Mastering Workshop Planning: A Step-by-Step Guide for Designers
Unlocking successful workshops through clear goals, thoughtful agendas, and engaging activities
In just one day, Iāll be hosting our first session of the 6-week designer cohort (Yes, it's a bit scary š±, but oh so exciting!). This is where we'll dive into polishing our portfolios, gearing up for fresh opportunities coming our way this year. I've head down, busy prepping for this kickoff session, mulling over the agenda, format, and the nitty-gritty of our activities.
And I thought, why not give you a sneak peek into my method of planning a workshop? My goal for any workshop I host is to pack each session with actionable insights, valuable learnings, and, most importantly, ensure it's a seamlessly organised experience. After all, first impressions counts! Not only that, the first session is crucial as it sets the tone for the exciting weeks to follow.
By the way, make sure you stick around to the end as thereās a Free Notion Workshop Planning Template!
š Understanding What You Want to Achieve
Iām sure youāve been there. In a meeting or workshop thinking ā āThis could have been an emailā. And it happens more often than it should. Plenty of meetings and workshops are hosted without a clear goal. It can feel like going through the motions of a workshop rather than a productive tool for learning or advancing. So when considering hosting a workshop, ask yourself these questions:
What do I hope to achieve with this session?
What will the outcomes allow me to do next?
Is a workshop the best format for these goals?
Being crystal clear on your "why" and "what" helps you select activities that align with your objectives, rather than opting for fun activities that may not contribute to your goals.
š Crafting the Perfect Agenda
All successful meetings kick off with a well-thought-out agenda. It's not just about keeping things on track; itās about setting clear expectations for everyone involved. Speaking as someone who's neurodivergent, knowing the why I've been invited to the session and what's expected of me removes unnecessary stress.
Picture your workshop agenda like a story ā it has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Letās break it down:
1ļøā£ Beginning ā Introduction
Hereās where I lay out the 'why' and the goals of our session. For instance, let's say Iāve conducted user research in the previous week, today in this session I would set out our workshop goal as to unearthed some key pain points from that research as a team.
I would then outline the activities we will go through in the session and what weāre hoping to achieve by doing them.
A bit of context setting ā in this example, I would do a quick recap of our previous weeks research, why we did the research and how it was done.
2ļøā£ Middle ā Activity
Since I would have already given a heads up about the activity at the start, there might not be a need to dive deep here. But a sprinkle of additional context, if needed, wonāt hurt. Here is a great time to ask the participants if they understand or have any questions so far.
3ļøā£ End ā Wrap-up
Finally, Iāll round off the session with a recap of what we discovered, any action items, or tasks assigned to specific individuals. Depending on where we are with the project, our next steps could be a continuation of the session, or perhaps we might be able to move onto the next step of the project.
Remember, over-explaining is far better than leaving people in the dark when it comes to the agenda of a meeting. Assuming everyone's on the same page without proper context can lead to a tangle of misunderstandings ā something Iāve experienced in the past when Iāve skipped writing up and going through an agenda!
šļø Example 1hr meeting agenda
ā³ Allocating the Right Amount of Time
Getting the timing right is key. You've got a couple of choices here: either pick your activities first and then figure out how much time they'll need, or start with the amount of time you have and plan your activities around that. The trick is to avoid cramming too much in or rushing through ā nobody likes a marathon session that feels like a sprint!
Keep in mind things like the odd interruption or a late start, especially if youāre going digital ā online workshops are usually best kept to 60 to 90 minutes. For in-person sessions, you can stretch out to about 4 hours, as long as you throw in some decent breaks to recharge. And if youāre starting fresh with new clients, setting aside a full day could be just what you need to impress them.
šÆ Picking the Right Activities
Now you've got your workshopās mission, goals, and a rough agenda in place ā now itās time to choose the activities that will bring it all to life. To help you nail this, Iāve got a treasure trove of resources and tools up my sleeve. These will guide you in refining your choices to ensure each activity is not just engaging but bang on target with your objectives.
š Workshop Tactics Cards
These cards have been my go-to for the past few years. They are perfect for planning your first session or getting unstuck in the middle of a project. This set of cards not only provides a flow chart to help determine the right activities for you but also includes crystal clear and detailed instructional cards to help you run the workshop effectively. Plus, they're a bottomless well of inspiration for your future sessions. Fancy a peek? Grab them in physical form or as digital cards, along with companioning whiteboard templates.
Visit Workshop Tactics Card Deck šš»
š The Design Thinking Toolbox
On the hunt for something that's kind to your wallet but still packed with value? This book is your golden ticket. Similar to Workshop Tactics, it begins by introducing various frameworks and tools outlined in the book. It then guides you on when and how to use these tools during the design process. The book not only walks you through exercises but also provides information on the time required, the number of people involved, and insights from a designer who has successfully used each tool.
Buy The Design Thinking Toolbox šš»
š” Free Online Resources
There's an abundance of free online resources to help you find the perfect activity for your workshop. To save you the time and effort of endless Google searches, here are some of my top picks:
š§° IBM Design Thinking Toolkit
IBM offers a wide range of free tools and resources, including a comprehensive guide to selecting workshop activities. Each card in the toolkit provides the activity's title and explains how it can benefit your session.
IBM Design Thinking Toolkit šš»
š¬ Session Lab
This platform offers a straightforward way to enhance your workshop design process. The free plan gives you access to a public library, up to 10 session plans, and a session planner.
šŖ Miro Universe
While it may not directly help you choose activities, this community of templates is an excellent source of inspiration if you have a rough idea of what you want to do, such as brainstorming or running a retro.
These resources can be your secret weapons in your workshop planning strategy! They're fantastic for pinpointing just the right activities and saving you heaps of time along the way. Each one has its own unique take, so have a bit of an explore and see which ones best suit with your needs and style.
š Creating the Space for Your Workshop
Got your agenda and activities all lined up? Great! Now, letās talk about the space where all the magic will happen. For those of you running remote workshops, tools like Miro and Figjam are absolute lifesavers. They come packed with community resources and templates that make life so much easier. For in-person gatherings, donāt forget to kit out your space with all the essentials ā pens, sticky notes, dots, paper, and of course, snacks (because who doesnāt love snacks?). These little touches can really amp up the value of your workshop.
Hosting a workshop might seem a bit daunting, especially if you're at the junior or mid-level designer stage. But believe me, it's a huge leap towards becoming that senior, leading designer you're destined to be. Mastering the art of bringing people together and guiding discussions is a skill worth its weight in gold. Your initial workshops may not be perfect, but learning from your mistakes is part of the journey.
š„ Free Notion Template for Workshop Wizards
And here's something to make your workshop journey even smoother: I've whipped up a free Notion template just for you! This template is designed to help you get organized and host workshops that not only run like clockwork but are engaging and productive. It's packed with tips, checklists, and layouts to keep everything streamlined. Whether you're planning your first workshop or your fiftieth, this template is here to make your life easier.
Feel free to reach out if you've got any questions, or just to share how your workshops are going. I'm all ears and can't wait to hear how the template helps you in your workshop adventures!
Before I go, here is this week's top jobs I found that I wanted to share with you.
š¤ Jobs
Flo: Multiple Product Roles
āFlo has a world-changing mission to improve the health and well-being of every girl and woman worldwide, so we do ground-breaking work for a world-changing company.ā
šš» Read more and apply
Metro Bank: Midlevel Designer
āYou will be responsible for designing the communications for our most important stakeholder - our customers. This could include bringing campaigns to life, designing store screens, socials, emails and more. You need to have at least five years of professional digital and print design under your belt, either client or agency-side.ā
šš» Read more and apply
Lightyear: User Researcher
āWeāre on a mission to make investing better for everyone in Europe. More specifically, weāre making it light years better (sorryā¦ we had to!). Weāre combining multi-currency accounts with unlimited access to global markets so that everyone in Europe can invest without sneaky hidden fees or unnecessary barriers.ā
šš» Read more and apply
š Did you enjoy this post? Share some love!
I'd be over the moon if you could help spread the word about this newsletter. Feel free to share this with anyone who might find it helpful or interesting ā they can subscribe to get their own little slice of newsletter magic!
Got questions or just fancy a natter? I'm all ears! Drop me an email at liz@skyburgerstudio.co.uk or ping me a message on LinkedIn. Would love hearing from you!
š Before you go, say hello!
Please give this newsletter a like ā¤ļø or a comment š¬ if you found it valuable, interesting or useful in anyway. This small gesture can really help this article reach new audiences and helps me learn what posts resonant!