertainlevelofknowledgeofeachparticipantattendingyour

workshopandabundanceofinputsduringdifferentstepofsessions.

Beforehandpreparation

of

participants

can

bring

some

difficulties,

too.

Generally

speaking,

you should not expect that everyone is fulfilling their given tasks and some will not deliver

homework in high quality. Keep inmind the process of lastminute placing,whichmay cause

changesinyourparticipantslist.Mostlikely,someofyourparticipantswillgettheplaceinthelast

momentandtheywillnothavetimeforpreparingforaworkshop.Therefore,youshouldthinkof

sometasksforparticipantswhoreceivetheirplacelaterthantheothers.

Yeah! I like to have active

participants, as they get active

throughhomework. Itmakessense

that theypresentcasestudies that

can be found in their home

countries

which

are

connected

to

thetopicoftheworkshop.

SandraBarthel(EGEAWien)

Generally,Iwouldputtheparticipantstopreparehomework,especiallywhenthe

congressispreparingacongressbrochureaftertheevent. Buttheriskisthatnotall

the participants comeprepared or if theyprepare something the content of the

homework is very low. Would much rather go on sending them something like a

packagematerialkitfromwheretheyshouldgathersomeinfoandusethisinfoinside

theworkshop.


We send practical tasks to our

participants telling them what to

do.Forexample,somemadevideo,

orposters,orpaperworkaboutthe

subject. It was proven to be very

usefulandhelpfulbecause itmade

ourdiscussionvery interesting,and

we were able to make some very

goodconclusionsintheend.

ValentinaValjak&Branimir

Arbanas(EGEAZagreb)


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LEADING A WORKSHOPDuringthewholeprocessofthinkingofbeingaworkshopleader,youalwaysshouldkeepin

mind the structure of your workshop: the whole content, possible excursions, companies or

scientificinstitutes

in

the

near

surroundings

of

the

congress

location,

which

you

can

visit

or

from

whereyoucaninvitesomeexperts.Timegoesbyveryfastandthecongressiscomingcloservery

quickly. The closer the congress is the more details should be worked out concerning your

workshop.

When you know who is going to be in your workshop, you should also think of this

composition.Thestructureofyourworkshopgrouphasalsoaninfluenceonthecontent.Youhave

toconsider thedifferent levelsofknowledge, interests,motivationofyourparticipants,butalso

the knowledge of English. In general, the organizer takes care of the composition, so that the

workshopgroupismixedwithnotonlypeoplefromoneentityorcountryinoneworkshop,agood

mixture of experienced and not so experienced EGEAns, when the priorities givenmake this

possible.You

can

ask

for

ashort

description

of

everybody

(year

of

study,

knowledge

in

this

field,

Englishskills,interests...)viaMailtogetamoreclearprofilefromyourparticipants.

Whenitcomestothinkabouttherealizationofyourideas,trytobecreative,thinkofnew

discussionforms,whichalsocanberealizedinsmallergroups,posterpresentations,workingwith

postits,flipcharts,etc.

Workshopsare interactiveyouwork for somedaysonone topic they shouldnotbe

leadercentred. Workshop leaders are facilitators; they stand in direct interaction with theparticipants,givethebasic inputs,takecareofthequalityandtheattractivenessofthetopicbut

mostly lead thediscussions further.Furthermore,workshop leadersare the responsiblepersons

whokeeptheparticipantsinterested,motivatedandingoodmood.

Therefore,you

can

think

of

ice

breakers,

didactics,

fun

games

etc.

and

their

implementation

inyourschedule.Alwaysthinkofthe10minutesrule:changesomethingeverytenminutes(anew

question,anewmaterial,anewmethod,anewgroupformation)andtheconcentrationwillstay

high. Moreover, congresses provide an opportunity for participants to train their skills, e.g.

presentation, creation of posters, (leading of) discussions, bringing in their knowledge etc.

Workshop leadersplayan importantroleincommunicatingthosethingstowardstheparticipants

andsharetheirknowledgeinthesefields.

Inmyopinionagoodmixbetween

different techniques keepsparticipants motivated and awake.

Also make sure to take enough

breakstorelaxabitsoparticipants

canfocusbetter in thenextpartof

the workshop. Plan those beaks in

advance so you have enough time

foryourprogram.

EmielBlok(EGEAGroningen)

Youmustdoyourbestnottohave

a long and boring lecture. Allparticipants have that on their

facultiesandtheydonotneedthat

onacongressas well.Youneed to

have short, interesting and

motivate interactive lectures and

not to talk more than 3 minutes.

Youhave to includeparticipants as

muchaspossible!

MatevPremel (EGEAKoper)


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Page15of22


Thescientific inputofyourworkshop isalsovery important.Workshop leadersshouldbe

wellpreparedandexperiencedenoughtomoderatetheworkshop.Itisimportanttopresentyour

participantsexact

data,

facts,

correct

tables,

maps

etc.

If

you

have

any

doubts

regarding

the

information you have, check it beforehand. According to the survey amongst experienced

workshop leaders,manyof themdidnotneedanyadviser theybased theirworkshopson the

coursestheyhadatuniversity,ontheirbachelorormasterthesisorPhDresearch.However,some

of them had a scientific coordinator at their university. It is always useful if you can askmore

experiencedandprofessionalpeopleinthesubjectofyourworkshoptheme.

Asaworkshopleaderyouneedtoseeaworkshopasanopportunityforfocuseddiscussion,

ideasandexchangeofopinions andpotentialcollaborationwithagroupofpeoplewhojustmet

onaspecificfieldofinterest.Theworkshopwillgenerateideasthatwillgivenotonlyparticipants

but also you a new, organized way of thinking about the topic and maybe even promising

directions for the future. Sometimes the participants come to the workshops with different

expectations. Therefore it is useful to ask for their personal aims andwishes in the beginning.

Usually, following amoreappliedapproach isdefinitelymore interesting than theoryparts and

boringdiscussions

about

things

said

before

athousand

times.

Makesureyourewell informedasworkshop

leader, you always need to know more than

theparticipants.

SamanthavanderSluis(EGEAGroningen)

The excursion was about winter tourism in theAlps.As we, of course, hadpeoplefrom

differentpartsofEuropeinourworkshopandweweretalkingaboutmasstourisminalpine

Austriaanditsimplication,forusasworkshopleadersitwasinthefirstinstanceimportant

thateveryoneknowswhatwearetalkingabout,sowewenttoseethetouristinfrastructure

andtookpartourselvesintouristprogram.

Theotherpurposewastomeetdifferentactors:talkwiththemayorofamunicipalityand

hear his opinion and with otherpeople working in the tourism industry. People could get

someknowledgebyexperiencingitandalsosurelyhadanicetimeandsawplacestheyhave

neverbeentobefore.

Afterall,workshopsshouldbealsoagoodtimeandnotstudyingovertheories.Thisyouwill

haveanywayathomeatUniversity.WithanEGEAworkshopyouarefree(iftheorgateam

andyouareabletoarrange it)toworkonatopic inanappliedway. Idontsee italways

necessary to dofield work, but I see it necessary to work applied this can be done by

havingexcursions,butalsobyusingothermethods.But in theendanexcursion isalways

nice,especiallyifyoucangatherfurtherinformationwithit.Imaginevisitingacountryfora

congressfor5daysandyoualwayssit ina lectureroomdoesntmake toomuchsense,

especiallyifthepurposeofthisconferenceistogatherfurtherinformationforyourselfand

tolearnsomethingnew.

LisiGruber(EGEAWien)


16/22


Page16of22


Most likely,yourworkshopgroupwillbe incoherent.Workshop leaderhave to face tired,

disinterestedor timidparticipants. Itwillbe adaily challenge to integrate all students.Usually,

games or smaller groups can help in those situations. There are plenty of good books in all

languageswhodealwithdifficultparticipantstheyaremostlyreferringtotrainingsbutarealso

goodforEGEAworkshops.

Creativethinking isnoteasy inthebeginningbutwillbethemostconvenientsolutionfor

you and your workshop. Pick out a specific part of your content and find its correlations,

consequences etc. (f.ex.NaturalHazards and the consequences in densely settled areas:what

needs tobedone,what shouldbe taken into consideration,whoare theagents...)This canbe

embeddedinasimulationgame,smallerdiscussiongroups,postercreationprocessorwhatsoever.

Performingsomethingdifferent thanusedatuniversityanddaily lifemakes theworkshopmore

funandisanopportunityfordifficultparticipants.

Someoftheworkshopleadersprepareprintedmaterialsfortheirparticipantswhichcould

includesometextswithbasicinformationonthetopic,somemaps,schemes,diagrams,chartsetc.

The input of the materials package depends on the workshop leaders choice. Last minute

participantsfind

it

useful

to

have

some

printed

materials

which

they

can

read

on

the

congress

site.

Ithelpsthemtogetmoreinvolvedinthethemeandintheworkshopdiscussions.

A friend of mine had a non English

speaking participant in her training. She

totallyrestructuredherconceptandmadea

role play instead! Challenging for oneself

butsimplyawesome!

BarbaraSchwendtner(EGEAWien)

We gave to participants a small

booklet with maps and information

aboutthetopicanditwastheideathat

theyform their opinion (with relevant

information) concerning their

perspectiveonthetopic.

IngeWiekenkamp(EGEAAmsterdam)


17/22


Page17of22


WORKSHOP OUTPUTThinkingof theworkshopmeans thinkingof theoutput!Why?Aneasyanswer: canyou

imagine yourselfworking on a projectwithout an aim and strategy, and not knowing the final

result?Some

organizers

require

an

output

to

be

presented

at

the

end

of

the

congress.

Outputs

of

a

workshop can bemiscellaneous and vary from poster presentations, spoken presentations and

discussionforms.Sometimesyouneedtopresentthecontentoftheworkshops,whileothersask

formoredetailed ideasor solutions.Workingout theoutputof theworkshop ismostuseful in

cooperationwith the participants. They bring in their point of view andwhat theyworked on

duringthecongressweek.Veryoftentheoutputisusedforacongressreportorevenforregional

institutions,whenyouworkedtogetherwithacompanyorprofessors/experts.

Thispartwilldiscussdifferentquestionsashowtoprepare theworkshopoutcome,what

should itbeandhow to finish theworkshop?However,wewould like toremindyou that these

suggestionsareguidelinesthatcouldhelpyouto improvetheworkshopoutcome.Keep inmind,

youare

aworkshop

leader

and

therefore

you

can

decide

on

how

to

organize

and

structure

your

workshop.Nevertheless,itcanbehelpful,right?

How to prepare a workshop output?

Beingaworkshopleadermeansalotofpreparationandstudying,soyouneedtobeready

to spend some timeon it,especiallyconcerning theworkshopoutput.Youwill see themore

preparedyouarethemoreconfidentyouwillbe,and mostimportant youraudiencewillnotice

it.Therearemanywaysofhowtoorganizeaworkshopbutalsodonotforgettobecreative.

Preparingthe

workshop

output

generally

means

that

the

whole

workshop

should

be

focusingontheoutput.Therefore,thinkandformulateaclearaimoftheworkshop.Itisimportant

for you as a workshop leader to transmit themessage in a comprehensive way towards the

participants.Youcanevenmake itvisible,e.g.,onablackboard thus thegoalwillbe thereand

everybodycanlookatitwhenitisneeded.Itworksreallywellinsituationswhendiscussionsgofar

beyondthescopeoftheworkshop.

Thenextstepyouneedtoconsiderwhilepreparingtheworkshopoutputistheframework

of the outcome session set by the congress organizer. There aremanyways and strategies of

preparingtheworkshopoutcome.Oneofthemostsuccessfulistohavediscussionsitcanbein

various forms (plenary, everchanging groups, working in pairs or small groups, role play,

simulationgameetc.).Discussionsusuallyhelp to learnmoreabout the topic, tobringupnew

points of view and to find solutions butmost of all it helps to establish a closer link between

participants.

It was difficult to express what the

goaloftheworkshop is itshouldbe

made

really

clear

and

concrete,

I

learned.



18/22


Page18of22


During these discussions, sooner or later you will discover the variety of different

viewpointscomingfromtheparticipants.Usethem!Itcanbehelpfulforthefinalstageasyouwill

be able to not simply sum up the discussion but in a contrasting way. Furthermore, these

viewpointscanbedevelopedasworkshopoutcome.

Asaworkshopleaderyouwillmostlikelyleadthesediscussionsandmostprobablyyouare

tryingto

involve

each

participant.

Consequently,

it

is

worth

to

remember

that

you

should

focus

on

thegeneralmotivationandalsonotforgetaboutdocumentingthemaindiscussionpoints.During

this step, you can ask for ahelp from theaudience, forexample, summarizing,writing and re

evaluatingtheirideasandputtingthemdownonposters,makingmovies,takingpicturesetc.

Youwill experience that not all participantswill be as enthusiastic and talkative as you

expected,thereforeyoualwaysneedtohaveareadyplanonhow to involve them inthewhole

process.Asuccessfulexamplehowtoincreaseparticipationisusingavisualsetupofactivitiesas

mindmapping,postitstickers,painting,acircleroutingpaperetc.Therearemanywaysofhowto

makethemfeelcomfortable.Onceagainbecreative!

Also rephrasing of the discussion points and statements can help a lot, for instance, by

askingaparticipantifhe/shecouldrephraseitwithhis/herownwords.Inouropinion,itisagood

practiceto

involve

less

outgoing

people.

Rephrasing

is

always

agood

method

because

you

have

an

automaticallysummarizedoutputofastatementordiscussionbyyourparticipants.

Writedownthethingsthatgaveyou

today the strongestfeeling of having

learnedsomething.


We tried to have some output

everyday informof discussionand

through participatory methods. It

always helped us with the next

steps.


We divided the people in

different groups to think about

the topic from different

perspectives,whichmotivatedtheparticipants,because theyhad to

seetheproblem.


I tried to bring up discussions. This

can happen through splitting them

into groups and some role plays

when you are really luckyparticipants are interested and lead

thediscussionontheirown.

StefanRopac(EGEAWien)


19/22


Page19of22


Bear inmind:question, try toprepare theworkshopoutcome inawayyourparticipants

wouldappreciatethemostinvolvementinthewholeprocedurehelpsalot!

Tosumup,wehavedevelopedagraphtoshowhowmanystagesareneededbeforethe

workshopoutcome isachieved,andthegraphclearlyshowsthattheoutcomedependsonmany

actors, factors and interconnections.And for a betterworkshop outcome, all stages should be

implemented.

Mainfocus

ThemeofWS

TimemanagementStructureoftheWSoutputetc.

OrganizersContentoftheWSGoalsoftheWSOutputorientatedWS

etc.

WSleader

Discussion

Rephrasing

Directinvolment

ParticipantsDiscussionkeypoints

Finaizedsolution

WSoutcome

What could it be (poster, open discussion, report)?

Outcomesof theworkshopcanbedifferentandapplied invariousways, forexample,an

oral presentation (power point presentation), a poster presentation, small videos and

miscellaneous discussion forms. As an EGEAn most probably you have experienced that our

congressesareasdiverseasEGEAitself,thereforealsoworkshopsandtheiroutputsaredifferent

fromone

to

another

region,

too.

Then

again,

the

way

of

presenting

the

workshop

outcome

is

more

Each workshop should have (any)kindofresult,sothattheparticipants

donotthinkthattheyhavejustbeen

toanotherworkshop.

VladDimitrescu EGEABucharest

I experienced that the moment of

producing the output, whatevertype, is the main moment of

collaboration.Thisrequiresthateach

attendantstandforapositiononthe

topic and actively put in practice

whatheorshethinksaboutit.

DanieleClemente(EGEABologna)


20/22


Page20of22


orlessdependingonthecongressorganizersastheywillgiveyouaframeworkinwhichdirectionit

goes.For instance, sometimes youwillbeasked tomakeaposter/powerpointpresentation to

introduce other with your workshop content, while other may ask for specific details and

statementsforthefinaldiscussion.

Nevertheless, theworkshopoutcomealsodependsonyourparticipants,your themeand

your discussion conclusions. As you might understand, it is important to think about the

workshopsoutcomefromtheverybeginningalreadywhenmakingthefirstscratchonpaper.It

willhelpyoutocrystallizethekeyconstructsandapproaches inyourworkshopoutcomesession.

Andsurely itwillbesuccessful if itwillbedone incooperationwith theparticipants.Therefore,

whileworkingontheoutputtrytostimulateandmotivateyourparticipantsbygivingsomeideas

andalways

try

to

plan

some

extra

time

for

closing

the

workshop

(who

likes

to

work

in

ahurry?).

Ifyougetanoutput,beproudof it showyour results toeveryone; ifnot, simplywrite

downthattherewerenoresultswiththeexplanation,whynotetc.Concerningyourworkshop it

willbemoreasummaryaboutyourworkshop.

Anotherpossibilityofhowtopresentandmodelyourworkshopoutcome isbywritingan

article for a congress report.A congress report isanoverviewof theevent itself, including the

scientific (workshops, excursions, final discussions and training sessions) and social program

(cultural fair, regional meeting, a congress preevent, opening ceremony etc.). The workshop

reportsdonotneedtobelongbutyouneedtoincludethemainpointsandconclusions.Nextto

thegeneral

content

of

the

workshop,

you

can

also

write

about

the

excursion,

the

general

At thepointofchoosing theoutput

(given democratically to the

attendants)Isimplydoachangeover.

Iftheresultsontheoutputareclear,I

chose the right topic and lead it ok.

Inothercase,Ifailedinsomething.

DanieleClemente(EGEABologna)

Thebestoutputyou canhave is to

make sure theparticipants and the

workshop leaders have learned

something, both about the subject

and about how to think reason and

haveadiscussionaboutthetopic.

TomdeBruyn(EGEALeuven)

Havingpreviously decided the WS

topic and requested a certain

homework to the attendants, I

simply lead a final discussion on

whatwehavedoneandtrytomake

everybody conscious about results

in order to let them decide the

appropriate output topresent and

sotomakeit.DanieleClemente(EGEABologna)

I think the combination of

producing suggestions and

introducinggoodcaseswasagood

idea although I always find it

difficult to produce something

specific with the group that has

nevermetbeforeandwhohasvery

limitedtime.

TomdeBruyn(EGEALeuven)


21/22


Page21of22


atmosphere,involvementoftheparticipantsetc.Basically,youneedtopresentanoutlineofyour

workshop inaclearandunderstandable wayasthisreportwillbereadbypeoplewhohavenot

participated inyourworkshop.Theoutput isaparagraphfor itselfas it isnecessarytopointout,

whatselfsetaimsyouachieved.

WeastheScientificCommitteebelievethataworkshopreportshouldbeanobligatorytask

for

every

workshop

leader.

Because

writing

a

reflection

of

the

workshop

will

help

yourself

in

your

development as aworkshop leader and also concerning its content and its output.Wewould

encourage all organisers of all regions to bring their work for the congress in a nice and

comprehensive formof a congress report. Ithelps topromote EGEAamong theirdepartments,

sponsors and is a special memory of that period of time. We understand that it is a hard

assignmentandextra financesareneededbut the supplementarywork is compensated for the

honour of the final product. Therefore we suggest to all regional and also annual congress

organisertoworkonanoverallcongressreport.

How to finish your workshop?

Tofinishaworkshopisanimportantstep,becauseitisareflectiononthewholeworkshop

youandtheparticipantslookbackandtrytodrawasummary,outcomelinesorthingsthathave

been learnedalltogether.Also,thenegativesideoftheworkshopcanbediscussedthingsthat

needtobeimproved,donedifferentlyorchanged.Whocoulddoitbetterthanthosepeoplewho

participatedinyourorganizedworkshop?Takethefeedbackasapresent,donotfeeloffendedand

learnoutofit.

Conclusion to givepeople a take

homemessage!

IngeWiekenkamp(EGEAAmsterdam)

Writingarticlesandpublishingthem

in congress reports would be a very

goodway to trainworkshop leaders

scientificwritingand it isalsoanice

rewardafterwards.

StefanRopac(EGEAWien)


22/22


Page22of22

Scientific Committee 2010/2011

Manyofthepreviousworkshopleadersagreedthat itwouldbeusefultohaveafeedback

time thatwouldbeplanned for theworkshop leadersby theorganizers.Theycould share their

experiences, as well as things that went wrong or the contrary went really good. It will

definitelyhelptheminthefuture!

Additionally,it

should

be

suggested

to

have

afeedback

time

from

the

participants

as

well.

It

wouldbe really supportive for theworkshop leaders if theyplan tobecomeaworkshop leader

again.

Attheveryend,thinkofagoodbyegroupgame,thankyourparticipantsandintheevening

drinkabeertogether.

However,the lastthingwewanttobringacross:plan,manage,andthinkofaworkshop

notonly

as

aworkshop

leader

but

also

as

aparticipant

in

this

way

you

will

find

many

answers

to

yourquestions.Trytorememberallworkshopsyouhaveparticipatedinandifyoulikedthemuse

theirmethodsandstrategies,ifnot thinkofbettersolutions.Goodluck!

Each workshop has to have an

evaluation,ofcourse,nomatterhow

it is done simple nonformal

methods

(smileyfaces

or

sad

faces

onaflipchart)ormorecomplexones

questionnaires.


whatwealsoshouldnotforgetis

that not only participants are the

one who should learn something

during the workshop but also

workshopleadersthemselves.IthinkthisissomethingthatEGEAoffersto

us: the possibility to improve

ourselves.

LisiGruber (EGEAWien)

Documents

Manual for Workshop Leaders