13. INTRODUCTION SESSION *
To make PERSONAL COMMUNICATION possible during the rest of the seminar, the participants need to learn something about each other at the beginning. Usually, the participants are a little bit shy and you should start this process. In addition, you might want to learn something about the participants, to ADAPT TO THE PARTICIPANTS BACKGROUND or to LET THEM DECIDE.
Therefore, take the time at the beginning of the seminar to let everybody introduce him-/herself to the others. The participants should be given a chance to state their expectations towards the seminar and tell the others about their professional background, their company, et cetera. This session should be held in an informal context, which can be achieved by using a suitable TABLE ARRANGEMENT. It is also possible to use GAMES at the beginning of such a session. To make a start, you should begin the session by introducing yourself. Be sure to introduce yourself, not the seminar.
There are different ways how this introduction session can be held. The most common form is that everybody introduces himself to the others, including his name, employer, his field of activity, et cetera. In general, the contents depend heavily on the clientele (imaging the difference between programmers and pedagogists). It is a good idea to let the participants decide what they want to include in their introduction. An alternative form is to let one person interview another person and introduce this other person to the group. The introduction session usually ends with everybody attaching a NAMEPLATE to himself.