# first minutes (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 1 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover first minutes. Page: Feed: --- ## [How to Stop Presenting in the Middle of Your Own Workshop](https://workshopbank.substack.com/p/how-to-stop-presenting-in-the-middle) _2026-08-19 · Nick Martin · WorkshopBank_ The five signs of the drift, and the fix for each one. ## [What to Say When a Stakeholder Wants to Add "Just One More Thing"](https://workshopbank.substack.com/p/what-to-say-when-a-stakeholder-wants) _2026-08-12 · Nick Martin · WorkshopBank_ Never say no. Name the trade-off. Let them decide. A script for each of the five requests you'll get. ## [The First 15 Minutes of a Workshop with a Senior Team (and the 5 Mistakes that lose them)](https://workshopbank.substack.com/p/the-first-15-minutes-of-a-workshop) _2026-08-05 · Nick Martin · WorkshopBank_ The opening that works on a junior team is the one that loses a VP. What to do instead. ## [The Last 10 Minutes: 5 Workshop Closings That Change Behaviour](https://workshopbank.substack.com/p/the-last-10-minutes-5-workshop-closings) _2026-07-29 · Nick Martin · WorkshopBank_ Five ways to close a workshop so the commitments survive into the next week ## [What Actually Goes on a Facilitator's Cheat Sheet](https://workshopbank.substack.com/p/what-actually-goes-on-a-facilitators) _2026-07-22 · Nick Martin · WorkshopBank_ The single page that saves you the moment your mind goes blank. ## [The 2-Minute Rule: How to Design Workshop Activities That End as Well as They Start](https://workshopbank.substack.com/p/the-2-minute-rule-how-to-design-workshop) _2026-07-15 · Nick Martin · WorkshopBank_ Stop managing overruns in the moment. How a 2-minute buffer built into every activity changed the way I design sessions. ## [The 4 Energy Zones of a Full-Day Workshop (And How to Design for Each One)](https://workshopbank.substack.com/p/the-4-energy-zones-of-a-full-day) _2026-07-08 · Nick Martin · WorkshopBank_ Why Your Workshop Loses the Room at 10:30am (and again at 1:15pm) ## [The Facilitator’s Halftime: 6 Moves That Win the Afternoon](https://workshopbank.substack.com/p/the-facilitators-halftime-6-moves) _2026-07-01 · Nick Martin · WorkshopBank_ Six specific moves to make during every workshop break, and the order you should do them in. ## [Stop Opening Workshops With Icebreakers (And What to Do Instead)](https://workshopbank.substack.com/p/stop-opening-workshops-with-icebreakers) _2026-06-24 · Nick Martin · WorkshopBank_ 7 alternatives to icebreakers, and how to choose the right one every time. ## [Watch Chovy Code Live (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/NGK384DxyywX) _2026-06-24 · **Sponsored**_ Join live coding streams with real-time collaborative screen sharing, open source and free. ## [The First 10 Minutes: 7 Questions Your Workshop Participants Won't Ask Out Loud](https://workshopbank.substack.com/p/the-7-questions-your-workshop-participants) _2026-06-17 · Nick Martin · WorkshopBank_ Most facilitators spend their first ten minutes talking about themselves. The room is busy asking seven other things.