Workshop Planning
MethodKit for Workshop Planning

Plan a workshop where
nothing falls through the cracks.

60 cards covering everything that makes a workshop work, from purpose and the journey to the room, the materials, the energy and the close. It is hard to hold all of this in your head, and even harder to assume your co-organizers see it the same way. Lay the cards out and you both do.

Explore the library Free to read
60 cards for planning workshops
One deck · one workshop · from purpose to close
60cards
7themes
300questions to plan around
1shared plan
01.

What this kit is

A workshop is a designed session where a group does real work together, not a meeting and not a lecture. Planning one means holding a lot in mind at once: purpose, people, room, materials, timing, energy. This deck holds it for you. Four starting points.

You cannot keep it all in your head
Idea 01A good workshop has dozens of moving parts, from the purpose down to whether the markers still work. The reason things get forgotten is not carelessness, it is that no one can hold all of it at once. A laid-out deck can.
Design comes before logistics
Idea 02The room and the catering matter, but they serve the design. Decide what the group should achieve and the journey to get there first, then let the venue, the timing and the materials follow from it.
Your co-organizers do not see your plan
Idea 03Most workshop mishaps come from people meaning different things by the same word. Even with a clear plan in your own head, the others may picture something else. The cards give everyone one shared picture to point at.
Facilitation is a craft you prepare for
Idea 04How you hold the room, build authority, read the energy and handle the awkward question is not luck on the day. It is something you can plan for, rehearse, and divide between facilitators in advance.
02.

Plan a workshop

The short version of planning a workshop that works. Four moves, then go deeper card by card.

01 Decide the purpose and the win

Write why the workshop exists and what counts as success. If you cannot say what the group should leave with, no amount of room setup or catering will save it.

02 Design the journey

Plan the arc of the day as a sequence of activities with timings, not a list of topics. Think about energy and variety: where people make things, where they rest, where they share.

03 Sort the room and the materials

Match the venue, the layout and the materials to the activities you designed. Walk through the day in your head and list everything the room and the table need to have ready.

04 Prepare yourself and your team

Decide who facilitates what, rehearse the tricky parts, and prepare for the awkward question and the activity that overruns. The plan is only as good as the people holding it.

03.

From purpose to close

The cards are the same, but this is one path through them: six phases in the order a workshop tends to come together, from the why to the wrap-up. Start wherever you are.

01Start with why

Before anything practical: what the workshop is for, what success looks like, who is coming and what they need and expect.

02Design the journey

The heart of the plan: the arc of the day, the activities and exercises, the timing, the transitions and the rise and fall of energy.

03Sort the logistics

The practical frame around the design: venue, space, room setup, food, registration, getting people there and the budget.

04Gather your materials

Everything the room and the table need: analogue tools, writable surfaces, props, projectors, sound and a way to document.

05Prepare yourself

The facilitator's own groundwork: who leads what, your style, mental preparation, building authority and clear instructions.

06Run and close it

The day itself and its ending: the introduction, engagement, atmosphere, breaks, check-ins, and a close that captures the learning.

04.

The library

Search freely or filter by theme. Each card is one part of planning a workshop, with its own page: the thing that is easy to miss, how experienced facilitators handle it, questions to plan around, and things to watch for.

Filter by theme

Showing all 60 cards

Card 1: Engagement 1Engagement How to engage & interact with participants In the room Card 2: WiFi 2WiFi Is it stable? Bandwidth? Materials & tools Card 3: Analogue Tools 3Analogue Tools Canvases, work sheets & cards Materials & tools Card 4: Stories 4Stories Anecdotes & cases relevant to the workshop You as facilitator Card 5: Mental Preparation 5Mental Preparation Prepare yourself & rehearse workshop You as facilitator Card 6: Writable Surfaces 6Writable Surfaces Notebooks, Post-its, flipcharts & whiteboards Materials & tools Card 7: Facilitation Style(s) 7Facilitation Style(s) Active? Questioning? Mentoring? Teaching? You as facilitator Card 8: Budget 8Budget Expected income & expenses? Logistics & venue Card 9: Challenges 9Challenges Possible challenges you could prepare for Purpose & people Card 10: Clothes 10Clothes What makes you feel comfortable & look credible? You as facilitator Card 11: Deliverables 11Deliverables Will participants produce or present something? Capture & close Card 12: Projector & Digital Devices 12Projector & Digital Devices Projector, computers & adapters Materials & tools Card 13: Documentation & Recording 13Documentation & Recording How are you documenting? Materials & tools Card 14: Energy & Pace 14Energy & Pace How is the energy changing in the room? Designing the journey Card 15: Expectations 15Expectations On facilitators, participants & themselves Purpose & people Card 16: Facilitators 16Facilitators Who's leading & guiding the workshop? You as facilitator Card 17: Preparation & Post-Workshop 17Preparation & Post-Workshop Logistics before & after the workshop Logistics & venue Card 18: Food & Refreshments 18Food & Refreshments Will the participants have enough fuel & energy? Logistics & venue Card 19: Props & Materials 19Props & Materials Exercise material, bells & name tags Materials & tools Card 20: Information 20Information Information before, during & after the workshop Logistics & venue Card 21: Briefs & Instructions 21Briefs & Instructions How clearly do the instructions describe the task? You as facilitator Card 22: Purpose & Goals 22Purpose & Goals Why are you having the workshop? Goals? Purpose & people Card 23: Journey 23Journey How to plan the workshop journey & phases Designing the journey Card 24: Language 24Language What type of language will you use? Is it inclusive? Purpose & people Card 25: Marketing 25Marketing How do you get the word out? Logistics & venue Card 26: Activity Types 26Activity Types Will there be a variety of tasks and exercises? Designing the journey Card 27: Participant Needs 27Participant Needs What are the participants' needs? Purpose & people Card 28: Participants 28Participants How many? Who are they? Reason for attending? Purpose & people Card 29: Pens & Markers 29Pens & Markers Thickness? Color? Permanent? Materials & tools Card 30: Participant Logistics 30Participant Logistics Who will organise visas, hotels & transport? Logistics & venue Card 31: Distractions 31Distractions Distractions & how to handle them? In the room Card 32: Authority 32Authority How to get the trust of the participants? You as facilitator Card 33: Resources 33Resources Additional books, resources & references Materials & tools Card 34: Roles & Responsibilities 34Roles & Responsibilities Have you divided tasks & areas? You as facilitator Card 35: Rules & Guidelines 35Rules & Guidelines Which are the agreed rules of engagement? You as facilitator Card 36: Atmosphere 36Atmosphere How do you create an engaging environment? In the room Card 37: Sound 37Sound Amplifying lectures, workshops & discussions Materials & tools Card 38: Success 38Success What are the criteria for success? Purpose & people Card 39: Time & Schedule 39Time & Schedule Agenda, duration & timekeeping Designing the journey Card 40: Group Dynamics 40Group Dynamics How do you bring the group together? In the room Card 41: Flow & Transitions 41Flow & Transitions Transitions between facilitators & phases Designing the journey Card 42: Venue 42Venue What needs does the venue need to meet? Logistics & venue Card 43: Space & Size 43Space & Size Is there enough work space? Logistics & venue Card 44: RSVP 44RSVP Deadlines, pricing & cancellation policy Logistics & venue Card 45: Room Setup 45Room Setup How to position chairs & tables? Logistics & venue Card 46: Exercises 46Exercises Facilitated exercises, tasks & energizers Designing the journey Card 47: Reporting & Delivery 47Reporting & Delivery What to deliver after the workshop? Capture & close Card 48: Breaks 48Breaks Pauses that allow rest, coffee & conversations In the room Card 49: Reactions 49Reactions What is the expected response for each part? Designing the journey Card 50: Check-in/out 50Check-in/out Participatory start/end of a session In the room Card 51: Evaluation 51Evaluation How to evaluate the workshop? Capture & close Card 52: Fun 52Fun Fun elements to lighten up the workshop In the room Card 53: Feedback 53Feedback Participants giving & receiving feedback Capture & close Card 54: Questions 54Questions How to handle anticipated & tough questions In the room Card 55: Group Work 55Group Work People creating together Designing the journey Card 56: Introduction 56Introduction How do you start the session? In the room Card 57: Presentations 57Presentations Who will be presenting? For how long? Capture & close Card 58: Sharing 58Sharing Participants present the outcome of their efforts Capture & close Card 59: Ending 59Ending Wrap-up & closing summary of the session Capture & close Card 60: Reflection 60Reflection Reflection on learnings. Their take-aways? Capture & close
05.

Facilitator's glossary

The workshop words that get thrown around as if everyone knows them. Enough to follow along, no more.

Icebreaker
A short opening activity that helps people relax, learn names and feel comfortable speaking before the real work starts.
Energizer
A quick, often physical activity used to lift the room's energy, typically after lunch or a slow stretch.
Check-in / check-out
A short round at the start or end where each person says one thing, to arrive together and to close together.
Parking lot
A visible spot, often a flipchart, where off-topic points and open questions are noted so they are not lost or allowed to derail.
Debrief
The reflection after an exercise where the group draws out what happened and what it means, often the most valuable part.
Breakout
Splitting the room into smaller groups to work on something, before bringing the results back to everyone.
Plenary
The whole group together in one conversation, as opposed to working in breakouts or alone.
Facilitation
Guiding a group through a process so they do the thinking, rather than teaching or presenting at them.
06.

Workshop planning checklist

A run through the things a workshop usually needs settled before the day. Ticks are saved in your browser, so you can come back to them.

Purpose and people

The design

Logistics

Materials

You and your team

The close

07.

About

A library for planning workshops, built on a card deck that lays the whole subject out on the table.

Why

Planning a workshop is not one task, it is dozens: the purpose, the people, the journey through the day, the room, the materials, the energy, the follow-up. MethodKit for Workshop Planning lays those parts out together so nothing important is left to memory and nothing falls through the cracks. Here each card gets its own page that asks the same questions: what is this part of a workshop, how do experienced facilitators handle it, and what should you plan for.

It is for anyone who designs and runs workshops: facilitators, trainers, teachers, designers and the co-organizers who have to share the same plan. The texts are starting points and groundwork, not a method to memorize.

How to use it

Pull the cards that matter for the workshop you are planning, set the rest aside, and use the questions to think it through with whoever you are organizing it with. Lay them on a table, sort them into decided and not decided, or use them as a checklist before the day.

Want the cards in your hand? The deck is available from MethodKit.