How to setup and manage a corporate workshop
Start by blocking the time of a large group of employees across multiple levels and cross functional teams. This will ensure the time is in everyone’s busy calendars well in advance. In due course, likely at earliest the day before the meeting, but perhaps a few days before, you will include the agenda. The meeting invite will move to tentative in everyone’s calendars, they will need to accept again. Beware: Some will forget they’d accepted and see an opportunity to escape.
Make room in the start of your agenda for executive words of inspiration. No doubt a flagellating executive of dubious reputation will want to show they are in charge, set the tone, ensure their context is clear, before they quickly leave, destined for more important pastures.
Bear in mind, They may go on for an extended period of time, plan accordingly. (This is an opportunity for you to show how important your workshop is to the organization by playing on the ego of those with ambitions of grandeur).
It is also advisable to have a moderator or host for your workshop – someone who can manage the agenda, moderate excited discussion, and activate quiet participants. And let it be known that virtual participants when called upon are more than likely to have mute issues, perhaps for several minutes at a time.
There will be one person or perhaps two who will dominate discussion by sheer force of character and want of emotional intelligence. Your host will want to embrace these people, they are the workshops lifeblood. While they are generally lacking much of substance, without them you will be truly unable to make any progress. They will guide you into unwanted territory speaking of anecdotal evidence of days past, arguing unimportant points of fact and definition, and without regard for time constraints. Bon voyage.
Sticking to the agenda and tracking minutes will be critical – ensure the most junior person is responsible for capturing confused conversation and debate throughout the event. Ideally, they are informed of their important role after the meeting has started , and your minutes come back as a transcript.
Be aware, participants will trickle out at the half hour and hour markers. take no notice. Life is too short. (If your host is truly worth his or her salt they will call these people out as turncoats and traitors, to which they will meekly apologize and swear allegiance to the workshop, promising a swift return).
As time ticks on and it becomes clear that you’ve only covered the first part of the agenda and there are only 30 minutes left, brace yourself for a rapid dash to the finish line. Skipping over key elements like thoughtful ideation or definition of framework for prioritization is no problem , your workshop likely had a planned outcome anyway and was only designed with one objective in mind – make everyone feel that they’ve had a hand in designing the future.
Last, be sure to communicate to all participants afterwards the success that was your workshop. Ensure not to mention the total cost to the organization in employee hours, nor the comments from the annoyingly competent manager that challenged key principles. Focus on your next steps – lord knows you don’t need everyone’s consent to call it a set of agreements. Even the virtual participant has tacitly concurred by simply joining and muting for 3 hours.