Medical conferences such as those held by the American Psychiatric Association, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland and many other international medical academic bodies include workshops in their programmes. They are also included in the academic teaching programmes aimed at undergraduates, postgraduates and continued professional development. Teaching methods such as workshops, which actively require the learner to participate, are widely accepted to achieve a deeper level of learning. Educational research recognizes student engagement as valuable and as having a significant impact on their learning (Mandernach 2015). However, it is only when workshops are correctly planned and appropriately used that these interactive learning environments foster sound pedagogic principles and result in effective learning. Guidelines for conducting workshops are available and guidelines specific to psychiatry can also be found (Tiberius and Silver 2001), but for workshops to be effective it is important to understand the concepts of adult learning, the learning targets and the principles and process of delivering a workshop.