Facilitation is a vital skill in today’s collaborative workplaces. In a recent interview with Pedram Parasmand, we explored the art of facilitation and how structured design can transform your workshops into engaging and impactful experiences. Pedram shared insights, strategies and practical tips that can help facilitators create workshops that engage participants and drive meaningful outcomes.
This article highlights some of the key takeaways from our conversation. Whether you’re a trainer, team leader or educator, these principles will help you deliver sessions that resonate.
What Is Facilitation?
Facilitation is about guiding a group toward a clear goal. It plays a critical role in:
- Building skills: Helping participants learn and apply new abilities.
- Supporting teamwork: Assisting groups in solving problems, making decisions and collaborating.
- Fostering innovation: Using methods like design thinking to spark creativity and group insights.
Steps to Design a Great Workshop
Creating a successful workshop starts with understanding your participants’ needs and goals.
- Define the goal: Clarify what participants want to achieve. This shapes the workshop content and ensures it aligns with their expectations.
- Understand the context: Learn where participants are starting from and where they want to go. This guides your design and helps create a meaningful experience.
- Design with purpose: With a clear goal and context, craft your session. This is where storytelling adds depth and connection to the workshop.
The SPPARK Framework for Effective Workshops
Pedram’s SPPARK framework provides a simple structure for workshop activities. It includes:
- Set the scene: Explain the purpose, outline the activity and share what participants can expect.
- Present information: Share any key concepts or instructions needed to prepare participants for the activity.
- Provide guidance: Organise participants and resources. Give clear instructions so everyone is ready to engage.
- Activate the experience: Run the activity. Keep it concise (no more than 20 minutes) and mix task types to maintain energy.
- Reflect on the experience: Encourage participants to reflect on what they learned. Ask questions like:
“How was it?”
“What did you learn?”
“How will you apply this?”
- Key takeaways: Wrap up by summarising the main points. Use participants’ own words to reinforce understanding and ownership.
Managing Challenging Participants
Workshops sometimes involve unhelpful behavior. Here’s how to handle it:
- Prepare in advance: Learn about participants’ expectations through surveys or interviews.
- Set ground rules: Agree on guidelines for interaction at the start. This builds a respectful and productive environment.
- Assume positive intent: Address issues calmly, assuming participants mean well.
Final Thoughts
Facilitation blends art and science. By using storytelling and structured frameworks like SPPARK, you can create workshops that engage participants and leave a lasting impact. Focus on understanding your audience, fostering experiential learning and designing every element with intention.
Great facilitation doesn’t happen by accident – it’s a deliberate process. With the right tools and mindset, you can transform your workshops into experiences that inspire and empower.
These are just a few of the insights Pedram shared. To learn more about his strategies for facilitating meetings, workshops and training courses, you can watch the full interview by clicking the link to our podcast episode on YouTube.
Want to learn more?
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