“For once, that was a workshop I didn’t fall asleep during!”

How to make virtual workshops in internal communication successful, creative and fun. Our seven professional tips will help you prepare and deliver your digital offer!

How to design virtual workshops in internal communication successfully, creatively and with fun. Our seven professional tips will help you prepare and implement your digital offer!

Digital workshops and work meetings are still the order of the day. And it is not uncommon for colleagues to report boring, endless online meetings, with technical glitches and poorly prepared content. But how do you organise an online meeting professionally? How do you create excitement and ensure that all participants are actively involved and that meetings are successful? Our seven tips for digital workshops will help.

1. conception

Plan your offer. How does the event fit into your internal communication concept? What is your goal? What methodology will you use? Which modules make this event unique? Does it make sense to use an external moderator? Involve the agency advising you conceptually in the planning.

2. preparation

Surprise your participants with a well-prepared event. Plan a maximum of two to three hours per session. If you need more time (do you really need it?), plan one session in the morning and one in the afternoon or spread it over two days. Set up the necessary virtual conference rooms in advance, familiarise yourself intensively with the technology and prepare all the necessary charts. For larger groups, appoint team members to support you in coordinating questions and requests to speak in the chat (see point 6). If you have little experience with meeting software, such as Zoom or MS Teams, do a trial run the day before and involve your IT if necessary.

3. Check-in

Give the participants orientation at the beginning of the meeting with a well-structured “check-in”. Clarify the goal of the meeting, set rules (for example: “you can ask questions at any time”, or “everything that is discussed here stays in the room”) and get the participants’ approval for this. Define generous breaks. If the group does not yet know each other completely personally, which is not uncommon in Corona times, plan enough time for playful getting to know each other. Be creative: Many modules known from live events can also be used virtually, slightly modified!

4. breakout sessions

The best way to get a handle on the digital chaos of a Zoom or MS Teams session with many participants is to work in small groups. For example, define work assignments in groups, which are then presented and discussed in plenary. Consider beforehand: should the groups be put together randomly or is it necessary to define the groups beforehand? Do not leave the participants to work alone. If necessary, “visit” the individual working groups and offer support. Again, if you do not have experience with grouping in your meeting software, “practice” beforehand!

5. media

You want the meeting not to be boring? Then do something about it! Loosen up the sometimes sterile atmosphere of a digital workshop with media. There are no limits to your imagination. How about a “Prezi journey” through your theme world as an introduction? Or with a video? If one of your participants has a piano at home, how about a “live concert” during the break?

The modules already implemented in the standard software can be extended by many possibilities with professional whiteboards, such as Miro (www.miro.com). Keep in mind that you also need preparation and training for these additional modules.

6. chat function

Use the chat function for questions, interruptions and requests to speak. Additional information, such as links or assignments, can also be transmitted quickly and without disruption via this medium. For larger groups, it is advisable to use additional moderators who exclusively control and moderate the chat function.

7. and have fun!

Go into the event relaxed and well prepared. Make sure that you also have fun during the event. Then the spark will easily jump over to your participants. We wish you every success!

If you are looking for inspiration or individual recommendations, please contact us. We will be happy to advise you.

 

What’s the next step?

For a personal consultation, feel free to contact me at any time.

Mirja Ng-Metzker

Client Relations Manager