How to conduct a seminar How to conduct a seminar A seminar is, generally, a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution

or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some particular subject, in which everyone present is requested to actively participate. Seminars are small group teaching and learning arrangements that use group interaction as a means of engaging participants. Although seminars usually begin with a presentation or mini- lecture to provide the basis for discussion, the word seminar also includes rather formal group discussions led by the teacher and focused on the content rather than on issues arising from students (Jaques, 1991) Planning Is the process of setting goals, developing strategies, and outlining tasks and schedules to accomplish the goals. Plan carefully.

Determine the details of the workshop. If you will be delivering information, decide exactly what you will discuss. In the case of skillbuilding, determine the types of activities you will include in your workshop. Coordinate and organize. You might decide to invite other experts to give demonstrations or short talks. Contact them well in advance. If you will need particular supplies or materials, gather them ahead of time. If your workshop requires that your participants arrive having read or experienced something, notify them in advance.

Identify your participants/target and problems.

Knowing your target market is vital in planning your seminar. Your target market will influence the location you choose, the meal selection, the date and time of your event, the registration fee and more. Everyone has problems that they want to solve. That they demand to solve. That they will spend money to solve. Also known as their hot buttons. Your job is to identify them. These problems (or more correctly their solutions) will become the topics for your seminar

Create a good working title.

The title of your seminar will be the element that attracts attendees, so make sure it's eye-catching and interesting. Instead of mentioning losing money, include words about profitability and making money so your seminar has a positive feel. Assigning specific topics to the respective groups

to have a good flow and organized flow of the seminar. Planning schedule for the seminars

Time your seminar effectively. Plan your seminar for a time of day when most members of your target audience will be able to attend. If your target group consists of middle-age working individuals, plan your seminar for a weekend or evening that won't conflict with work schedules and childcare commitments. Holding your seminar at a convenient time will make it easier for prospective attendees to fit your seminar into their schedule.

Formulating objectives for the seminar.

Every decision that you make about the workshop will depend on your objectives for the learner and the success will be measured against its objectives. So make sure objectives are clearly stated for each activity. might list, describe, recall, debate, critique, or report. Organizing/leading Identifying and defining the different working committees for the seminar. General manager:

Responsible for the over all organization of the seminar. The seminar main Point of Contact (POC). The one person assigned to answer questions and help prospective students and the teacher to attend. Include their email address and/or phone number in the advertising. Schedules the seminar and lines up resources. Coordinates the staff. Takes care of the teacher. De-conflicts problems and provides quality control.

Facilities manager:

Responsible for the training hall, access, cleanliness and all the equipment in the seminar. Camp organizer:

Coordinates all the other materials needed, schedules the recreation and accommodation for the teacher.

Financial manager: Creates and controls the budget, accounts for all money spent and received. Accommodation coordinator: Coordinates accommodation for the students during the seminar Food coordinator Audio/visual coordinator: Determines AV needs of speakers Handle all AV needs at meeting site and coordinate staff to assist with lights and technical needs during meetings.

Before the Event: 1. Assign a member of the seminar planning group to be responsible for the seminar, its access, organization, cleaning and maintenance. 2. Confirm the space far in advance, then check periodically as the event comes closer. 3. Include a large pad of paper and fat pen to write and post notices 4. Arrange for keys and be sure to have a name and mobile phone number for the key holder(s). . 5. Plan on extra trash during the seminar and have a disposal plan, including trash Schedule activities Schedule your seminar for 3 hours. People tend to get bored if it goes on too long. Remember to grab your audience's attention right away in the introduction. Get everyone excited about the topic. If you are holding a morning or evening session, and decide to offer refreshments or some food, most people enjoy coffee and pastries. But limit your food choices to keep your costs down. Also, it's a good idea to set a maximum number of participants.

Starting time mostly at 8am or even 7:30 ,which is most people are more alert. How early can you start depends on how early and how efficiently breakfast is being served. On the other hand, if there are a large number of commuters, you probably have to conform to their accustomed time schedule. The payoff of an earlier start is earlier adjournment. Breaks- regardless of starting time, you should limit each learning (and sitting) period to roughly one hour, with two breaks in the morning and two in the afternoon.

Lunch group luncheons will facilitate discussions and interactions around the subject matter covered that morning. They also take up less time.one hour is usually sufficient for a lunch break. Controlling Prepare budget for the seminar A budget is a great tool to keep you on track and help you make decisions. If you have a small budget, you dont want to purchase extravagant meeting rooms and slick brochures. (Remember, quality is important).

How much will the seminar cost to host? Where will the front money come from? Can you get a sponsor to cover some of the costs? Do you need to pay in advance for reservations? Deposit on the seminar? How much do you need to pay to bring the teacher in and support him or her during the seminar? Will the teacher get a salary for teaching or do you just have to cover their costs?

What will be the costs for: Transportation, gasoline, flight tickets, local transportation, taxis? Telephone calls? Maybe a card mobile phone for the teacher if he/she is from overseas?

Lodging and food?

rental, transportation of taxi? Consider giving a discount or include a small gift for an early reservation payment. This can help cover the costs up front and also give you a better assessment of how many students will attend early on. How will you price the seminar? Flat rate, one price for all? Student discount? Discount for distant travelers? Discount for early depositors or maybe an included gift (t-shirt, mug or poster?)

Based on your projected costs, what is your break even point, that is how many students do you need attend and at what price to cover all your costs? Try to find the sweet spot in pricing that allows for maximum participation for the most people while still covering your costs. Consider selling souvenirs or even creating a video to offset your expenses, but make sure you clear the latter with the teacher first! Finally, if this is a group effort and in the unlikely event you actually make more money than the costs, it might be a good idea to decide what you will do with the excess ahead of time. Buying a bigger present for Sensei, depositing it into the club fund, supplementing or reimbursing certain students that are still in school or coming from far away are all possibilities. Post seminar evaluation The story of a successful seminars reaches a climax with the standup round of applause for the seminar leader, but it doesnt end there. You still have to evaluate the seminar itself, motivate the participants to put their new learning to work on the job and measures the impact of the training effort on changed behavior patterns and, if possible, on productivity.

The most generally used post-seminar evaluation takes place right in the seminar room. The participants are asked to fill out a form to give their opinions on the quality of the presentation and subject matter and the relevance of their new learning to their job responsibilities. There are differences of opinion on the reliability of these judgments. The main criticism voiced is that the participants may be unduly influenced by the pleasure of the experience rather than its value in terms of improved performance.

Despite these criticisms, participant evaluation can be helpful, if interpreted with good judgment in the light of all the surrounding circumstances. Even if the performance of the presenter produces an upward bias, you still get a picture of the strongest and weakest

portions of the program. The evaluations can be helpful to that presenter in improving future seminars. In some instances, the comments of the participants can result in a redesign of the seminar.