Rationale, aims and objectives To summarize 20-year experience of conducting a workshop designed for educators who wish to improve their teaching skills of evidence based medicine (EBM). The goal is to provide tips for educators interested in replicating this educational model. Methods Qualitative description of factors associated with the success of the workshop. Results The factors considered by instructors to be most helpful are: the small group interactive design, role-play and simulation of real world learning environments, a mentorship model and high educator to learner ratio. Conclusions Although this experience is observational and does not represent high quality evidence, certain attributes in the design of EBM workshops may lead to better dissemination of EBM concepts. Educators may consider empirically applying some of these attributes and testing their efficacy in comparative studies. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.