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!

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!

"This was the best workshop I had all year."- CEO of a bank. Here is how I built the workshop. 1. Start with the outcome The CEO wanted to speed up the time to market for new digital products. The reason they were slow: they did not have a product management practice. So the goal was to show them what that looks like and what they are missing. 2. Focus on the audience I asked for a list of participants including their roles and interest in this workshop. Then I researched every single person online. What is their background, what are their achievements? Many were non-tech, so I adapted the language in the content and the exercises. 3. Work on real problems I asked for real business challenges and had three 1h calls with them to understand the details. I received documents and roadmaps to figure out where they got stuck. The exercises showed the same kind of problems without referring directly to their cases, to ensure that noone is put on the spot. 4. Build from activities We designed the activities first, then wrapped the content around it in a runbook for the workshop. Typically, people create slots for topics, then come up with exercises. That is a mistake as you miss the timing. The timing of content and activities was on spot and we finished exactly on time. If you are working with the C-level, you have to respect every minute. 5. Create a teaser The agenda in most workshops is boring as it just outlines the content step by step. People want to know what is coming, but the agenda doesn't really give you that information. Instead, I had a 3 min. pitch of the workshop right at the beginning. What will be the outcome? Why should you attend? The result? The CEO was supposed to just attend for the first hour, but he cleared his entire schedule for the day and stayed in. 6. Engage the participants Most facilitators take an "entertainment" approach in workshops. They ask questions to the audience, they ask for raised hands, etc. Watch the C-level. They typically have no patience for this. Instead, I engaged them by referring to problems I heard, by calling out individual participants by name and asking for their specific perspective. This has two effects: a) you show them that you are prepared and fully invested into their problems. b) you turn a workshop into a real working session 7. Solve problems A 1-day workshop is a huge investment for the customer. Whatever they are paying you, their opportunity cost is far greater. If you can help them solve just one problem in their business, they can make up for the cost. We used the first hour to hone in on a problem, then used the remaining 6 to dive deeper and solve it. Hence his comment "the best workshop all year" and an overall CSAT of 10. The impact of this? A follow-up workshop with the group CEO, 6 C-level, and 15 of their direct reports. This initiated a group-wide program with a major investment to build a product organization in the bank. #workshopfacilitation

At a recent workshop with sales teams, I asked a simple question: “What’s the difference between sales and marketing?” One rep quipped, “Sales brings in money, marketing spends it.” The room laughed—including me. Then I flipped the script: “How do your customers differ from you?” Silence. Their clients were all marketers - the same people they had just stereotyped as “spenders.” Suddenly, the disconnect was clear. The Lesson? Know Your Audience. Whether you’re selling, presenting, or building relationships, understanding who’s on the other side is everything. In Sales? Your pitch changes based on whether you’re talking to a CFO (ROI-focused) or a CMO (brand-driven). In Marketing? A Gen Z buyer needs a different message than a Boomer. In Presentations? A room of engineers wants data; executives want outcomes. And this applies to life too. The best communicators don’t just speak; they listen, adapt, and resonate. Next time you engage an audience—any audience—ask yourself: Do I really know them, or am I just assuming? Because the difference between a blank stare and a “yes” often comes down to one thing: audience awareness. #Sales #Marketing #Communication #Leadership #EmotionalIntelligence K. Srikrishna

Many facilitators go in with a canned presentation or script. The speaker is so focused on covering all their notes and talking points, they leave no room for dialogue or questions (other than,” do you have any questions?”) at the very end. They can’t figure out why they didn’t earn the sale or receive concrete next steps. The most important skill I’ve learned when leading workshops, or any type of facilitation, is to plant and collect clues throughout the presentation. What do I mean exactly? For my botanical workshops, I launch with a low-stakes exercise. Every single attendee goes around and reflects on a word I provide. The storytelling that organically surfaces from this simple kickoff exercise sets the stage. It helps me understand what kind of audience I’m working with, and this is a clue into our next few hours together. Some audiences are shy and don’t want to talk, which means I need to improvise with more stories and examples to earn their trust and keep their attention. Other organizations are incredibly talkative which means I may need to skip a writing prompt or story altogether and spend more time talking and sharing, which is always ideal. It's improv at its finest. The best advice I can give is don’t stick to the script. And this is uncomfortable, because we want control and flow. We want to know what's coming next. Plant strategic questions and collect clues throughout your presentation to get folks talking, learn to read the room and either linger longer or move on. Also, ambush them with a fresh flower bar, they'll love you for it. #themarigoldcollective #wellnessworkshops #communicationandculturebuilder #innovativewellness #mentalhealth #selfcare #flowerbar #writingworkshops #facilitator