Use AI to design an energy arc for your session — with a strong open, a mid-session peak activity, and a closing that sends participants out on a high — so energy builds instead of draining across 90 minutes.
The Energy Curve Problem
Most 90-minute workshops follow a predictable energy pattern: decent start, slow middle, rushed finish. The facilitator opens with enthusiasm, hits the content-heavy middle section where energy drops, realizes the clock is running short, and sprints through the end. Participants leave feeling a little flat, even if the content was good.
Energy in a live session is like a story arc. You need a hook to open, rising action through the middle, a peak moment that’s the most engaging activity of the session, and a satisfying close. If you design the energy arc deliberately, instead of letting it happen by accident, the whole session feels different — for you and for your group.
How AI Designs the Energy Arc
Give Claude or ChatGPT your session topic, your key teaching points, and your 90-minute length. Ask it to design an energy arc: “Map a 90-minute workshop on AI tools for educators as an energy arc. Identify where energy typically drops, place the highest-engagement activity at the 50-60 minute mark, and design a closing activity that sends participants out energized.” The output will suggest a structure with engagement peaks and valleys deliberately placed — not just a flat list of topics in order.
The mid-session peak is the most important placement decision. At the 45-50 minute mark, attention naturally starts to fade. That’s exactly where you want your most hands-on, highest-stakes activity — a challenge, a live practice exercise, a hot-seat coaching moment. AI will flag this for you and suggest the format best suited to your content.
What This Means for Educators
As a coach or trainer, managing the energy of a live session is a real facilitation skill — one that most people only develop after running dozens of sessions and noticing what works. AI compresses that learning curve by helping you design for energy intentionally from the start. You can build a 90-minute arc that holds attention the whole way through, even if you’ve only run a handful of live workshops before.
The Bottom Line
Ask your AI tool to map your next session as an energy arc before you finalize the agenda. Place your best activity at the 50-60 minute mark. Design your close to leave people with a win, not a summary. A session that ends at a peak is one participants talk about and come back for.