Workshop Facilitation

Last Updated on 2023-08-12 by Kassandra

Who would want to attend a boring, inefficient meeting when you could effectively collaborate with a workshop?

And if you’ve never had the pleasure of being a part of an inclusive workshop? Allow me to reveal why you need to find more ways to easily integrate them and how.

Please note that some links in this article may be affiliate links. Should you click on them and decide to purchase, I might receive compensation.

Why Use Workshops?

Even if you’re a business of 1, there will be times you need to collaborate with others in order to make a decision, solve a problem, or even simply get an idea of what’s really happening on your team.

While everyone needs to collaborate, most of this is done with ineffective & unproductive meetings.

Meetings that could not have been an email, but still appeared to be a waste of time.

This is generally because there is a lack of structure that provides a safe environment for all ideas to be heard, and a facilitator is nowhere to be found.

Generally, a facilitator is a neutral party that guides a group of people towards solving a problem or achieving a desired outcome.

In my case, I’m usually a part of the group who also needs to provide insight.

So not ideal. But the prep work and implementation done by a facilitator is essential for improved collaboration while saving time during these sessions.

But it’s not just about building a fun and interactive workshop for people.

Great facilitators also understand the science of group dynamics and are able to bring a group through the decision making process.

They are focused on outcomes or getting an answer – not getting stuck in the weeds or dealing with politics.

Facilitators create an environment where participants are able to fully engage with and feel ownership of the outcome they helped co-create.

What Tools Should You Use?

For most of my workshops, I use the same 2-3 tools. I’m sure there are many other options out there – but these are my go to tools.

Miro is a digital whiteboard with SO many options and possibilities! I use this to build my workshops and collaborate with teams across the world.

Miro also has a Miroverse where people across the globe and from many different companies share templates that have helped them become greater collaborators, make better decisions faster, and more!

Pip Decks is definitely a favorite! It’s basically someone’s experience boiled down to 52 cards you can use to ideate, create better collaborations, be more innovative, tell better stories, and more!

I’ve also recently come into the knowledge of B.A.D. Canvas – a similar opportunity to Pip Decks but specifically around business.

Aside from this, I also continue my education regarding Design Thinking and taking facilitation courses from companies like AJ & Smart.

Workshop Exercises

Just as there is no one right way to code? There is no single way to run a workshop.

That’s because even if you run the same exercises, you won’t get the same results.

Different teams, needs, and goals each time.

But even if the workshops are not all the same, a lot of the exercises are able to be reused.

As I create more content around this, I will be sharing in this post.

So more to come!

But for now, be sure to check out the following training on exercises I’ve made:

• Sticky Steps – 5 Simple Steps to Easily Create Any Project Plan

Favorite Workshop Templates

As you grow in your knowledge of and experience in running & attending workshops, your preferences will change. What’s great about this, is that you are able to build a small treasure trove of templates you can easily reuse.

This section is about some of my favorites.

Full Workshop Templates

The first I’d like to share is a complete planning workshop toolkit. I made this as part of a content with Pip Decks & Miro. This was often used when planning, so it made sense to make it a public template!

Workshop Template Pieces

Starting Off Your Workshop Session Right

I learned a long time ago when I was in Army JROTC that when providing presentations you should:

• tell them what you’re going to tell them
• tell them the thing
• tell them what you told them

So seeing this meeting wizard template was perfect.

Ice Breakers

While there are many ice breakers available, I have found that one where you can make caricatures of yourself has been the most engaging. (There are even ones where you can create monsters like this one!)

Navigate Unrelated Discussions

One that I don’t use that often (but has definitely come in handy) is the parking lot. (In fact I try to have one for every board!) This way you can table important discussions for a time that hasn’t already been scheduled for a particular discussion.

Immediate Workshop Feedback

To wrap up a workshop session, I personally prefer to use the “happiness door” of this retrospective template. I do suggest to try to add your own items where you would like to improve on for the next one. (Just another way for people to feel safe giving their opinions.)

Wrap up

I hope you found this helpful for your workshop facilitation journey.

If you would like to utilize my facilitation services, please contact me via LinkedIn.

Thank you and have a prosperous rest of your day!

---

★↓FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA!↓★
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
YouTube (Digital Marketing) | YouTube (Programming) | GitHub