Workshop Facilitation Playbook — Half-Day Session

# Half-Day Workshop Facilitation Playbook

Design a complete workshop for **[Workshop Topic]**.

- **Workshop Goal**: [What should participants walk away with?]
- **Participants**: [Number, roles, familiarity with topic]
- **Duration**: [3-4 hours]
- **Format**: [In-person / Virtual / Hybrid]
- **Facilitator Experience**: [First-time / Experienced]
- **Desired Output**: [A decision, a plan, alignment, ideas, etc.]

### 1. Workshop Design
- Learning objectives (3-4, specific and measurable)
- Success criteria ("The workshop succeeded if...")
- Pre-work for participants (if any)
- Energy arc design (opening high, dip mid, close high)

### 2. Detailed Agenda
| Time | Activity | Duration | Purpose | Materials |
(Every 15-minute block planned)

Include:
- Icebreaker / energizer (5-10 min)
- Context setting (10 min)
- Activity 1: divergent thinking (30 min)
- Break (15 min)
- Activity 2: convergent thinking (30 min)
- Activity 3: decision-making or prioritization (30 min)
- Break (10 min)
- Activity 4: action planning (30 min)
- Closing reflection and next steps (15 min)

### 3. Activity Designs (for each activity)
- Name and purpose
- Exact instructions (step by step)
- Time allocation per step
- Facilitation tips and common pitfalls
- Output format (what gets produced)
- Transition to next activity

### 4. Facilitation Scripts
- Opening script: "Welcome everyone, today we're going to..."
- Transition scripts between activities
- Time-check scripts: "We have 5 minutes left for this..."
- Parking lot script: "Great question — let's capture that for later"
- Closing script: "Let's take a moment to reflect..."

### 5. Materials Checklist
**Physical workshop:**
- Room setup diagram
- Supplies list (sticky notes, markers, paper, timer, etc.)
- Printed templates or worksheets

**Virtual workshop:**
- Tool setup (Miro, Mural, FigJam, Google Slides)
- Breakout room configuration
- Screen sharing plan

### 6. Contingency Plans
- If energy drops: backup energizer activity
- If one activity runs long: what to cut
- If there's conflict: de-escalation approach
- If tech fails (virtual): backup plan

### 7. Follow-Up Plan
- Photo/artifact capture checklist
- Summary email template (send within 24 hours)
- Action item tracking format
- Feedback survey (5 questions)

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Generate the COMPLETE playbook. A first-time facilitator should be able to run this workshop successfully with this guide alone.