By Sulakshna Wadhwa
The global lockdown changed lives in more ways than one could have imagined. The biggest shift in routine has been that of classrooms to e-learning, physical office meetings to video conferences, gyms to home workouts and so on.
The positive impact of this change is that it has saved a lot of commute time for people, especially the Metro dwellers; allowing them to engage in things that interest them. Many have taken to social media to share that their much-dreamed of “me time” is finally materialising.
Inspiring such curious minds many online platforms are enabling people to take up live interest-based workshops delivered by experts that usually span less than or up to 2 hours, and cost under Rs 1,000. Though, the average cost per workshop may vary.
Some of the skills these workshops are offering include – SEO for beginners, showcasing fashion, and planning an event from scratch. These workshops are conducted by industry experts who have credibility and achievements to their regard in their respective fields.
Instead of sharing pre-recorded videos, these workshops are conducted live, gathering full attention from participants throughout the workshop rather than designing week-long workshops.
The founder of ‘Book A Workshop’, Nidhi Agarwal, whose parents are veteran academic professionals said, “I’ve closely seen educational curriculums being designed. As someone with an internal perspective I know how the courses are set, I have been using my experience of the same to build structured, useful programmes.”
She added, “Today there’s a lot of material available online, so through these workshops, we share content that’s unique and not available on YouTube or similar platforms.”
These workshops teach you skills that books typically wouldn’t. The concept is beginning to appeal to more and more people day-by-day.
“Before going live, we run three rounds of start to finish demo with all the experts to ensure that our line of flow is followed and it will keep the participants constantly engaged,” she said.
Who can take up these courses?
Every and anyone with an interest to learn new things can sign up for these workshops via their website, conditions to enroll may vary.
Once registered, the participants join the private live interactive sessions. Ideally, young professionals benefit more from the workshops. So far, such workshops have attracted participation from all age groups.
How are these workshops helpful?
They help participants learn more practical and real-time skills. A classic example shared by Book A Workshop is that while they wouldn’t teach you Finance 101, they will teach you how to read a Balance Sheet which is more usable in day to day lives.
Additionally, these workshops help enhance one’s personality, sharpen their soft skills and enables them to learn something unconventional.
As more people are leaning towards working online, they can be a great team-building exercise for corporates, soft skills learning session. It can be equally useful for students, self-employed individuals or anyone with a passion to learn something new, and add something valuable to their personality.
(The author is a Mumbai-based writer. Views expressed are personal.)
