ThemeMaterials & tools
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Questions5 to explore

Pens & Markers

Thickness? Color? Permanent?

Markers and pens are used every session and checked almost never, which is why you often find yourself mid-activity with a dry tip.

The basics: do they write? Are there enough? Are they the right thickness for the surface (fine point for Post-its, broad tip for flipchart)? Are any of them permanent markers on a whiteboard, which will ruin the surface? These are small questions with immediate practical consequences.

Color is worth thinking about intentionally. Different colors can indicate categories, roles, or priority in a group exercise. If you are using color as a coding system, make sure there are enough markers of each color and that the coding is explained clearly. If you have no system, too many colors create visual noise rather than clarity.

Easy to missTest every marker before you pack them: a quick scribble on paper is the only way to know if they still write, and it takes thirty seconds.

How experienced facilitators handle it

The same building block, handled by people who have run a lot of workshops. Patterns and illustrations to react to, not rules to follow.

Match tip size to surface

Experienced facilitators bring thin-tip markers for Post-its and index cards and thick-tip markers for flipchart paper, since broad text on a flipchart is readable from a distance; fine-tip text is not.

Keep permanent and non-permanent separate

They store whiteboard-safe markers in a separate container so there is no chance of accidentally using a permanent marker on a whiteboard surface.

More colors than you need

They bring more markers than participants, in multiple colors, so color-coding activities are not slowed by people waiting for the red one.

Questions to plan around

Use these on your own or in a group. There are no right answers, only better conversations.

Do you have markers that work on every surface you are using (Post-its, flipchart, whiteboard, paper)?
Have you tested them recently or are you relying on markers left in the venue?
Do you need a color-coding system for any activity and do you have enough of each color?
Are any of your markers permanent and could they end up near a whiteboard by mistake?
Do you have enough markers for all participants to write simultaneously if needed?

Watch for

Venue markers are almost always dry: never rely on what is already in the room unless you have tested each one yourself.
Permanent markers on a whiteboard is an easy mistake when markers are mixed together in one tray: one ruined whiteboard is enough to make you store them separately forever.
Running out of a specific color mid-activity is more disruptive than it sounds when color carries meaning in the exercise.