Are you interested in teaching on-site workshops? I’m
frequently asked how to do this so I thought I’d answer everyone in a
single post – please share this post to further spread the word since
teaching workshops is a trend in the making for bloggers. I think if you
can teach and have something to share of value then consider running
workshops because I LOVE TEACHING and I don’t plan to ever stop – they
fuel me and make me so, so happy.
But first, a little background. I’ve been teaching online for four
years with my own e-course, Blogging Your Way, but my experience as a
teacher came long before e-courses. I first started planning and
teaching workshops as a project manager 15 years ago in the corporate
world – so when it came time to teach workshops for my own company,
decor8, I had a ton of experience to tap into. For some of you with
little to no experience teaching, you may feel completely lost. I can
relate – I once had no clue how to plan workshops either. We all begin
somewhere so consider this your beginning!
This space makes me happy. If the place where you work inspires you
then those good feelings flow directly into your work so it’s vital to
consider this early on while in the planning stages.
14 Workshop-at-home Tips:
Okay, so you want to teach at home, you have your curriculum crafted
and well, you’re ready to go, right? Not quite. Here are some tips from a
girl who has been there, done that. :)
1 Identify the space
What room in your home could be a great space for you to use as your
office + workshop? Consider how far it is from your bathroom and front
door. Maybe a formal dining room could be your office +workshop AND
formal dining room (like mine?). We tend to eat in the kitchen and use
the dining room only for parties and special occasions so it made no
sense for us to reserve an entire room in our home for only dining.
Will you teach there often? Will you work there daily? Will you work
alone or with others? What will you teach and do you have room for your
supplies? How many people do you plan to teach? Perhaps you work as a
consultant. How many can the room comfortably accommodate for a
consultancy? If you are a wedding photographer, you may need to sit with
your clients and show them their photos – can you accommodate a couple
and other family members if they plan to bring children or parents?
2 Envision the space
Create a board to collect your inspirations on Pinterest or a file
folder for magazine tears. This helps to define your personal style and
vision.
3 Materials, storage and equipment: Think about what you use and where you intend to store it.
What do you need for teaching and how and where do you intend to
store your stuff? (i.e. cabinets, boxes, desk drawers, etc.) Imagine
all of the ways you could organize and where. The things that you use
should be close to where you use them. Store paper and office supplies
directly near your printer and desk, for instance. Don’t put your craft
cabinet in your guest bedroom if you plan to teach crafting in your new
workspace.
Also, have a back up plan. If you teach sewing lessons, you may
require all of your students to bring their own machine. It’s been my
experience to always keep a spare machine as a loaner in case one
breaks.
(
During a workshop in my office.)
3 Floor plan: Putting the puzzle together.
Decide where you will perform each function – working on your
computer, printing, teaching, sewing, whatever it is that you do. I
needed a large work table for my students and a very long space for my
desk area so I could fit a printer, my computer, and stack work. I also
required hidden storage because I have lots to store and since the room
is also a dining room for my family – I wanted to reduce visual “office”
clutter so that I could easily throw a dinner party in the space
without having to hide stuff or redecorate the entire room!
Sketch out a few floor plan scenarios by hand. Consider flow – can
people easily walk around? Once you feel good about the arrangement,
take accurate measurements of everything – the room, windows, doorways,
current furniture, pieces you’d like to purchase… And see if everything
still works. If not, modify accordingly.
4 Consider your furnishings.
Shop around in your own home first and then make a wish list for
other items and buy only what you need at first – you can “fill in”
later. Then think of what you need for the space – do you have enough
seating? Should you store some folding chairs too? How about the
furniture itself – is it precious or antique? If so, you may want to
move it to another spot in the home and put furniture in the space that
you don’t mind seeing it get beat around a little. Wear and tear WILL
occur!
5 Lighting is key.
Make sure the lighting is really good. You need to see what you are
doing! People tend to think of lighting last but it’s a important to
think about it right away. If you are teaching something that requires
you to take photographs in the space, lighting is even more important.
If you expect your students to take photos of your workshop for their
blog, it’s also important to ensure the lighting is great so that
students look their best and your workshop photographs well. I know, a
little detail but pretty photos makes people want to share your workshop
with others and since so many are blogging and sharing online, you can
bet someone is going to be using Instagram or bringing their DSLR with
them!
Now I’m going to cover some things that go beyond storage, floor plans and aesthetics.
6 Theft, privacy, safety and accidents are constant
issue that you need to really consider! Not everyone online can be
trusted though a majority can. I’ve never had a problem with my students
but I’ve heard stories so here is some advice:
* Place valuables in specific rooms and lock those doors when your home is in use for a work session with clients/students, etc.
* Make sure the things in your workspace can all be replaced and are
not that “special” to you. For instance, if someone broke or ran off
with your wooden stapler you may not care but if your precious vase from
your grandmother disappeared or came crashing to the floor, you may be
equally shattered.
* Consider too, your privacy and that of other family members. Ask
your family how they feel about your idea to teach or work from home
with clients.
* Bathroom use is something else to consider. Do you have a second
bathroom or half bath that is close to your studio space? If not, are
you comfortable with guests using your private bathroom and is that
bathroom nearby to the space or does it mean guests going to another
part of the house or to a separate floor to use the bathroom – if so,
are you comfortable with that? Some things we may not think about in
advance can really bug us later on so consider what you may want to keep
“private” in advance and ensure that you can do so.
* For the sake of safety, screen your applicants. Ask them WHY they
are taking the class, you may want to talk to them on the phone, make
sure you look through their blog or website, google them, and most of
all – trust your gut. Another way to protect yourself is to make sure
you ONLY accept payment BEFORE the event (NOT same day in cash) and that
all money is handled either through a bank transfer (wire) or Paypal so
you know the person’s true identify before they arrive for your
workshop.
* Make sure your pets are not part of your event. Unless you are
teaching a dog training class, your pets should be kept away from your
classroom. Some people have allergies (please ask about allergies to
food and pets before students arrive) but animals are funny little
creatures sometimes. Some animals aren’t used to lots of noise and
“traffic” in the home and can get a bit weird-ed out by it – they may
pee or bite or freak out.
* Consider also local laws and guidelines when it comes to teaching
workshops from home – particularly insurance and what is covered in case
someone falls on your property.
7 Consider storage for your guest
Where will they place their handbags, coats and shoots – is their
space for that? When I teach, I use a rolling coat rack and I put it in
my hallway since I don’t want coats laying on my sofa or bed and with
15-20 students in my home per workshop – that’s a lot of coats.
I also tell students to keep their handbags and equipment with them
at all times because I am not held accountable for lost or stolen goods.
They shouldn’t be laying their handbag in the entryway with their shoes
or putting a wallet on a random table with their keys. These items need
to stay with them, on them, at all times.
Theft can happen so easily without a single bad intention since a
lens cap, charger, even Macbooks and other computers all look the same
so it’s easy to pick up things as you are packing up that don’t belong
to you. And to leave with them. So it’s a good idea if you have a bunch
of students all using MacBooks for instance, to label them with a post
it note or sticker with their name to avoid an accidental swap.
8 Charging Up
Where are your outlets? Consider if your guests will be able to
locate them easily to charge their devices during class. You don’t want
students interrupting you to ask where outlets are of if you have a
charger. Have some extension cords on hand and point out before class
where those are located.
If outlets are hidden behind furniture, it’s important to identify a
charging station in a few spots with an outlet strip so students can
easily plug in.
9 Shoes off!
I ask all of students to remove their shoes before entering my home
but I also email them in advance mentioning that they need to bring
slippers or socks because I don’t allow bare feet either. I keep a few
pairs of new socks (with tags on so people know they’re new) and give
them to those who forgot or missed my email. You can get inexpensive
socks anywhere so it’s worth having them in stock. I always let students
keep them after use, too.
10 Refreshments
Think about food and drink. How will you handle feeding people? Is
there a kitchen near to the room or will you put a small kitchen area in
the room – mini fridge, coffee maker, etc.? Will you provide a catered
lunch? Will you ask people to bring their own lunch? If so, will you
have back up for those who forgot lunch? You may want to make a few
sandwiches or salads just in case because you’ll always have ONE student
who forgets and this can really disrupt your teaching schedule if they
need to go out to pick something up.
Keep plenty of bottled water and juice on hand and in the room during
class with paper cups. Let students know that during class, they are
free to help themselves at any time. I would avoid placing the bottles
on the table (spills, laptops, you see where I’m going with this?), so
create a mini drinks table or corner. It’s a good idea midday,
especially if you are teaching a full day, to serve complementary coffee
and tea.
11 Supplies you should add to your list
Do you have aspirin, band-aids, tampons/sanitary napkins, enough
toilet paper/paper towels, pens, paper, and other “stuff” that a student
could potentially need? It’s smart to have these miscellaneous things
on hand so that students (or you!) don’t have to leave your workshop to
get what is needed. You really want to keep everyone together so that
you can teach according to the schedule you have set.
12 Directions & expectations
Make sure everyone has directions and a clear idea of what they can
expect from your workshop and what time is begins. end them everything
they need in a single PDF two weeks in advance and then again 3 days
before the event in case they missed the first one. Send a 3rd email the
day before as a reminder and encourage everyone to show up on time – I
ask students to arrive between 8-9 am so the arrival time is flexible
but the start time is definite – 9:00 sharp. If they are late, they have
lost time that they paid for to be there, and I think most people know
that so they are usually on time. I also throw in that the early bird
gets to select their goody bag (usually goody bags are not the same on
the outside – different patterns and colors) and they can select the
best seating first or something else to sort of nicely encourage an
early arrival. Plus, an hour gives everyone time to arrive, get settled
in and chat with one another. I usually serve a light breakfast during
this time as well – bagels, fruit, coffee… And in emails I indicate that
if they want to eat, to also arrive between 8-9 for best selection.
13 Photography
My home is still my home. Students are told at the beginning of class
that they are only allowed to shoot in both of the workshop rooms, the
entryway and wherever we end up serving food. It is your home, so it’s
your choice ultimately, but my husband requested this and though I
honestly don’t mind – my husband really does. Remember when I spoke
about privacy earlier and talking to your family members first about
where they draw the line?
14 Taxes
If you are collecting fees for teaching (you should be!), then you
have to check out local tax laws and pay your taxes accordingly. Also,
your students may require you to provide them with a formal business
receipt for their taxes so they can write off the workshop, so make sure
you have a template together and can provide those receipts upon
request.
