Stop Designing Workshops That Teach & Start Designing Workshops for Behavior Change
Two questions that will Instantly improve every workshop you design and facilitate
What’s the most common mistake I see workshop creators and facilitators make?
Starting from the start, instead of the end.
A client says, “My team needs a feedback workshop,” and the facilitator says “okay.” Assumptions are made and the facilitator starts building content or just repurposes something that worked before.
In short, average facilitators don’t not ask their clients for what they want learners to be able to do at the end of the workshop.
Clients rarely communicate what they want without being asked.
Pro facilitators ask thoughtful questions about the the end at the start, because they know contracting is everything; they know the client actually wants something more specific, that likely stems from an emotional experience, and is symptomatic of deeper issues. Things like:
People are not talking to each other and avoid tough conversations.
The team is completely conflict averse and we’re performing worse because of it.
People get defensive whenever they’re held accountable for their work.
The solve? Two questions you should steal
Step one is improving your intake calls/meetings. The questions need to be sharper.
When someone says, “I want a workshop on XYZ topic,” ask these two questions to uncover what they actually want:
What is the challenge you’re trying to solve with XYZ topic — and can you give me an example?
If this workshop went perfectly, what would people be doing that they currently are not? What does it look like?
The next steps
Now you know the observable change your client wants. From here, reverse-engineer your design.
If your client wants people to stop getting defensive when held accountable, then your job is to design for that shift — not to talk about accountability and hope it sticks.
That means:
Focus on what, specifically, your client wants learners to be able to do differently after your workshop.
Build in realistic practice so they can experience new behaviors, not just discuss them.
Use reflection and planning to help them connect the dots and sustain changes.
The shift pro facilitators make is this: going from teacher to designer of behavior change.
When you start with what success looks like as an observable behavior, everything else (the flow, the content, the activities) gets easier and more intentional.
Your quick improvement exercise
If you’re currently designing or running workshops, use this as a quick tune-up before your next session:
What are the observable behaviors you want your learners to engage in?
What do you want them to understand? — keep it simple.
What do you want them to do? — make it realistic and practical.
How will you help them reflect on what they practice? — ask questions that build awareness and surface insights.
How will you help them plan and sustain behavior change? — guide them to define clear next steps and habits.
The bottom line
Stop building workshops that “sound good” and start designing workshops that ones work by beginning with the end in mind.
The best facilitators don’t just transfer knowledge — they design sessions for behavior change that sticks.
Warmly,
Scott
p.s. if you know someone who is offering workshops then makes sure to share this with them!