Guide to Leading Creative Workshops

Teaching creative workshops can be an extremely rewarding way to supplement your income. You work for yourself, the overhead can be low to nonexistent, and teaching others keeps your own skills sharp. There are so many subjects that can be taught in an independent workshop that you might not even know you have a skill which can be marketed this way. A few of the almost infinite number of ideas for creative workshops are:

Acting
Creative writing
Foreign language
Computers
Art
Music
Dance
Yoga
Parenting
Cooking
Crafts
Public speaking

Here are some things you should ask yourself before you get started:

1) Are you a teacher? While I strongly disagree with the saying that those who can’t do teach, I do adhere to the notion that not all those who can do can teach. If you’ve never taught before the most important thing to ask yourself is, do you think you would enjoy it? If the idea of talking before a group of people makes you want to run for the hills, or you can’t give criticism patiently, then perhaps teaching is not for you. If, however, the idea of passing on your expertise to others seems like fun then you will probably be good at it. And, as with anything else, you will get better at it with time and practice.

2) How strong is your background? Workshop participants will want to know that they are in the hands of an expert. If you have just learned to speak French, then you are probably not in a position to teach it. But if you are a native French speaker or have spent half your life in France and speak it like a native, then you are more qualified. Also keep in mind that for certain subjects, such as yoga, you have to have a certification in order to teach.

3) Is there a market for your workshop? Be creative and find a niche. Try to open up a new market for your workshops. You might think about teaching yoga to athletes, cooking to busy working parents or combining a cooking and language workshop. A friend of mine struggled for years as a visual artist and then stumbled upon the idea of teaching drawing to architects since architects have become so dependent on computers, they have all but lost this once essential part of their craft. He is now doing extremely well teaching workshops in architecture firms. An acting teacher I know found a huge untapped market teaching acting to lawyers. There are groups that teach drumming as corporate team-building events. The possibilities are endless. Use your imagination.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Create a workshop plan

How often will your workshop meet, for how long and for how many weeks? What is the minimum and maximum number of participants? What will be accomplished in each meeting, and over the course of the entire workshop? Write out a plan for each class meeting and make sure there is a progression that affords a sense of achievement. Ending the workshop with a presentation of some kind, no matter how casual, can accomplish this. In a solo performance workshop I taught for many years, I ended with a performance of the students' work in progress. Not only did it give the participants something to work towards, it attracted many new students to my workshop.

I recommend: Have an end in sight. Where do you want your students to be at the end of a ten or twelve week workshop? Start from there and go backwards. Divide the workshop into two or three hour segments and plan accordingly. Assume you will start with absolute beginners unless you specify otherwise. 

Find the right space

Many private workshops are conducted in the home of the teacher either in a separate studio or, in the case of a writing workshop I once took, in the living room while the teacher's family was out for the evening. If you plan on teaching out of your home, be sure to know each and every one of your participants personally. I began teaching in my home only after I had an established a core group of returning students. New students had to come personally recommended. When you are starting out, I recommend you rent a neutral space. Many theaters, studios, and schools rent space to private teachers, and while this is an additional expense, it has the advantage of giving your workshop a more professional image. Know your space requirements. A writing or language workshop needs nothing more than a table and some chairs whereas cooking or dance have more specific constraints.

I recommend: Keep in mind that the cost of renting a conference room for a writing workshop is quite different from that of a dance studio with a pristine, sprung dance floor, but that you can make up for it by having more participants in a dance class. And don’t forget about noise issues. Certain types of music instruction, for example, might have restrictions based on noise level.

Check your local schools and artists’ studios for off-hours use of their classrooms. Even preschools sometimes rent out space. You might offer a student a free or reduced rate in exchange for use of their office or studio. If you teach at home, make sure the place is presentable. You don’t want a new student sitting on an old juice box on the first night of class.

Market your workshop

Write a short blurb about what the workshop will cover, who is invited to join, and a short bio of yourself. Have flyers printed and send out emails to people you know. Get a voice mail number or second line and offer to answer questions by telephone before people sign up. Make sure to ask for a non-refundable deposit. It is almost a given that those who are unwilling to shell out a deposit will end up not showing up on the first day and they will have taken up space and cost you money. Post your flyers in places where interested participants will see it. For example, if it's an acting workshop, post it in local theaters; for writing, in bookstores and cafes. Once you are more established, put up a website with FAQ's, contact information and testimonials.

I recommend: Americanvoice mail.com for a dedicated voice mail line. Fedex.com for a Fedex Kinko’s location near you where you can print flyers, and godaddy.com for a domain name and web page.  Entourage and Outlook can help you maintain an email list and contact info for all those who express an interest but decline to join up this time. Many people will say, “Keep me on your list.” Do so.

Assess your materials requirements

Some workshops don't need any materials beyond paper and pen while cooking and art workshops have more specific requirements. If materials or musical instruments are needed, will you provide them? If so, at what cost? Workshops for beginners are less likely to attract people who have their own instruments or supplies, for example, while more advanced students can be expected to bring their own.

I recommend: Check into the cost or renting and/or buying the equipment and materials you need. Consider using the minimum amount of materials. Can people share, for example? Can you realistically ask your students to rent or buy their own materials or will this be a deterrent to joining your workshop?

Assess your workshop's financial viability

When all is said and done, are you going to make any money? Most of the time, the more students you have, the more money you make. This will not be the case when teaching through an established organization that pays you a flat rate. Doing so in the beginning can help you gain visibility and experience as a teacher and saves you from the work and risk of organizing and marketing your own workshop. But teaching privately has the potential of being more lucrative, and a big workshop will be more so than an intimate one. Keep in mind however, that the size of the workshop must be determined by other factors besides money such as the type of workshop and your style of teaching. I tend to spend a great deal of time giving feedback to each individual student and therefore have to keep my workshops small.

I recommend: Create a spreadsheet using Excel or other spreadsheet software. Make sure you factor in space rental, material and marketing. Try to foresee the best and worst case scenarios and determine if it is worth your time. Keep track of all expenses and income for your taxes. 

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• It might take some time to build up your workshop. Word of mouth is extremely important. Don't expect to have a full workshop your first or second time around.
• Be prepared to modify your workshop as it goes along. Have extra work planned for each meeting in case things move more quickly than anticipated, and plan for the unexpected. There may be a particular area of interest that takes up a lot of time in class. Go with it. This shows people are engaged.
• Be confident and direct. I find that most people don't want to be coddled. They want honest and forthright instruction (with kindness of course). A good rule of thumb for any teacher is this: before you tear into a student's work, find at least one good thing to say about it. Hopefully you will find several good things to say, but this is not always the case. I don't care how hard it is for you to find that one good thing. Do it or nothing else you say will be heard and it is likely that the student will not be returning.
• Know your field. Keep studying it yourself and looking at it through fresh eyes. Be able to recommend books and other related materials. Your students want to know they are in good hands.