Setting the scene
Purpose & Context of any workshop, session or a part of it
- Framing story or metaphor – open with a short story or image that conveys the session’s deeper purpose.
- Agenda walk-through – briefly describe the flow of the day and expected outcomes.
- Etiquette – co-create or review simple behavioural norms (“one voice at a time”, “assume positive intent”, etc.).
- Success criteria or promise – ask “What would a successful session look like?” to align expectations.
Roles & clarity
- Introduce roles visually – show who’s facilitating, timekeeping, note-taking, etc.
- Consent check – “Is everyone okay to proceed?” to model inclusion.
- Confidentiality agreement (Las Vegas) – if sensitive topics may emerge.
Tone & Mindset
- Leader invitation – have a sponsor or leader articulate why this matters
- “What’s in it for us?” reflection – each participant states the personal relevance.
- Agreed hint – display a purpose statement or symbol on the wall throughout.
Discussion
Getting people to speak / speak up
- Go-round / lightning round – quick responses from everyone (“one thing you hope to get from today”).
- Ask people specifically – call on individuals rather than the whole room to break silence gently.
- Think–pair–share – private reflection → paired discussion → open shareback.
Surfacing feedback
- Thumbs up / thumbs down / sideways – quick pulse on agreement.
- Scale of 1–5 hand show – level of confidence or experience.
- Spectrum line – participants place themselves along a continuum (e.g. “New to this ←→ Expert”).
Ideation & co-creation
Idea Generation (divergent thinking)
- Freelisting – invite participants to write as many responses as possible to a prompt.
- Brainwriting / silent storming – ideas generated individually on paper before group discussion.
- Affiliate mapping – visualise who/what connects to which initiative or stakeholder.
Contain and Organise Divergence
- Parking lot – capture off-topic but valuable ideas.
- Time-box divergence – clearly separate idea generation from evaluation.
Converging, Deciding
- Key insight harvest – invite each participant to share one big takeaway or “signal.”
- Dot voting – simple democratic way to spot energy and interest.
- Stack ranking – rank items by importance, impact, or feasibility.
Wrapping up and reviewing
Closing and Committing
- Facilitator summary – restate the key agreements, insights, and next steps in plain language.
- Celebration moment – applause, toast, or gratitude round to acknowledge effort.
- Feedback pulse – quick “how was today?” scale or one-word close.