Workshop Audience Analysis

One of the most important things we can do as CME writers (especially now!) is to write with our learners, not just for them. We have a responsibility to continually ask: Who is this for, and how will they actually use it? Because without that lens, even the most evidence-based content can completely miss the mark. Here are five ways I return to an audience-first mindset, especially at those times when I feel a bit too removed from the real people behind the data. -- 1. Go beyond the job title. What do they do in a typical day? What time pressures are they facing? How do they chart? What’s the reality of their clinical context? -- 2. Remember that learning doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Our learners are dealing with system pressures, electronic medical records (EMRs), team dynamics, and, yes, burnout. Great CME acknowledges that context, even in small ways. -- 3. Talk to your learners. A handful of focused interviews or email conversations can completely reframe how you think about the activity you’re developing. Ask what they’re struggling with. What helps and what doesn’t. You’ll walk away with insights that no amount of literature can offer. -- 4. Listen in unexpected places. Check Twitter (or yes, Threads). Browse specialty Reddit subs. Follow your audience on LinkedIn. Social listening provides us with access to language, tone, and certain perspectives that are rarely seen in published papers. -- 5. Be willing to shift your assumptions. Our learners may not want a slide deck. They might prefer a podcast they can listen to on the drive home. Or a series of clinical vignettes. Holding our preferred formats loosely allows us to meet people exactly where they are. -- Want to take your audience analysis one step further? Write with Self-Determination Theory in mind – the idea that your audience of adult learners will be most motivated when three needs are met: Autonomy – the ability to choose and self-direct Competence – the belief that they can succeed Relatedness – a sense of connection to others When we write CME grounded in empathy, real-world context, and a diversity of formats, we’re helping to create more valuable experiences that support each of those needs. And that’s when the learning sticks. If you’d like my audience analysis cheat sheet (the one I use at the start of every project), just drop “Audience” in the comments and I’ll send it your way!

Your participants decided if your workshop was worth it before you said a word. The session hasn't started yet. But it's already half won or half lost. Most facilitators obsess over what happens in the room. The activities. The timing. The transitions. But your participants made 3 decisions before they sat down: → Is this going to be useful or a waste of my time? → Am I going to sit and listen all day? → Does this person actually understand my world? Those decisions were made before you opened your mouth. Here's where workshops are won or lost: 1. The invite email. Most workshop invites read like this: "You're invited to a team development session on Thursday. Please block 9am-12pm. Agenda attached." That tells participants nothing. So they assume the worst: another generic workshop. Laptop open. Emails on the side. Try this instead: "Thursday we're spending 3 hours solving one thing: the handoff process between sales and delivery. You'll leave with a written process your team built together. No slides. No lectures." Same session. Completely different expectations. Participants arrive curious instead of cynical. 2. The pre-work. Not a 20-page pack nobody reads. One question. Sent 3 days before. Takes 2 minutes. → "What's the one thing about our handoff process that frustrates you most?" It gets participants thinking before they arrive and gives you real data to design around. Someone who's already thought about the problem is 10 minutes ahead of starting cold. 3. The room setup. Tables in rows facing a screen says "you're here to listen." Chairs in a circle says "you're here to talk." Clusters of 4-5 around small tables says "you're here to build." Your layout is a promise. Participants read it the second they walk in. If you want collaboration, the room needs to look like collaboration before anyone sits down. 4. What the sponsor says. "I've asked a facilitator to come in and help us" → fine. "I'll be working alongside you because this matters to me personally" → different. When the most senior person is a participant, not an observer, everyone takes it more seriously. 5. Your reputation from last time. If your last session was forgettable, you're starting in a hole. "Here we go again." If last time was useful and things actually changed, you've earned trust before you speak. The best workshops don't start when you start talking. They start with the invite. The pre-work. The room. The sponsor. The memory of last time Get those right and the room is with you before minute one. ___ Save this for later (three dots, top right). Share with friends → ♻️ Repost. Get consultant-grade workshops every Sat → https://lnkd.in/eSfeUapJ

My audience fell asleep during my first workshop. Let me tell you what happened, and share the 3 lessons that have helped me become a better teacher. When I started helping clients with Google Ads, I quickly hit the limit of how many clients I could help 1-on-1. It didn’t take me long to see the opportunity to teach Google Ads. So almost 10 years to the day,  I hosted my first live workshop (see the attached picture). 11 people showed up (I was already pumped with this). So I was going to give it my all. The topic: how to set up the perfect Google Search campaign. I immediately fired up Google Ads (Adwords back then) and started walking them through every possible detail. 20 minutes in, I noticed the energy draining from the room. Some people were yawning and fighting to stay awake. This workshop took place after hours, so I assumed everyone had had a long day and simply powered through. 2 hours later, I managed to get through my presentation and thanked them for their time. There was some applause. But I mainly remember the blank stares. Information overload had hit them hard. Most of them were complete beginners to Google Ads, so since all the concepts were new, it was hard for them to process. I went home that night thinking things went well. But even after following up, none of the 10 attendees had any interest in working with me. It took me a while to realize why that had happened, and why my info-packed presentation wasn’t as good as I thought it would be. This led to 3 big lessons that helped me become a much better, and impactful teacher. Lesson 1: Understand your audience The people who attended my first workshop were not looking for a walkthrough of how to start a new campaign. They were business owners who wanted to understand the potential of Google Ads, along with some practical pointers on how to get started. Instead, I was looking at it from my “expert” perspective, thinking that all they needed was more information. Lesson 2: Have a clear objective Closely related to lesson 1, if you understand what your audience is trying to accomplish, it makes sense to tailor the objective to that. Right now in our Google Ads Bootcamp, the objective is to help new advertisers make their first $1,000 in profit. Not millions, not double their revenue, but $1,000. That gives people a practical (and realistic) goal to work towards. Lesson 3: Just in time learning Today I realize it’s okay to hide complexity and skip over parts that aren’t relevant. Trying to teach every nuance when all they need is the basics is often a waste of time. Because when they finally could use that information, they would have already forgotten about it. Just-in-time learning means that you learn the concepts right as you need them. You’re not studying a whole textbook before you get started. Learn. Apply. Iterate. Affective and simple!

With a small dataset, you can still build an interactive dashboard and deliver good results. Here is an example. In my last project, where I analyzed the data recorded from the Online Power BI Workshop that ES Analysis hosted, I was able to uncover the insights and recommendations below: 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝟑 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: 1. High interest from Data Analysts and Nigerian registrants 🔹 37 out of 98 registrants identified as Data Analysts. 🔹 Nigeria alone accounts for nearly half of all registrants (42). --> This highlights strong demand from both a specific job title and geographic region. 2. #LinkedIn is the most effective promotion channel 🔹 62% of registrants found the workshop via #LinkedIn, making it the top outreach platform. --> This suggests that LinkedIn marketing is successfully reaching the target audience. 3. SQL and DAX Are the Most Requested Topics 🔹 SQL (12) and DAX (8) were the top choices for future workshops. --> Participants are eager to deepen their data querying and modeling skills. 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝟑 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 1. Focus future sessions on SQL and DAX 🔹 Design hands-on workshops or mini-series around SQL basics to intermediate queries and practical DAX for Power BI users. 2. Leverage #LinkedIn further 🔹 Use targeted posts, ads, polls, and success stories to increase visibility and convert more followers to registrants. 🔹 Encourage attendees to share testimonials. 3. Expand Nigerian outreach and optimize for their time zone 🔹 Collaborate with Nigerian tech communities or influencers. 🔹 Host sessions in Nigeria-friendly time slots to attract more participants. If you want me to walk you through the analysis step-by-step or need a guide on your project, comment below "interested" and I will reach out to you. 𝐏𝐒: Our next cohorts of 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥 and 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐈 training launch tomorrow. If you want to join, DM me to get started.

Since my team and I've been facilitating a bunch of workshops lately, there's definitely a few things I'd wish I'd known before I started. Lemme share some tips for newbie facilitators who are just starting! 1. Forget just “knowing your material.” Map out your workshop strategically, with clear objectives and an understanding of who’s in the room. Tailoring your approach makes all the difference. And your agenda flow? Memorise it, but be quick to pivot if there's change in timing! 2. Before you start, research who will be there and what they value. What is their level in the organisation? What do they need most? Where are their pain points? Relate to them as people, not just participants. 3. Bring your personality to the front. Whether it’s your humor or the tone of your voice, or even some personal anecdote that you want to share, the energy you bring will set the temperature. When people feel they’re connecting with you, they engage wayyyy more. 4. No one loves a one-way lecture, so ask questions, encourage participation, and foster discussion. The classic "raise your hand if..." works. every. time. People learn more when they feel involved, so invite them to share and build on each other’s ideas. 5. Your opening sets the vibe. You can begin with an intriguing question, an unexpected fact, or even a quick story that grabs their attention and gives them a reason to lean in. You can shock them. Awe them. Or even give them prompts like "When I say, 'hello, hello!', you say 'hi, hi!'." It sounds cringe, but it works. 6. When you’re explaining complex theories or ideas (especially in something like a DOPE personality test or The Johari Window), ground them in real-world examples. Show how these concepts look in practice so everyone can relate. Pick two members of the audience to role play. 7. Silence after a question can feel awkward, but it’s actually really productive. Give people time to think before they answer. That quiet space can lead to some of the best insights. 8. Your slides, handouts, or visuals should be easy to follow and visually appealing, enhancing the experience rather than just serving as a script. Use tables, bold important points, and keep things visually engaging. Be sure to be consistent in the style too, and if you're using videos, keep them at 2 minutes max. 9. People often learn just as much from each other as they do from the facilitator. Design activities that allow them to connect and collaborate. Group work, role play, or discussions are all ways to keep them involved. Have them get up and move around the hall too. 10. After each workshop, take a minute to reflect. What worked well? What could be improved? Ask your participants for feedback too. Every workshop is a chance to grow your skills and refine your style. Keep notes and ideas fresh for the next workshop!