8 Essential Elements of an Actually Productive Workshop
If you’ve been working for more than a few years, you've likely encountered a bad workshop. One that was clearly the idea of higher-ups where no one else was really participating beyond rolling their eyes. Or one that was obviously taken out of a workbook and not thoughtfully customized to your team/needs. Or, my least favorite, one that was called a 'workshop' but had little to no interactive and input-focused component and instead was just someone talking at you.
If any of this has happened to you, I imagine you’ve sworn off workshops forever. But, I implore you to give them another chance! With some key components, they can be really useful. Here are a few elements sure to create ideal conditions for very productive and worth-everyones-time workshop:
1. A workshop is not a meeting
While both bring people together, workshops and meetings serve fundamentally different purposes.
Meetings often focus on updates, decisions, and discussions. Their format is usually one-person-speaking-at-a-time while everyone else sits around a table or in their Zoom squares, mostly quiet. Maybe they involve a presentation or a diatribe from a single person, or are led by a project manager that takes everyone through the roadmap and asks for updates. We all know the phrase “this meeting could have been an email.” They are most of your calendar!
Workshops, on the other hand, are dedicated spaces for interactive learning and creation with participants actively contributing at least 50% of the time through structured activities. When you put "workshop" on someone's calendar they should expect more than just presentations or general discussions. They should expect to engage in individual reflection, writing exercises, small group activities, and collaborative problem-solving. Workshops most certainly can’t be replaced by an email!
When you put "workshop" on someone's calendar they should expect more than just presentations or general discussions. They should expect to engage in individual reflection, writing exercises, small group activities, and collaborative problem-solving.
2. A workshop has a defined specific outcome and clear expectations
Before they even arrive, every participant should know exactly what they're working toward and what success looks like at the end of the workshop. The facilitator is responsible for pre-determining and sharing the shape and outcomes of the workshop. The invites or pre-emails should be clear in terms of who will be in attendance and what the interaction expectations are of attendees and include a high-level outline of what the workshop will entail and what the goal of the it is.
This allows for everyone to show up in the right frame of mind and ready to engage, which keeps discussions and activities focused and ensures everyone's time is well spent.
Example outcomes:
"We will have a prioritized roadmap for the next 2 years"
"We will have redesigned our navigation prioritizing the users' needs."
"We will have answered this specific question: ______"
"We will have agreed to the solution to this specific problem:________"
3. A workshop focuses on a decision that requires a lot of buy-in and/or input from various stakeholders
There are many types of workshops, like those that focus on team building and conflict resolution, etc. But, for *productive* workshops, the ideal topic is something that everyone needs to contribute and buy-into.
When various stakeholders are involved in the decision-making process from the beginning, they develop a sense of ownership over the solution. They understand not just what was decided, but why and how that decision was reached. This transparency and involvement dramatically increases the likelihood of successful implementation.
The workshop format also allows participants to identify potential obstacles or voice any concerns early in the process when they can still be addressed or incorporated into the solution. This is far more effective than trying to gather feedback or build buy-in after a decision has already been made. Additionally, an array of diverse perspectives often leads to more robust solutions that explore different angles of the problem unseen from the viewpoint of a single person or team.
4. A workshop only involves the people that need to be there and are invested in participating
The success of a workshop heavily depends on having the right people in the room. This means including those who have direct knowledge or expertise needed for the topic at hand, as well as those who will be responsible for supporting and/or implementing the outcomes afterward. The buy-in of all those stakeholders will be crucial for success. Everyone present should be willing to participate actively — passive observers rarely add value in a workshop setting. Additionally, all participants must be able to commit to the full workshop duration, as partial attendance can disrupt the flow and compromise the outcomes.
Keeping the group focused and rightfully invested ensures that the workshop moves efficiently and produces meaningful results that will be implemented afterward.
5. A workshop is accessible to everyone who needs to attend
It really misses the mark when someone who is invited to a workshop that is meant to break down barriers and invite different perspectives finds they can’t fully and comfortably participate. The design of a workshop needs to consider who will be in the room and the different ways they may think and work.
This starts with the setting: is this virtual or in-person? If even one attendee needs to be remote, the whole workshop needs to take place remotely. There’s an immediate imbalance in power and contribution if one, or even a few, participants are remote while everyone else is in the same room together.
Regardless of if it’s remote or in-person, a workshop needs to consider the diversity of abilities as well as neurodiversity. This includes everything from ensuring there is a screen-reader-compliant interactive whiteboard all the way to choosing activities that engage all participants, from shy to outgoing.
6. A workshop uses creative problem solving
The most productive and innovative way to approach workshops is with a method known as Creative Problem Solving (CPS). CPS "is a way of using creativity to develop new ideas and solutions to problems. The process is based on separating divergent and convergent thinking styles, so that one can focus their mind on creating at the first stage, and then evaluating at the second stage."
This approach is particularly powerful because it prevents the common workshop pitfall of shooting down ideas too early. CPS ensures that innovative solutions aren't lost to premature criticism or practicality concerns.
The most productive and innovative way to approach workshops is with a method known as Creative Problem Solving (CPS). CPS "is a way of using creativity to develop new ideas and solutions to problems. The process is based on separating divergent and convergent thinking styles, so that one can focus their mind on creating at the first stage, and then evaluating at the second stage."
7. A workshop is not a focus group
Focus groups originated as a market research approach and are defined as "a small group of people whose response to something (such as a new product or a politician's image) is studied to determine the response that can be expected from a larger population."² They have their uses, for sure—they’re great for gathering initial reactions and feedback, for example—but also have drawbacks. Focus groups often suffer from groupthink, with more vocal participants influencing others' responses. On the whole, they're not designed for collaborative problem-solving or decision-making, which is the ultimate goal of a productive workshop.
8. A workshop is moderated by an invested party that is impartial to the outcome yet trusted by participants
The ideal moderator strikes a careful balance in their role. They should deeply understand the context and importance of the work being done while maintaining no personal stake in which the solution is ultimately chosen. Trust is paramount—all participants must believe in the moderator's ability to be fair and objective throughout the process. This person needs the skills to keep discussions on track and moving forward productively while being able to manage different personalities and ensure all voices are heard. Perhaps most importantly, they must have the wisdom to know when to step back and let the group work through challenges on their own, only stepping in to redirect or refocus when truly necessary.
This thoughtful approach to workshop planning and execution transforms them from dreaded time-wasters into valuable collaborative sessions that move work forward and create lasting positive change in organizations.
¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_problem-solving#cite_note-:0-1
² https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/focus%20group
