Planning a motivational assembly is challenging enough, and it can get even tougher when your target participants are teens and young students with very short attention spans. If you want to plan and execute a successful motivational school assembly for your students, here are some important things to consider:
Define your goals. Every workshop—professional or school-based—must have a specific goal. Decide which teen issue you want to discuss or whether or not you want to incorporate several topics in one event. In most cases, choosing a key topic is most beneficial as speakers can focus on a single topic instead of rushing through an entire list. Bullying, drug use, self worth, and career choices are just some of the hottest topics to discuss when your captive audiences are middle school and high school students.
Decide who will participate. It is doubly challenging to invite the entire school body in a single event. Sometimes, it is easier to organize separate events for certain blocks of students as well as separate assemblies for girls and boys. Dividing your student population into smaller groups is also a good way to focus on each segment's needs.
Decide on an appropriate location. Choose a setting that can comfortably accommodate all your participants, especially when you are planning a school-wide event. You must also consider the dynamics and details of the workshop, especially when the event involves certain activities that require much space.
Outline the assembly's goal – Create a list of the major points to discuss, prepare visual aids, and plan each part of the program carefully, from the discussions to the different activities and exercises you want to include. You may also invite speakers who specialize in the topic at hand to provide students with a unique experience and offer them a different perspective on the issue.
Get students involved. During a school workshop or assembly, it is best to get students involved in the preparation as well as in the actual event. This will make the experience even more memorable and educational for them.
Have a follow-up plan. You can determine whether or not you have conducted a successful workshop by creating a follow-up plan. Distributing a questionnaire or a feedback form to give to your participants before you conclude your event, gives them the opportunity to evaluate the workshop and share their own opinions. This is also a good way to determine your event or your speaker's strengths and weaknesses and to improve from the participants' feedback.
About the author:
This article iswritten by Joel Penton. He one of thenation’s leading youth motivational speakers, brings a positive message tostudents through his school assemblies.
