Getting participants primed for your planning workshop

Make sure your team is good to go for your next planning workshop

So you’ve pressed the ‘go’ button and are excited about what your planning workshop may be able to deliver.

For context, from the previous post in this series, you now have the tools to identify the time and resources needed to get your planning workshop off the ground.

Take your shoes off

Now it’s time to sit down, take your shoes off, put on the shoes of your participants and take a walk (well imagine this at least)…planning workshop

  • What might they be wanting from the session?
  • What might they be looking forward to?
  • What could they be dreading?
  • What elements of the workshop would appeal to them?

In your communications regarding the planning workshop be sure to paint a positive picture about why it’s being held and what it could do for the team and participants.

Provide some insight about the workshop vibe:planning workshop

  • Fun and fast-paced
  • Serious and deliberate
  • Innovative and exciting
  • Something else

Let people know they’ll have a chance to participate in a range of ways – some of which will be more appealing than others.

Three key ways to involve participants in your workshop

I’m a big fan of applying a model developed by Sam Kaner, a mega talented and experienced facilitator, based in San Francisco.

Sam’s model shows that we can involve workshop participants in three ways:planning workshop

  1. Tap into the diversity they bring to the group
  2. Help them to do their thinking
  3. Deliver outcomes for the group

1. Tap into the diversity they bring to the group

In this mode we need to recognize, understand and give voice to the different types of people in the workshop along with the range of perspectives and experiences they bring. It’s important here for us to help them to consider each other’s views and not necessarily change them in the time they have together.

2. Help the group to do their thinking

When I started out as a bright-eyed, idealistic facilitator I thought everything had to be fun. Lots of excitement, new processes, constant movement and everything happening quickly. I was fortunate enough to have an observer subtly tell me that I was just annoying the crap out of people. What I really needed to do was slow down and make sure people have plenty of time to do their thinking. This particularly includes (even in the online space) quiet time for reflection and clear focus questions.

3. Deliver outcomes for the group

Often, we’re under the pump to deliver outcomes. We need to be careful to get this right, with due recognition for the components (i) and (ii). Sam’s challenge for us is to keep these three components in some kind of balance.

In the next instalment we’ll look at examples of good vision statements.

In the meantime, grab the Session Summary to keep you get moving.

Of course if you can’t wait that long, or need a hand with session design and facilitation, get in touch or book a 20 minute planning session.

Posted in

Andrew Huffer

Andrew Huffer has over 30 years experience in facilitation and stakeholder engagement, constantly working with organisations, businesses, managers and communities and at a state, national and international level. You’ll find that his approach is simple and clear, which will help you and your team to make sound decisions and implement lasting solutions.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Privacy Policy · Legal Notices · Copyright © 2025 · All Rights Reserved · SiteMap | Archives | Andrew Huffer by Smarter Websites | Web Design Perth