Presentations and talks
Make a handout participants can use after a workshop
A participant should be able to repeat the exercise a week later with only the handout. State the goal, number the steps, leave room for answers and label any example as an example. Close with one next action and a way to reach the facilitator.
A text to start with
I ran a workshop on [topic] for [participants]. The main exercise was [description], and the decisions we reached were [decisions]. Turn this into a one-page handout with the exercise goal, numbered steps, space for responses, a clearly labeled example and one next action. Use plain language and define these terms: [terms]. Do not add steps we did not do.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Workshop handout draft
Workshop name and date: [ ] Who the handout is for: [ ] Exercise goal in one sentence: [ ] Terms defined: [ ] Step 1: [ ] Step 2: [ ] Step 3: [ ] Step 4: [ ] Example, labeled as an example: [ ] Response space prompt 1: [ ] Response space prompt 2: [ ] Decisions reached in the session: [ ] Next action and who does it: [ ] By when: [ ] Where to send questions: [ ] Non-attendee tester and what confused them: [ ]
Test whether it stands alone
Give the draft to someone who did not attend and ask what they would do first. Look for steps that depend on something said aloud, such as a rule explained in the room or a choice made at the board. Check that the example is labeled and cannot be mistaken for a participant's real answer. Confirm that response spaces are large enough to write in. Define terms from the session on the page, and start each step with an action.
Ask another agent to check the result
Read this handout as someone who did not attend the workshop. Identify each step that depends on the facilitator's spoken explanation, each unlabeled example and each undefined term. For each one, say what you would not know how to do.
Test and distribute
Ask a non-attendee to try the handout, note where they hesitate, and fix those steps. Decide how participants will receive it, and use a readable font size if you print it. Add the date, the workshop name and a contact method so questions have somewhere to go. Keep a master copy and note what changed between versions.