Even though it’s hard to fit frequent meetings and in-depth discussions into the schedule, you know for sure that your expertise and conscious decisions are essential for the whole process.

The environment is changing rapidly, so you constantly ask yourself numerous questions, such as:

• How to make the best decisions?
  
  
• How to shorten the decision-making process?
  
  
• Is there a quicker way to collect the necessary data and knowledge?
  
  
• Which method should I use to generate ideas?
  
  
• How to evaluate my decisions?
  
  
• Should I make that particular choice?
  
  
• How to make my decision-making process more efficient?
  
  
• How to gain confidence in my choices?

You can find the answer to these and many more questions at the workshops designed to meet the managers’ needs.

When are workshops helpful?

You probably wonder when to use a workshop to benefit from it instead of wasting your time. Consider putting workshops in your schedule when you:

• Have a vision of a product and don’t know what to do next
  
  
• Get to a discovery phase
  
  
• Have many decisions to make in a short time
  
  
• Are full of new ideas and want to validate and evaluate them ASAP
  
  
• Need to gather insights from many stakeholders
  
  
• Want to work out crucial elements like mission, vision and strategy
  
  
• Have many other challenges that require support

Workshops benefits

As workshop methods are viral in teams, they also gain more and more attention among high-profile employees, stakeholders and managers. Planned workshops are an efficient and successful method of solving problems, creating plans, developing products and specific solutions. These are the most significant benefits of workshops, appreciated by managers worldwide:

Optimal time

A well prepared workshop (or a series of workshops) can help you save time and money as it helps to work out an idea, a complex strategy or reach a consensus faster.

Predictable outcome

Usually you know what outcome you expect from the workshop but you don’t know how to do it. Sometimes all you have is an idea that needs to be specified. If you like to plan and push things forward, it is the sure-fire solution to the pitching problems.

Professional support

During workshops designed to help managers, you work with experts who created their offer following real-life management problems and challenges.

All stakeholders together

You can gather all managers involved in the project in one place to exchange insights. You get the various points of view and evaluation capabilities you need.

Visualisations

It is easier to understand things when you can visualise them and see the bigger picture. Graphics, diagrams or mind maps help organise knowledge and findings.

Canvas and models

When you seek answers to the most critical questions, you need to know how to ask. Using specific models help understand others, search for the answers directly and efficiently. On workshop you can also work out a prototype of a solution.

Decision-making models

For managers, the decision-making process is everything. Due to different models, you can learn how to evaluate available options, make decisions and gain confidence.

Finding the gaps

Workshops are also a great way to trace all flaws or inaccuracies of the products. They can also expose conflicts that need to be solved.

What do you need to make it work?

Workshops are the essence of group work, especially when it comes to high-end professionals’ cooperation. High motivation, open mind and willingness to learn are fundamental, but you will also need a few other, more tangible elements. You don’t need to do it all by yourself as experts will prepare you for it.

First of all, you should set your goals. Before you start the workshop with experts, you should try to gather relevant available data and information and plan satisfactory results. You should know why you do it and what you expect to get out of it. If you need help to answer all your questions, don’t worry, you can work them out during the workshop. The effect will serve you and your team for the future, so it’s essential to know what you want to achieve.
Experts will help you identify specialists that should take part in the workshop so that’s most effective. Working with a well identified group of stakeholders is the key to success here.

Secondly, you will need a facilitator. It is “someone who helps a person or organisation do something more easily or find the answer to a problem, by discussing things and suggesting ways of doing things”. A facilitator will help you understand and set workshop goals and plan the meetings in the best way. That person will also enable all participants to work to suit them best so that the whole process will be convenient.

Next, the workshop plan. You do not have to know everything about the methods, exercises, canvas, and models used. Why? It will be prepared for you to ensure that every part of the workshop is tailored to fit the problem and find the best solution in a set time.

Finally, the place of work needs to be chosen. What’s important, you may have two options:

• Face to face meeting
  Previously collected data should be ordered and visualised so the whole group can easily see and read them. The place should be bright, well-lit and spacious enough so that everyone feels comfortable. Phones are turned off as focus is crucial.
  
  
• Online meeting
  Workspace needs to be prepared (e.g. in a chosen online tool) and adjusted to the technical needs of all participants. A clear, well-designed framework to present exercises and tasks is also a must but you don’t have to worry- it’ll be prepared by the specialists for you. We all deserve a nice online space.

Different methods, great effects

There is a wide range of workshop methods to achieve what you want. When you set your goals and desired result, the experts will choose the best way to work. These are just a few of the successful workshop methods:

Workshop methods constantly evolve to meet the challenges of many different professionals. Thanks to trained facilitators and experts with extensive experience working with various professionals, you can achieve the best that there is for you and your team.
Does it look like a very complicates process? Thanks to engaging experts it is not. They will help you well understand your business situation, identify a problem you want to solve, facilitate the workshop and draw important conclusions and recommendations from it.
Plus, workshops can be fun, especially when you feel comfortable achieving your goals. Go for it!

Wondering how workshops can help your business develop?