Need to run a workshop? Your attendees are trusting you with their time and attention. What are you giving them in return? Most workshops don't work. They fail to deliver real results and they fail to keep the audience energetic and engaged. They're stressful to run and painful to attend. Designing and running a brilliant workshop is easier than you think. It's not about flashy showmanship or natural charisma. Instead, it's about following a set of clear, simple rules for structuring and arranging the day. Discover and use key design principles such as: Naturally refresh and maintain the audience's attention and energy by alternating the "teaching format" (e.g. lecture, small group discussion, hands-on practice) every 20 minutes and making strategic use of good breaks Dramatically improve your educational impact by choosing an exercise which is properly matched to the type of knowledge/skill/wisdom currently being taught Save dozens of hours by beginning your design process with a simple "skeleton" of Learning Outcomes and timings rather than jumping straight into slides and materials Finish on time, every time, by intentionally designing flexible "schedule springs" into your session, allowing you to seamlessly adjust to delays and bad luck, and to ensure that everyone learns what they came for without running late The first half of the book covers everything you'll need to know about designing and refining the session itself. With a good design in hand, teaching a brilliant workshop goes from arduous to nearly automatic. The second half of the book shifts from ahead-of-time design to day-of facilitation. Learn the essential facilitation needed to solve unexpected problems and run a smooth, stress-free workshop: Reliable tools and tactics for crowd control, recovering attention, and shifting between tasks (without feeling like you're fighting against your audience) Clear guidance for picking the best room setup, and also improving a "bad" room to make the most of it Spotting and problem-solving the six major types of "difficult" attentees who are being either accidentally or intentionally disruptive (including the most common issue of bringing a hostile expert onto your side) Checklists and reminders of what to bring, what to do, and when to do it, in order to ensure that nothing gets forgotten, overlooked, or lost At no point in the book will we ask you to "put on a big smile" or "project confidence". That's fluffy BS which doesn't work. Instead, we'll give you clear, concrete tools for managing a crowd and seamlessly guiding everyone to an effective outcome. Why we're the right authors to help you succeed Over the last 15 years, we've designed and run a huge number of successful workshops (and a few major flops) covering every type of audience: executives, undergrads, MBAs, disadvantaged youths, busy professionals, and more. We've designed everything from 20-minute teasers to 3-month intensives, in locations ranging from Costa Rica and Qatar to London and Berlin. We've taught for companies like HP and Deloitte and for universities like Oxford and NYU. We've built workshops for every price point, from free upskilling (paid for by the state or employer) through to $4000-per-seat premium events. We've taught casual sessions, with beer in hand and flip-flop on foot, through to formal, posh affairs with glitzy venues and high-end catering. In every case, no matter where it was located or who it was for, the process outlined in these pages worked. Perhaps most importantly, we can teach you how to do this. We've trained up teachers from scratch who are now billing upwards of $5000 per day and getting invited back to teach again and again. This stuff isn't complicated. You can learn it!

One flicker of hope. That's all it takes to catapult yourself into the life you've always imagined. Join entrepreneur and bestselling author Jess Ekstrom as she shares her journey to creating good in the world while fulfilling her own dreams -- and teaches you how to do the same. Do you have dreams for yourself and the world that are tucked away in your box of somedays? What would happen if today was the day you opened the box? And what if that box was the key to a better tomorrow? In?Chasing the Bright Side, Jess Ekstrom shares her own inspirational story of how optimism helped her overcome multiple challenges, and the dynamic ways her mindset propelled her as a young entrepreneur, international speaker, and philanthropist.?? Jess teaches us that success is not born out of skill, school, where we're from, who we know, or what we scored on the SAT. None of us were born?ready, but we are born with something more important than skills. We're born with optimism -- the initial seed for success. Optimism fuels the belief that you can be the one to create the good the world needs. But you've got to hone it, practice it, and choose to live?from?it. Chasing the Bright Side will give you the practical tools and encouragement you need to: Embrace the life-changing power of optimism Activate your unique purpose Write your own story Jess's story is sure to inspire you to start Chasing the Bright Side -- right where you are. Praise for Chasing the Bright Side: "Chasing the Bright Side is essential reading for anyone facing a challenge, in work or in life. With emotion, humility, and humor (and some amazing stories), Jess Ekstrom not only demonstrates how anyone with a dream can eventually persevere, but also shows by example how we all can tap into the passion to do so. It's the book I wish I had read before starting my own entrepreneurial journey, but luckily it's not too late for everyone else. It's a page-turner that you won't be able to put down until you've finished but holds lessons that will reveal themselves to you for a lifetime." --Marc Randolph, Netflix cofounder and first CEO

Special techniques for creating unique, artistic, close-up images Macro, or close-up, photography is gaining popularity, and this book covers all of the challenges associated with taking great close-ups: depth of field, focus, and exposure. Copublished with Photoworkshop.com, a leading online educational resource for both beginning and professional photographers, this task-oriented reference allows readers to learn by doing and offers outstanding examples and instructions.

Finding Your Way is a book of spiritual rediscovery which inspires and shows you how to discover and achieve your greatest asset and then contribute it to the world. This empowering book will affect anyone seriously interested in changing their lives, discovering their strengths, attacking what prohibits them from moving forward, improving their thinking, career and financial status, and most importantly their faith in God. I was inspired to write this book because I have suffered crises and in faith. I claimed to have faith in God, yet made the wrong decisions, lacked the proper direction, and experienced homelessness and lack which resulted in mistakenly feeling abandoned by God. Why do many believers experience disruptions, setbacks, and a lack of vision - the vision set forth by God for us? Some are suffering in the lack of spiritual awareness, wisdom, patience, mentorship, and true faith in God. Finally I found my way. This book takes the reader into a journey of the self, knowing God, and learning to recognize His voice. What does it mean to be faithful to God's word while developing spiritual maturity, spiritual leadership, and spiritual entrepreneurship? Through lessons learned, "Finding Your Way," offers a spiritual, inspiring, and personal application of receiving God's favor and abundance. This book is intended for Spiritual Leaders, Christian Entrepreneurs, believers in Christ, and those who are transitioning in their careers, and lives.

“A veritable bible for design fanatics . . . this combination design book and interactive guide will take you to that finished space you’ve been dreaming of.” —Glitter Guide Holly Becker, founder of Decor8, shares all of the design secrets that have made her one of the most beloved bloggers and stylists today. A companion to the international bestseller Decorate, this interactive guide takes readers step by step through her unique eight-part process. She shares her personal design philosophy and explains how to carry a vision into a finished room, from the early paint swatches to the final accents. Readers will learn how to identify their style, create mood boards, outline a schedule and budget, source materials, and start decorating! Filled with expert tips, important checklists, blank space for making lists and plans, and 250 photographs of gorgeous interiors, this is an essential planner for home decorators, whatever their budget. “Becker . . . gives practical tips on how to take a space from vision to completion.” —Apartment Therapy “Unlike some interior design books which are just full of lovely photographs, Decorate Workshop pairs those inspirational images with eight steps to walk you through your next decorating dilemma.” —Mint “The process Holly has come up with is really practical and is a brilliant way to approaching your space.” —Poppytalk “I absolutely love the format of this ‘workbook’ which provides a step-by-step look at planning and executing decorating projects.” —The TomKat Studio

Make your message stick with expert help from this classic trainer's resource How to Run Seminars and Workshops is the classic guide for trainers and presenters in any industry. Packed with clear advice and real-world practicality, this book covers all aspects including planning, setup, delivery, coaching, and more—including valuable guidance on selling your services. This new Fourth Edition has been updated and expanded, with new information on training simulations, self-marketing, and online delivery. New templates and worksheets help you sell your presentation more effectively, and insider tips leave you equipped to handle any situation that might arise. Novice presenters will find extensive guidance for every phase of the process, and even veteran presenters will learn how to fine-tune and adjust their methods to suit their audience and mode of delivery. Most trainers and presenters know all they need to know about their chosen topic, but very few know how to present it effectively. For more than a decade, this book has been training the trainers—from behind-the-scenes preparations to "in the pit" performance and working with trainees hands-on, straightforward guidance shows you how to: Capture and hold the audience's interest with expert pacing and visual aids Take advantage of new technologies that make training more accessible Prepare each session thoroughly to avoid mistakes, malfunctions, and delays Offer effective feedback, fine-tune delivery, market your services, and more As training departments shrink—many disappearing entirely—more and more companies are turning to keynote and workshop delivery as a way of reaching key clients. Podcasts are replacing live training, and new technology is continually changing the way presentations are made. Professional trainers and speakers must understand the nuances of any audience/delivery permutation, and tailor their methods to match. How to Run Seminars and Workshops is a trusted resource for presenters seeking to boost their effectiveness at any level, in any industry.