Workshop Setup

Kit
Design Your Facilitation Strategy
Workshop Setup Kit
What to Expect
Set clear expectations about the experience your participants
should prepare for as a part of your session.

Roles & Key Questions

Define key roles and questions you will cover in the activities and
discussion of the agenda.

Before the Session

Detail out dates, times, invitations details, communication
channels and any links, pre-reads, or asynchronous activities
to complete before the start of your session.

Session Checklist
Pre-Session
• Review the agenda
• Complete any pre-reads or
asynchronous activities
• Check your technology
Supplies
• Project sponsor
• Subject matter experts
• Decision maker/approver
• Users
• Optimum headcount: 8-12
Facilitators Will Provide
• Schedule and host project kick off call
• Design the day’s discovery agenda
• Schedule and host agenda review call
• Provide supplies: Sticky notes, pens,
chart pads, etc.
• Create session visuals if needed
• Capture outputs of the session
• Schedule next steps conversation

Agenda

Agenda Item 1 Agenda Item 2 Agenda Item 3 Agenda Item 4

9:00 AM– 10:45 AM– 12:30 PM- 2:45 PM-5:00

10:30 AM 12:00 PM 2:30PM PM

DESIGN YOUR FACILITATION STRATEGY | Ⓒ2022 XPLANE

Workshop Setup Kit

What to Expect
Set clear expectations about the experience your participants
should prepare for as a part of your session.

Roles & Key Questions

Define key roles and questions you will be covering in the
activities and discussion of the agenda.

Before the Session

Detail out dates, times, invitations details, communication
channels and any links, pre-reads, or asynchronous activities
to complete before the start of your session.

Session Checklist

Pre-Session Facilitators Will Provide

• Review the agenda
• Complete any pre-reads or
asynchronous activities
• Check your technology
Supplies
• Schedule and host project kick off
call
• Design discovery agenda of the day
• Schedule and host agenda review
call
• Provide supplies: Sticky notes, pens,

• Project sponsor chart pads, etc.

• Subject matter experts • Create session visuals if needed
• Decision maker/approver • Capture outputs of the session
• Users • Schedule next steps conversation
• Optimum headcount: 8-12

DESIGN YOUR FACILITATION STRATEGY | Ⓒ2022 XPLANE

Proposed Agenda

Agenda

Agenda Purpose

Key Objective: Write your key objective here.

Proposed Agenda:

9:00 Activity

9:15 Activity

9:30 Activity

10:00 Activity

11:15 Activity

11:30 Activity

DESIGN YOUR FACILITATION STRATEGY | Ⓒ2022 XPLANE

Proposed Agenda

In order to achieve the objective for this engagement we recommend executing the
following activities and artifacts.

Pre-Event
• Describe pre-event here
• Describe pre-event here
• Describe pre-event here
• Describe pre-event here

During Event

• Describe during event here

• Describe during event here
• Describe during event here
• Describe during event here

Post Event
• Describe post-event here
• Describe post-event here
• Describe post-event here
• Describe post-event here

DESIGN YOUR FACILITATION STRATEGY | Ⓒ2022 XPLANE

Run of Show

Day of Week, Notes: • Note

• Note Note
MM/DD •

• Note • Note

Front Stage Backstage

Time Agenda Activity Direction Directions Artifact
(Facilitation) (Technology)
9:00 Welcome & Client does the welcome Person 1 opens MURAL, PPT,
Objectives presentation / shares Framework
Mural

Time Activity Direction Direction MURAL, PPT,

Framework

Time Activity Direction Direction MURAL, PPT,

Framework

Time Activity Direction Direction MURAL, PPT,

Framework

Time Activity Direction Direction MURAL, PPT,

Framework

Time Activity Direction Direction MURAL, PPT,

Framework

DESIGN YOUR FACILITATION STRATEGY | Ⓒ2022 XPLANE

 In-Person Workshop Best
Practices
1. To help with visibility, write in all caps

2. One thought per sticky note

3. Use color to categorize your thoughts on sticky

notes

4. Draw objects & people with as few strokes

as possible

5. Label everything, clarify your intentions,

titles, captions, labels, etc.

Online Workshop Best Practices

1. Mute your mic when you’re not speaking

2. It’s okay to mute audio/video if you

have to attend to personal business

3. Feel free to raise your hand to ask

for help anytime, or message us in
the chat room

4. Be present, don’t work on other things

simultaneously

5. Be fearless and have fun!

6. Have a Plan B to allow participation if

participants have trouble with technology
(e.g. share ideas via chat feature)

7. Assign a project teammate the role of monitoring

the chat feature and raised hands to ensure all
attendees can participate equally
DESIGN YOUR FACILITATION STRATEGY | Ⓒ2022 XPLANE
Facilitator Setup Best Practices

Ask audience or sponsor about known accommodations to be

made in the workshop design (ex. additional tool
onboarding, asynchronous activities, language, scaffolding)

Run your workshop plan through the inclusive lenses

heuristics — Does your plan account for [element] of the
user experience?

Solicit participation from all voices. Are there unspoken

group dynamics that need to be addressed? Is there a follow-
up opportunity to reach out or engage people and voices not
represented or heard in session?

To account for different communication styles, learning

styles, and preferences, provide options for how to
participate.

For long sessions, check in with the group after a break to

see if any adjustments need to be made to improve the
experience.

Ask for feedback and provide different ways for participants

to share feedback.

DESIGN YOUR FACILITATION STRATEGY | Ⓒ2022 XPLANE

Heuristics

EXAMINE YOUR WORKSHOP AGAINST THE HEURISTICS:

• If participant experiences [element], will they be able to get value from this experience?
• Will they find this experience easy to engage with?
• Will they feel good about this experience?

INCLUSIVE LENSES:

Loss or limitation of vision, color

Vision Limited perception, difficulties with motion

Reduction of use in grasping, selecting,

Motor Limited have tremors, etc.

Lower threshold for hearing, difficulty

Hearing Loss comprehending spoken word, non-native
English speakers

Reduced physical mobility (temporary or

Mobility permanent)

Limited access to screens, applications,

Mobile Only internet, Wi-Fi

Cultural Different perceptions of idioms, references,

Differences activities, etc.

May not have extended blocks of time to

Time Limited consume content; or may require extra time
to interact or comprehend content

May struggle to focus (temporary or

Attention Limited permanent)

Representing a wide range of personal

Diversity identities and example scenarios

DESIGN YOUR FACILITATION STRATEGY | Ⓒ2022 XPLANE

Thank you!
Please reach out with any questions,
comments, or concerns

store@xplane.com

xplane.com