The 3 best methods for a successful workshop
Workshops are a powerful tool in every team's toolbox to drive innovation, develop solutions, and increase engagement. But not every workshop is successful. Choosing the right workshop methods can determine the success or failure of such an event. In this article, we show when which workshop method is suitable to make the event not only productive but also inspiring.
Before you dive into planning, make sure the goal of the workshop is clearly defined. Is it ideation, decision making, or team building? With a fixed goal in mind, you can plan the agenda and ensure that every activity is focused on that goal.
Brainstorming: The classic for finding creative ideas
One of the most popular and time-tested workshop methods is brainstorming. This technique is widely used because it is simple, flexible and suitable for almost any group size. The aim of brainstorming is to generate a variety of ideas in a short period of time and to let the team's creative juices flow.
The brainstorming process
The process typically starts with presenting a question or problem that is about to be resolved. Participants are then asked to generate as many ideas as possible without evaluating or criticizing them. There are no “bad” ideas in this phase — quantity prevails over quality.
Rules for effective brainstorming
For brainstorming to be effective, a few basic rules should be established:
- No criticism: Any idea is welcome, criticism is not allowed in this phase.
- Encourage free thinking: Participants should also be encouraged to contribute unconventional or crazy ideas.
- Building on ideas from others: Participants can build on the ideas of others to develop new suggestions.
- Hear all voices: Every participant should have the opportunity to be heard.
- Not longer than 20 minutes: After this period, the ability to concentrate decreases sharply and so does the quality and motivation of workshop participants.
Techniques to increase creativity
Within brainstorming, various techniques can be used to increase creativity:
- Mind mapping: Visualize ideas in a diagram to see connections between different thoughts.
- Brainwriting: Participants write down their ideas to avoid groupthink and involve quieter participants. This works best with post-its.
- Round Robin: A method in which each participant contributes an idea in turn
Use digital tools
In times of digitization and remote working, tools such as Miro or Google Jamboard can support brainstorming. These tools enable teams to collaborate in real time and visually collect and organize their thoughts.
After brainstorming: Evaluate ideas
After a variety of ideas have been collected, the evaluation phase follows. Here, the ideas are reviewed, grouped and evaluated for their potential. It is important that this process is structured and respectful of all participants and their contributions.
Brainstorming as a starting point for innovation
Brainstorming is not only a means of generating many ideas, but also a pioneer for advanced methods such as prototyping or design thinking. It lays the creative foundation on which innovative solutions can be built.
World Café: Profound dialogues in an inspiring atmosphere
The World Café is a transformative workshop method designed to encourage open conversations and use collective intelligence. In contrast to brainstorming, which involves rapid idea generation, the World Café aims to generate well-thought-out insights through profound dialogue.
The essence of World Café
In a World Café, participants are divided into several small groups, which sit at different “café tables,” each with their own topic or a specific question. Each table has a host who leads the discussion and notes the key points. After a set time, participants rotate to a new table while the host stays to ensure continuity and introduce the next group to previous discussions.
Designing a World Café workshop
To design a successful World Café, you should consider the following aspects:
- Ambience: Create an inviting café atmosphere with tables, flowers, and maybe even music playing in the background.
- Question: Develop powerful questions that are thought-provoking and relevant to the goal of your workshop.
- documentation: Make visual recordings of discussions, for example through graphical minutes or mind maps.
- Encourage exchange: Encourage participants to share their thoughts openly and build on the ideas of others.
The added value of rotation and diversity
A key element of World Café is rotation. With each change, participants bring new perspectives to the discussions, which leads to a richer and more complex landscape of ideas. This mix promotes understanding and recognition of diverse perspectives.
Using digital tools
Similar to brainstorming, digital tools can also be used at World Café to record the results and enable exchange across spatial borders. Digital platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams can be used to create virtual “tables” where participants discuss.
Conclusion and reflection
At the end of the World Café, a joint reflection will be held, during which the participants will come together to share the key findings from the various table discussions. This step is crucial to develop a collective view and understand how the various ideas are connected.
Long-term effect
The World Café is not just a method for the moment. It can have lasting effects by strengthening relationships, improving mutual understanding and providing a framework for future actions and decisions.
Design Thinking: Innovative problem solving through user centricity
Design thinking is a structured method that aims to solve complex problems in an innovative way. It is particularly effective in workshops, as it encourages teams to empathize with users, question assumptions and develop creative solutions.
Basic principles of design thinking
Design thinking is based on empathy for the user, iterative learning and the development of prototypes. It is not linear, but an exploratory process that goes through various phases:
- Empathy: Understand your users' needs and challenges through observation and interaction.
- Definition: Clarify the problem by analyzing and synthesizing the information gained from the empathy phase.
- Ideation: Generate a wide range of ideas. Brainstorming and other creative techniques can be used here.
- Prototyping: Develop simple models of the best ideas early on to test concepts quickly and cost-effectively.
- Testing: Test your prototypes with real users, collect feedback, and learn from responses.
Using the dynamics of workshops
Design thinking workshops bring people from different disciplines together to benefit from their different perspectives. In a collaborative environment, teams work to understand the users' point of view and develop creative solutions from this.
Create interactive sessions
In a Design Thinking workshop, great value is placed on interaction. Team-building activities and ice-breaker games at the start can help create an open and collaborative atmosphere.
Include visual elements
Visual elements play an essential role in design thinking. Storyboards, user journey maps or impact maps help to visually present the user's perspective and guide the discussion.
Use digital opportunities
Digital tools also offer added value here. They make it possible to conduct workshops virtually and record results digitally. Tools such as Figma or InVision make it easier to work together on prototypes, even when the team is not in the same room.
Iteration as the key to success
Iteration is an essential aspect of design thinking. The process doesn't end with the first prototype or test. Rather, it is a cycle of developing, testing, learning, and improving. Each iteration refines the understanding of the user and the solution.
Conclusion: Design thinking as a pioneer
Design thinking is more than just a workshop method; it is a way of thinking that helps companies to work innovatively and in a user-centered way. By applying design thinking in workshops, teams can learn to systematically address complex challenges and develop solutions that create real added value.
Digital tools for workshops
Digital tools such as Miro or Trello can help organize workshops and facilitate collaboration. They offer digital whiteboards and make it possible to record and share tasks and ideas. AI-based text generators such as MAIA or ChatGPT.
conclusion
Choosing the right workshop methods can be critical to achieving your goals. A well-planned and moderated workshop can work wonders by unlocking your team's full potential.
The best workshops are those that add value to all participants and actively involve them.
