CONDUCTING

SEMINARS
FOR
ENTREPRENEURS
SEVERO L. BLANCO II
COBE- FACULTY

Program rationale

BS Entrepreneurship program prospectus:

This subject will summarize and integrate all the entrepreneurship

courses through a seminar.

This course process and assess entrepreneurial traits and behaviors

that makes an entrepreneur successful.

SEMINAR DEFINITION

The term "seminar" can be applied to a variety of

sessions. On the whole it is used to describe an
activity involving a smaller number of PARTICIPANTS
than one might find in a lecture, during which the
students are more actively involved.

It may be structured as a task which has been set in

advance, and agreed between participants and
lecturers, it may involve a participant to participant
taking a pro-active lead in the session, or it may be a
"hands on" workshop or case study activity.

SEMINAR DEFINITION
is

a lecture or presentation delivered to an

audience on a particular topic or set of
topics that are educational in nature. It is
usually held for groups of 10-50 individuals.

is

frequently held at a hotel meeting space

or within an office conference room.

PURPOSE OF A SEMINAR

To present good business materials orally and visually

To get the students to lead a discussion

To expand on material introduced in large lectures, but

to reach more depth

To provide a forum for students to ask questions

TOP 20 REASONS

(Marty Dickinson, 2009)

Learn new information from the presenters

Meet new people and share experiences

Brainstorm your ideas and get immediate feedback

Get new product or service ideas by hearing about needs in your industry

Evaluate the latest tools and technology to help grow your business

Hear the same information you might know already but from a different angle from a different
speaker so that you have an even better understanding of the topic

Find investors in your business

Allow time for creativity by getting away from your daily routine and working on your business
instead of in your business

Get inspiration from success stories shared by speakers and others you meet

Buy products at the best possible price that can save you time and money and are not sold in
stores

Surround yourself with like-minded people for engaging conversation and meeting new friends
who understand you lingo

Connect with joint venture hosts to potentially promote your

product to thousands of people

Expand your social networking followers by inviting them to

connect with you online

Get answers to your business questions and challenges

Get presentation materials to take home with you for later study

Chance to win something if theres a contest (I won a laptop last

year!)

Learn facts and statistics that will help you better understand your
market and industry

Increase your email list by getting other peoples business cards

and contacting them later to have THEM sign-up to be on your list

Keep up with your competition by learning the latest strategies in

your market

Because its fun

How to conduct seminar?

Conducting a seminar is a great way to
communicate your ideas or introduce
new technologies. It is useful to know
some guidelines when you have to
conduct a seminar. I understood the
importance of this both as an attendee
and a presenter myself.

I. Preparing your presentation

A successful seminar is the result of careful preparation of your
speech and your presentation material.

Research your subject

If you are called to speak on a topic, probably that is because you

are already having some knowledge of it. Even so, you need to
reference from at least 2 different books. This helps you address
and include points you have not thought about. It also helps you
determine a flow for the seminar.

I. Preparing your presentation

Preparing the presentation

Include a presentation. Presentations help the audience to

understand the underlying points that the speaker has to say
especially if the subject is rather vague.
The presentation should have an Introduction and a conclusion.
The introduction can include a summary of the topic and a brief
overview of what the speaker will be saying for the rest of the
duration of the seminar.

II. Handouts
The speaker should prepare handouts as well, especially if the
audience is small. Handouts will contain all main points of the
seminar as well as those detailed points which cannot be included
in the seminar slides but are useful for reference later. Include
within the handout, a list of any reference books used to prepare
for the seminar. This helps the audience to read or follow-up on the
same topic later.

III. Listen to your voice

The speaker should listen to his seminar using a Dictaphone (or
tape recorder) and play it back. It is possible to immediately detect
the parts of the seminar that could be corrected or which don't
sound right. If the seminar sounds interesting to the speaker,
chances are that others would also feel so.

IV. List out your seminar itinerary

The speaker should make sure that the audience knows how long
this is going to take. Give a brief idea on the important aspects of
your speech so that the audience is aware where they are during
the seminar. Then start with an introduction.

V. Conclusion
Finally ensure that seminars are always conducted in an
organization. Besides drastically improving knowledge levels, it
brings about an understanding of the immensity of the vast
unknowns in our profession or for that matter any profession. This
in turn eradicates complacency.

Techniques for promoting

student discussion in seminars

Discussion in pairs

Brainstorms

"Buzz" groups

Rounds

Circular interviewing

Skills-based Groups

Fishbowls