You are organising a workshop soon but lacking ideas for your activities? You’ve come to the right place! Organising and leading a workshop cannot be improvised and requires some preparation in advance. Indeed, as a workshop will bring together a certain number of people around the same subject, it is essential to know how to conduct the workshop well but also to plan original and relevant activities to stimulate the progress of the workshop.
To make it easier for you in your search for activities for a workshop, we have prepared some original ideas and tips.
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1. What is a workshop?
A workshop is a collaborative workshop whose objective is to discuss a given subject or theme and to find answers to the problems defined in advance. The main objectives of a workshop may vary depending on the context. It may involve training participants in new skills, stimulating creativity and innovation, solving specific problems, promoting collaboration and teamwork, or sharing knowledge and best practices. Workshops are often considered informal learning opportunities, where participants can interact in a more dynamic and participatory way compared to traditional training formats.
However, to capture participants’ attention and make the experience memorable, it is essential to offer engaging and interactive activities. These activities are prepared in advance and according to the people present at the workshop and their profiles (position, responsibilities, etc.).
2. Start with an introductory round table
First of all, each workshop must introduce the participants, and conducting a round table is very often appreciated to give more context to the latter. Indeed, a brief round table (more commonly called an “icebreaker”) is an excellent way to get to know your group and introduce yourself before getting to the heart of the matter. You can also take the time to remind everyone of their needs and expectations for the session during this opening discussion.
This brief introduction will therefore be very useful in creating a climate of trust, intimacy and communication between you. These opening discussions serve as a warm-up for your participants to help them overcome their anxiety about public speaking. Once this is done, introduce the workshop with the agenda of the day and the objectives of the session.
3. Propose a group coaching session
First idea for facilitating a workshop, is a brief group coaching session.
Organise a group coaching session in which you or a professional coach guide participants through reflection exercises, discussions, and activities aimed at improving their personal and professional skills. This will allow participants to benefit from personalised support and advice in a group environment. You can definitely ask participants before the workshop what topic, skill, or coaching theme they would like to cover to help you organise yourself better.
4. Organise an interactive quiz
Integrate an interactive quiz during your workshop to assess participants’ knowledge and keep them engaged.
Use online tools to create interactive questionnaires and surveys, and offer rewards for correct answers (breakfast the next day, etc.). The goal is obviously not to evaluate your employees per se, but to offer a little break with a fun quiz related to the workshop. For example, you can use the Kahoot or Google Survey applications for this.
5. Prepare role plays
Another very well-known idea that participants still appreciate, is role plays.
These are an excellent way to encourage active participation and improve everyone’s communication skills. Divide participants into groups and assign them specific roles related to the workshop theme (e.g., a customer role, a salesperson role, a marketing expert role, a negotiation expert role, etc.). By asking them to solve problems or simulate specific scenarios, you will encourage practical learning and collaboration between your teams. Here, too, think in advance about the type of role-play to offer and the time to allocate during your workshop.
6. Set up practical workshops
Practical workshops differ from role plays and are original animation ideas during a workshop.
Target a skill, concept or topic discussed during the workshop and organise a practical workshop around it. This will allow participants to immediately apply them and thus promote learning. These workshops will offer them a concrete experience and will strengthen their understanding of the subject in an interactive and collaborative way. Make sure to provide the necessary resources and tools for these activities (supports, presentations, etc.). You can even combine this animation with the quizzes mentioned above in the article.
7. Set up an idea wall
Have you thought about an idea wall for your workshop to stimulate everyone’s creativity?
Create an interactive idea wall where participants can share their thoughts, ideas and suggestions around a given subject (launching a new product or service, optimising a marketing or sales strategy, original recruitment plan, etc.). Use post-its, whiteboards or digital tools to allow everyone to participate in the idea wall. This activity will promote creativity and encourage the active participation of all your employees and thus move forward on a subject.
8. Plan networking sessions
If your workshop brings together people from various companies, with varied profiles and positions, plan networking sessions to facilitate exchanges between participants.
Organise small group discussions, professional speed dating or team building activities to strengthen ties and encourage potential future collaboration. This activity can be organised at the end of the workshop around a cocktail for a more friendly atmosphere while remaining within the workshop’s framework.
Weezevent offers interesting solutions for organising a workshop, such as online management of registrations and tickets and the possibility of creating a personalised page to promote the event. Thus, the registration process and communication with participants can be simplified.
