Introduction

Good workshop planning is key when facilitating workshops, training and events.

Often details of your workshop planning might be scattered across several mediums but this canvas brings it all together in a workshop template.

Importantly it helps you think holistically about the details of your workshop covering the 6 P’s of Workshop Preparation.

How to use?

Whenever you start planning a workshop, start by thinking across these dimensions and adding relevant information for each.

The canvas can be used individually but is a great tool to communicate with your facilitation team and key stakeholders of your workshops.

Once you have several examples, previous workshop canvases allow you to accelerate the planning of future sessions.

Use this workshop template to reduce your anxiety of forgetting small details, keep everyone on the same page and build confidence that the workshop will be awesome!

Download the exercise here: https://www.tobysinclair.com/workshop-planning-template

Workshop Planning Questions

A full list of the questions for each section of the canvas:

Purpose:

  • Why is this workshop happening?
  • What is the intended legacy of this workshop?
  • What is the consequence of not holding this workshop?

Practicalities:

  • Where and when will the workshop take place?
  • What room setup is required?
  • What materials are required?

Participants:

  • Who is going to be there?
  • What is their role in the workshop?
  • What are their needs?

Products:

  • What are the inputs to the session?
  • What needs to be prepared beforehand?
  • What tangible items will we leave with?

Process:

  • What is the agenda?
  • What steps are required to meet the purpose?
  • When will the breaks be?

Principles:

  • “We work best when…..”
  • How will decisions be made?
  • What are the workshop values?