Wins and Learnings, ctd.
As warned by my NN/g Facilitating Workshops course instructor, with this experience, I learned that workshops never go as planned. In this workshop, I really began to flex my improvisational skills by adding or adjusting activities as needed.
I also learned the value of deploying certain exercises that are tailored to specific common personas within participants. These exercises help the group navigate topics while also navigating different personalities (e.g. the skeptic, the overtalker, the distractor, the quiet one, etc.) that may hinder the group’s speed, productivity or final consensus.
I’m proud of this workshop because not only was it our most successful workshop to date (in terms of having a final solution and testing with actual customers), but it was my first multi-day workshop that I designed and facilitated. It was not perfect, but I learned a lot and I continue to learn through each workshop or exercise I facilitate.