Workshop

From SPARK

Workshops work well with people from an oral culture because interaction is a priority. A workshop is a live instructional seminar. The emphasis is on interaction and exchange of information. Participants should have a sense of accomplishment by the end of a workshop. Therefore, workshop titles should match what will be accomplished. For example, you might call a workshop a “Music Discovery Workshop” rather than a “Hymn Writing Workshop” if you don’t know ahead of time whether the people are ready to write hymns.

God’s grace is needed in all communication and especially in workshops that have people from more than one culture. There is a need to be aware of potential misunderstandings because of different worldviews and different understandings of foreign words. It is wise to have a slow pace to allow people to adjust to each other’s ways and to work at understanding the deeper meanings that may be present. Check and confirm interpretations throughout the workshop.

It is helpful in oral cultures to allow extra time at the beginning to let people develop relationships before getting into heavy learning material. Some cultures require more time to warm-up to relationships than others. It is easier to get honest feedback and to talk about misunderstandings of words or concepts once good relationships are established.

• Some cultures do not place an importance on time. It may not work well to follow a precise schedule or expect people to arrive on time.

• Long monologues in workshops are not received well, especially in oral cultures.

• Build into the workshop a lot of repetition of things to be remembered. Visual and/or audio aids also help participant to remember things.

Having participants evaluate the course at its end helps the presenter prepare for doing the workshop again for others and to perhaps prepare a follow-up workshop. Some cultures have strong rules regarding respect and discourage criticizing any authority. Emphasize how their evaluation can help others in future workshops. Give people the option of not signing their names if feedback is given in a written form. Oral cultures will probably prefer processing the evaluation as a group instead of as individuals.