Workshop Facilitation Guide

When to use this

For the person running the room. Each section lists what to say, what to write up, what to watch for. Trim to suit the workshop's actual length.

# Workshop Facilitator Guide — [Workshop Name]

**Duration:** [3-4 hours]   **Facilitator:** [Name]   **Note-taker:** [Name]

## Pre-workshop
- Print agenda + worksheets x [N]
- Test AV, sound, breakout room links
- Distribute pre-read 48h ahead
- Confirm catering + breaks

## Running order
### 0:00 — Welcome (10 min)
**Say:** the purpose of today, what we'll have at the end, ground rules.
**Do:** intros if needed.

### 0:10 — Frame the problem (15 min)
**Say:** what we know, what we don't, why this workshop now.
**Do:** capture initial reactions on a wall.

### 0:25 — Diverge: generate options (40 min)
**Do:** silent write 10 min, then share, then cluster. Aim for quantity, not quality.

### 1:05 — Break (10 min)

### 1:15 — Converge: rank and short-list (45 min)
**Do:** dot-vote top 5, then small-group deep-dive on each.

### 2:00 — Lunch (45 min)

### 2:45 — Stress-test the short-list (45 min)
**Do:** Devil's-advocate round on each shortlisted option.

### 3:30 — Decide (20 min)
**Say:** the call we're making, who owns next steps, when we revisit.

### 3:50 — Close (10 min)
**Do:** one-word reflection from each person; thank-yous.

## Watch-fors
- One person dominating — interrupt with "let's hear someone we haven't yet"
- Conversation drifting into solutioning too early — bring back to the problem
- Energy dipping after lunch — move to feet, change rooms

## Output
Single-page workshop summary out by end of day.