Cohort Confession: My First Workshop was a Flop! — Here's How I'm Bouncing Back

After a rocky start with my first cohort workshop, I'm opening up about turning setbacks into springboards for success. Dive into the lessons learned and discover my plan for redemption!

Last week, I kicked off the first session of my 6-week cohort. If you're curious about what I'm talking about, take a look at my post where I explain why I decided to run this cohort and what I hope to achieve with it.

I'm a prepper — so I spent the weekend planning the interactive session, even using my own template to organise the workshop (check out the blog post here and grab your template). But, despite all my planning, the workshop didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped.

I tend to be my own worst critic, and although the session wasn’t a complete disaster, there were enough small failings that accumulated, leaving me wanting to grab a glass of wine and hide under a duvet.

However, instead of trying to pretend the session never happened, I forced myself to sit down and reflect on why I wasn’t happy with it. I took out my journal and wrote everything down, knowing this was a golden opportunity to learn. It would be a huge waste not to use this experience. So, I thought, why not share this with you? This way, you can learn from my mistakes, and I can show you that even with ten years of experience, I still don’t have everything figured out.

😩 The Workshop Woes

Rather than bog you down with all the issues in the first workshop, I wanted to share the top 3, as they represent incredibly common pitfalls in workshop facilitation. So here it goes:

⏰ Duration of the Session and Pace of the Workshop

In true ADHD fashion, I struggled to accurately judge how much time each activity would take. This challenge, known as time blindness, makes it incredibly difficult for me to estimate the duration of tasks, even if I’ve done them countless times. So with that, the session I’d planned could realistically have been 90 minutes instead of the overly optimistic 45 minutes I had initially set.

I had planned too many activities, and once I realised we were running out of time, I tried to speed up the session to make sure we covered the most important part — Goal setting!

And here’s the thing, for activities like goal setting, or tasks when the participants need time to think, rushing through or overloading them with activities isn’t going to be productive in producing valuable outcomes.

🤖 Technical and Logistical Errors

I'm not making excuses, but it had been 6 months since I last ran an online workshop, and it showed!

I forgot to check if my plan allowed recording on Google Meet.

I forgot to ensure that participants were following along on Figma, so they knew what I was discussing.

I forgot sharing housekeeping rules about muting when not speaking and how to signal a desire to contribute or ask a question.

Even after nearly 4 years of remote working, I still overlooked the basics of running a virtual session. All these small aspects of managing an online workshop are crucial to ensure smooth, efficient and beneficial sessions for attendees.

📣 Too Much Visual Noise

Looking back at the session, the choice of format for the activities was probably not the best. For example, I had set out sticky notes for our introduction activity, but in reality, we covered this verbally in the meeting. There was no need for us to write down who we were or what we did.

Some of this, I think, comes from my desire during planning to have all the steps clearly laid out. What I should have prepared were presentation slides to guide us through the sections of the activity. The whiteboard activity for goal setting made sense, but for introductions? Not so much.

For the main activity, again, there was too much happening at once. I had written out what SMART goals were, their uses, and how to create one—all this information was on screen simultaneously. Ultimately, this led to people trying to read while also listening to me, which is never ideal.

👩🏻‍🏫 Lessons Learned and Redemption Plan

Even though I felt the session was a bit of a flop due to my poor execution, just by spending 15 minutes reflecting on the hour-long session, I learned so much about what I could and will do differently next time. Here are some things I’m planning to implement:

• Set the housekeeping rules upfront about muting and raising hands. This will help manage the flow of conversation and ensure everyone can contribute without talking over each other.

• Encourage participants to speak up if they don’t understand something or if they’re not seeing what they expect. This will help catch any confusion early and keep everyone on the same page.

• Allow for silence. I was so desperate to fill any gaps, but I realise now that my constant talking must have been incredibly distracting for participants trying to think. Silence can be a powerful tool for reflection and should not be feared.

• Make use of slides and switch to white boarding only when necessary. Slides can provide a clear structure to the session and help keep information organised and accessible.

• Finally, I’ve learned that it’s incredibly hard to facilitate a workshop and participate in it at the same time! Moving forward, I’ll focus on one role to ensure I can give it my full attention and deliver a more effective session.

🌱 Embracing Growth

So, as you can see, while my workshop wasn't the worst out there, there's no denying the significant room for improvement. This experience underscores why reflection is crucial, especially when things don't unfold as anticipated. Taking just 15 minutes to sit down and honestly assess the session allowed me to pinpoint precisely where and how I can enhance future workshops. Without this critical reflection, I'd likely repeat the same errors, oblivious to the opportunities for growth right in front of me.

What this journey has taught me—beyond the practicalities of workshop facilitation—is the value of resilience, adaptability, and the commitment to continuous improvement. Every setback, no matter how disheartening, is a stepping stone towards becoming better at what we do. It's through these moments of vulnerability and self-assessment that we truly evolve, even if they’re uncomfortable.

🎤 Your Turn

I'd love to hear from you now. Whether it's a workshop flop, a challenging presentation, or any professional setback you've faced, how have you turned that experience into a catalyst for growth? Share your stories, tips, or words of encouragement in the comments below.

Together, we can transform our collective setbacks into a set of success stories. So, let's hear it—what lessons have your own 'flops' taught you?

Until we chat again — Liz 🍔

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