Introduction to Canva and Its Benefits (15 minutes)

• Explain Canva’s purpose: Highlight its role as a user-friendly, affordable tool for small businesses to create professional visuals.
• Benefits for small businesses: Emphasize Canva’s accessibility (free version available), the wide range of templates, and its flexibility for both digital and print needs.
• Quick Dashboard Tour: Show participants the main sections—templates, uploads, text, elements—and explain how to navigate each.

Hands-On Dashboard Exploration (20 minutes)

• Group Walkthrough: Go through the dashboard slowly and encourage participants to click through each section.
• Mini Task: Ask each participant to pick a template they find interesting and save it to their projects.
• Focus on Popular Templates: Social media posts, Instagram stories, and Facebook covers—discuss where each type might be useful.

Collaborative Activity: Creating a Basic Social Media Post (45 minutes)

• Pair Participants: Assign each pair to create a simple Instagram or Facebook post relevant to their business. Example prompts could be: “Introduce your business,” “Share a product feature,” or “Announce a sale.”
• Step-by-Step Guidance: Walk through customizing templates by:
  • Editing Text: Show them how to adjust text size, color, font, and alignment.
  • Changing Images: Explain how to replace images in the template with Canva’s free images or their own uploads.
  • Exploring Colors: Guide them to adjust colors that match their brand’s style.
• Add Finishing Touches: Encourage them to add elements like icons or emojis, but keep it simple to avoid overwhelming the design.

Present, Share & Feedback Session (30 minutes)

• Group Presentation: Each pair presents their post to the group, explaining why they chose their template and any personalizations they made.
• Friendly Feedback: Offer a couple of suggestions per pair, focusing on how they can make small improvements without overcomplicating the design.
• Posting to Social Media: Guide them through downloading the image in the correct format (JPEG or PNG) and encourage them to post it on their personal or business social media with a course hashtag.

Independent Task for Day 5 Prep (To be completed before the next session)

• Assignment: Ask each participant to create a unique social media post independently, using what they learned. This will be shared and reviewed at the beginning of Day 5.