How to Attract Attendees to Your Workshop
A workshop is an intensive educational program that focuses on techniques, skills, and practical aspects of the field. Having clearly articulated descriptions (with a dash of pizzazz), attractive session titles, and well written learner objectives (required
for didactics), will increase the chance that annual meeting participants will attend your session. Here’s what you need to include:
Crafting Your Session Title
Length: 100 characters, 15 words maximum (not including spaces).
The session title is the first, and perhaps only, impression you’ll make on a potential attendee. So, the better your session title, the better your odds of having what you’ve written read by a larger percentage of people and compelling them
to attend your session. Here are four ways to make your title stand out:
1. Promise Benefits
“How to” is the most common way of starting a benefit title. Adding benefits to the title makes it sing! Examples:
- How to teach a ______ class that makes students think.
- How to be an inspiring __________.
- How to engage and inspire your _________ through _________.
2. Promise a Story
People love stories. Use the power of story in your presentation title. If you’re presenting a case study, this format is ideal for your presentation title. Here’s the format: “How A got to B.” Make “A” and “B”
as far as part as possible by adding adjectives. For example: How a burned out __________ reconnected with the love of _________ through ____________.
3. Put the Number Three at the Front
Three is the ideal number of major points to cover in a presentation, and five at the outside. If you try and cover more you won’t be able to do justice to each point. It’s better to go deep, than wide. Consider this title: “Critical
concepts for ________.” It sounds boring but put a number in front of it: “Three critical concepts for__________,” and your prospective audience will think, “I’d better find out what those three critical concepts are!”
4. Provoke Curiosity/Create FOMO
If you’re revealing new research in your presentation, make the most of it. People want to hear what’s new. They come to SAEM’s annual meeting to be at the cutting-edge. Example: “New _________ research reveals the ___________
methodology that gets the best results.” This title works because of the curiosity and FOMO (fear of missing out) that it evokes. You can exploit the natural attraction power of FOMO/curiosity even if you don’t have cutting-edge research
to reveal. For example: “The #1 strategy for ___________ .”
A Clear Mission
Length: 500 characters, 75-100 words maximum (not including spaces).
The best mission statements are 1-2 sentences describing how this session will support the SAEM Mission: To lead the advancement of emergency care through education and research, advocacy, and professional development in academic emergency medicine.
A Lively, Clearly Articulated Course Description
Length: 500 characters, 75-100 words maximum (not including spaces).
Your description must not only give an overview of your session, it must also create interest and generate excitement about your presentation. A good session description should get the reader to say, “That sounds interesting! What do the learner objectives look like?” Here’s how to create interest:
1. Focus on the Reader/Attendee
Before you write your session description, take time to make a list of the benefits attendees will receive from participating. Then, pick the three most important points that address the “what’s in it for Me?” benefits of the presentation. You may wish to start with a compelling fact or statement or a question for the attendee to consider.
2. Spell Out Who Should Attend
Label the appropriate audience for each session in terms of experience level and niche area (as well as other categories specific to the specialty).
3. Keep it Brief
The word limit imposed on the session description is not the challenge; it’s choosing the right words. You can start by:
- Counting syllables. Replace as many three syllable words as possible with one or two syllable words (e.g., replace utilize with use).
- Using punctuation. Count 18 words from the start of the sentence. No period or colon? Your sentence is too long.
- Counting words. Describe your workshop in 500 words, then cut back to 280 words and write a Tweet about it. You’ll discover what is essential in your 280-word Tweet and what you can easily lose.
4. Use the Active Voice and Strong Present-tense Verbs.
5. Keep it Simple and Acronym Free
Always define any acronym at first reference and avoid jargon.
6. Be Honest
Your session description must match your presentation. Attendees expect session descriptions to be accurate representations of the presentations and have scheduled their time based on where they think they will get the best return on their investment.
Use Strong Learning Objectives
Limit: 2-4 objectives, approximately one sentence long each.
Learning objectives are statements that follow the session description and describe what the participant is expected to achieve (outcomes) because of attending your session. Your description must (i.e. it is a requirement) include:
Properly Written Instructional Learning Objectives:
- student-oriented, not instructor-oriented
- have a time constraint factor (i.e. the objective should be achieved by the end of the course and not require further study or learning by the student)
- stated in behavioral/measurable terms, not in abstract terms (see examples below)
