Facilitator Guide — Raglan AI

🎯 The 30-second pitch

When someone asks what this is:

"It's a two-hour community workshop about AI — practical, hands-on, no jargon. You come with a laptop, you leave with something useful. We cover everything from how to talk to AI tools properly, to using them for creative work, to building your own tools without needing to be a developer. $20 a session at the Old School Arts Centre."

If they ask who it's for: "Anyone in Raglan who's curious. Café owners, artists, teachers, people who've heard the word ChatGPT a hundred times and want to finally understand what it actually does."

The key frame: This is a community workshop series, not a tech course. The tone is warm, practical, and local. If it starts feeling like a lecture, something's gone wrong.

✅ Before you open the door

Run through this checklist 30 minutes before the session starts.

Wi-Fi is on and the password is written somewhere visible. Half the session falls over without this.
Open the workshop URL on the projector/screen: localhost:8080/ai-workshop/ or the live URL if using the live site. Have it visible as people walk in.
Test the URL yourself on your own laptop — open Module 1, click through the first section, make sure it loads.
Have the facilitator guide open on your phone so you can glance at the troubleshooting section without switching screens.
Write the URL on a whiteboard or printed card so people arriving late can get started without asking.
Chairs arranged in a horseshoe or clusters — not rows. People should be able to see each other's screens and help each other.
If charging is limited, remind people to plug in when they arrive, not halfway through.
Cash or card for $20 — have a clear system before people arrive. Don't let payment become an awkward interruption once the session starts.

The number one thing: Get the Wi-Fi sorted before anyone arrives. If the first five minutes are spent troubleshooting internet, you've lost the room.

⏱ The 2-hour arc

This is a guide, not a script. The self-directed portion expands or contracts depending on the group.

0:00 – 0:10

Welcome + settle

Get people seated, laptops open, URL loaded. Take payment if you haven't. Introduce yourself in one sentence. Then deliver the opening — see the script below.

0:10 – 0:15

Quick demo

Project the workshop homepage and click through one module — 60 seconds, just to show what the format looks like. Then say: "Off you go. I'll be around."

0:15 – 1:25

Self-directed work ← this is the bulk of the session

People work at their own pace through the modules. Your job: circulate, troubleshoot, answer questions, and notice who's stuck vs who's flying ahead. Resist the urge to present — the modules do that. Your job is the human layer on top.

1:25 – 1:40

Group share

Pull everyone back briefly. Ask three questions: "What did you try? What surprised you? What do you want to do with this?" Let 2–3 people answer each. This is the community moment — don't skip it. It's often where the most interesting conversations happen.

1:40 – 1:55

Questions + individual help

Open floor for questions. Usually 2–3 good ones surface here that are useful for everyone. For very specific setup issues, handle one-on-one.

1:55 – 2:00

Close

See the closing script below. The most important moment: give everyone one specific thing to try before next session. "Before next time, use AI for one actual thing in your work or life. Anything. Just one real use."

🗣️ How to open a session

Say something close to this. Adapt the tone to feel like you.

"Welcome. Before we start, three things — then I'll leave you to it."

"First: you are not here to become a developer or an IT person. You are here to get one useful thing done in the next two hours. That's the whole brief."

"Second: if something doesn't work or doesn't make sense, say so. That's useful information for everyone, not embarrassing information for you."

"Third: the modules are self-paced. Some of you will get through two today. Some will spend the whole time on one. Both are completely fine. There's no test."

"Open your laptop, go to the URL on the board, and start with Module 1. If you've been here before, start where you left off. Off you go."

Then step back. Literally. Let the silence work. Within 30 seconds, almost everyone will be looking at a screen and clicking around. If someone looks stuck, walk over quietly rather than addressing the room.

🗺️ Module map — what to expect in each session

The modules are self-paced but follow a natural arc. Here's roughly what a regular attendee will cover across sessions.

Session	Typical modules covered	What they'll do
Session 1	Modules 1 & 2 browser only	Tour the AI landscape, open 3 tools, use AI for something in their actual work. Expect lots of "oh, it does that?" moments.
Session 2	Module 3 browser only	AI for creative work — images, writing, music, video. Most non-developers find this the most immediately satisfying session.
Session 3	Module 4 hands-on setup	First terminal session. Expect more setup wobbles here — Node.js, npm, sign-ins. This is the session where you'll do the most one-on-one help. Worth it.
Session 4	Module 5 build session	Build something real using an agentic IDE. This is the "whoa" moment for most people — they describe something in plain English and it becomes a working webpage. Expect excitement and a few rabbit holes.
Session 5	Modules 6 & 7	Making builds better, Git as undo, advanced vibe-coding techniques. More confident learners will push their Module 5 build further. Some will want to start fresh with new ideas.
Session 6	Module 8	Agents. What they are, how they work, building a simple research agent. This is where the most curious learners get hooked on what's possible.

16 branch modules are available — linked from the relevant core modules. These are optional deep-dives for fast finishers or self-directed learners after the session.

Technical branches: Creative Tools · Google AI Studio & NotebookLM · Automation & Workflows · Git & GitHub · Claude Code · Real-Time Voice Agents · Security & Adversarial AI · MCP & RAG · Prompt Engineering · Economics & Stack · Ethics & Accountability

Sector focus branches: AI for Admin & Ops · AI for HR & Comms · AI for Customer Service · AI for Finance & Reporting · AI for Education

Recommended pairings: Prompt Engineering → anytime after Module 2; Automation → Module 2 & 8; Git/GitHub → Module 6; Claude Code → Module 4; Creative Tools → Module 3; Sector branches → anytime after Module 2.

Irregular attendance is totally fine. Each module stands alone. Someone who missed Session 2 can still show up for Session 3 — they'll just start Module 3 instead of 4. Progress saves to their browser, so returning learners pick up exactly where they left off.

🩹 When things go sideways

These are the six situations you will encounter, and what to do.

"I can't connect to Wi-Fi"

Share your phone's hotspot. Put them next to someone with a working connection. In the worst case, Modules 1–3 require no sign-in and most content loads from cache after the first visit — so a brief Wi-Fi drop isn't fatal.

"I'm on a Chromebook / iPad / school laptop"

Modules 1–3 work fine — browser only, no install. Modules 4–8 need a terminal, which Chromebooks and iPads don't have in the standard way. Put them onto Modules 1–3 for this session and flag it for next time. Don't let it derail the session.

"They've finished everything in 30 minutes"

Good problem to have. Direct them to a branch module — there are 16 to choose from. Best choices: if they're a business owner, try Automation Workflows or their relevant sector branch (HR, Customer Service, Finance, Admin). If they want to level up their prompting game, Prompt Engineering is the most universally useful. If they're technically curious, try Claude Code or MCP & RAG. If they have ethics questions, the Ethics branch is waiting. Or ask: "What would you actually want to build for your work?" Fast learners become peer helpers if you give them the right frame.

"They're completely lost and haven't moved in 20 minutes"

Sit with them for 5 minutes — not to do it for them, but to do the first step together. Usually the block is "I don't know what to type." Ask: "What do you do for work?" Then: "Ask the AI to help with that." Just removing the blank-page anxiety is usually enough. Then walk away.

"Module 4 setup is broken — npm not found / command not found"

Node.js isn't installed — send them to nodejs.org to download the installer. Once installed, close and reopen Terminal — that refreshes the path. If that doesn't fix it, ask them to try the Gemini CLI path specifically (npm install -g @google/gemini-cli) since it has the most reliable sign-in flow.

"The progress bar won't move / it reset"

Progress saves to the browser's localStorage. Private/incognito mode clears it, as does clearing browser data. If it resets, just tell them: the progress bar is for fun, not a grade. Their real learning doesn't reset. If it truly won't budge, try a different browser.

🌊 How to close a session

"Two minutes — I just want to say three things before we pack up."

"One: whatever you got to today is exactly the right amount. The modules will still be here. Your browser will remember where you left off."

"Two: before the next session, try using AI for one actual thing. Not to experiment — to do something you actually need done. Write an email, draft a post, ask it something you don't know the answer to. That one real use will teach you more than an extra hour on the modules."

"Three: next session is [date]. We'll be picking up from wherever you got to today, and doing [Module X]."

If you have a Google Classroom or group chat: mention it now. If not: "I'm at tekete.co.nz and [your email/contact] — reach out if anything breaks at home."

💡 The important bit — what this is actually about

The modules, the progress bar, the XP — those are scaffolding. The actual goal is this:

Success looks like: one person leaving with one thing they didn't have when they walked in. Not completion of all 8 modules. Not understanding everything. One useful thing.

This is not a coding course. Nobody writes code. Vibe coding is the frame: you describe what you want in plain English, the AI figures out the how. The skill is getting good at describing things clearly — which, it turns out, is more of a human skill than a technical one.

The audience is artists, café owners, surf instructors, parents, people who've heard about AI but haven't been given a genuinely useful entry point. They don't need jargon. They need a 30-second experience where the tool does something helpful, and then permission to keep going.

The best thing you can do as a facilitator is model not knowing: ask the AI something you genuinely don't know the answer to, out loud, in front of the group. Watch it answer. Say "huh, I didn't know that." It normalises the feeling of learning.

The thing to actively resist: turning it into a lecture. The temptation, especially if you know AI well, is to explain everything. Resist it. The modules do the explaining. Your job is the human layer: energy, troubleshooting, encouragement, and the group-share moments that make it a community event rather than a self-study course.

📋 Logistics & setup notes

Room setup

Horseshoe or cluster seating so people can see each other's screens. A projector or large screen visible from all seats. Power points accessible — people will forget chargers. Tables wide enough for a laptop and a notebook.

Numbers

~12 people is the sweet spot for one facilitator. More than 15 and individual troubleshooting gets stretched. Fewer than 6 and the group-share energy drops. If you're expecting a big turnout, consider having a second helper for Module 4+ sessions (the terminal sessions generate more individual questions).

Pricing

$20 per session, paid at the door. Cash or card. No refunds for no-shows — but people can use their progress in a future session, since everything saves to their browser. Consider a concession rate if that fits the community.

What participants need to bring

A laptop — any OS (Mac, Windows, Linux). Not a tablet.
A charger — 2 hours of active use will drain most batteries.
A Google account — needed for Module 4 (Gemini CLI sign-in). Most people already have one via Gmail.
Nothing else. All tools used in Modules 1–3 are free, browser-based, and require no pre-install.

Module 4 prep note: Node.js needs to be installed before the terminal module will work. If you know in advance who's coming to a Module 4 session, consider sending a note asking them to download Node.js from nodejs.org beforehand — it saves 10 minutes of in-session setup for some laptops.

🏢 Running a B2B / corporate session

Corporate and team bookings run on the same platform but need a different setup and flow. Here's what changes.

Pricing and booking

$150 flat fee + $20–30 per person for a half-day session (2–3 hours). Full-day: $250 flat + $30 per person. Minimum 6 people. The flat fee covers prep, facilitation, and materials. The per-person component covers platform access.

For corporate clients: invoice after the event, 7-day terms. Request a business name and ABN at booking.

What to ask before the session

What does the team actually do? (admin, customer service, finance, HR, creative) — this determines which branch modules you recommend.
Technical level? If the team is non-technical, focus on Modules 1–3 + relevant sector branches. Skip Terminal and Agents.
What's the goal? "Understand AI" vs "leave with something useful" vs "evaluate tools for our workflow" — different emphasis.
Any data privacy constraints? Some organisations restrict which AI services can be used. Check whether staff can use Claude/ChatGPT/Gemini on company devices before the session.

Suggested half-day agenda (corporate)

Time	Activity
0:00–0:10	Welcome + framing. What AI is, what it isn't. Why this session matters for their specific business.
0:10–0:45	Module 1 (AI Landscape) + brief group discussion: what tools have people already used?
0:45–1:20	Module 2 (AI for Work) — group tries the prompt exercises, share one result out loud.
1:20–1:35	Break + coffee
1:35–2:10	Module 3 (Creative AI) OR the relevant sector branch (Admin, HR, Finance, Customer Service) — depending on the team.
2:10–2:40	Build session: each person picks one real work task and uses AI on it with facilitator support.
2:40–3:00	Debrief: what surprised you? What will you use tomorrow? What concerns do you still have?

Branch module recommendations by role

Admin & Operations: Automation Workflows → AI for Admin & Ops
Customer-facing: AI for Customer Service → Prompt Engineering
Finance: AI for Finance & Reporting → Economics & Stack
HR & People: AI for HR & Comms → Prompt Engineering
Technical teams: Claude Code → Git & GitHub → MCP & RAG
Leadership / all-of-business: Ethics & Accountability → Economics & Stack → Automation

Corporate tone adjustments

The community workshop tone is warm, local, and informal. Corporate sessions need a slight shift:

Keep the hands-on identity. Don't turn it into a lecture. Executives especially appreciate the "just try it" format — they're used to being told about tools, not given time to use them.
Connect to their real work immediately. In Module 2, ask the group: "What's the most tedious writing task in your week?" Use that as the first prompt exercise instead of the generic examples.
Address the privacy question early. Have a clear answer ready: "These are consumer-facing tools. The same as if your team used Google Search. Company data that would breach data policy shouldn't be pasted into any AI tool — same rule applies here."
Avoid the rabbit hole. Corporate attendees will ask "but what about compliance" or "can we integrate this with Salesforce" — acknowledge and park: "Great question for after. For the next 20 minutes, let's focus on the hands-on bit."

📬 Contact

For curriculum questions, bugs in the modules, or anything that needs fixing before a session:

T

Tobias McRae

Curriculum author · Raglan AI

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