Many companies struggle with internal communication and collaboration. Teams often work in silos, unaware of what their counterparts experience. Even at a small company like Intentional Futures, it’s difficult to know the status of other teams’ current projects, new approaches or tools they’re using, or insights gleaned from research that may inspire thinking elsewhere. The larger a company is, the trickier communication and collaboration challenges are to solve.
Improving internal communication isn’t just a matter of increasing the frequency of communication; intentional, authentic cross-team discussions boost efficiency and enhance problem-solving. For companies designing user experiences and products that are years from the public eye, processes that strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, enable cross-pollination of ideas, and align teams around a shared vision are critical to success.
One tactic that many companies employ is cross-team workshops. Workshops take many forms, including strategic planning, ideation, or problem-solving workshops. They often convene teams or individuals who don’t get the opportunity to consistently engage with one another. Or, they may create space for teams to hash out a concept or problem space that doesn’t get attention in day-to-day work. Whatever the purpose, designing an effective workshop allows teams to generate fruitful discussions and make progress towards their goals in a short period of time.
Helping clients plan for and run these types of workshops is one of our key competencies at Intentional Futures. Recently, we convened a half-day ideation workshop for a group of 70 researchers and product managers at a large tech company. To kickstart a multi-year research agenda to support its product roadmap, the workshop gathered researchers and product managers from across the organization. The workshop created space for participants to share concept ideas, engage in rapid ideation, and surface technical and research challenges to explore for the coming year. Below are some best practices we followed to ensure the day went smoothly and that the conversation was productive.
While a workshop is often only a few hours or a day long, preparation can take weeks, sometimes months. Especially when convening large teams, it’s important to think through every minute: lack of planning can lead to participants feeling that their time has been wasted. Below is iF’s process to design thoughtful, productive workshops with groups both large and small:
Engage a range of stakeholders prior to the event to create the vision and desired outcome for the workshop. By hosting short discussions or brainstorms with a diverse set of stakeholders, facilitators get an idea of the range of perspectives, needs, and goals that different teams might have.
As a planning team, brainstorm exercises that will surface new insights and cross-team learning. Prepare activities that stretch participants, taking them out of their comfort zone to engage new perspectives on the business challenge. Consider what conversations need to happen: If teams have too many ideas, how can they be encouraged to narrow their focus to a few? If teams have too few ideas, what permission do they need to think big? If teams haven’t thought about the big picture, what tools do they need to step beyond the day-to-day and envision the future?
By the time the big day arrives, facilitators may have put in hundreds of planning hours. Following a simple workshop flow can help the day run smoothly and according to plan.
Begin with a whole-group presentation to set the tone and agenda for the day. Use this time to get participants excited about the workshop, outline the rules of engagement, and introduce any themes or activities they will be exploring.
Then, break into smaller working groups that tackle a specific problem or topic. Give participants ample time to let their conversations develop fully. At iF, we’ve discovered that once you’ve finalized the agenda, it’s best to try to cut 20% of the planned activities to free up time.
Include one to two facilitators for each breakout group. Think of facilitators as guides: they provide the map, set the pace, and ensure everyone is walking towards the same destination–but they must not walk the trail for participants. They help the group navigate through obstacles, point out interesting things along the way, and make sure they arrive at the destination together. Let participants take worthwhile detours or linger on something for longer than planned, but keep everyone marching towards the same end goal.
After group activities, allow each group to react to the others’ work, enabling participants to learn from each other and have space for new ideas to emerge. This may involve a silent “gallery walk” where participants read and leave comments on other work, a whole-group share-out, or shuffling members of one group to another.
Finally, bring everyone back together to close out the workshop. Share key themes and insights that emerged, and thank participants for their time. Note any follow-ups and opportunities to continue engaging with ideas that emerged.
Workshops can be fun, exciting, and inspiring, but a common pitfall we see is letting that energy fade as soon as the workshop ends. In the planning phase, devote time to sketching out a path for after the workshop.
Ensure that you create the time to synthesize key takeaways and insights and package them into a document that participants can refer back to in the future. Consider delivering an after-action report to catalyze continued discussion.
Consider outlining ways for interested participants to support with post-workshop follow-ups. This might include smaller workshops or conversations to divvy up any actions or working groups that take on a specific idea or concept that emerged.
Do you have a big event coming up that you’re trying to plan for? Reach out to our team at info@intentionalfutures.com to see how we might help you have the impact and experience you envision.
