Build a useful workshop brief
Use this kit to plan a team or conference session. The example agenda is a planning aid; the instructor, topic, duration, delivery and inclusions must be agreed in your proposal.
Start with the outcome
Describe one thing participants should be able to complete themselves. “Check a summary against its source records” gives a trainer a clearer starting point than “learn advanced Excel.” Name the application and version, audience experience and expected output.
Possible topics to discuss
- Excel: build and check a small summary
- Use a fictional request log to practise a formula, check the included rows and detect an omitted record. This is a bounded exercise for discussion, not a replacement for a complete public Excel course. Try the self-study example.
- Microsoft Office: choose a practical workflow
- For an inbox, meeting, document or shared-file task, identify the exact application and account permissions first. Compare the published application courses and ask which subset can fit the event.
- Copilot: check an assisted draft against its source
- Focus on the difference between a plausible answer and a verified answer. Confirm each participant’s application access and use approved fictional data. Start with the worked briefing example.
An illustrative 90-minute agenda
This example shows how one focused practice task could be structured. It is not a fixed package, a past client engagement or a promise that a full public-course syllabus fits into 90 minutes. The trainer must adapt and approve the final exercise, pace and support arrangements.
| Time | Activity | Check |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10 minutes | Define the task and check access | Everyone can open the fictional practice file and explain the result they are trying to produce. |
| 10–25 minutes | Concept and guided action | Participants work through one small example with the instructor and check the expected output. |
| 25–40 minutes | Independent practice | Each participant applies the technique to a changed example and records the result. |
| 40–50 minutes | Break and questions | The group identifies access issues, unclear steps and points needing another explanation. |
| 50–70 minutes | Follow-up and error checking | Participants compare results, explain a deliberate error and correct it. |
| 70–85 minutes | Apply the skill to a new fictional task | Learners complete a second example with an answer check. |
| 85–90 minutes | Agree a next step | Each learner identifies a suitable workplace task and how to check the outcome after training. |
Choose a format the audience can use
- Demonstration: attendees watch an example and ask questions. Do not assume everyone can practise on a device.
- Hands-on workshop: confirm devices, software, accounts, practice files and realistic participant support.
- Hybrid session: plan how remote attendees can hear questions, see the demonstration and take part in the exercise.
The published FAQ describes conference workshops of one to three hours. A proposed date, length, speaker and format still require confirmation.
Speaker background and existing conference feedback
Frank Byl’s profile describes his teaching background and Microsoft application subjects. Compare the instructor team for other subjects. A biography identifies expertise; it does not reserve that person for your event.
Frank Byl has been the exclusive provider of computer lab instruction at the BCFHPS Conference for more than a decade, delivering a wide range of high-quality computer courses each year. His professionalism, expertise, and exceptional value have made him an indispensable part of our event. What we appreciate most is his willingness to tailor each course to the specific needs of our audience. Frank is consistently collaborative, adaptable, and easy to work with. His presentations have become a cornerstone of the conference and remain one of our most sought-after offerings.
What to send in an enquiry
- Event or team name, proposed date, location and time zone.
- Audience size, starting skills, application and intended work task.
- Demonstration, hands-on or hybrid format, with available computers and accounts.
- Room layout, connectivity, audio, display and remote-participant requirements.
- Attendance adjustments, practice-data permissions and any recording request.
- The decision deadline and the information your purchasing team needs.
Settle these items in the written proposal
Confirm the learning objective, final agenda, instructor, learner count, location, dates, session length, equipment, approved files, travel, price, currency, taxes, payment and cancellation conditions. State whether any recording, materials, video access or follow-up session is included. Public-course benefits do not automatically define a private workshop.
Evaluate with actual observations
Choose one practice task and record whether learners can complete it accurately before and after training. For later workplace evaluation, compare the same task under similar conditions and include checking time. Keep estimated savings separate from measured results.
Discuss your workshop or call 1-877-954-8433.