Creating Creative & Interactive Workshops

Workshops effectively teach a message by encouraging engagement through interactive activities and impactful visuals

About this Workshop

For: College Project

When: Fall Semester 2021 (Team of two)

Workshop Facilitation

I led an hour long session on persuasion and did so by not just creating a pretty PowerPoint. I chose to utilize interactive games throughout the presentation and then solidify the new knowledge with a fun game of Jeopardy that included famous movie scenes featuring persuasion.

The goal was to take a chapter from Erin Meyer's The Culture Map and bring the chapter to life through an interactive workshop.

Workshops are meant to be informative while tailored to their audience. My audience was my fellow classmates, the people who I go to classes with each day making customizing the lesson simple.

An individual's persuasion style often falls into one of two categories: Applications and Principles. Our professors were no exception.

AGE 65+ NOT WELL REPRESENTED

Screen Shot 2022-02-23 at 11.06.59 PM.png

What are our professors styles of reasoning and why?

Interactive Session 1

Characters designed by Rebekah Irizarry

Screen Shot 2022-02-23 at 11.45_edited.jpg

Each professor was contacted in advance to get a confirmation on their style and provide a reason for why they taught that way.

My peers were engaged as they joked about their professors and took educated guess on how they could apply what I just taught them about persuasion to everyday lectures.

View Slideshow >>

Jeopardy!

Interactive Session 2

Jeopardy Persuasion Edition!

A jeopardy game consisting of relatable movie scenes and arguments were compiled for students to apply their knowledge after the workshop.

With a prize on the line, the students proceeded to do what they had been instructed to do. They began to engage in arguments and actively tried to persuade the other groups that they had a better answer.

Time-lapse of Jeopardy Interaction Session

Workshop Insights

After the Workshop, participants shared what they learned:

REFLECTING ON OTHERS

Reflecting on other's persuasion styles allows one to take a step back and really consider how others are attempting to persuade you. Knowing their style then prepares you to respond in a way that will match their format of reasoning.

KNOWING YOURSELF

For those who are indecisive, attempting to persuade yourself into committing to a small or a big decision can feel complex. However, if the individual knows their persuasion style, it becomes easier for them to rationalize their own internal thoughts and make a decision.

VALUE OF PERSUASION

For those who typically do not consider themselves persuasive and do not plan on working in sells, they learned the value of refining their persuasion skills for daily interactions.

I learned that workshops are incredibly fun and help me retain information much longer than a typical lecture. I look forward to leading more workshops as I continue my education.

The workshop connected course content from across the semesters (something faculty struggle to have students do!) and you tackled a difficult-to-explain subject very well. The class was engaged and you made the content meaningful through interaction. The lagniappe of chibis–I just learned a new word–was a very pleasant surprise. You are a talented artist.

Cassini Nazir, PDA Program Director

<< Skills >>