Recently co-facilitated workshops for 2 days
Lots of coffee, sticky notes, talking, listening, and filtering of ideas. We walked away with a list of prioritized recommendations and lots of action items – so I give it two thumbs up as an effective workshop. They don’t always end up this way. Sometimes they are a cheap excuse to gossip about work and distractedly worry about all the work you are not getting done while trapped in an over-air conditioned room.
Workshops are often perceived as an expensive luxury because it takes key leaders out of circulation (big opportunity cost) with only limited follow through. Completely agree this is a key danger.
AND it’s really the best way to drive consensus and kick-start the change management process. Getting people together – out of their element, and focused on a specific task can be productive and fun.
The objective, scope, size, audience, and process of workshops vary dramatically. Some are buttoned-up affairs, while others are fun, almost whimsical. My group was glad to be there; with the lock-down on non-essential corporate travel, it has been a rare opportunity for these folks to get away from the day-to-day grind, and instead, spend time thinking critically about bigger problems.
Before the workshop:
- Choose the right people to attend. You want 1) an executive sponsor 2) decision makers 3) subject matter experts, 4) professional facilitators
- Set a clear objective, agenda, and choreograph the events. Consultants like to pre-wire meetings so that we guide 80% of the outcome of any meeting.
- Do the pre-work to characterize the “current state” through interviews, surveys, or data collection; don’t waste valuable workshop time on this
- Schedule WAY in advance so you have good attendance and mindshare
- Send out pre-reads so the attendees come with the same base level of understand
- “Campaign” with few influencer to make sure you have some momentum going into the day
- Architect the time, continually asking “what does success look like?”
- Have a point of view (know what YOU think); even if you don’t share it, this will not be a brainstorming session
- Get all the logistics out of the way – room, projector, markers, whiteboards, catering, wifi
During the workshop:
- Use the space strategically – room set up, who sits by whom
- Have a key client (read: the boss’ boss) open up the day, and call people to attention
- Set ground rules, review agenda, introduce yourselves (ice breaker)
- Drive interaction – create the environment where people can step up their leadership game
- Oscillate between democracy mode (getting input, opening up the questions) and dictator mode (sharpening the thinking, and putting it on paper)
- Have guts; be willing to “laugh off” a strange, de-railling comment, and keep the ball rolling
- Continuously summarize the talking points, write them down, group them, then re-summarize
- Cold-call quiet people, and gentle “shush” talkative people
- Group photo at the end of the workshop; oh yeah, I am that person on the team
- Remember the improv rule of Yes, AND. . .
After the workshop:
- Aggressive follow-up of action items
