In-person workshops are back. Who doesn’t?love a Miro board? But actually?getting into a room together full of post-it notes and ideas cannot be beaten.
Fresh off the heels of successful workshops leading businesses through change to a Regenerative business?model, inclusion?in research, and skincare, Catherine Anstead, Associate Director at Truth, has gathered top tips for successful workshopping with stakeholders.?
- An enticing invitation -?stakeholders are invited to many meetings; ensure your workshop stands out with a designed and attention-grabbing invite. Make it feel exclusive. Can you share a teaser video teasing some of the content??
- Encourage attendance from all levels -?bringing people together who might not usually meet and empowering them to equally contribute, can create unique opportunities for collaboration, sharing different perspectives and ideating together.
- Credibility through insights?-?regardless of the desired outcome - innovation, thought leadership, a creative idea - bringing consumer and cultural insights into the workshop?and delivering it?in deep but?punchy way?-?through visuals, headlines, provocations, or tensions, creates belief, energy?and action.
- Build empathy - adorn the room with consumer-generated quotes and images delivered through empathy maps. A simple video can convey more than a thousand words. In a world of information overload, we find that building human connection?though emotional inspiration?leads to change.
- Create immersion & interaction?- leave your PowerPoint behind and instead create beautifully?printed toolkits, designed stimulus cards, a booklet, or posters. Being able to touch and feel the insights and get involved instead of being presented to creates better engagement and therefore better ideas.?
- Assign accountability -?don’t?let your stakeholders leave before action points, a roadmap, timeline, and next steps are assigned. As a facilitator, it’s?your role to ensure the workshop creates action. Only if your workshop generates action will it be a success.?
- Don’t?forget to include fun?- So much of life is happening online; in-person workshops are a great opportunity?to get together, share ideas, and gel with team members. Build in fun, a competitive element, time to get to know each other beyond the work profile, and?have a meal together. Enforcing a rule of no laptops or mobiles can help.?
- A leave-behind?-?a one-pager leave-behind ensures the workshop and actions live on beyond the day and are more likely to lead to business change. Follow up with your stakeholders to see if they’ve?followed through with their plans.?
To find out more about Truth and how we can help email [email protected]?
