Workshops that work
A workshop can be a powerful tool for leading, creating or exploring. If it is a retrospective, design sprint or a learning hour, some aspects are common for success.
Purpose
Only one thing can be the most important. If we want to align a workshop well, aligning it for one thing, and nothing else, is the easiest. A workshop has limited time, so the scope must be limited. Decide what the most important outcome is for the workshop, and design it fully for that outcome.
Participation
Everyone is important in a workshop. If the purpose is learning, each participant needs to get a chance to grow. For workshops aimed at creating or exploring, the views from everyone are even more crucial. It is important to have a structure that works for extroverted and for introverted people. One way to do that is by using exercises that let people think on a topic in multiple ways, some of those can be found among the liberating structures.
Structure
Guiding towards the purpose, and enabling participation, is done through structure. This post is about creating structure in a workshop
Time
For a workshop to work as planned, you need to be able to complete all steps. Some workshops can bring value when half-finished, but most need the conclusion and some make things worse if left half done.
Information
The workshop needs full focus. If the participants lack information, the facilitator has to have it at hand; otherwise the schedule will be disrupted. Try to anticipate what will be needed, or plan for breaks long enough so that missing information can be found.
Trust
The last, but not least, part is trust. The environment has to be psychologically safe, and the facilitator must be trusted by the participants. Trust can be cognitive or emotional. The important part is to have a mandate to lead the workshop, and that everyone else feels safe to participate. You can read more about psychological safety here.
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