Think about how your learners are entering the overall experience. Keep in mind that your learners may enter your experience before the start of your session, so it’s crucial to think about what they might need when they get that first invitation or email and how to prepare them before they even enter the space.

1. Start with the GOAL section. Define your audience and your intended outcomes. This should be framed in terms of observable behavior.

2. Work your way clockwise around the canvas, focusing on observable data. This gives us a chance to imagine what our audience's experience might be like; a sense of what it “feels like to be them.”

3. Only AFTER you have made the circuit of outside elements do you focus on what’s going on inside their head. This is the primary power of the exercise.

From Dave Gray , the founder of XPLANE and author of Gamestorming.

This exercise may also help you decide who should and shouldn’t be invited to the experience and if you need to design multiple types of experiences.

If your event is in escWorks, participants receive a 3-question survey upon registration. These questions provide insight into your audience’s prior knowledge, goals, and motivations:

1. After reading the session description, please rate your prior knowledge on the topic. (no knowledge; some knowledge; adequate knowledge; expert)

2. After reading the session description, what is one personal learning goal that you would like to accomplish in this session? (open-ended)

3. Which of the following best describes your learning goals for this session? (learn about a new topic; refresh my knowledge; add a credential/certification; complete compliance training)

Meet and greet your participants. Develop rapport and gather data that may help inform your instruction. Tailor the following questions to your particular content for maximum impact:

Asking “How did you hear about this session?” gives insight into how learners acquire awareness of sessions offered and/or recommended by others.