Crafting Interactive Workshops for New Teams

Im facilitating a “Building Trust” Workshop for an Executive Team this week. Here’s how I prepare: 📌I am using my proprietary framework, but customizing for the company Leadership development material is either too custom or too generic. This hybrid model provides a foundation that clients can trust with the nuance needed for their specific situation. (And as the company delivering, it allows you to NOT reinvent the wheel + scale) 📌Provide prep work Giving a little bit of work for the team to do prior to the workshop provides more context and gets every participant excited/thinking about the topic at hand. 📌Include activities that keep all learning styles engaged I include exercises that help: - auditory learners - visual learners - kinesthetic learners - strengthen team bonds - make it fun and not like a boring lecture 📌Create lots of space for discussion. The best workshops are those where you can - you guessed it - WORKSHOP through real examples. 📌Have deliverables and practical next steps Too many L&D providers give open ended/one-way content. Instead, we want every team member to come away with one practical thing they can do tomorrow. 📌 Ask, “What was your biggest takeaway” Not only is this good market research for our company, it’s helpful for participants to reflect on WHY XYZ thing was their biggest takeaway. Which one of these is most interesting? —- P. S. In addition to our outplacement, we provide customizable, actionable leadership development training for teams of all sizes. 😉

Traditional planning sessions can sometimes feel stagnant. To keep your team engaged and ensure productive outcomes, incorporating a variety of facilitation techniques can make a significant difference. Here are some of my favorite techniques that support collaboration, catering to both introverts and extroverts: 💡 Fishbowl Discussion - Create an inner circle (the fishbowl) for active discussion while the outer circle observes. Participants rotate between circles, ensuring everyone has a chance to contribute. 💡 World Café - Set up small groups to discuss different topics at separate tables. Participants rotate tables, allowing for a diverse exchange of ideas and perspectives. 💡 Role Playing - Have participants act out scenarios to explore different perspectives and solutions. This interactive method can lead to deeper understanding and empathy. 💡 Mind Mapping - Use a visual diagram to represent ideas and their connections. This technique helps in seeing the bigger picture and how different ideas relate to each other. 💡 Six Thinking Hats - Assign different thinking styles (e.g., creative, critical, optimistic) to participants. This technique encourages looking at problems from multiple angles and generates well-rounded solutions. Trying new techniques not only makes the session more dynamic but also ensures that every voice is heard. What interactive techniques are your favorites? Let’s exchange ideas! --- Ready to spice up your next strategic meeting or workshop? Let’s chat! #StrategicPlanning #Facilitation #Leadership

After working with 200+ executive teams, I can predict offsite success in the first hour—and it has everything to do with the agenda. Last month, a tech CEO showed me their two-day offsite agenda. Eighteen hours blocked for strategic planning. Ninety minutes for "team building" squeezed between lunch and airport runs. "We want people to bond," she said. "But the real work is in those strategy sessions." Here's what she missed: Research on "self-expanding activities" from couples therapy shows that novel, challenging experiences together literally rewire our brains. Shared struggle and discovery trigger unique neural pathways and hormone releases that create deeper bonds than any trust fall ever could. The same principle applies to teams. When we navigate unfamiliar territory together—whether it's learning a new skill, solving a complex puzzle, or tackling a physical challenge—we build what researchers call "interconnected self-concepts." We stop seeing teammates as job titles and start seeing them as whole people we've struggled alongside. Three ways to design connection that sticks: Replace icebreakers with skill-builders. Cooking classes, improv lessons, or woodworking workshops where teams must collaborate to master something new. Create productive struggle. Design challenges that require different strengths. Conduct a Rube Goldberg machine competition to challenge collaboration, creativity and problem solving. Debrief the experience. Don't just do the activity—talk about what you discovered about each other. What surprised you? What strengths emerged? ___ The pharmaceutical team that rock-climbed together still references that experience in meetings two years later. Not because they loved the climb, but because they learned who stays calm under pressure and who celebrates others' victories. What This Means for Your Team This Quarter: Budget equal time for connection as you do for strategy. Both require intentional design to deliver results. What novel challenge has brought your team closer?