Table of contents

• Essential Role of Meeting Facilitation in Blockchain
  • Facilitation for Global Collaboration
• Case Study: Cardano Constitutional Convention
• Meeting Facilitation for Web3, Blockchain, and Crypto Companies

Web3 continues to be one of the fastest growing sectors, with cryptocurrency and blockchain organizations expanding their footprint and exploring integrations to sectors both inside and outside of tech. Since these organizations operate through a unique combination of technological innovation and human collaboration, they can benefit greatly from implementing effective meeting facilitation.

Essential Role of Meeting Facilitation in Blockchain

Web3 organizations are not immune to the stereotypical unproductive meeting that plagues the corporate landscape. Through proper meeting facilitation, meeting culture can be changed for the better, which allows the organization and its individual participants to develop sustainable habits and best practices for optimal efficiency and beneficial collaboration.

Benefits of successful meeting facilitation for blockchain and Web3 companies can include:

• Better Decision-Making: Facilitators can help networks identify and overcome obstacles to shape the best possible decision-making process.
• Improved Transparency: Facilitation can help make communication clearer, allowing community members to better understand what’s happening across the organization. 
• Increased Engagement: Blockchain networks are reliant on community participation, and great facilitation can improve that participation and build lasting engagement.

Blockchain and cryptocurrency are driving forces for innovation in the tech world and beyond. Web3 organizations deserve the efficient outcomes that proper meeting facilitation delivers, and trained facilitators are able to help these groups maximize efficiency when it comes to the collaboration of their stakeholders and network participants.

Facilitation for Global Collaboration

There is an inherently global makeup to Web3 organizations, as many blockchain networks and cryptocurrency providers have participants and stakeholders scattered around the world. Since Web3 is not constrained by geographical bounds, its global talent pool can participate in virtual and hybrid meetings which require dedicated facilitation for global collaboration and diverse perspectives.

Facilitators are experts at designing processes that allow for maximum collaboration between different perspectives, and, above all, they are able to nimbly adapt to the needs of a given goal, event, or group of participants. Voltage Control Certified Facilitator Caterina Rodriguez explained, “If you have intentional design and purposeful structure, you can make [meaningful] conversations happen at a global scale.”

Rodriguez was one member of the global team of facilitators who partnered with blockchain network Cardano for their governance development project, which led to the approval of their constitution and their eventual transition to fully decentralized governance.

Case Study: Cardano Constitutional Convention

Cardano solidified itself as a leader in Web3 when the blockchain network drafted, revised, and certified an on-chain governance document that reflects their decentralized structure. The process required the input of stakeholders and network members who were stationed around the globe, so Cardano partnered with Voltage Control to ensure successful facilitation.

In the months leading up to the Cardano Constitutional Convention, facilitators led Community Workshops in dozens of countries around the world, with participants reviewing and revising sections of the governance document draft. While some workshops were facilitated remotely, facilitators frequently traveled to conduct these day-long sessions in person, ensuring an optimal meeting environment.

Facilitators worked closely with workshops hosts from each location to plan an in-person, hybrid, or remote event. They balanced unique cultural considerations, including language barriers and local requirements, while keeping the participants focused on the topics at hand and working toward a common goal.

After dozens of Community Workshops and Delegate Synthesis Workshops, the community gathered for the keystone event at the Cardano Constitutional Convention on December 4 to December 6, 2024. The event was run simultaneously at two locations connected by video link, Nairobi, Kenya, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, with additional remote participants joining from around the world. 

“The live Argentina-Kenya link was a milestone in global gatherings. I have personally never seen something like that happen where both locations were live and participating,” explained Certified Facilitator Reshma Khan. Attendees were enthusiastic participants, embracing the opportunity to connect and collaborate with one another for this important event.

The three-day event relied heavily on the skills of the facilitators to keep the final revision and drafting process for the constitution on track, with over 400 participants contributing to the final document. Ultimately, the participants produced a constitution that would later be ratified on-chain with 85% approval, and Cardano became the first blockchain network to have created decentralized on-chain governance.

Read the whole case study of Cardano here.

Meeting Facilitation for Web3, Blockchain, and Crypto Companies

Web3, blockchain, and cryptocurrency organizations can reap the benefits of successful meeting facilitation, including increased transparency, higher engagement, and improved decision-making. Facilitation can provide the key to optimal process design and network structure, as evidenced by the successful facilitation of Cardano’s constitutional creation process.

Voltage Control has partnered with countless top tech organizations to deliver tailored Facilitation Training Programs at the organizational level. Today, leaders in Web3 are joining that list, leveraging the program’s impact of sustainable facilitation practices and transformative change. Web3 organizations that partner with Voltage Control for facilitation certification can count on being at the forefront of the latest in facilitation techniques, best practices, and methodologies.

On an individual level, professionals from blockchain, cryptocurrency, and decentralized finance (DeFi) organizations are also increasingly joining the personal Facilitation Certification program from Voltage Control, with recent cohort members including CEOs, product managers, consultants, team leads, and beyond.

To learn more about how Voltage Control can partner with your team, contact us today.

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Summer pulls us toward lighter rhythms: vacations, spontaneity, curious explorations. As September arrives, it can feel like the calendar snaps back to “serious mode.” Our invitation this month is to resist the false choice. Play is not the opposite of work; it’s the fuel for it. When we integrate play with our facilitation practice, we open space for emergence, loosening our grip on pre‑baked outcomes and discovering what a group can create together.

In the conversations we’ve been having with Douglas and Erik, we returned again and again to this idea: when we reduce the stakes just enough for people to experiment, they discover sharper insights, stronger patterns, and more humane ways of working together. This month we’ll show you how to bring that spirit into your meetings—on paper, in Miro, and in the room or on Zoom.

Play as a Path to Growth (Not a Detour)

When kids play, they aren’t optimizing for perfect outcomes. They’re exploring. They re‑arrange the blocks, try a new angle, and—without judgment—see what emerges. As facilitators and leaders, we can borrow that stance. “Holding things loosely” doesn’t mean abandoning rigor; it means allowing discovery to shape the rigor we apply next.

Play widens the field of possible moves. It invites risk that feels safe enough for participation. In practice, that could look like a sketch‑before‑you‑speak prompt, a two‑minute “pass‑a‑move” energizer, or a quick remix of a trusted game to match the moment. These low‑friction moves unlock momentum for high‑stakes conversations later.

If your organization is wrestling with adoption of product operations, AI, or cross‑functional rituals, consider how a dose of play lowers resistance. People step in when it’s okay to try, learn, and change course—together. Serious outcomes often begin with serious play.

Try this prompt: “For the next 5 minutes, we’re just exploring. What’s one tiny experiment we could try this week that might move us closer to our goal?”

Make It Tactile—Even (Especially) in Digital Spaces

We love pen‑and‑paper warmups because they unlock the hands‑mind connection. But the same tactility is possible in digital tools. In Miro, modularize ideas into stickies and small clusters. Treat them like physical objects: drag, rotate, recolor, label, regroup. The more granular the ideas, the more freedom you have to sort and recombine.

Tactility also comes from simple constraints. Use dot voting to reveal energy. Add quick icons or imagery to turn abstract notions into visible metaphors. With the newest AI helpers, you can vary the representations rapidly—generate a handful of visual framings, then let the group react.

The goal is not decoration; it’s grip. When people can literally “get a handle” on ideas, they move faster and see relationships they’d otherwise miss.

Micro‑move: Break big notions into single‑idea stickies; name thematic clusters only after you’ve moved the pieces around.

Try Squiggle Birds from Gamestorming 2.0

This month, we’re spotlighting Squiggle Birds, a delightfully low‑stakes way to turn doodles into creatures—and hesitation into momentum. It’s pure play that sneaks in real practice: pattern recognition, sense‑making, and visual confidence.

Purpose: Warm up creative muscles, lower inhibition, and prime teams for sketching/ideation.

Time: 6–12 minutes

Materials: Paper + pen/marker (or Miro with a simple template)

Steps (analog):

1. Ask everyone to draw 6–9 fast squiggles, each in its own little space. No thinking—just lines.
2. Choose a squiggle and add a tiny triangle beak, a dot for an eye, and a couple of stick legs.
3. Repeat with more squiggles. Optional: add feathers, environment, or names.
4. Gallery walk: hold up your favorites; share what made a squiggle “turn into” a bird.

Steps (Miro):

1. Provide a frame with scattered freehand lines (or have folks draw with the pen tool).
2. Add beaks/eyes/legs with simple shapes and the pen tool. Duplicate to go faster.
3. Use quick groups/clusters to notice patterns (“tiny birds,” “long‑neck birds,” etc.).
4. Zoom out and reflect: what helped your brain see “birdness” in noise?

Debrief Questions:

• What changed once you added a single detail (beak/eye/legs)?
• Where else do small cues help your team make shared meaning fast?
• How can we keep this looseness as we shift into today’s core work?

Facilitator tip: Seed it before you need it. Introduce Squiggle Birds early so your group expects playful sketching later.

Remix with Purpose — Altitude as a Closer

One theme we’re modeling this month is purposeful remixing: once you understand the core of a method, you can repurpose it to fit the moment. Altitude (from Gamestorming) is often used to set perspective at the start of a session—sea level (ground truth), plane (systems view), satellite (strategy/vision). We’re experimenting with it as a closer.

Invite participants to check out at a chosen “altitude” and say why: “I’m at sea level—grounded with two next steps.” or “I’m in the stratosphere—my imagination’s buzzing.” This reinterpretation honors the game’s essence (perspective‑taking) while helping groups reflect and integrate.

The meta‑lesson: play with the plays. When facilitators remix openly, they license groups to do the same—adapting rituals to local realities while keeping purpose intact.

Callout: If someone later reads the book and asks why you used Altitude differently, celebrate the curiosity—and share your purpose for the remix.

When a Dance Break Re‑Wired the Room

During the Cardano Constitutional Convention (see our recent case study), visa restrictions created a hybrid dynamic: a large in‑person gathering in Buenos Aires and a parallel hub in Nairobi. Tensions surfaced in Nairobi as remote participants felt peripheral to decisions. Our facilitator on the ground, Reshma Khan, hosted an impromptu dance party—music chosen for cultural resonance and belonging.

The result? Smiles, connection, renewed energy—and a subtle but vital re‑balancing of power. The Buenos Aires room noticed the joy and, soon after, spun up its own music moment. Two separate rooms, one shared vibe. A playful move revealed a serious truth: sometimes you have to meet emotion with motion.

Takeaway for leaders: play is a strategic lever, not a garnish. When used purposefully, it brings people back into the circle and restores the conditions for productive work.

Do this tomorrow: Add a 90‑second “pass‑a‑move” in your next long meeting. Let each person invent a stretch and pass it around.

Turning Play into Practice

Play can’t be the whole meeting. After you loosen the room, translate energy into clarity. Three moves help:

1. Granular artifacts. Convert ideas into single‑idea stickies or short statements. (If it’s two sentences, it’s two stickies.)
2. Visible sorting. Cluster by patterns the group names together. Title clusters last.
3. Proportionate commitment. Use dot voting, Fist‑to‑Five, or Impact/Effort to move from “fun” to “focus.”

Rotate through these moves quickly and you’ll feel the gear‑shift: from open, generative play to intentional, shared next steps. That rhythm—open → converge—is the practice.

Script: “We just opened up—great range. Now let’s converge. One idea per sticky, then we’ll cluster and vote.”

Normalize Play So It Doesn’t Backfire

Play works best when it’s part of the culture, not a surprise cameo. If you introduce a playful activity once, and it lands awkwardly, people may reject the approach. Normalize it.

• Set expectations early. Tell teams, “We’ll regularly use short playful warmups to build creative confidence.”
• Model the stance. Show your own willingness to experiment and remix. Narrate your purpose.
• Connect to outcomes. Always link the play to the work: “We doodled to loosen judgment so we can sketch product ideas now.”

When play is practiced, it becomes a trusted pathway to clarity and momentum. It’s not “fun for fun’s sake”; it’s how we work.

Leader’s nudge: Play gives permission. Purpose gives direction. Use both.

Bonus Moves & Micro‑Practices

• Music as momentum. Pair playlists to activities (tempo for time‑boxed sprints; thematic songs for laugh‑and‑learn moments).
• Parallel sketching. In design sprints, have everyone sketch at the same time; then reveal. Social energy multiplies courage.
• AI accents. Use Miro’s AI to generate quick frames or variations; let the group choose and edit. Keep it light, keep it human.
• The Classic Stretch‑and‑Share. Ubiquitous in 2020—and still great. It shifts gears in minutes.

Community Spotlight: Gamestorming 2.0 Launch (Giveaways!)

Gamestorming has been a cornerstone of our certification for years. With 2.0 out now, we’re celebrating across September and October (and likely into November) with distributed launch‑party vibes at our monthly labs. We’ll be practicing Squiggle Birds, Event Horizon, Hidden Variables, and our Altitude‑as‑Closer remix—and giving away books.

Share back: Post your birds and insights in the Hub. What did one small detail change about what everyone could “see”?

A Call to Practice (and Play)

Play isn’t a seasonal fling; it’s a stance. As you move into fall, keep summer’s looseness and combine it with deliberate practice. Let doodles become birds. Let sticky clusters become decisions. Let movement re‑set a room. And let small remixes become your signature as a facilitator and leader.

Call to Action:

• Join this month’s Facilitation Lab to practice Squiggle Birds and more.
• Bring a LabMate (or find one at our LabMate Matchup) and commit to one playful practice each week.
• Share your remix of a favorite game in the Hub—what did you change and why?

Perfectly practicing play won’t make things perfect. It will make them possible. And that’s how real work moves.

The post Bridging Play & Practice appeared first on Voltage Control.

Design thinking has emerged as a game-changing approach in various industries, but what sets it apart from other problem-solving methods? Over the past decade, it has shifted from being a trendy buzzword to a fundamental strategy driving innovation across sectors. What makes design thinking so powerful is not just its focus on creativity but its emphasis on understanding the human experience behind every challenge. This approach encourages us to step back and question our assumptions, to explore the problem space with fresh eyes, and to dive deep into the needs and desires of the people we’re designing for. It’s not about finding quick fixes; it’s about solving the right problems in a way that resonates with real people.

Another unique aspect of design thinking is how it has transcended traditional design roles, influencing business leaders, product managers, and even organizational strategies. By promoting empathy and iterative development, it creates a culture of continuous learning and collaboration, which is essential in today’s fast-paced world. This post explores the multifaceted impact of design thinking, delving into its role in prototyping, fostering shared language, enhancing services, and the crucial part that skilled facilitation plays in its success. By the end, you’ll see why design thinking is not just another tool in the innovation toolkit, but a mindset that transforms how we approach complex challenges.

The Rise of Design Thinking in Business Strategy

Over the past two decades, design thinking has evolved from a specialized tool used by designers to a critical approach embraced across various sectors. At its core, design thinking is about addressing the right problem rather than just any problem. This method encourages a deep dive into the issues at hand, pushing teams to challenge assumptions and truly understand the needs of their audience before jumping to solutions.

This shift towards a more thoughtful, user-centered approach has significantly influenced roles beyond traditional design. For example, product managers are increasingly recognized as key players who benefit from thinking like designers. By exploring the problem space thoroughly before considering solutions, these managers help companies avoid surface-level fixes and instead drive towards more meaningful and innovative outcomes. The frameworks and language of design thinking, such as the double diamond model and an emphasis on empathy, have provided a common ground for multidisciplinary teams, fostering collaboration and breaking down silos.

As businesses face growing complexity and uncertainty, the design thinking approach offers a way to navigate these challenges. It provides a structured yet flexible method for tackling problems, encouraging experimentation and iteration. This ability to adapt and evolve solutions is particularly valuable in today’s fast-changing market environments, where agility and innovation are critical to success. Design thinking empowers organizations to not only solve problems but to continuously refine their approaches in response to new insights and emerging trends.

Prototyping: Unleashing Creativity Through Design Thinking

Prototyping is a cornerstone of the design thinking process, offering a hands-on way to bring ideas to life quickly and gather essential feedback. The true power of prototyping lies in its emphasis on speed and creativity rather than perfection. Prototypes don’t need to be flawless; they just need to be sufficient to test a concept and spark new ideas. This mindset reduces the fear of failure, encouraging teams to experiment and take risks.

The iterative nature of prototyping not only refines ideas but also often leads to unexpected and innovative solutions that might not have emerged in a more rigid environment. In our experience, we’ve seen some incredibly creative prototypes, ranging from 3D mock-ups for caregiver events to simple yet effective space designs using cardboard and sticky notes. These rough models serve as powerful tools for exploring possibilities and refining solutions long before any final product is developed. This approach exemplifies the design thinking ethos—focusing on learning and iterating rather than aiming for immediate perfection.

Prototyping also democratizes the design process by involving a broader range of voices and perspectives. When teams collaborate to create prototypes, they draw on diverse experiences and ideas, leading to more well-rounded and innovative solutions. This collaborative approach ensures that the final product or service is not only functional but also resonates with the end users’ needs and preferences. In this way, prototyping acts as both a creative and a unifying force within the design thinking process.

Shared Language: The Glue of Collaborative Problem-Solving

In any collaborative effort, having a shared language is crucial for success, and design thinking provides just that. Terms like “empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test” serve as a common vocabulary that keeps teams aligned and focused on the task at hand. This shared language is more than just jargon; it’s a powerful tool that helps break down silos, enabling different departments to work together seamlessly.

When teams speak the same language, they can move more efficiently through the design thinking process, from deeply understanding the user’s needs to testing and refining solutions. This alignment is particularly important in large organizations where cross-functional collaboration is essential but often challenging. By adopting a common framework, teams can avoid misunderstandings and ensure that everyone is working toward the same goals. Furthermore, this shared language fosters a culture of collaboration and innovation, creating an environment where new ideas can flourish, and team members are empowered to contribute their unique perspectives.

The impact of a shared language goes beyond the design team. It permeates the entire organization, influencing how different departments communicate and collaborate. Whether it’s marketing, sales, or customer service, having a unified approach to problem-solving helps ensure consistency in decision-making and execution. This cultural shift towards a common language of innovation can be a significant competitive advantage, enabling organizations to respond more effectively to challenges and opportunities.

Beyond Products: Applying Design Thinking to Services and Processes

Design thinking isn’t just for products—it’s a versatile approach that can transform services, processes, and even entire organizations. One of the most impactful applications is in service design, where the focus shifts from creating a single product to designing an entire experience. Tools like the service design blueprint allow teams to map out every touchpoint of a service, from what happens behind the scenes to what the customer experiences upfront.

This holistic approach enables organizations to consider all the layers that contribute to a successful service, from logistics and supply chains to customer interactions. By applying design thinking to service design, companies can create more cohesive, consistent, and satisfying experiences for their customers. It’s about looking beyond the obvious and ensuring that every element—visible or not—works together to deliver the desired outcome. This method can uncover opportunities for innovation that might otherwise be overlooked, leading to solutions that are not only creative but also highly effective.

Service design thinking also emphasizes the importance of integrating the customer’s perspective throughout the entire process. By involving customers in the design process, organizations can ensure that the services they develop are truly aligned with user needs and expectations. This approach leads to more personalized and engaging customer experiences, which can significantly enhance brand loyalty and customer satisfaction. Ultimately, applying design thinking to services and processes enables organizations to deliver not just products, but holistic solutions that add real value to their customers’ lives.

The Role of Facilitation in Enhancing Design Thinking Workshops

Facilitation plays a crucial role in bringing the principles of design thinking to life. A skilled facilitator not only guides teams through the design thinking process but also ensures that every voice is heard and that the group stays focused on its goals. The art of facilitation is about creating an environment where creativity can flourish and where participants feel empowered to explore, iterate, and innovate.

One of the key benefits of facilitation in design thinking is its ability to help teams navigate uncertainty. Facilitators provide structure without stifling creativity, using techniques like brainstorming sessions, prototyping exercises, and reflective discussions to keep the group engaged and productive. By fostering a collaborative atmosphere, facilitators can help teams unlock new ideas and move closer to innovative solutions. Importantly, facilitation isn’t limited to those with “facilitator” in their title. Anyone can develop these skills and use them to enhance their team’s performance, making a significant difference in the success of their design thinking efforts.

Facilitators also play a crucial role in managing group dynamics and ensuring that all participants feel included and valued. In a diverse team, different perspectives can sometimes lead to conflict or misunderstanding. A skilled facilitator helps navigate these challenges, turning diversity into a strength rather than a barrier. By creating an inclusive environment where everyone’s ideas are heard and respected, facilitators help teams harness the full potential of their collective creativity. This inclusive approach not only enhances the quality of the solutions generated but also strengthens the team’s cohesion and morale.

Conclusion: Design Thinking as a Universal Approach to Innovation

Design thinking has proven to be a powerful approach for addressing complex problems across a wide range of fields. From its roots in design to its widespread adoption in business strategy, product development, and service design, this methodology offers a flexible and effective framework for innovation. By focusing on empathy, rapid prototyping, shared language, and skilled facilitation, teams can tackle challenges in a more thoughtful and collaborative way, leading to solutions that are both creative and impactful.

As organizations continue to embrace design thinking, it’s clear that its principles can be applied far beyond traditional design roles, offering valuable insights and tools for leaders, managers, and teams across industries. Whether you’re designing a new product, refining a service, or facilitating a workshop, design thinking can help you solve the right problems and create more meaningful outcomes.

The true power of design thinking lies in its versatility and its ability to adapt to different contexts and challenges. By fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning, design thinking equips organizations with the tools they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world. As more companies recognize the value of this approach, it’s likely that design thinking will continue to shape the future of innovation and problem-solving across industries.

FAQ: Common Questions About Design Thinking

Q: What is the double diamond model in design thinking? A: The double diamond model is a framework that guides teams through the design thinking process. It consists of two diamonds: the first focuses on defining the right problem by diverging (exploring many ideas) and converging (narrowing down to a specific problem). The second diamond emphasizes solving the problem, again through divergence (generating many solutions) and convergence (selecting the best solution). This model helps teams maintain focus and structure while allowing creativity to flourish at each stage.

Q: How can non-designers benefit from design thinking?
A: Non-designers can greatly benefit from design thinking by adopting its core principles, such as empathy and iterative development, to approach problems more creatively and collaboratively. Whether you’re in product management, marketing, customer service, or any other role, design thinking encourages you to deeply understand the needs of the people you serve and develop innovative solutions that resonate with them. It’s not just a method for building products; it’s a way of thinking that enhances decision-making and problem-solving in virtually any context.

Q: What tools are commonly used in design thinking workshops?
A: Common tools in design thinking workshops include empathy maps, customer journey maps, brainstorming techniques, storyboarding, and prototyping materials such as paper, Lego, or digital tools like wireframing software. These tools help teams visualize problems, generate ideas, and create testable solutions quickly and collaboratively. By using these hands-on, interactive methods, teams can explore ideas more effectively and iterate based on real user feedback.

Q: How does facilitation impact the outcome of a design thinking session?
A: Facilitation is critical to the success of a design thinking session because it ensures the process runs smoothly and that participants stay focused on the goal while feeling heard and valued. A skilled facilitator guides the team through uncertainty, encouraging creativity and managing group dynamics. This helps unlock the full potential of diverse ideas, keeping the team productive and ensuring that innovative solutions emerge from the process. In design thinking, facilitation ensures that everyone, regardless of their background or expertise, can contribute meaningfully to the creative process.

The post When Everyone Designs appeared first on Voltage Control.

Table of contents

• Enhancing Innovation Through Learning-Centric Workshop Design
• Rethinking the Purpose of Workshops
• Flexible Workshop Design: Layering Over Existing Frameworks
• The Role of Assessment Points in Workshop Design
• Moving Beyond Activity Selection in Workshop Design
• Conclusion: Transforming Workshops into Innovation Hubs
• FAQ: Enhancing Innovation in Workshop Design

Workshops have long been a staple in professional development, team building, and innovation. Yet, despite their widespread use, many workshops fall short of their potential. They often become sessions where information is merely presented rather than spaces where participants are truly engaged and inspired to innovate. The challenge lies in reimagining these workshops as environments that prioritize learning and foster innovation through collaboration.

To achieve this transformation, we need to shift our focus toward creating learning-centric workshops. This means designing sessions where every interaction, every activity, and every piece of content is geared towards encouraging participants to adopt a learning mindset. When participants are immersed in an environment that values learning as a core element, they become more open to exploring new ideas, integrating diverse perspectives, and collaborating in meaningful ways. This, in turn, leads to the kind of creative problem-solving and innovation that traditional workshops often fail to achieve.

In this blog, we will explore various strategies to design learning-centric workshops, emphasizing the importance of assessment points and purposeful activity selection. By embracing these approaches, facilitators can craft workshops that not only impart knowledge but also inspire participants to innovate, collaborate, and grow.

Enhancing Innovation Through Learning-Centric Workshop Design

The success of a workshop hinges on its ability to create a genuine learning environment. It’s not enough to simply gather participants and share information; the real value comes from fostering an environment where learning and innovation are at the forefront. This involves encouraging participants to move beyond merely sharing pre-formed ideas and instead engage deeply with one another’s perspectives, leading to the collaborative creation of new concepts.

The integration of learning science and facilitation techniques is crucial in achieving this. By embedding educational principles into the design of workshops, facilitators can create environments where participants are not just passive recipients of information but active learners who are eager to explore new ideas and innovate. This shift from a traditional content delivery approach to a learning-centric one leads to richer discussions, deeper engagement, and, ultimately, more innovative outcomes.

In a learning-centric workshop, the focus is on creating a space where participants can internalize, reflect on, and build upon shared knowledge. This approach is in stark contrast to the traditional model, where the primary goal is often to present information. By prioritizing learning, workshops become more than just a forum for exchanging ideas—they become dynamic environments where innovation can flourish, driven by the collaborative efforts of all participants.

Rethinking the Purpose of Workshops

The conventional view of workshops as content delivery sessions is increasingly outdated and does little to harness the true potential of these gatherings. Workshops should be dynamic, interactive environments where participants are actively engaged in experimentation, collaboration, and growth. This requires a fundamental shift from a presenter-centric model to one that is participant-driven, where the emphasis is on hands-on learning and meaningful interaction.

To design workshops that truly engage participants, facilitators must start with a clear understanding of the workshop’s purpose. By employing backward design, where the end goals are identified first, facilitators can better align the workshop’s activities with the needs and expectations of the participants. This approach transforms workshops from static presentations into experiences that are both informative and transformative, offering participants the opportunity to practice new skills, apply knowledge in real-world scenarios, and collaborate with others in a meaningful way.

The real value of a workshop lies in its ability to create an environment where participants are not just passive recipients of information but active contributors to their learning journey. When workshops are designed to be interactive and experiential, they become powerful tools for personal and professional development. By rethinking the purpose of workshops, we can create spaces where participants are truly engaged, challenged, and inspired to learn and grow.

Flexible Workshop Design: Layering Over Existing Frameworks

Designing a workshop can be a daunting task, especially when faced with the multitude of choices in terms of activities, tools, and frameworks. However, the inherent flexibility in workshop design is one of its greatest strengths. Instead of feeling confined to a single approach, facilitators can leverage this flexibility by layering workshop design elements over any existing conceptual framework, enhancing rather than replacing it.

Whether you’re working within a structured model like open-explorer-close or utilizing a different framework altogether, integrating key workshop design principles can enhance your approach. This integration allows for a tailored experience that meets the specific needs of participants while still adhering to the overall framework. For instance, by incorporating clear entry and exit strategies, conducting gap analyses, and establishing assessment points, facilitators can ensure that their workshops are not only structured but also adaptable to the needs of the participants.

This approach moves beyond the mere selection of activities, encouraging facilitators to focus on achieving desired outcomes and assessing progress along the way. By designing workshops with flexibility in mind, facilitators can create experiences that are both effective and responsive to the unique challenges and opportunities that arise during the session.

The Role of Assessment Points in Workshop Design

Assessment points are a crucial but often overlooked aspect of effective workshop design. These points act as markers or signposts that guide both facilitators and participants along the learning journey, ensuring that everyone stays on track and that learning objectives are being met. Unlike traditional evaluation methods, which often focus solely on the end of the workshop, assessment points are integrated throughout the process, providing ongoing feedback and allowing for real-time adjustments.

By establishing clear assessment points at various stages of the workshop, facilitators can monitor progress and stay attuned to the needs of the participants. This ongoing assessment enables facilitators to respond to challenges as they arise, ensuring that the workshop remains focused on its learning objectives. Whether participants are excelling or struggling, these checkpoints provide valuable insights that can inform the facilitator’s approach, helping to ensure that the workshop remains on course and that participants are achieving the desired outcomes.

Incorporating assessment points into workshop design is not just a best practice—it’s essential for creating an environment where learning is continuously nurtured and refined. This approach helps ensure that participants leave the workshop with a genuine sense of accomplishment, having met their learning goals and gained new skills and insights that they can apply in their professional lives.

Moving Beyond Activity Selection in Workshop Design

The selection of activities is often seen as one of the most challenging aspects of workshop design. However, focusing solely on the “what” of activity selection can lead to a disjointed and less effective workshop experience. Instead, facilitators should focus on the “why” and “how” of the activities they choose, ensuring that each one is aligned with the workshop’s overall goals and objectives.

When designing workshops, it’s essential to start with a deep understanding of the learning objectives, assessment points, and the participant journey. This understanding allows facilitators to move beyond the “spray and pray” approach, where activities are chosen at random in the hope that they will resonate with participants. Instead, facilitators can design a cohesive experience where each activity serves a specific purpose, contributes to the learning process, and helps participants reach the desired outcomes.

This mindful approach to workshop design not only enhances the quality of the workshop but also empowers facilitators to lead with confidence. By knowing that each element of their design is thoughtfully aligned with their goals, facilitators can create workshops that are engaging, effective, and impactful, providing participants with a meaningful learning experience that they can apply in their professional and personal lives.

Conclusion: Transforming Workshops into Innovation Hubs

Workshops hold immense potential as spaces for innovation and learning, yet this potential is often untapped due to outdated design approaches. By adopting a learning-centric approach, rethinking the purpose of workshops, and embracing flexibility and purpose in design, facilitators can transform workshops into dynamic environments that foster collaboration, creativity, and growth.

Incorporating assessment points throughout the workshop is crucial for ensuring that learning objectives are being met and that participants are engaged and progressing. Moving beyond the mere selection of activities to a more purposeful design approach allows for a more meaningful and impactful experience for all involved.

Ultimately, by transforming the way we design and facilitate workshops, we can unlock their full potential as spaces for innovation and learning. Participants can leave these sessions not only with new knowledge but also with the skills and mindsets needed to apply that knowledge in creative and innovative ways. By doing so, we can create workshops that are not just educational but transformative, serving as catalysts for innovation and growth.

FAQ: Enhancing Innovation in Workshop Design

Q: How can I ensure my workshop is learning-centric?
A: To ensure your workshop is learning-centric, focus on creating an environment that encourages participants to engage deeply with each other’s ideas. This can be achieved by integrating educational principles into your workshop design, which promotes collaboration and the exchange of diverse perspectives. By fostering a learning mindset, you create opportunities for meaningful interactions that lead to innovation and creative problem-solving.

Q: What is the importance of assessment points in workshops?
A: Assessment points are essential in guiding both facilitators and participants throughout the workshop. They act as checkpoints that ensure learning objectives are being met and allow for real-time adjustments based on participant progress. These points help maintain focus and direction, ensuring that participants are on track to achieve their learning goals and that the workshop remains aligned with its intended outcomes.

Q: How can I move beyond just selecting activities for my workshop?
A: Moving beyond activity selection involves focusing on the purpose and goals of your workshop. Instead of choosing activities randomly, design your workshop by understanding the overall learning objectives, participant needs, and the desired outcomes. This approach ensures that each activity serves a specific purpose and contributes to the learning process, creating a cohesive and impactful workshop experience. By aligning activities with your goals, you can lead your workshop with confidence, knowing that each element is thoughtfully designed to achieve meaningful results.

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Table of contents

• What Is Participatory Decision-Making?
• 4 Core Values of Participatory Decision-Making
  • 1. Full Participation
  • 2. Mutual Understanding
  • 3. Inclusive Solutions
  • 4. Shared Responsibility
• Facilitating Participatory Decision-Making
• “The Groan Zone”
• Effective Group Decision-Making through Open Discussion
• Implementing Participatory Decision-Making for Your Organization

Facilitators exist to bring together a group of people in a positive collaborative process, managing their disparate opinions and overcoming conflict to achieve a goal. As a part of facilitation, facilitators often use participatory decision-making, which is the intentional invitation to employees, stakeholders, or other individuals to take an active part in the decision-making process.

Many leaders today are looking for ways to improve corporate culture and overturn outdated practices. When used correctly, participatory decision-making can help achieve this by generating greater alignment and more engaged employees, particularly when implemented by a skilled facilitator.

In this article, we’ll break down participatory decision-making and how facilitators use it as outlined in the third edition of Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making.

What Is Participatory Decision-Making?

Participatory decision-making, sometimes called participative decision-making, is the use of a collaborative process when making business decisions that involve not just leaders but also employees and other stakeholders. This level of organizational employee participation can establish a positive relationship between typical employees and the organization’s leadership.

In the Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making, the value of participatory decision-making is explained as “unleashing the power of face-to-face groups, first to raise awareness and evoke mutual compassion, and then—potentially—to embolden participants to align their aspirations and undertake new, jointly developed actions that aim, with hope and courage, to address, and even resolve, the world’s toughest problems.”

Participatory decision-making is closely tied to another practice: participative leadership (sometimes called collaborative leadership). Harvard Law School defines participative leadership as “a type of democratic leadership style in which subordinates are intentionally involved in organizational decision-making.” Effective group decision-making can replace a traditional autocratic style and lead to better business outcomes. 

Participatory decision-making has been studied by researchers interested in group dynamics and leadership styles—notably, the efforts of participatory decision-making were examined in Black and Gregersen’s Participative Decision-Making: An Integration of Multiple Dimensions, published in 1997.

4 Core Values of Participatory Decision-Making

In order to promote success in the participatory decision-making process, facilitators should go beyond foundational facilitation skills with these four core values.

1. Full Participation

The level of employee participation can be closely tied to the success of a meeting. Great facilitators of participative decision-making have an understanding of the value of this participation, often intuitively. According to Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making, “In a typical business-as-usual discussion, self-expression is highly constrained.” With full employee participation, all participants can explore endless possibilities of ideas, going beyond the typical familiar opinions and embracing diverse perspectives.

A great facilitator will build a safe, welcoming environment where all participants feel comfortable sharing their thoughts. Facilitators can also manage outspoken individuals who have the tendency to dominate conversations to give other less bold attendees a chance to participate.

2. Mutual Understanding

Facilitators should establish that the participants must accept that their peers have unique perspectives and needs during the process. In participatory decision-making, the common ground is clear: the problem. Everyone has their own unique decision-making style to bring to the table, and thus, by considering the problem from one another’s point of view, more diverse ideas can be generated. 

3. Inclusive Solutions

Just as the process of participative decision-making should work for and include everyone, the solutions that are generated should be inclusive to the needs of everyone in the group. Inclusive solutions are usually not clear-cut from the outset; instead, these solutions emerge as the participatory decision-making process goes on.

The nature of participatory decision-making supports the creation of these desirable inclusive solutions, as the process requires the sharing of differing perspectives, debating the options, and addressing any objections.

4. Shared Responsibility

The responsibility for the process, decision, and outcome should be shared among the participants. This starts during the participatory decision-making meeting by distributing the roles of keeping notes, scheduling follow-ups, and managing other tasks. Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making explains, “Understanding this principle leads everyone to take personal responsibility for making sure they are satisfied with the proposed course of action.”

Facilitating Participatory Decision-Making

In practice, groups do not tend to naturally follow a smooth trajectory toward consensus. Facilitators can benefit from visualizing the ideal pathway in participative decision-making, like Sam Kaner’s “Diamond of Participation,” shown below.

During participatory decision-making, a challenge is introduced. The initial discussion is the Divergent Zone, where familiar opinions are quickly established and divergent thinking begins, allowing a variety of ideas and perspectives to be introduced, combined, and refined. This divergence of ideas is critical to creating an innovative, sustainable solution. 

Next is the Groan Zone, which we’ll discuss in detail next. After the Groan Zone, convergent thinking occurs in the Convergent Zone, where participants can consolidate their thinking and refine their ideas, allowing them to finally come to the Closure Zone and a final decision.

An idealized model of the decision-making process may skip over the Groan Zone—but this section is where groups can find common ground and grow in their insight. Facilitators should never force the process into an ideal model, as that will squeeze out the opportunity for organic innovation and collaboration.

In a “business as usual” meeting, participants do not move past the familiar opinions and convergent thinking that they are used to. Participatory decision-making requires a more thorough approach to addressing the problem.

“The Groan Zone”

In the center of the Diamond of Participation lies the Groan Zone. This stage is the most challenging and uncomfortable part of the process, occurring after divergent thinking has been embraced and many ideas, notes, and objections have been generated.

Now, participants must organize their ideas and make sense of what they’ve discussed so far to move forward and refine a plan. “Structured activities are directive,” says Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making, “they’re designed to let people follow clear procedures, and they pull for sincerity, earnestness, and relationship building. All these characteristics can ground a group whose communication is poor.”

Facilitators can utilize a range of structured thinking tools to help participants work through this stage, from open discussion and debates to categorizing and counseling. Facilitators must also manage the energy during this time period, preventing boredom and burnout.

Effective Group Decision-Making through Open Discussion

Open discussion is one of the most standard aspects of any meeting since it’s typical to freely talk about a particular topic without much structure, but that freedom can lead to meandering conversations that don’t produce any real progress.

Skilled facilitators have the tools to navigate open discussion in participatory decision-making effectively, preventing the meeting from being difficult to sit through or unproductive. Facilitators should manage the flow of discussion to ensure optimal participation as well as work to increase understanding between participants even when they have diverse or conflicting perspectives.

Open discussion facilitation techniques can include:

• Stacking – This technique involves identifying who would like to contribute to a certain question or discussion point prior to anyone speaking. Those who want to participate are “stacked” or listed in a certain order to ensure everyone has their time to speak.
• Using the Clock – Facilitators can call out a set amount of time for specific feedback or to invite anyone who hasn’t contributed yet to speak while raising the stakes by setting a clear time limit.
• Tolerating Silences – Silence can be uncomfortable, but it can also mean that people are thinking. Skilled facilitators know that thoughtful, intentional silences during participatory decision-making can be hugely beneficial.
• Paraphrasing and Mirroring – Reflective listening techniques like paraphrasing and mirroring are staples for effective facilitators, as they provide clarity and ensure that the participants are driving the decision-making process, not the facilitator.
• Making Space – Facilitators can look out for individuals who may have something to say but not get the chance to. A facilitator can use their role to specifically call out and thus make space for those participants, ensuring that they are not ignored.
• Sequencing – Similar to stacking, sequencing involves intentionally organizing the flow of conversation. In the case of sequencing, the sequenced items are topics or perspectives rather than participants.
• Deliberate Refocusing – This technique is a non-neutral intervention that moves the focus from one topic to another at the facilitator’s discretion. 
• Tracking – Facilitators can manage multiple topics and lines of thought by tracking each one, ensuring that they dedicate time to returning to each of the topics.
• Framing – Facilitators remind the participants of what the purpose of the meeting is, asking them to rethink the particular content they are discussing with that in mind.

These open discussion techniques are just a few of the ways a facilitator may manage open discussion during the participatory decision-making process.

Implementing Participatory Decision-Making for Your Organization

Participatory decision-making supports sustainable agreements where all team members are engaged and committed. The process can be difficult, but a skilled facilitator can assist in working through the Groan Zone and toward a refined decision.

At Voltage Control, we are leading experts in facilitating participatory decision-making processes. We help leaders and teams harness the power of facilitation through our certifications, workshops, and beyond. Voltage Control also hosts Facilitation Lab, a facilitator community. The Facilitation Lab weekly meetup provides a free place to engage with and learn from other facilitators in a way that deepens learning and exposure to new techniques and tools.

Contact Voltage Control to learn how participatory decision-making can change the future of your organization.

Kraner, S., Lind, L., Toldi, C., Fisk, S., & Berger, D. (2014). Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making (Third). Jossey-Bass. 

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By now, you’ve probably heard about the design thinking methodology. More industries than ever are taking a human-centric approach to evolve their existing products and generating new ideas to serve their customers better by getting curious about actual user needs, ideating potential solutions, and testing them with real users. Let’s take a closer look at what design thinking and user-centered design is and how to apply it to your organization.

According to statistics, 79% of companies agree that design thinking improves the ideation process, and 71% have enjoyed a significant shift in their work culture after adopting design thinking. While it does contain the word design, design thinking and it’s iterative approach to creative ideas is not only for design teams, in fact, any team can benefit from this human-centered design process. We’ve seen product development teams, multidisciplianry teams exploring new business models, customer success teams designing new customer experiences, and countless other examples.

What is the Design Thinking Process?

Design thinking is a process for creative problem-solving that helps teams move past the first “good ideas” and discover creative solutions. Rather than a one-shoe-fits-all mindset, the design thinking approach encourages a holistic view where uncertainty and ambiguity are welcomed and embraced to consider all sides of a problem. A design mindset can be applied to any life situation, and it aids in developing innovative ideas by considering the bigger picture and allowing that to shape our decisions as we move forward.

The method is steeped in a deep belief that the end-user should be at the heart of all decision-making. The benefit of design thinking is that, through empathy for your customer, consumer, or client, you are able to create products and experiences that truly help people and even change lives.

In this article, we’ll explore the five-step process that enables teams to come up with impactful solutions to real problems that are vetted by the people they intend to serve before they’ve even been built. These key steps will launch you into an innovative and experimental design approach.

Pro-tip: use our Liberating Structures templates to get the most out of the design-thinking process with your team. At Voltage Control we also love to use the Workshop Design Canvas.

The 5-Step Design Thinking Process

1. Empathize 

The first stage of the design process is to develop  a deep understanding of the target audience/customer/consumer and their unique perspective to identify and address the problem at hand. To do this, design thinkers are encouraged to cast aside all assumptions (because assumptions can stifle innovation!) about the problem, the consumers, and the world at large. This allows them to objectively consider any and all possibilities about the customers and their needs.

Typical activities:

• Observations: You’ll go where your users go and see what they care about. 
• Qualitative Interviews: You’ll hold one-on-one interviews with a handful of your users to understand their attitudes on the topic you are exploring. Asking someone to tell a story about the last time they experienced the problem you’re investigating provides a rich description that highlights details you might not have otherwise considered. Check out our Interview Observation template to interview someone that is close to the problem you are having and observe the behavior, success, and pain points.

Immersions: Step into your user’s shoes so you can feel and experience their day-to-day.

Tools like empathy maps can be a great way to consolidate all of the valuable information gleaned from interviews. Empathy maps capture what people do, say, think, and feel in the context of the problem. They help colleagues understand the context of the problem and how people experience it, too.

2. Define

Putting together all of the information gathered from emphasizing in the previous step. The next step is to define the problem statement clearly. The ideal problem statement should be captured from the perspective of human-centered needs rather than focused on business goals. For example, instead of setting a goal to increase signups by 5%, a human-centered target would be to help busy moms provide healthy food for their families.

Based on the frustrations you observed or heard about, come up with questions for how you might solve them. 

Typical Activities

• Clustering and Themes: There are a lot of different ways to go about the Define phase, but it’s safe to say you’ll need a wall of sticky notes; these will be filled with the quotes, observations, and ideas you heard throughout your research. Group and cluster ideas together until you find the prevailing or most prominent themes.
• Problem Statement: Take time to properly articulate the problem statement. Answer the following questions: 1) What is the problem? 2) Who has the problem? 3) Where is the problem? 4) Why does it matter

As you explore the empathy data, focus on identifying patterns and problems across a diverse group of people. Gathering information on how people are currently attempting to solve the problem and how they explore alternative solutions can provide clues into their underlying root problems. 

You can’t solve all of your users’ problems. Identify the most significant or most painful issues they face as you consider what you want to focus on as you move forward.

3. Ideate

Now that the problem you intend to solve is clear, it’s time to brainstorm ways to address those unmet needs. You collect as many ideas as possible at the start, so your team can investigate and test them by the end.

Typical Activities

• Brainstorming: Brainstorming is a critical part of the ideation phase, it is the best way to generate of a wide variety of ideas, all aimed at addressing the problem or challenge at hand. Brainstoming allows the entire team to bring their perspectives, experiences, and insights to the table, fostering diversity and richness in idea generation. Ideas shared can serve as stepping stones lead to innovative, out-of-the-box solutions that might not have been uncovered with a more conventional, linear thinking process. 

• Worst Possible Idea: The “Worst Possible Idea” activity may seem counterproductive,  but it can encourage creativity and eliminate psychological holdups that stall innovative thinking. It allows team members to brainstorm and share their ‘worst ideas’ without fear of judgment or criticism. This fosters an environment where coming up with the “perfect” ideas is eliminated, allowing freedom and creativity to shine. The process of identifying why an idea is ‘the worst’ can help in understanding the parameters and constraints of a problem, offering insights into what an ideal solution should avoid. This exercise also brings a sense of humor and fun into the brainstorming process!

The ideation stage marks the transition from identifying problems to exploring solutions. It flows between idea generation and evaluation, but it’s important that each process remains separate from the other.

When it’s time to generate ideas, do so quickly without focusing on the quality or feasibility of the idea. Ideation techniques are rooted in the idea that we’ll prioritize quantity over quality so that we can move past the first good idea(s) and find the truly novel ones. Only when you’ve fully exhausted your abilities to generate new ideas do you move on to evaluate them. This is your opportunity you can go around the room and discuss the ideas presented to get clarification if needed.

The ideation phase is usually a very creative and freeing phase for a team because they have permission to think of out-of-the-box ideas before deciding what they are going to prototype.

4. Prototype

It’s time to experiment! Through trial and error, your team identifies which of the possible solutions can best solve the identified problem(s). This typically will include scaled-down versions of a finished product or systems in question so you can present and get feedback from the people they are intended to serve.

Typical Activities

• Create a Vision Board: This visual representation of ideas, inspirations, and intended outcomes allows team members to envision the desired final product. By gathering images, drawings, materials, or words that symbolize the goals, functions, and user experience of the prototype, the vision board is a shared reference point for the whole team. It facilitates communication, aligns understanding, and encourages creative problem-solving. The actual process of creating the vision board itself promotes a deeper engagement with the project’s objectives and encourages innovative thinking. 

• Rapid Prototyping: The aim of rapid prototyping is to create low-cost, scaled-down versions of the product or specific features quickly for initial testing. Using paper, sticky notes, cardboard, or digital mockup tools, have the team put their ideas into tangible or visible models. This can be done by drawing, making 3D models, or even creating a storyboard to showcase user interactions. It helps teams understand the look and feel of their solutions, identify potential issues, and validate whether the prototype aligns with users’ needs and expectations. Check out our Take 5 template when you want to collect diverse ideas from the entire room. Within 5 minutes, everyone will be sharing from an intentional perspective using visuals!

The goal is to start with a low-fidelity version of the intended solution and improve it over time based on feedback. Beginning with a paper prototype can help you learn quickly with minimal effort. The prototype should be a realistic representation of the solution that allows you to gain an understanding of what works and doesn’t work. It is changed and updated based on feedback from the Test phase in an iterative process. The rapid, low-cost, lightweight nature of prototyping also allows you to develop multiple solutions to test in tandem to identify the best possible solution for meeting those unmet user needs.

5. Test

The prototype is at the center of the final phase as we put all our ideas to the test.  It’s important to note that the testing phase is part of an interactive cycle. You’ll have the opportunity to hear from your users again —just as you did in the early phase, Empathize. User testing is critical to understand how your audience will react to the ideas in your prototype and how desirable that experience will be. Unlike usability testing, where we are seeking to learn how difficult it is to perform certain tasks,  you are allowing them to interact with your prototype to observe their responses and gain insights on whether or not it solves their problem.

• Observational Testing: In this exercise, real users interact with the final prototype in a controlled setting, while the design team observes their behavior and responses. The goal is not just to confirm if the solution works as intended but to gain deeper insights into how the user interacts with the product, how they approach the problem the product is meant to solve, and where difficulties or confusion arrise. Observational testing can offer valuable, sometimes unexpected, insights into user behavior and experience that might be missed with traditional feedback. It’s an empathetic approach that focuses on observing and understanding the users needs and wants.

• Iterative Testing: This process is all about using the results of the initial testing to make improvements, and then testing again! Check out our 5 act Interview Cheat Sheet to build the best team for the project. The objective is to constantly refine and enhance the solution based on user feedback. Each iteration of the prototype is tested with users, and the insights gathered are used to further refine the solution. This could involve making minor tweaks or massive changes depending on the feedback received. Iterative testing helps in ensuring that the final product is as effective, user-friendly, and problem-solving as possible. The process keeps going until the team is confident that they have the most innovative and best possible version of the solution ready for launch.

Testing with real users is essential because everything is ultimately about the people who will use your products, and that is the true nature of the design thinking model. After you collect insights from users, it’s time to revisit the problem statement and reflect on how well the prototype is meeting needs and resolving frustrations.

You want to see what real people think about your idea. This stage allows for all details to be flushed out and refined to create the best solution possible.

Putting the 5 steps to work.

As you reflect on the 5 steps: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test, keep in mind that each step builds on its predecessor, guiding teams through an exploration of user needs, challenges, and solutions. Yet, as any seasoned design thinker will affirm, this journey isn’t strictly a linear process.

The beauty of the design thinking process is it invites and supports creativity and flexibility. While we’ve outlined the steps sequentially, it’s most effective for teams to revisit earlier stages based on newfound insights or challenges. For instance, feedback during the Testing phase might propel a team back to the Ideation or even Empathy stage. This iterative nature is not a sign of backtracking but rather a testament to the process’s commitment to staying true to user needs.

In essence, design thinking is a creative dance. It’s a dynamic interplay of understanding, ideating, experimenting, and refining. With each iteration, solutions become more attuned, innovative, and user-centric.

So, as you delve into the design thinking steps, remember: The route isn’t always straightforward, and that’s perfectly okay. Embrace the meandering path, the revisits, the detours. Because in this iterative journey, every step, whether forward or backward, is a step towards genuine innovation that resonates deeply with users.

Need an expert facilitator for your next meeting, gathering, or workshop? Let’s talk.

Our extensive network of Facilitation Certificaiton alumni are skilled at facilitating events of all kinds, including design thinking workshops, innovation sessions, and Design Sprints. Please reach out to us at hello@voltagecontrol.com. We’d be happy to connect you with one of our expert alumni.

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In the world of workshops, success is often synonymous with preparation. As an experienced facilitator or a first-time organizer, you understand that selecting the right supplies for your upcoming workshop is not just about ticking items off a checklist. It’s about creating an environment that fosters engagement, learning, and productivity. In this blog post, we delve into the critical components of a well-stocked workshop and explore how choosing the appropriate materials can make all the difference in your event’s outcome. We’ll provide insights, tips, and recommendations on what to include in your workshop toolkit to ensure you and your participants are equipped to excel. So, let’s get started and set the stage for a memorable and fruitful workshop experience!

Each product listed is paired with an Amazon link so that you can purchase the item. If you like to purchase them all at the same time, you can purchase all the supplies from Amazon using the Voltage Control Workshop Supplies list.

Time Timer

Everybody loves the time timer. If you are like me, once you use it during your workshop, you’ll start using it for all types of meetings. I especially find it helpful for timeboxing broad discussions, and for creating time for individual work prior to making an important decision. There are a few different models and it is worth discussing the differences. The classic Time Timer has a hard plastic exterior and is available in 3″, 8″, & 12″ sizes. The 12″ is quite large and is best suited for larger workshops. If you are considering going smaller I would recommend the silicone exterior “mod” model. It is much more durable and it’s small size means that it is a bit more portable. None of the Time Timers come with batteries, so remember to buy batteries. Get 2 Time Timers; one to keep track of your current activity, and one to remind you
when to take a break

Post-it Notes

The 3×5 Post-it notes are the number one tool for capturing your thoughts during the workshop. Make sure to get the canary yellow as they provide the best contrast when reading from across the room. Make sure you buy the standard Post-its and not the “Pop-Up” that are arranged in an accordion pattern. If you get the “Pop-Up” variety you will end up writing upside down and they will flop down when you put them on the wall. Size matters, as the landscape perspective works perfectly when capturing big ideas with the larger markers. This combination helps you write just the right amount. Also, when sketching, the 3×5 Post-its work well as either a desktop display in landscape orientation or a mobile screen in portrait orientation.

Sometimes you may find that the 3 x 3 Post-it notes are needed in addition so you can get a little more playful with the colors.

Felt Tip Pens

These felt tips pens are a bit magical. Since people aren’t accustomed to using them, they seem to immediately illicit creativity. Perhaps this is also because we used pens like this early in our school days, when we were in art class. Regardless, these pens are great for the sketches, as they provide better contrast than ballpoint pens or pencils, allowing you to read from further away. They are also the ideal size, so you don’t write too much or too little.

Dry Erase Markers (Black, Red, & Green)

Dry Erase markers are used by the Facilitator or graphic recorder, if you have one, throughout the workshop to capture what’s happening in the room. The black ones are used for checklists and capturing main points. The red and green markers are handy when you want to embellish your map and other graphics. They can also be used in tallying votes, when not using the dot stickers, such as voting on your top workshop questions, or when conducting a note-and-vote.

Highlighters

After running numerous workshops, I’ve found highlighters to be a facilitator’s friend. I often have someone highlight copy that resonates with the team when we are reviewing sketches. This is handy during prototyping, as we can use this copy. I also recommend that new facilitators highlight relevant sections of the book that will help them remember critical elements in the heat of the moment. The highlighters can also be handy during sketching to help bring focus to specific notes you are most excited about, including in your sketch.

Sharpies

Sharpie markers are an indispensable tool in any workshop setting. Their vibrant, bold ink make them perfect for capturing participants’ attention and ensuring that key points or ideas stand out on flip charts or whiteboards. Additionally, Sharpie markers have a long-lasting, quick-drying formula that minimizes smudging, allowing for clear and legible notes throughout the session. By providing a versatile writing instrument that’s easy to see and read, even from a distance, Sharpie markers facilitate seamless communication, encourage collaboration, and help create a visually engaging learning environment for all participants.

ChromaLabels

Dot voting is probably my favorite thing about workshops. Whether it is the smaller dots and the team is marking the pieces that are compelling and exciting to them or the larger binding votings, the energy level in the room is elevating and infectious. Stick with the ChromaLabels. The Averys are tempting as they are less expensive, however, the ChromaLabels are easier to move, because the dispenser makes handling much easier, and the Avery stickers are difficult to remove from glass. You will need 3/4” (0.75) pink dots and 1/4″ (0.25) blue dots.

Printer Paper

Printer paper is mainly used for note-taking and for assembling your sketch. It’s always handy to have scratch paper around anyway, so make sure your printer isn’t running low or simply stock up.

Masking Tape

Get 1 roll of masking or painters tape for posting solution sketches on the walls. Some walls don’t play nice with post-it notes, so having this tape around to hold up notes can prove helpful.

Flip Charts

If you have limited whiteboard or wall space for post-its & sketches, flip charts can save the day. Consider getting 1 or 2 pads just in case you need them, they always seem to come in handy, especially if you can’t reserve the same room for the full week.

Webcam

If you are running remote interviews and need your candidate to see you, or running an in-person interview and need your observers to see your tester and the actions they are taking, don’t forget to get a webcam.

Rolling Dry Erase Board

If you are short on dry erase boards and wall space, consider a rolling dry erase board. Even when I have plenty of wall space, I love having a few of these boards on hand. It’s great to have the ability to move them from room to room or team to team. They also rotate, so you can have 2 different sets of content handy in the same place.

Dry erase paint can be handy if you don’t want to hang actual whiteboards, or want to cover more space without buying tons of whiteboards. Turn your wall into the whiteboard!

Pipe Cleaners

Pipe cleaners, though seemingly simple, can be a surprisingly effective tool for prototyping in a workshop setting. Their flexible, bendable nature allows participants to quickly create and manipulate shapes, representing various concepts or components of a design. By encouraging hands-on experimentation and iterative thinking, pipe cleaners promote a low-pressure environment for brainstorming, problem-solving, and visualizing ideas. As an inexpensive and readily available material, pipe cleaners enable facilitators to engage participants in a tactile, interactive way, fostering a creative and collaborative atmosphere that drives innovation and encourages out-of-the-box thinking.

Popsicle Sticks

Popsicle sticks are a versatile and cost-effective resource for prototyping in a workshop setting. Their sturdy, flat structure lends itself well to creating two-dimensional and three-dimensional models, allowing participants to rapidly test and iterate their ideas. Popsicle sticks can be easily cut, glued, or stacked, enabling a wide range of design possibilities for both structural and functional prototypes. By incorporating these unassuming materials into your workshop, you empower participants to engage in hands-on exploration, collaboration, and problem-solving. As they transform simple popsicle sticks into tangible representations of their ideas, workshop attendees can better communicate their concepts and refine their designs, ultimately enhancing the quality of their prototypes and the overall workshop experience.

Glue

Holding those prototypes together will need a little help from our old elementary school friend. The glue will assist participants in using their creativity. Glue sticks can also be a great alternative or add one.

3 x 5 Index Cards

Index cards play an indispensable role in prototyping and workshop innovation. They offer a flexible and tangible medium that encourages creative thinking, brainstorming, and collaboration. With their uniform size and shape, they are ideal for categorizing and organizing ideas, allowing participants to easily rearrange, group, and visualize thoughts in a dynamic and spatial way.

Rulers

When designing physical prototypes, rulers can provide accurate measurements to ensure elements are properly scaled and aligned, which is vital for functionality, usability, and aesthetic appeal.

Healthy Snacks

Last but not least, make sure that you have ordered snacks. You have to take care of the humans! In addition to making sure you have planned for daily lunches to arrive on time, have some snacks on hand so that the team can avoid becoming hangry. It is best to avoid sugar and excess carbs, instead, focus on protein and fiber. You may be tempted to get donuts, pastries, bagels, or other sweet treats to celebrate this great work you are doing, however, this will undermine your creativity and zap your energy. Instead, consider low sugar, protein-rich foods such as nuts, jerky, vegetables & hummus, fruit, low-fat yogurt, and protein bars (check the sugar content). Use these same guidelines when ordering lunch; consider salads or some other light fare.

Hopefully, this list of supplies helped you get a handle of the purpose and reasoning behind the recommended supplies. I’m confident that your workshops will run better if you buy the proper supplies, as I’ve seen it make it a difference in all of the workshops I’ve facilitated.

If you are interested in expanding your facilitation skills and gaining confidence needed to transform meetings, inspire innovation, drive collaboration, and lead change you may be interested in our Facilitation Certification Program.

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Are you interested in facilitating a design thinking session at your workplace or for another organization? Have you learned about design thinking and want to get started or deepen your skills? If you are a newbie to design thinking facilitation, this is the guide for you. We’ve highlighted the basics you need to know to lead a design thinking or innovation workshop. Facilitation skills are essential to navigating complex business problems, and a skilled facilitator can supercharge the team’s performance. We encourage you to attend our Facilitation Lab, a weekly virtual meetup to support effective implementation.

Read this design thinking facilitator guide, and you’ll have solid tools to be successful from start to finish.

What is Design Thinking?

To start, let’s define some key terms. First, design thinking. Design thinking is a process used for creative problem-solving; a methodology that puts the end-user or customer at the center of decision-making. Design thinking is also characterized by an emphasis on prototyping and testing ideas and working in a highly collaborative manner with a cross-disciplinary team. Design thinking isn’t a passing business trend. It’s a powerful and widely-implemented approach to strategic work adopted by both startups and major corporations to tackle business challenges. Here are a few of our favorite design thinking books we recommend adding to your library for an in depth background.

What is a Design Thinking Facilitator?

A design thinking facilitator leads collaborative working sessions that utilize design thinking practices to reinvigorate creative growth. The gatherings include brainstorms, innovation workshops, executive summits, design springs, multi-day workshops, and long-term projects.

A design thinking facilitator is a coach to innovative, productive group think and work.

Design thinking facilitators help teams focus on the customer throughout the process and uncover new insights and ideas typically aren’t revealed during business as usual (ex. the boss has an epiphany in the shower and tells the team to execute). In a nutshell, a design thinking facilitator is a conduit to innovative productive group discovery and creation. Facilitation skills are key to maximizing these outcomes.

Want to learn the basics of how to facilitate a design thinking workshop? Read our 7-step guide below, then consider our Workshop Design Course to help you get started.

Step 1: Get Focused

Your first task as a design thinking facilitator is to clarify and define what you need to accomplish through your workshop or meeting. You want to determine the focus based on team needs or challenges. Record the primary goal and high-level questions to answer, and make sure participants are aligned on defined objectives.

Pro-tip: Before planning the workshop, consider 30-60-minute conversations with each stakeholder before the design thinking session to make sure objectives are clear.

Step 2: Make the Guest List

Now that you’ve defined objectives, you and the key stakeholder(s) need to determine fitting participants. Who’s taking part in the workshop? Your client will likely have a strong hand in building the guest list. As the design thinking facilitator, it’s crucial that you advise here.

Too many people leads to chaos. Too few people means too few ideas.

Diversity in skillset, expertise, attitude, tenure, etc. is essential to an informed perspective. The more points-of-view that are represented, the more applicable your solutions. In terms of number of participants, somewhere between 7 to 15 is ideal. Too many people leads to chaos. Too few people means too few ideas.

Step 3: Make Your Agenda

With the objective and participants determined, the next step of facilitating a design thinking workshop is the agenda. A wise way to plan your agenda is to start at the end: With what tools do you need to leave the design thinking session? Are you prioritizing alignment? A system or process in place? A collection of novel ideas? Are you looking for a prioritized roadmap or a paper prototype of a new experience? When you clearly define your goals, you can plan the design thinking activities to build toward the conclusion.

The individual activities you will implement varies greatly based on the challenge. Need inspiration to kick off your Design Thinking activities? There are many free resources to help guide you and your team on your journey. . We’ve also outlined exercises for virtual workshops here.) No matter your timeline, prioritize time for introductions, icebreakers, and short breaks to check inboxes.

Pro tip: Be generous when time-boxing your design thinking activities. Everything will take longer than you think. A good rule of thumb is to double the time you imagine an individual activity will take.

Step 4: Get Your Space

Next up: Where are you going to host your design thinking workshop? While it might sound like a minor detail, the space affects the day’s success.

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We recommend getting participants out of their workspace(s) to inspire fresh thinking and distance from day-to-day work. Whether you need to offer a hybrid option, have the budget for an offsite space, or need to use the office, consider the following to enhance the experience:

• Look for good natural light and character. (A windowless hotel conference room is not ideal.)
• Provide comfortable seating for all. (Simple, but we’ve seen it happen.)
• Guarantee wall space or boards for pinning materials and capturing ideas.
• Don’t forget AV needs: a projector for presenting, a screen if someone needs to collaborate remotely, etc.

Want more information on choosing a space? Check out 7 Things to Consider When Choosing a Workshop Venue here.

Step 5: Gather Supplies

With space, participants, and a solid agenda, you now need supplies to execute your workshop. Your exact supplies will be driven by your activities, agenda, and chosen space. Here are some basics to get you started:

• Plain 8.5×11 paper
• Large easel-style Post-its
• Small Post-its notes
• Pens
• Black Sharpies
• A Time Timer
• An HDMI cable

If you want to dive deeper into the specific supplies that are recommended for a design sprint (which are helpful for any workshop), read here.

Pro-Tip: If possible, bring a filling breakfast and lunch so you don’t have to leave to eat. Also, healthy snacks, water, and coffee will keep people engaged as the day goes on.

Step 6: Be the Leader

It’s the big day! It’s time for you to lead the group through the agenda and activities you worked so hard on. The more you facilitate, the more skilled you become. 

Make sure to be yourself and keep the following things in mind as you lead the team in design thinking:

• You’re the boss: People are looking for you to guide them. You’re prepared and are the expert. Establish your authority early and feel confident making decisions and telling the group when it’s time to move forward in the agenda.
• Establish rules: Let the group know the rules of the day. Encourage people to stay off their phones and to fully participate in the session. Let them know that there are designated breaks.

Give everyone a voice: As the facilitator, you are responsible for making sure everyone is heard. If you notice someone being quiet, pull them into the conversation. You designed the guest list with their contribution in mind.

Step 7: Wrap It Up & Play It Back

After the workshop has come to a close, recognize your role as a design thinking facilitator to equip the group with tools for long-term success. Consider these in the days afterward::

• Photograph and document: Make sure you photograph important output from the meeting: Post-its, diagrams, or worksheets that may have been created.
• Synthesize the learnings: Take time to reflect on the session and the ideas that came of it. Create a MURAL board or a short presentation to share with participants and their teammates.

Get the group back together: Schedule time to share back your learnings with the participants and make plans together for how to implement thinking and learnings into daily work.

Looking to become a Design Thinking Facilitator?

What’s the importance of bringing in a professional to lead the session? A design thinking facilitator positively disrupts the team dynamic. Read up on why professional facilitation can make a difference.

We hope you’re excited to become a Design Thinking facilitator. Voltage Control has expert design-thinking facilitators who run innovation workshops and design sprints. Our innovation training for teams and design thinking facilitator training will maximize your facilitation skills. Our Facilitation Certification programs will guide you through key facilitation skills and provide you with ample opportunities to practice. We also invite you to explore our workshop design course to learn the foundational learning science and experience design principles you can apply to maximize engagement and effectiveness as a facilitator.

FAQ Section

How does design thinking facilitate creative solutions?
Design thinking promotes creative solutions by encouraging design thinkers to explore a wide range of possibilities. Through structured activities like brainstorming sessions, the design team generates potential solutions that are human-centered and focused on improving the user experience. This methodology is ideal for fostering innovation and addressing complex challenges in the business model and product development.

What are the key attributes of a successful design thinking project?
A successful design thinking project is characterized by human-centered design, active collaboration, and iterative testing. Key attributes include clear objectives, a focus on the end-user, and the ability to adapt and refine ideas based on feedback. In this project, design thinking skills like creative thinking, empathy, and prototyping are essential to generating effective solutions that lead to actual products.

What are the phases of the design thinking process?
The key phases of design thinking include empathizing with users, defining the problem, ideating potential solutions, prototyping, and testing. Each phase builds on the last to create effective solutions tailored to the user’s needs. This cyclical process encourages continuous improvement and innovation throughout the innovation process.

What skills are needed to be a successful design thinker?
Successful design thinkers need a range of skills, including creative thinking, empathy, collaboration, and problem-solving. They must also have strong design thinking skills to guide teams through the design process and facilitate workshops. These skills enable the team to generate innovative solutions and ensure that the final product aligns with user needs.

How does design thinking contribute to business success?
Design thinking contributes to business success by fostering a culture of innovation and user experience focus. By emphasizing human-centered approaches and iterative testing, businesses can develop products and services that better meet the needs of their customers. The methodology also helps businesses explore new ideas, refine their business model, and stay competitive in the market.

How can design thinking improve the user experience?
Design thinking enhances the user experience by prioritizing the needs, preferences, and pain points of users throughout the design process. By involving users in testing and iterating on prototypes, design teams can create actual products that offer better usability, functionality, and satisfaction. This approach ensures that solutions are not only innovative but also practical and user-friendly.

What are the applications of design thinking across industries?
Applications of design thinking are vast, spanning industries like healthcare, education, technology, and retail. In each sector, design thinking helps organizations develop innovative solutions by focusing on the user’s experience and testing ideas through rapid prototyping. Whether designing new products or improving services, the design thinking process is key to driving innovation and improving outcomes.

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“The way we gather matters.” The opening line of Priya Parker’s The Art of Gathering elegantly and succinctly sums up the focus of this book, which is jam-packed with useful and inspiring information for anyone who hosts events. As someone who facilitates design sprints and innovation workshops for a living, I found Parker’s book to be incredibly enlightening, and in reading it, I added more than a few new tools to my repertoire.

One of the things I appreciate about The Art of Gathering is that it comes from a different perspective than many of the books I’ve read on the subject; namely, her book is not rooted in the design or innovation spaces. Trained in group dialogue and conflict resolution, Parker comes at the topic with a broad definition of gatherings — they can be big or small, personal or public, casual or high-stakes.

This book is relevant not just to those working in start-ups or corporate settings but to anyone. From dinner parties and baby showers to family reunions and funerals, Parker tells us how to gather more effectively.

There are many practical takeaways from The Art of Gathering, but below, I share the seven that I’ll carry forward with me in my work as an innovation facilitator.

1. Have a Clear Purpose

One of the first things Parker writes about is that before you gather, you should be crystal clear about why you’re meeting. You may think you know why you’re meeting, but Parker says: “A category is not a purpose.” In other words, a purpose is not: “I’m getting married” or “I’m hosting a meeting about our new product release.”

Parker urges readers to get really specific about what they want to accomplish and achieve through a gathering. She says: “drill baby drill” — ask “why?” until you find an articulation of what you truly need to accomplish. By doing this, you will move from a “basic, boring purpose” to one that is “specific, unique, and disputable.”

“The purpose of your gathering is more than an inspiring concept. It is a tool, a filter that helps you determine all the details, grand and trivial.” — Priya Parker

Parker shares that when you have a good purpose, it helps you make better decisions. Your purpose is your “bouncer.” It lets you know what is right and wrong for your particular event.

2. It’s Not “The More, The Merrier”

After you have your specific purpose nailed down, deciding who should be at your gathering is the next order of business. Parker writes about the need to exclude people from events. It’s completely ok and even necessary, she says: “Thoughtful, considered exclusion is vital to any gathering.” (This is a topic I often have to bring up with clients when planning design sprints; too many people lead to an ineffective sprint, so I’m always encouraging a limited and focused participant list.)

But, what’s wrong with over-including, if you can? Parker feels that overinclusion is a reflection that you don’t know and aren’t committed to your purpose. She urges those planning gatherings to ask themselves questions such as: Who fits and helps fulfill the purpose? Who threatens it? Who do I feel obliged to invite? Parker says we must be courageous enough to keep away our “Bobs” (the people we feel obliged to include). There’s nothing wrong with “Bobs,” but they don’t necessarily fulfill the event’s purpose.

“When I talk about generous exclusion, I am speaking of ways of bounding a gathering that allows diversity in it to be heightened and sharpened, rather than diluted in a hodgepodge of people.” — Priya Parker

3. Don’t Forget “The Chateau Principle”

Parker writes about something that I hold to be very true as well — where your gathering happens has a tremendous impact on the outcomes of the event. As Parker says: “venues come with scripts.” In other words, we will act more formally in a courtroom than in a meeting on a comfy couch.

“You should…seek a setting that embodies the reason for your convening. When a place embodies an idea, it brings a person’s body and whole being into the experience, not only their minds.” — Priya Parker

Parker calls this “The Chateau Principle,” which means you shouldn’t host a meeting in a chateau if you don’t want to “remind the French of their greatness.” (The name comes from a story she shares about an ill-fated corporate merger meeting that was hosted in a castle in France.)

Spaces embody the vibe we are going for in our gathering. The surroundings we choose for a meeting or party can make or break the mood, support or undermine our purpose, and encourage or discourage attendees to escape from their typical mindsets.

4. The Non-Chill Host

We often think it is ideal to be laid back and relaxed as a host of a gathering, but Parker reminds us that this is not the case. Guests want their host or facilitator to be in control of the event. As she puts it: “Who wants to sail on a skipperless ship?”

It’s more than ok to set up rules and keep to the agenda that you have set for a gathering. When you don’t steer the ship as the host, you create a vacuum for others to fill, and they might not do it in the way you want.

“A gathering run on generous authority is run with a strong, confidenthand, but is run selflessly, for the sake of others.” — Priya Parker

Parker talks about “generous authority” as a guiding principle for hosts. It is a way to behave that protects, equalizes, and connects your guests. She suggests exuding what she calls “half-Egyptian and half-German authority” (inspired by a friend of hers), which combines the right balance of warmth and order during your gathering.

5. Pregame is Everything

Typically we think that events begin when they begin. Parker reminds us that events actually start long before: they are initiated in how guests are prepared for the gathering. According to Parker: “90% of what makes a gathering successful is put in place beforehand.” For example, you may take time to individually meet with stakeholders before a big meeting, or maybe you send an inspiring article to the attendees of an upcoming dinner party.

Parker shares helpful tidbits about how to positively “prime” your attendees before an event. It’s everything from how your name your gathering (is it a “lockdown” or “brainstorm”?) to how you greet attendees. and usher them into a gathering space. To illustrate the concept of ushering, she talked about the immersive theater experience Then She Fell, where the audience was seated in a small reception area and given a special elixir and a set of keys before entering the alternative world of the show.

Whatever you do, resist the urge to start your gathering with logistics and, instead, launch in a way that sets the tone for the rest of your time together.

6. Don’t Be Afraid of Heat

We’ve been told again and again not to talk about things like politics and religion during gatherings, but Parker has some contrary thinking here as well: “Good controversy can make a gathering matter more.” She feels that too much harmony can make an event dull. Furthermore, in shying away from difficult topics, you might not accomplish what you need to in your gathering.

“I bring good controversy to a gathering only when I believe some good can come out of it — enough good to outweigh the risks and harm.” — Priya Parker

Parker shared how she once encouraged well-mannered architects to dig into potentially controversial work topics. She designed a moment where the architects would have to participate in a virtual “cage match” to debate divergent strategies for the future of their firm. For Parker, “good controversy” can be just that, but it requires someone to design the structure and space for it to happen.

7. How to Say Goodbye

Finally, Parker urges us to think carefully about how our gatherings end so they don’t peter out with a whimper. “Close with a closing,” she says. She tells us never to start a meeting with logistics and we shouldn’t close with them either.

“A good and meaningful closing doesn’t conform to any particular rules or form. It’s something you have to build yourself, in keeping with the spirit of your gathering, in proportion to how big a deal you want to make of it.” — Priya Parker

She suggests a couple of natural ways to close an event. First, you can encourage the guests to make meaning and reflect on what happened. Second, you can have guests share how they are going to reenter the world with the new information they’ve received from the gathering. It’s about connecting our gatherings back to our daily lives. How can a piece of the event stay with attendees? Parker states: “Part of preparing guests for reentry is helping them find a thread to connect the world of the gathering to the world outside.”

Interested in experiencing professional facilitation at your next event? Voltage Control can train your leaders and teams on how to plan, organize, and execute meetings and events that are innovative and built to unlock potential and unleash everyone.

The post My Favorite Learnings from Priya Parker’s “The Art of Gathering” appeared first on Voltage Control.

The Design Sprint is a staple structure in the business world for solving big challenges through innovation and whole-team incorporation. The design sprint is a five-day process, initially developed at Google Ventures, used for validating ideas and tackling a business problem. The process guides teams through a design-based thinking process to uncover insights, prototype an idea, and test it with users.

Understanding the ins and outs of the Design Sprint is important when preparing to run your own. This process will bring new ideas to life, open collaboration between teams, and unleash everyone in your organization.

What is a Design Sprint

Design Sprints have multiple functions and benefits. They are broken down into five days to develop innovative and actionable solutions for your organization effectively. The five days include:

• Map

The map phase is dedicated to exploration. It will jumpstart creativity and encourage multiple solutions throughout the next Design Sprint phases. At this point, participants will identify the long-term goal and map out the plan of action to tackle the challenge. 

• Sketch

The sketch phase is to develop different action plans that will result in viable and creative solutions. It is critical to take as many variations as the team comes up with to ensure the best and most sustainable solution. 

• Decide

In the decision phase, your team will have many solutions to consider. This is the time to decide on a solid plan of action and select the ideas that will be prototyped. In this phase, the team will no longer be generating ideas. They will be deciding which solution is sustainable and effective.

• Prototype 

The prototype in this phase is essentially an experiment used to test a hypothesis. In this phase, the team decides what they will build to receive feedback and validate the hypothesis.

• Listen

The final phase is likely the most crucial one. Team members will test their prototype with live users. Prototyping will demonstrate to the team that the solution is, in fact, a viable one and will allow the team to move forward with confidence.

Who Should Run a Design Sprint?

The Design Sprint is especially useful for leaders looking to accelerate innovation. Product managers, designers, and founders looking to optimize product-market fit. Marketers looking to enhance product positioning. Consultants and facilitators looking to boost their impact. Regardless of role, people find the Design Sprint an unrivaled tool to validate ideas and business problems. Many organizations have benefitted from running a Design Sprint, and consumer packaged goods companies have used the process to improve their product design. Technology companies have created better products and gotten to market faster than they would using their standard approaches. Likewise, leaders in healthcare have designed new patient experiences. The Design Sprint is extremely effective and can be put to use by leaders and teams across various industries.   

Why Run a Design Sprint?

When teams and organizations have an opportunity or challenge that has great business potential, it can be difficult and time-consuming to build and sustain momentum toward change. Design Sprints offer a rapid and effective alternative to the status quo. For example, when kicking off a new initiative, a Design Sprint can help focus your team and resolve debates or conflicting opinions the team may have on where to start, what the process will be, or what the final result should look like. Or, if your team is looking for breakthrough features on a product, a Design Sprint can help generate new ideas and, through prototyping, uncover what your customers will react positively to. It is an excellent way to get months of work accomplished in a week. These are just a couple of examples of the benefits of the Design Sprint. Your team may also be in need of switching gears or iterating on a new product or when you need a way to talk to your users to untangle what is working and what is not.  Design Sprints help you avoid rework and save you money by spotting opportunities and gaps in one week rather than waiting months. Design Sprints offer customer insights that will transcend egos and opinions by prioritizing prototypes & roadmaps rather than lengthy specification documents and assumptions. 

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When to Run a Design Sprint

Design Sprints are beneficial at various project or product life cycle stages. The following are some excellent times to turn to a sprint:

• When kicking off a new initiative.
• When looking for new breakthrough features for a product.
• When you need to switch gears or iterate on a current product.
• When you haven’t talked to your users enough.

How to Find the Magic

Design Sprints help organizations find the magic and deep value for their end-user before committing to a solution that may not hold the most value. The sprint helps teams identify each individual responsibility and discover what’s most important to focus on within the project and how to achieve the best possible solution effectively. 

The Design Sprint helps us make sure we are building the right thing rather than obsessing about getting the thing exactly right.

Focus on Desire

The Design Sprint is targeted at testing desirability–keep this at the forefront of your mind. When you create a simulation of your concept and use it to test your ideal vision, you gain deeper insights into the ideal state and desirability from the end-user. You can then take those insights to the table when you build out the final solution. While it is efficient and a big win when your prototype becomes the initial spec for what you end up building, its primary goal is to answer your questions and gain insights.

While the main focus of a Design Sprint is testing desirability, we certainly don’t want to waste time testing completely infeasible things. At Voltage Control, we recommend including someone in the Design Sprint who understands the logistics (ex: engineer, operations, hardware, software, materials, etc.). A person with relevant insight into logistics can lend a perspective that might inspire others with the confidence they need to explore certain ideas they may have been afraid to approach. This person also serves as a built-in filter to keep the group from wasting time on outlandish, impractical ideas. That said, the facilitator must ensure that the logistics and status quo aren’t stifling innovation but rather informing and directing it. 

Where to Run a Design Sprint

The five-day sprint was originally developed as an in-person workshop. People come together for an engaging, interactive experience and participate in hands-on, visual, and deep work collaboration. 

Sticky notes are aplenty, and whiteboards are used to write and sketch out ideas. However, you don’t need to wait to be IRL to undergo a sprint. Remote Design Sprints are also incredibly effective and can be run with your remote team asynchronously. There are many tools in the virtual landscape to help your team experience effective and productive remote collaboration. Tools like virtual whiteboards can be used to promote visual collaboration just as you would in person.  

Design Sprints Aren’t Just for Designers

If you want to run a Design Sprint but are not a designer, that isn’t a problem. Any qualified facilitator can run a Design Sprint, and these sessions benefit companies of every industry. The best Design Sprint facilitators bring the necessary knowledge and skills to share with their teams. 

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