Ridding the world of dull workshops
Yes they are the bane of our lives.
They blot our days, stifle our creativity and drive us all mad. We’ve all attended a workshop that was dis-organised, chaotic and a waste of time. We’ve sat there with people arriving late, others chatting on Facebook and some upping and leaving before the end.
If I’m attending, I expect the organiser to be well prepared. When I’m hosting it’s like a military operation with nothing left to chance. I want to ensure those attending are engaged, enthused and happy to be attending. I need them leaving believing the session to be worthwhile and of personal and business benefit.
As a fan of well rehearsed and planned workshops here are my top tips for delivering the perfect workshop.
- Make it purposeful & relevant
Be clear on the purpose of the session. Assess whether you really need a four hour meeting. Give the session a real sense of purpose and direction. Make sure the topic or topics under discussion are relevant to those attending and that the context is spot on. There’s nothing worse than attending a workshop and realising it should probably be happening 3 months from now.
2. Set a clear agenda. Give expected outcomes.
Design an agenda that is clear and engaging. Leave plenty of room for breaks and enough time for each topic. Be open about what is expected to have been achieved by the end of the workshop. Don’t squash too much into the session. Never have people saying ‘we needed more time’ or ‘that felt rushed’. It’s a difficult balance as everyone has their own perception of time. It’s worth testing your agenda with likely attendees. Will they be showing up? After all, they have a diary full of meetings.
3. Invite the right people
Talking about data permissions, make sure someone from analytics and privacy are there. If wanting to discuss content strategy make sure you have the right content strategist attending. I’ve been to one or two workshops where you end up chatting to people who barely understand why they are there.
4. Make it interactive. Give the session energy
This is a rule for all workshops otherwise it’s just a meeting. I often use two types of interactivity. One is just silly fun to get people geared up for the session. It might be building a model out of Play-Doh or recounting a funny story. The other form of interactivity are exercises. These are relevant to the topic you are discussing but are used to drive different ways of thinking. You can use interactivity to mitigate harmful behaviours that come up during a workshop. Edward de Bono’s ‘Six Hats thinking’ is a great tool for this so check it out.
5. Have ‘red lines’ that everyone is clear about
It’s not about being draconian but it is good to spell out what behaviours are expected and not acceptable during the workshop. Like rules of the road, they should be black and white. My favourites are no iPhone fidgeting and no talking down someone’s opinion. Both behaviours show a lack of respect and also indicate that the person attending would probably be better off elsewhere. It’s important to make sure attendees are ‘mindfully present’. If they want a few hours off work they should visit the gym.
6. Give space to introverts
The quiet ones aren’t sitting there because they are shy or don’t understand the topic. They sit back from the group because they aren’t typically the loudest voices and aren’t comfortable with public speaking and debate. Ensure your workshop has ways for them to engage and share their views. Give them space to talk and offer to mediate and help them get a word in. This is especially important when hosting a meeting involving people from different cultures.
7. Give attendees specific roles
Linked to the above. Not everyone is the same. Make sure attendees know what is expected of them. If you know someone who has great attention to detail make them the chief note taker. If there is good scribe in the room give them the opportunity to draw diagrams or visuals on whiteboards.
8. Follow up or expect failure
The minute you finish your wash up and announce next steps the clock has started. Don’t drop out notes 7 days after the event. Show attendees their input matters and follow up as soon as possible. Lay out a plan for momentum so that you continue to engage if necessary. If you mention feedback make sure you get it. Leave it too late and your great workshop might just blend in with all the others that week.
My next workshop is coming up in February. It means a 7 hour journey door to door. The best bit about it is I know my colleagues will deliver a great session. They follow these rules and every workshop is a joy to attend. It helps me to get over the fact that there might be a powder day approaching as I lift off from Geneva. Workshops when it’s snowing heavily at home is pretty upsetting.
If you do find yourself in a dull workshop try FT columnist Lucy Kellaway’s top tips for pretending to look engaged. Funny if nothing else.
Good luck fellow workshoppers and please share with others and share your meeting tips below.
