191: The Secret to Getting the Most Out of Any Online Workshop
11 Feb 2025 · 1 min
In this solo episode of the Professional Creative Podcast, multi‑seven‑figure entrepreneur Bonnie Christine shares six actionable steps for getting the most out of any online workshop, webinar, or class. She frames the advice with her own experience of juggling family life and a growing creative business, and uses her current free "Pattern Design Playbook" workshop (a week‑long, four‑lesson plus live‑Q&A series on surface‑pattern design) as a concrete example. The six steps are: (1) block the time on your calendar and treat the appointment as a meeting with your future self; (2) create a distraction‑free zone and have a notebook ready for notes; (3) understand the event’s flow, schedule, and delivery format so you can plan your day; (4) enlist an accountability buddy to share insights and keep you motivated; (5) stay on track by using replays and not worrying about falling behind; and (6) connect to your deeper "why" for attending, writing it down and anchoring it emotionally. Throughout, Bonnie emphasizes the 10× time‑return she calculated for her workshop, the community aspect of live sessions, and a strong call‑to‑action to join the free workshop before the February 25th replay deadline.
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Hey there. Happy Tuesday. Welcome back to the Professional Creative Podcast. I'm excited for this shorty episode because, well, first of all, I get to share with you something that I'm really excited about. But I'm also sharing six tips for how to show up for an online event. I think in our world today there are so many classes, courses, workshops, all the things webinars that are available and it's our focus that's lacking. We feel like I don't know or is that just me? Sometimes I sign up for something and I have every intention to dive into it. And then life happens, kids get sick, I forget about it. My to do list, on and on. So I wanna give you some tips that I've implemented in my own life anytime that I'm serious about taking an online event. And they've helped me so, so much.
I'm Bonnie Christine and this is where all things creativity, design, business and marketing unite. I'm a mama living in a tiny town tucked right inside the Smoky Mountains, running a multi seven figure business, doing the most creative and impactful work of my life.
But when I first set out to
become an entrepreneur, I was struggling to make ends meet and wrestling with how to accomplish my biggest dream of becoming a fabric designer. Fast forward to today. I'm not only licensing my artwork all over the world, but also teaching others how to design their creative life and experience the same success. I'm here to help you spend your life doing something that lights you up. I'll help you build a creative business that also creates an impact, changes people's lives, gives you all of the freedom you want, and is wildly profitable. Welcome to the Professional Creative Podcast.
The reason that this is top of mind for me is that I'm teaching a free workshop right now. And if you're not in it, it's not too late. It only started yesterday and it's free and there are replays available. So let me tell you about it. It is for anyone who is looking to turn their creativity into a career, specifically through surface pattern design. So the workshop is called you'd Pattern Design Playbook. It's completely free, I only teach it once a year and it's really my favorite thing that I get to do. So it's an immersive learning experience and I teach you seven secrets to breaking into the industry, into the surface pattern design industry. And it's over a week. So there are four in depth lessons and four live coaching Q and A sessions where I really break it down step by step. So anyone who comes and participates gains a ton of momentum. You get to see what it would really feel like to be a working surface pattern designer. It's also beginner friendly, so there are tons of tools and resources. It's super in depth and many people find this workshop really transformational. So come join us. It's bonniecristine.comworkshop and it is happening between February 10th and the 18th, but replays are available until February 25th. Okay, so if you're already in Hooray, you're gonna love today's episode. And if you're not, you're still gonna be able to use this episode for any workshop or webinar or class that you're showing up for in time. Are you ready? This is my step by step plan to get the most out of attending an online event. Step number one is mark the time off on your calendar. So if you're coming to the pattern design playbook, each lesson is 30 minutes long and each live session is about an hour. So it's only about five hours across the week for my workshop. Now, side note is that we've calculated how much this workshop is going to give participants back and we've calculated that it's just over 50 hours of time back. That, my friends, is a 10x on your time investment. So again, come join us. We have a magical calendar that you can subscribe to that automatically blocks the time for the lessons and the lives on your calendar so that they will just immediately integrate with whatever calendar you use. So no matter what you're attending, block the time. Sometimes I like to make it an appointment with my future self, make it an appointment with the more successful version of myself, and it is not to be missed. Step number two is to anticipate, like, think ahead of time, how you're going to create a distraction free zone. I think one of the problems with attending something online is that you're online, right? And so like tabs and research and ChatGPT and Instagram, it's all right there and it's a click away. And so think ahead about how you can create a distraction free zone. Maybe you watch it on an iPad so that you're not so tempted, or maybe you have to kind of close all the tabs and remove your devices from the space. Literally. This is what I do. I will treat myself like the toddler that I am and go put my phone in another room because clearly I can't handle, I can't handle the temptation. So if you need to do something like that, just do yourself a favor. And find a space and and a place that you can focus, turn off notifications and then have a notebook ready to take notes with. One of my mentors always says if you don't write it down, you don't remember it. And it stuck with me because you're right. Sometimes I think I'll remember it and really I don't. So I write it down. That way I'll remember it and I can also come back to it over and over again. So anticipate taking notes and removing the distractions. Step number three is for whatever you're attending, just kind of know the flow of what to expect during the week, know how much time it's going to take and know how you're going to fit it into your day. If you leave it up to chance, chances are you won't find the time. So you've got to find the time for what's most important for our workshop. If you're attending the Playbook, lesson days are Monday, Wednesday, Friday and the following Tuesday. Lessons go out at 11am Eastern. They're about 30 minutes long and they're pre recorded, so you can watch them anytime. Once they're released. Then there are live session days. Those are the in between days. So Tuesday, Thursday and the following Monday at 3pm so there in the afternoon. I'm on the east coast, so that's Eastern time. These are about one hour and they're live. So if you want to be there live and have the opportunity to ask questions to, you have to be there at 3pm and that is where you can get coached, ask questions and dive deeper into the material. I think the biggest mistake people make is skipping the live sessions. Here's why you don't want to do that. You're going to get so much clarity and direction on what to do next. You're going to see real time questions being answered and breakthroughs happening. You're also going to be surrounded by a really incredible community of people who are walking this path with you and you're going to fall in love with them. So go ahead and know the flow and plan on watching. Now, if you're coming to the Playbook, the live Q and A sessions are also recorded and those replays are also made available the same day and they'll be also available until February 25th. In case you do miss one, step number four is to connect. One of the most powerful parts of any kind of online experience is to not do it alone. So whether it's my workshop or something else that you're attending Have a buddy system, someone to learn alongside, share insights with and keep each other accountable. It makes all the difference. I know this from my favorite example of going to the gym. If I'm going to go to the gym all by myself and nobody's there and there's no class time or anything like that, I've proven to myself too many times that I'll put it off and I won't do it. And if I do do it, I don't push myself very hard. But if I have a class and a buddy waiting for me who is going to text me if I don't show, I'll be there and I'll also push myself really hard. Same thing applies for an online event. So do yourself a favor, invite a friend and have a buddy so you will progress faster, you'll stay motivated, you'll push yourself. You'll have somebody to, you know, share those insights with, but also hold you accountable to having an insight in the first place. So engage, share your takeaways with your accountability buddy and be there for the experience. Now we have two more. Step number five is stay on track. And also don't worry if you don't. Life happens, schedules get busy, kids get sick. There is typically, especially in my workshop, there's no falling behind, so there's nothing to worry about. If you miss a lesson or you miss homework, I would say and encourage you to come anyways. Even if you miss a lesson, even if you haven't done kind of the take action for the lesson, come to the next lesson or live session. Because for me, every live call, I design to give you clarity and help you kind of move forward and apply what you're learning, whether or not you're, quote, caught up or not. Plus, you can always watch the replays again. You have until February 28th to watch the replays of the pattern playbook. Now, step number six, so important for every online event before you begin, I want you to connect to why you want to be there in the first place. So why do you want to attend? What do you want to walk away with from the experience? And then one step forward from there is why is that important? This is kind of like initially you'll have kind of a head response. So for my pattern playbook, maybe you want to see your artwork on fabric or maybe you want to finish a portfolio. And to that I would say, awesome, perfect, you're in the exact right state. Now tell me why you want that. So it moves you from your head to your heart. Why do you want that? Is it because you have always known that your creativity is meant for something bigger? Is it because you want to be able to quit a job that's draining you? Is it because you want to supply revenue for your family? What is the why behind the want? And I think that that will be what guides you to really showing up for any event that you're attending. So write it down, say it out loud, tell somebody else. Anchor yourself to that vision. And because of that, you'll see momentum. You'll have taken real steps towards moving towards that why, and you're gonna find that it picks up much more quickly. Okay, my friends, that's it. You're all set. You've marked your calendar. You've created a space to focus. You know exactly who you are going to invite to do it with you, and you've decided what you want to get out of it and why. So, my friends, again, join us this week. You have nothing to lose. It is an incredible experience. We have nearly 50,000 people signed up, so you're not going to be alone. Come join us@bonniechristine.com workshop right now and grab your free spot. I can't wait to spend this time with you. And I know by the end of this workshop, you are going to feel so inspired, so confident and clearer than ever before. I'll see you there.