Educational Workshop Series Planning

[53] Fifteen Best Practices for How to Lead a Workshop On Wednesday, I gave a workshop on how to give a workshop—very meta, I know. Andreas Schröter invited me to a be.boosted event where the new generation of fellows will soon be leading their own workshops. So the timing was perfect! But what actually matters when planning and running your own workshop? Here are 15 best practices I’ve developed over the years: ---------- PREPARATION & PLANNING ---------- ⏳ 1) Time Your Workshop Realistically Less is more—don’t overload. For a 60-minute session, plan 30 minutes of content and 30 minutes of interaction. ☕ 2) Include Breaks (Even in Short Workshops!) Attention spans fade fast. Give a 5-10 minute break every 45-60 minutes to keep energy up. 🎤 3) Start Strong—Skip Awkward Intros Ditch the long bios. Open with a question, story, or surprise: "What made the best workshop you’ve attended great?" 🙋 4) Engage Participants Immediately Ask easy, low-stakes questions in the first five minutes: "What’s one word that describes how you feel about leading a workshop?" 🖥️ 5) Prepare Interactive Elements—But Only With Purpose In my humble opinion, many workshops are currently overusing interactive elements like complex quizzes or flashy slides just to seem impressive. Interaction is great, but only when it serves a clear purpose. ---------- DURING THE WORKSHOP ---------- 🎭 6) Get Participants Doing Something People remember what they do. Use polls, breakout rooms, or whiteboards. Example: "In pairs, share one example from experience." 🤫 7) Embrace Silence—Give Thinking Time Ask a question, then wait at least five seconds. If no response: "Take 10 seconds, then type in the chat." 🔁 8) Repeat Key Takeaways Say it → Show it → Let them say it. Reinforce key points with slides, stories, and activities. ⏱️ 9) Manage Time—Stay on Track Use a timer and give reminders: "Two minutes left!" Always build in buffer time. 🛠 10) Have a Backup Plan for Activities No answers? → Share an example. Too fast? → Add a bonus prompt. Too quiet? → Start with 1:1 or small groups. ---------- CLOSING & FOLLOW-UP ---------- 📌 11) Summarize Clearly Before Ending Never stop abruptly—people need closure (and so do you). The final moments of a workshop are often the most important, yet the least prepared. ✅ 12) End with a Call to Action Encourage immediate application or long-term reflection. Example: "Before you log off, write down one thing you’ll use in your next workshop." ❓ 13) Leave Time for Questions—But Make It Engaging Instead of "Any questions?", try more concrete questions such as: "What additional experiences have you had that we haven’t discussed today?” 📚 14) Offer Follow-Up Resources Share slides, key takeaways, or further reading. If possible, offer to answer follow-up questions. 🎉 15) End with Energy & Gratitude Avoid awkward fade-outs! Close with a final thought. If possible, rehearse your closing as much as your opening.

📐 The Architecture of Collab Workshop Design 👉 Meeting-by-Meeting Here’s the set of “Prep Meetings” me & my colleagues use for designing & planning our workshops. Context: ▸ My typical workshop prep time is ~ 5 weeks. ▸ I work typically with 1 or 2 co-facilitators. ▸ More of my colleagues are ready to consult. BEFORE, I would: 👉 Schedule the workshop (5 weeks in the future), and then 👉 Would schedule the prep meetings from week to week on an “as needed” basis, meaning: “Oh, it’s time to start working on the agenda. Hey team, let’s meet on this!” Not optimal, because: ▸ Calendars get busy ▸ My attention can slip, and I can forget ▸ Scheduling “every now and then” is a distraction So I came up with this fix: 💡 Schedule ALL prep meetings in advance. Like I would schedule a training curriculum. Here are the meetings: 🔵 Weekly Meetings 🔵 ▸ Progress check-in with the client/workshop requestor (30 min) ▸ Progress check-in with co-facilitators (30 min) 🔵 One-Off Meetings 🔵 ▸ Workshop prep kick-off with co-facilitators, requestor (30 min) ▸ Individual interviews with participants (1 with each participant, 30 min) ▸ Creative moment (all co-facilitators throw ideas on what to do in the workshop: 30 min) ▸ 1st Draft of Agenda (with co-facilitators; 30 min) ▸ 2nd Draft of Agenda (with co-facilitators; 30 min) ▸ Agenda Peer Review (with 1-2 colleagues who are NOT my co-facilitators; 30 min) ▸ Final agenda walk-through (60 minutes) That’s it! Now I schedule all those meetings immediately after we schedule the workshop. It saves me a lot of focus, and creates a nice & steady cadence for our team prep work. — Want to know more? Let me know in the comments! I might give this topic space in a future post 😏

Most workshop plans fall flat One reason is a lack of "Examination" Here’s a 5-step approach to plan sessions with a critical lens: 1. Define Help the leadership to critically assess the strategic relevance of the session - What’s the ultimate outcome leadership expects from this session? - How does this session contribute to the larger initiatives? - What are the team’s most immediate needs, and how can this session address them? 2. Examine Understand the team’s current dynamics and unspoken tensions. - Are there concerns about this topic that haven’t been voiced yet? - What are the power dynamics at play? - Have there been any prior initiatives to solve this issue before? After this phase, go back and sharpen the define section one more time. 3. Outline Start at the desired end and work your way backwards. - What are the key decisions or actions that need to come from this session? - Where can I insert decision-making moments to steer the conversation? - What are the critical inflection points that might change the direction? 4. Present Validate your plan with key stakeholders before the session. - Does this plan align with leaderships expectations? - What feedback do they have on the flow or content? - What might be potential blind spots at the moment? 5. Commit Ensure follow-through with clear post-session accountability. - What are the specific actions or next steps from this session? - Who’s responsible for each follow-up item? - How will we check progress after the session to ensure results? What worked for you in workshop preparation? -- FYI: I run a 1-hour free training on the 3 constraints of impactful meetings. You can find the link in the comments. 👇

Last week I had the pleasure of delivering a workshop on behalf of Excel Communications (HRD) Ltd. The planning for this started last year, so it was great to see it come to fruition. Planning a workshop, team meeting or seminar can feel overwhelming, especially when juggling multiple objectives, audience needs, and logistical considerations. Enter the mind map: a simple yet powerful tool to streamline your planning process and unlock your creativity. Mind maps align with how our brains naturally think—visually and associatively. Instead of linear lists, mind maps allow you to explore ideas freely, see connections, and break down complex tasks into manageable parts. This provides: ✅ Clarity: A clear visual of your workshop’s structure and flow. ✅ Creativity: A way to brainstorm and capture ideas organically. ✅ Flexibility: Easy adjustments as your plans evolve. Here’s a Step-by-Step Guide to Planning with a Mind Map 1. Start with the Central Theme Place your topic or goal at the centre of your mind map. For example, if designing a workshop about "Leadership Skills," write this in the middle and circle it. 2. Branch Out Key Elements From the central theme, draw branches for major components such as: - Learning Objectives: What do participants need to achieve? - Audience Needs: Tailor content to their skill level and expectations. - Workshop Structure: Break down sections like icebreakers, presentations, activities, and Q&A. - Resources: List materials, handouts, and equipment required. 3. Add Sub-Branches Expand each major component with more detailed ideas. For instance, under "Workshop Structure," include sub-branches for timing, specific activities, or speakers. This ensures nothing is overlooked. 4. Prioritise and Organise Use colours, symbols, or numbering to prioritise tasks and ideas. For example, highlight must-have elements in one colour and optional extras in another. This helps you focus on essentials. 5. Review and Finalise Step back and assess your mind map. Are all the key elements addressed? Does the flow make sense? Adjust as needed to create a cohesive plan. Mind maps aren’t just for planning; they also make it easier to communicate your plan to stakeholders, adapt quickly to changes, and stay organised on the day of the event. Their visual nature keeps the bigger picture in view while allowing you to drill down into the details. Next time you’re tasked with planning an event or project, try creating a mind map. It’s a straightforward yet transformative way to clarify your goals, spark ideas, and bring structure. Your audience will thank you for the thoughtful preparation, and you’ll enjoy the confidence that comes with a clear, actionable plan. What tools or techniques do you use to plan events? Share your thoughts in the comments, I’d love to hear them! Have a great week. #WorkshopPlanning #MindMapping #LeadershipTraining #lojan25

I’ve run over 80 workshops. Nail these 5 things to guarantee workshop success. 💘 Objectives → Everything flows from having the right objectives. → Align objectives with key stakeholders ahead of time. → Share objectives at the start of the workshop to frame the session. 👩🚀 Space → In the physical world, space should encourage collaboration through small tables, good natural light and a surface you can stick things to. → Virtually, we want a really thoughtfully designed virtual board that encourages participation from everyone. 🤹♀️ People → You have to have the right collaborators and decision makers so you can achieve your objective. Not too many, not too few. → If you don't have that guest list right it's going to be really hard to get the outcomes that you want. 🧵 Methods →  You've got to pick engaging workshop methods to move you towards your objective. → It's important to hear from everyone early to encourage ongoing participation. ⚡ Facilitator → The facilitator needs the right level of experience to make the workshop work → Consider multiple facilitators for big groups. Anything else you’d add to make sure the workshops goes perfectly?