Top tips for effective workshops / UX Brighton / February 2015
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The document outlines the three stages of running effective workshops: preparation, the day of the workshop, and follow-up. In the preparation stage, the facilitator should determine the goal of the workshop, consider how the outputs will be used after the workshop, and plan interactive activities. On the day, the facilitator needs to manage participation from introverted and extroverted individuals and embrace the chaotic nature of workshops. For follow-up, showing progress and providing feedback is important for maintaining engagement.
Top tips for effective workshops / UX Brighton / February 2015
- 1. tips for effective workshops10 UX Brighton / February 2015 Alison Coward Bracket @alisoncoward www.bracketcreative.co.uk
- 3. The three stages of great workshops: Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk
- 4. The three stages of great workshops: 1. Preparation Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk
- 5. The three stages of great workshops: 1. Preparation 2. On the day Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk
- 6. The three stages of great workshops: 1. Preparation 2. On the day 3. Follow-up Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk
- 7. PREPARATION
- 8. 1 Should you run a workshop? Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk
- 9. 1 Should you run a workshop? Reasons for workshops… Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk
- 10. 1 Should you run a workshop? 1. To gather info 2. Generate ideas 3. Make decisions Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk
- 11. 1 Should you run a workshop? 1. To gather info 2. Generate ideas 3. Make decisions Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Probably the most straight forward - you’re asking people to share what they know
- 12. 1 Should you run a workshop? 1. To gather info 2. Generate ideas 3. Make decisions Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Slightly more difficult as you have to encourage creativity, ensure equal contributions etc
- 13. 1 Should you run a workshop? 1. To gather info 2. Generate ideas 3. Make decisions Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Most challenging as you’re asking people to agree
- 14. 1 Should you run a workshop? Some workshops may have an element of all three, but the important thing to remember is that it’s all about … Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk
- 15. 1 Should you run a workshop? Bracket Some workshops may have an element of all three, but the important thing to remember is that it’s all about … www.bracketcreative.co.uk
- 16. 1 Should you run a workshop? Bracket Some workshops may have an element of all three, but the important thing to remember is that it’s all about … www.bracketcreative.co.uk and a genuine curiosity in what people have to say
- 17. Image by Juhan Sonin on Flickr 2 Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Think of the preparation stage as a real design process.
- 18. Image by Juhan Sonin on Flickr 2 Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Think of the preparation stage as a real design process. Consider form, function and the user experience.
- 19. Image by Juhan Sonin on Flickr 2 Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Think of the preparation stage as a real design process. Consider form, function and the user experience. Be clear on what you need to do with the content after the workshop and work backwards from there.
- 20. Think beyond the end of the workshop Image by Juhan Sonin on Flickr 2 Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Think of the preparation stage as a real design process. Consider form, function and the user experience. Be clear on what you need to do with the content after the workshop and work backwards from there.
- 21. 3 Image by Freddy Snijder on Flickr
- 22. 3 Get people standing up, moving around and using their hands Image by Freddy Snijder on Flickr
- 23. 3 Get people standing up, moving around and using their hands Make it dynamic Image by Freddy Snijder on Flickr
- 24. 4 Separate divergent and convergent thinking Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Image by Kyle Macdonald on Flickr
- 25. 4 Separate divergent and convergent thinking Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Think of as many uses of a paperclip as possible Image by Kyle Macdonald on Flickr
- 26. 4 Separate divergent and convergent thinking Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Think of as many uses of a paperclip as possible Now, choose your best idea Image by Kyle Macdonald on Flickr
- 27. 4 Separate divergent and convergent thinking Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Think of as many uses of a paperclip as possible Now, choose your best idea You’re using a different thought process for each. You can’t do both at the same time
- 28. 5 Plan for better brainstorming Image by Ignacio Palomo Duarte on Flickr Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk
- 29. Avoiding GROUPTHINK • Don’t let senior staff speak first • Set the scene for “critical thinking” • Get someone to play devil’s advocate Cass Sunstein & Reid Hastie “Making Dumb Groups Smarter” HBR November 2014 https://hbr.org/2014/11/making-dumb-groups-smarter Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk
- 30. Avoiding GROUPTHINK • Don’t let senior staff speak first - let others start by sharing their ideas • Set the scene for “critical thinking” • Get someone to play devil’s advocate Cass Sunstein & Reid Hastie “Making Dumb Groups Smarter” HBR November 2014 https://hbr.org/2014/11/making-dumb-groups-smarter Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk
- 31. Avoiding GROUPTHINK • Don’t let senior staff speak first - let others start by sharing their ideas • Set the scene for “critical thinking” – give permission to challenge and constructively criticize • Get someone to play devil’s advocate Cass Sunstein & Reid Hastie “Making Dumb Groups Smarter” HBR November 2014 https://hbr.org/2014/11/making-dumb-groups-smarter Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk
- 32. Avoiding GROUPTHINK • Don’t let senior staff speak first - let others start by sharing their ideas • Set the scene for “critical thinking” – give permission to challenge and constructively criticize • Get someone to play devil’s advocate – have someone who is there to purposely disagree Cass Sunstein & Reid Hastie “Making Dumb Groups Smarter” HBR November 2014 https://hbr.org/2014/11/making-dumb-groups-smarter Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk
- 33. • Give people time to think individually first • Go for quantity • Brainstorm in 15 min max cycles • Create guidelines and constraints Leigh Thomson “Creative Conspiracy: The New Rules of Breakthrough Collaboration” Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Better BRAINSTORMING
- 34. Techniques to try… Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk
- 35. Brainwriting
- 36. Breakout groups
- 37. Dot voting Image by B Dixon on Flickr
- 38. 6 Get interactive as early as possible Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk
- 39. 6 Get interactive as early as possible Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk A simple example…
- 40. 6 Get interactive as early as possible Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk A simple example… Ask a question, and ask participants to write down all their ideas, one per post-it note
- 41. 6 Get interactive as early as possible Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Ask a question, and ask participants to write down all their ideas, one per post-it note Then ask them to sort the post-it notes into themes A simple example…
- 42. ON THE DAY
- 43. Despite it’s image, facilitation is a valuable skill!
- 44. 7 Manage the introverts and extroverts Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk
- 45. 7 Manage the introverts and extroverts Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Like to think before they speak
- 46. 7 Manage the introverts and extroverts Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Like to think before they speak Prefer to think out loud
- 47. 7 Manage the introverts and extroverts Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Like to think before they speak Prefer to think out loud Design a workshop that accommodates both types
- 49. 8 Embrace the chaos! Especially here
- 50. 9 You can’t facilitate and participate at the same time Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk
- 51. 9 You can’t facilitate and participate at the same time Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk (there’s too much to do)
- 52. Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Facilitation is a bit like an iceberg
- 54. Keeping time Introducing exercises Taking notes Setting the tone Neutral Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Visible skills
- 55. Keeping time Introducing exercises Taking notes Setting the tone Neutral Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Visible skills Less obvious
- 56. Keeping time Introducing exercises Taking notes Setting the tone Summarizing Managing conflict Ensuring equal contributions Noticing patterns Asking questions Keeping focus Motivating Neutral Encouraging Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Visible skills Less obvious
- 57. Keeping time Introducing exercises Taking notes Setting the tone Summarizing Managing conflict Ensuring equal contributions Noticing patterns Asking questions Keeping focus Motivating Neutral Encouraging Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Visible skills Less obvious Invisible
- 58. Keeping time Introducing exercises Taking notes Setting the tone Summarizing Managing conflict Ensuring equal contributions Noticing patterns Asking questions Keeping focus Motivating Active listening Empathy Comfortable with ambiguity Flexible Open to surprises Patient Self-aware Knowing when to stay silent Thinking on your feet Able to synthesise quickly Genuine curiosity Neutral Encouraging Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Visible skills Less obvious Invisible
- 59. FOLLOW-UP
- 60. Image by Jerome on Flickr 10 The main thing is PROGRESS Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk
- 61. Image by Jerome on Flickr 10 The main thing is PROGRESS Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk This is the biggest factor that has a positive impact on inner work life – “the conditions that foster positive emotions, strong internal motivation, and favourable perceptions of the colleagues and the work itself” Amabile & Kramer, “The Progress Principle: Using small wins to ignite joy, creativity and engagement at work”
- 62. • Celebrate small wins Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk The main thing is PROGRESS
- 63. • Celebrate small wins • Keep tasks and timelines visible Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk The main thing is PROGRESS
- 64. • Celebrate small wins • Keep tasks and timelines visible • Provide regular feedback Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk The main thing is PROGRESS
- 65. • Celebrate small wins • Keep tasks and timelines visible • Provide regular feedback • Short, but frequent, update meetings Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk The main thing is PROGRESS
- 66. Bracket www.bracketcreative.co.uk Summary – three stages of great workshops Preparation 1. Is a workshop the right thing to do? 2. Think beyond the end of the workshop 3. Make it dynamic 4. Separate divergent and convergent thinking 5. Plan for better brainstorming 6. Get interactive as early as possible On the day 7. Manage the introverts and extroverts 8. Embrace the chaos 9. You can’t facilitate and participate at the same time Follow-up 10. The main thing is progress
- 67. THANKS FOR LISTENING! Alison Coward @alisoncoward @bracketagency www.bracketcreative.co.uk