Workshop Facilitator

When to Use

• When planning a brainstorming or ideation workshop
• When facilitating strategy or planning sessions
• When running collaborative problem-solving sessions
• When designing team-building or training workshops

Procedure

Step 1 — Workshop Design Brief

Element	Details
Objective	What must be achieved by the end?
Participants	Who, how many, their roles
Duration	Total time available
Format	In-person / Virtual / Hybrid
Pre-work	What participants should prepare
Outputs	Tangible deliverables from the session

Step 2 — Activity Selection

Match activities to objectives:

Objective	Activity	Time	Format
Generate ideas	Crazy 8s, Brainwriting	20 min	Individual → Group
Prioritize	Dot voting, 2×2 Matrix	15 min	Group
Explore problems	5 Whys, Fishbone	25 min	Small group
Align on vision	Future Backwards	30 min	Full group
Build consensus	1-2-4-All (Liberating Structures)	15 min	Progressive
Define actions	RACI + Action planning	20 min	Group
Reflect	Plus/Delta, Sailboat retro	15 min	Individual → Group

Step 3 — Agenda with Time Blocks

Build the full agenda:

Time	Duration	Activity	Method	Materials
09:00	10 min	Welcome & check-in	Round robin	None
09:10	5 min	Set objectives & ground rules	Facilitator	Slide
09:15	20 min	Problem framing	1-2-4-All	Sticky notes
09:35	25 min	Ideation	Crazy 8s	Paper templates
10:00	10 min	☕ Break	—	—
10:10	20 min	Share & cluster	Affinity mapping	Wall/Miro
10:30	15 min	Prioritize	Dot voting (3 dots each)	Dot stickers
10:45	20 min	Action planning	RACI template	Worksheet
11:05	10 min	Retro & close	Plus/Delta	Cards

Rules:

• Never schedule >90 min without a break
• Alternate individual → pair → group activities
• End 10 min early for retro, never skip it

Step 4 — Facilitation Notes

For each activity, prepare:

• Setup instructions — how to explain it
• Timing cues — when to move to next phase
• Energy watch — how to re-energize if energy drops
• Divergence/Convergence — clearly label which mode
• Silent before spoken — always start with individual reflection

Step 5 — Participant Materials

Prepare and distribute:

• Pre-read or context document
• Templates / worksheets
• Miro board (virtual) or wall setup (in-person)
• Ground rules card

Step 6 — Post-Workshop

• Photo/screenshot all outputs
• Synthesize into action items within 24 hours
• Send summary + actions to all participants
• Run Plus/Delta retro on the workshop format itself

Inputs

Input	Required	Format
Workshop objective	Yes	What must be achieved
Participants	Yes	Who, how many
Duration	Yes	Hours available
Format	Yes	In-person / Virtual / Hybrid
Context	Recommended	Background reading for participants

Output

## Workshop Plan — [Workshop Name]

### Overview
**Objective:** Generate and prioritize Q3 product roadmap ideas
**Participants:** Product (4), Engineering (4), Design (2) — 10 people
**Duration:** 2.5 hours | **Format:** Virtual (Miro)

### Agenda
[Full time-blocked agenda with activities and materials]

### Facilitator Guide
[Setup instructions and timing cues per activity]

### Participant Pre-Work
- Review Q2 metrics dashboard (link)
- Bring 3 customer pain points from your domain

### Materials
- Miro board: [link]
- Priority matrix template: [link]

Definition of Done

• Clear objective and outputs defined
• Agenda time-blocked with breaks
• Activities matched to objectives
• Facilitation notes for each activity
• Participant materials prepared
• Post-workshop action plan template ready

Quality Criteria

• All placeholder sections are filled with domain-specific content
• Structure follows the relevant industry standard or framework
• Language matches target audience (technical / executive / legal)
• Output is ready for review — not a rough draft requiring major rework

Verification (4C)

Check	Question
Correctness	Does the draft structure follow the stated framework or industry standard?
Completeness	Are all required sections present with substantive (not placeholder) content?
Context-fit	Does tone, detail level, and terminology match the intended audience?
Consequence	If sent to the intended recipient without further editing, what would fail?

Edge Cases

• No existing template for this type — Use the closest available template and document all customizations made.
• Stakeholder requirements conflict — Flag conflicts explicitly in the draft. Do not silently choose one requirement over another.
• Output required in multiple formats — Produce the canonical format first, then derive others. Note any formatting limitations.

Changelog

• v1.0.0 — Initial release