In this article, we will look at 9 models of instructional design. First we will go through some of the best-known traditional models: ADDIE, Dick and Carey’s model, and SAM. Next, we will add some insights from dynamic training learning models. 

We will continue with 3 instructional design models focussing on how to make sure learner motivation remains high. Raising and keeping motivation high can be a challenge, especially in elearning. For each of the 9 models presented, I’ve selected a key learning that can be transferred from that specific framework into any kind of instructional design work you might be doing.

In closing, we’ll add some important notes on what you to take into consideration when working in multicultural settings, given that there is very little in the models to support this part of a learning designer’s work. 

Why are instructional design models important? 

Think of models of instructional design as scaffolding for your thinking. They offer a starting point, and can be invaluable to make sure nothing important gets lost while working step-by-step on a learning program. 

Anyone designing training courses and other learning experiences, whether face-to-face in the classroom or in the virtual environments of elearning, ought to be familiar with at least a few instructional design models. You are likely to gravitate towards one or the other, depending on your ways of thinking, as well as on what kind of content you are working with. Having a bunch of different options at your fingertips will give you the knowledge and flexibility to design and adapt courses that best serve your learners’ needs. 

One of my first trainers in facilitation and training design once pointed out that we all have a natural tendency to design courses and experiences that fit our way of learning and thinking. This means that the experiences we craft will work very well for people who share our worldview and style, but might leave other people cold. 

Familiarity with instructional design models can ensure that you:

• Have a range of tools to draw from, in order to create courses that fit your learners’ needs, not just your own;
• Design based on time-tested, scientifically sound frameworks upon which to base the different elements of your courses;
• Include all the important elements, decreasing the risk of leaving something important behind in the rush of day-to-day work;
• Know what different elements to add to your course design to make it motivating, engaging, and effective.

Last but not least, if you are working in education you are probably a curious person who might just like to know more about the thinking that grounds most instructional design work today. 

3 Traditional Instructional Design Models

As long as there have been teachers and students, there have been ideas and models of learning, aka, pedagogy. That said, when we talk about instructional design we are generally referring to a series of models and frameworks codified from the 1950s onwards, mainly in the US context. The origin of instructional design models is closely associated with three psychological currents (cognitive, behavioral and, more recently, constructivist psychology) and with systems engineering, especially as applied to military training. 

Instructional design models arose, in other words, when new scientific research into learning met the need for structured training materials that would be effective regardless of who delivered them. In fact, these frameworks were adopted in military and industrial fields before making their way to education institutions such as schools and universities. 

Inevitably, this implies that biases on what learning is, and what learners need, are baked into these classic models. Later in this article, we’ll get back to what that might mean and what learning designers working in multicultural settings might do to adapt these frameworks to contemporary sensibilities. 

In the next few paragraphs, we will take a closer look at three “traditional” or “classic” instructional design models. They contain time-tested concepts that are still relevant today. Let’s start with the most basic, popular and timeless of instructional design models: it’s time to meet Addie! 

ADDIE model

The ADDIE model is one of the earliest models of Instructional Design or, at least, one of the first frameworks to be explicitly codified as such. 

The acronym in ADDIE stands for five steps in the cycle of designing and implementing a training program: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation. The process starts with looking at needs, both the needs of the organization creating (and commissioning) the training course and the learners’ needs, and ends with an evaluation of lessons learned. 

ADDIE is such a well-known, reliable and practical framework that we’ve dedicated an entire learning guide to its workings. I’ve seen it stated that all other instructional design models descend from ADDIE, so if you need a quick flexible guideline to start designing, look no further. You can even start with a ready-made template based on this most versatile of frameworks.

A key learning from the ADDIE model

Go through the design process methodically step-by-step. Start from collecting needs, and weave evaluation opportunities throughout. 

Dick and Carey’s Instructional Design Model 

Speaking of models that share a lot of their DNA with ADDIE, let’s now look at Dick and Carey’s Systematic Design of Instruction, aka the Dick and Carey model, aka the Carey model (it’s two Careys, by the way: Lou Carey, who together with Walter Dick proposed the original model in 1978, and James Carey, who has been working on later updates of the model—I assume the two researchers are related, but couldn’t find out, so if you know, drop it in the comments please!). 

Dick and Carey worked on this model to illustrate ADDIE in finer detail and help learning designers, particularly newcomers. They include 10 steps in their model and invite users to think of these as a whole system, rather than a list of isolated components. This corresponds well to what is likely to happen in real life, where different steps might take place in parallel rather than in a neat, orderly progression. 

The 10 steps of Dick and Carey’s Systematic Design of Instruction model are:

• Identify Instructional Goal(s): A goal statement describes a skill, knowledge or attitude that a learner will be expected to acquire

• Conduct instructional analysis: identify what a learner must know and/or be able to do;
• Analyze learners and contexts: collect and analyze information about the target audience, including prior skills, prior experience, and basic demographics; 
• Write performance objectives. Objectives should, of course, be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound);
• Develop assessment instruments: how will you test learners’ knowledge before, during, and after the course? 
• Develop an instructional strategy: what will activities and content be? 
• Develop and select instructional materials, in collaboration with your content providers and subject matter experts.
• Design and conduct a formative evaluation of instruction: what parts of the design and/or content could benefit from some improvements?
• Revise instruction: improve and iterate
• Design and conduct summative evaluation. Close this project and start a new one! 

A key learning from Dick and Carey’s model

Different steps of your design work are likely to take place in parallel rather than in a neat, orderly progression.

Rapid prototyping with the SAM model 

Instructional design model creators have a soft spot for acronyms. Especially acronyms that sound like they could be people. After ADDIE, it’s time to make the acquaintance of SAM, the Successive Approximation Model.  

Perceptive readers might already have noticed a limitation of the two classic models presented so far: it may take a long time to prepare courses following all the prescribed steps. Changing them based on feedback and evaluation could therefore be harder than it sounds, as most important decisions and choices might already be locked in. To include more opportunities for iterative design in your projects, you might want to look at the SAM model. 

SAM is a simplified version of ADDIE developed by Michael Allen to highlight the possibilities that come with making design work recursive. Because of its iterative nature, SAM works best for short courses and interventions or, in any case, situations in which your course will likely run over and over again many times through the years. 

SAM stands for Successive Approximation Model. It is divided into three phases: Preparation, Iterative Design, and Iterative Development. After gathering information in the first phase, the instructional designer using the SAM model will prepare a quick prototype of the course (a part of a module, for example) and submit it for a round of feedback from representatives of all interested parties (students, content providers, and so on).

Team collaboration is emphasized as an important part of the learning design process. For a deeper dive into the SAM model you can check out this YouTube video.

A key learning from the SAM model

Instructional design can benefit from checking in with stakeholders before the final product is ready, to collect feedback and integrate it early, when it’s easy and safe.

3 Learning Models for Dynamic Training Experiences

These classic models of instructional design are invaluable supports to work out the overall flow of learning design work. They clarify all the necessary steps, and will help you be more aware of the workflow involved in creating successful learning courses.

Once you begin storyboarding the details of each individual learning module, working side-by-side with content providers, you might want to turn to some more detailed learning models to help you structure the finer details. 

The idea behind many training models is that different people learn in different ways, and it’s the training designer’s job to accommodate this by mixing and matching activities of various sorts. Sometimes the focus is on the senses (visual learners vs kinesthetic learners, for example) others on the way information is absorbed (by discussing, applying, and so on). 

In this article on Train the Trainers courses, you can find an overview of learning styles and some discussions on whether such categorizations are even valid. I find them a beneficial way to remind myself to provide multiple ways to engage with any topic and offer learners different pathways and choices to take. 

In this section, we will look at three frameworks trainers refer to, that can help you make learning courses engaging for different types of learners. For each, you will also find a ready-made template you can use to see what such dynamic training experiences look like in practice. Using SessionLab’s planner, you can drag and drop sections of these templates to customize them based on your design needs. 

4MAT

4MAT, as codified by author Bernice McCarthy, is a simple 4-step model of how to present and teach new information in a way that caters to different learning styles. Each step features a question, a learning style, and a type of activity. 

The first step is about engagement. The key question is why. Why are we learning this? Why is it useful for me? The key here is to find an interesting situation, something that intrigues the trainees, motivating them to stay in the classroom and pay attention for the rest of the time.

The most common type of activity for this step is storytelling. In learning, this might mean starting the course with a video, in which the course instructors provide inspiration to begin with.

The second part of the model focuses on delivering information. Most of your course materials will be at the level of step two. The key question is what. What is the information provided, what should I learn to develop the new skill required? Instructional content for this stage can take many forms including all traditional forms of transmitting knowledge, such as lectures, reading materials, and so on.

Next comes a section dedicated to practice. The key question is how, and this step is about providing opportunities to move from the cognitive to the practical, through examples, case studies, role play and other safe ways to put the theory to use.

The final part of the model deals with performance. How will your learners bring their knowledge into real-world problems? The key question here is What if. What if we did things differently now? What actions will learners take that would have been different before the course? Learning journals and reflection questions are a great way of applying this step in learning.  

If you are using SessionLab’s planner for your design, you can even color-code sections for what type of question (Why? What? How? What if?) that particular activity or module helps learners answer.

A key learning from the 4MAT model

Using questions (Why? What? How? What it?) to make order among key sections of your project will bring clarity to a design and help content providers stay on track. 

4C

You may have heard of the classic text Training from the Back of the Room, by Sharon Bowman. It’s a great resource, particularly if you are looking to create courses that are centered around the learners themselves, and designed for empowerment. 

The book contains another 4-step process based on learning types. The idea here is to start with Connection (making connections with prior learning, with peers and instructors), then move on to Content, Concrete Practice, and Conclusions. The conclusions are centered around action planning.

Essentially, the ideas are quite similar to the 4MAT model, but I find this model easier to apply to online course design. Connection can be established by asking reflective questions to participants, as well as introducing instructors and, if applicable, groups of peers.

Concrete Practice can be achieved through quizzes, assignments and case studies, while Conclusions is likely to take the form of a learning journal or, if your course is blended, a final workshop focussing on action planning. 

A key learning from the 4C model

People will benefit more, or less, from different parts of the course, depending on their learning style. Try to include something for everyone.

Kolb’s learning cycle

This 4-step model, based on work by American educational theorist David Kolb in the 1980s, is my go-to way to design training and education experiences. It reminds me to make time for conveying concepts and frameworks as well as to start with an attention-grabbing practical activity.

Step 1 in Kolb’s learning cycle is about creating a Concrete Experience to base learning on. Engage learners from the start with a simulation, a roleplay, and exercises that bring your topic to life. 

The second step is about Reflective Observation. This is a moment to ask questions of learners. What did they notice during the previous activities? Did they glean any insights? In this type of training program, new knowledge is drawn out directly from participants’ observations. 

The third part of the cycle is the one that looks most like “conventional” teaching. Called Abstract Conceptualization, it implies teaching and discussing models or frameworks that students can connect their previous insights to. This is a cognitive learning step where new information is acquired. 

Lastly, we come to Active Experimentation, where new knowledge is applied, actually or in a simulation or role play, to real world problems and scenarios. 

If you are preparing a learning course, Kolb’s cycle can help you ideate activities that come before and after the main teaching modules, in an order designed to facilitate learning.

What does this look like in practice? Check out a ready-made template for a training session designed based on this learning model, and adapt it to your needs.

A key learning from Kolb’s learning cycle

Start with a game or role play connected to your content: new concepts are easier to integrate if learners have lived through an experience that leads to insights in that direction. 

What Instructional Designers can learn from Dynamic Training

Dynamic training models emerged from reflections related to face-to-face education and can be hard to translate to online learning. Moreover, they are often applied in nonformal education settings, and might not be exactly the right fit for academic or corporate training.

Nevertheless, it is my firm belief that all instructional designers can benefit from learning about dynamic training models.

Kolb’s learning cycle might, for example, inspire you to sprinkle real-world challenges in a training course. 4MAT is an excellent reminder to always add the Why. If you fear that your course structure might be too repetitive and would love to add some more stimulation and ensure quality instruction, dynamic training is a great place for inspiration. 

3 Instructional Design Models to Raise Motivation in eLearning 

As online courses gain more and more popularity, particularly with adult and life-long learning, the issue of how to sustain motivation is becoming central to the discourse. Because there are so many learning opportunities available, and so many distractions competing for attention in our social-media-infused world, it’s easy for learners to deviate from the carefully designed path you’ve laid out for them.

Blended learning designs, which we’ve discussed in this blog article, are part of the solution to the challenge of keeping learners motivated and engaged. Small group learning can help the learning process by keeping participants accountable. Engaging visuals, the use of multimedia (videos, quizzes, visually compelling handouts) as well as facilitation techniques in online and face-to-face workshops are all excellent practical ways to support motivation.

But what about learning design models? Below are 3 instructional design models you can learn from for design that specifically supports motivation.  

ARCS model

The ARCS model of Motivational Design was developed by John Keller, an American educational psychologist, to systematize research on motivation and turn it into an instructional model. Much of this work is founded on previous research on the principles that support learning, especially Robert Gagné’s 9 principles or conditions of learning. Read through our guide to his work for more information and practical ideas on how to apply these theories to the practicalities of course design. 

The ARCS acronym stands for Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction. According to this model, those four are the main areas we should take care of on the path to supporting student motivation. 

The model starts with Attention, arguing that some element of emotional engagement, most notably surprise, is needed to engage participants at the start of a learning experience.

The first thing that came to my mind when I read this was the “wow effect” often felt in a training room if care has been put into arranging it in some way that is different from the usual. Sometimes this is as simple as putting chairs in a circle (To learn more about how room setup can influence learning, you can take a look at this article on room setup.) As for grabbing attention in elearning contexts, which admittedly can be harder, this might mean starting with a video, a story, a “hook” to involve learners from the start. 

[…] people are motivated to engage in an activity if it is perceived to be linked to the satisfaction of personal needs (the value aspect) and if there is a positive expectancy for success (the expectancy aspect).

John Keller, 1987

The second part of the model focuses on Relevance. This is about ensuring that the concepts presented are closely connected to learners’ needs and experiences. Relevance is obtained by anchoring new skills into existing knowledge, and understanding how they will be applied.

One practical way to establish relevance, which I commonly use in my training courses, is to ask students, at the beginning of the first day, to discuss what they already know about the topic, and what they would like to learn. 

The C in ARCS stands for Confidence. This is about providing measurable, achievable goals, a way to measure progress, and growing levels of challenge. An important part of motivation, according to Keller, is the establishment of a positive expectation that success is possible and at hand. 

Last but not least comes Satisfaction. Satisfaction comes from a sense of achievement and is enabled by creating feedback channels where instructors can provide learners with support, encouragement, and pointers for improvement. 

The importance of confidence and satisfaction in keeping motivation high has helped me understand, among other things. why some students of mine rebelled against experiments I’ve attempted with giving no grades nor evaluation at all. While it can be good to avoid putting too much pressure on results, knowledge that hard work will be rewarded by an external authority can be very motivating! 

Reflecting on the ARCS model and looking at how to incorporate it into your designs can help instructional designers craft courses that keep learners engaged and balance internal and external motivation throughout. Discovering the ARCS model has helped me to understand better why some of the methods and tools I applied to raise engagement were working, and a quick framework of reference to check for new ideas or to confirm I’d cover all important aspects of raising and sustaining motivation. 

A key learning from the ARCS model

Design for motivation by including activities and tools to work on Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction throughout the course. 

Backward Design 

I was delighted when I discovered the existence of backward design as an instructional design model. I was also quite intrigued when I learned of the criticism it has inspired. 

Let’s start with what made me happy. Backward Design is a model that stresses designing with the end in mind. The first thing you should do, it argues, is define your learning objectives, then work your way backwards from there. 

Backward design is where we get the invaluable sentence structure “By the end of this course, students will be able to….” 

This resonated with me for two reasons. First of all, as a process facilitator I am constantly urging my clients to define their end goals and objectives. “Until I know the objectives” I have been known to say “I cannot design a session for you”.

The second reason that made me glad Backward Design is out there is how much it resembles a facilitation method I use a lot, called Backcasting. I’ve used backcasting mostly with community groups to define their long-term goals and work back from those to “what are we going to do tomorrow”. It’s a brilliant way to include wide-angle visions and practical next steps in the same flow. 

As I read more about Backward Design, though, I realized that it’s one thing to co-design the future or a session in facilitation, it’s quite another to work backwards as a learning designer or learning design team, without all those other voices in the room.

Backward Design has been criticized for leading to courses that can be quite rigid in their progression (aka “teaching to the test”). There are many learning pathways, and applying backward design rigidly can lead to forgetting about the need for flexibility. Despite the criticism though, there is a lot of value to the Backward Design approach.  

In terms of supporting motivation, having a clear end goal that can be explained in two sentences is a great way to motivate participants. In adult education, it’s essential to specify how the course will help participants in their real-world challenges. Backward Design encourages instructional designers to ensure every piece of the course is fit for purpose. 

A key learning from Backward Design

Instead of starting with the content, start with the learning objectives and figure out, step by step, how learners will get there. 

The Kemp Instructional Design model

My introduction to instructional design came in the context of co-designing summer schools on entrepreneurship, targeting Masters’ students in European Universities. The courses’ pedagogy was 100% centered on the learners and we included a lot of peer education and personal empowerment.

This makes perfect sense for a course that aimed to empower young people on the path of entrepreneurship. That pedagogy was probably also inspired by the work of Morrison, Ross and Kemp in defining what is generally known as the Kemp Instructional Design model. 

You can envision the Kemp design model as a solar system where everything revolves around the learners. While the actual steps of the instructional design process are akin to ADDIE, if a little bit more detailed, the change is in the perspective taken. 

The Kemp model encourages designers to see everything from the learners’ point of view so that their needs, priorities, and constraints are what the course is designed around. This chapter from the Pennsylvania State University’s instructional design handbook gives a good overview of how the Kemp model works. 

A key learning from the Kemp model

Design a learning environment and instructional materials based on what you know about learners’ needs, priorities and constraints. 

Instructional design models and cultural competency

This last note from Kemp’s model is a good introduction to discussing the relevance of all the models we’ve looked into so far to multicultural groups and in a multicultural environment. Every model since the A in ADDIE, stresses the importance of collecting information on your perspective learners and using this to inform how you structure your course.

At the same time, not very much is included in these models with respect to cultural competency. The models hail mostly from US research, and the traditional or classic ones refer mainly to research made in the 1970s, specifically for the education and training needs of the US military. What does this imply in terms of using these models as lenses through which to view all education? 

There are certain biases baked into the models. Learning, for example, is demonstrated by tests and quizzes that imply that the “right” kind of learning has to do with repetition and the acquisition of facts and data. There is also no specific instruction given in traditional models around diversity and inclusion.

Many learning designers have learned to adapt courses to different cultural environments, mainly by developing instructional materials, stories, and images that their learners can see themselves in. This is a great practice, but it is true that it does not require major changes to the structure of the courses themselves. 

What would courses look like if they were designed with multicultural learning at their heart? Authors Charlotte Gunawardena, Casey Frechette and Ludmila Layne have compiled a Culturally Inclusive Instructional Design guide that contains a 10-step list of recommendations for inclusive e-learning design. First of all, the authors invite learning designers to consider their own biases and preferences. What core beliefs drive your design decisions? What do you think is “normal” or “best”? From here, the authors provide more recommendations, such as:

• Acknowledging that bias cannot be eliminated from designs, but that space can be made for alternative experiences, preferences and perspectives;
• Inviting to create space for learners to co-create the course, giving them choices of different learning pathways, and providing options in terms of timelines and milestones;
• Allow for different kinds of learners to shine, without trying to rank them or resolve tensions between apparently disparate or even opposite conclusions. A complex world requires that we learn how to hold different ideas in our heads, all at once.

The authors also recommend learning about, and using, a variety of different instructional design approaches, without getting overly attached to a single or “best” way of teaching, learning and designing. Instructors and designers should know that all of these processes and tools have value, in different contexts and for different materials.

What next? 

Hopefully you now feel better equipped to tackle your next learning design challenge. There are yet many more instructional design approaches and principles to learn. 

If you want to learn more about the principles behind learning theory, you might find this article on Instructional design principles interesting.

If you feel ready to practice and dive into creating a new course structure, you might want to take a look at a design template based on ADDIE, that you can customize based on your needs.   

Let us know in the comments or in our friendly community of facilitators and trainers how your learning design is informed by these, and other, models. 

Whether you’re creating elearning courses, training sessions or working in blended environments, this guide will help you understand how to deploy these instructional strategies and engage your learners. We’ll explore each principle in turn and provide practical examples and advice for applying them in your instructional design process.

Good instructional design is an art and a science.

Even if you’re new to learning design, chances are you’ll already be practicing some of the learning principles I’ll outline below. In my own practice, I learned from mentors and teachers I admired and through trial and error long before I came across learning theory.

Creativity and experience got me so far, but then I realized that a deeper understanding of how people learn would help me improve the courses and workshops I designed. Instructional design theories and learning frameworks provide a solid foundation that you can build upon with your signature style.

In this guide, we’ll explore Robert Gagne’s 9 principles of instructional design and how to apply them.

By better understanding these principles and how to practically action them as an instructional designer, you can create more engaging learning experiences that will help participants retain and better utilize what they learn after the course is complete. 

What are Gagne’s instructional design principles and why are they important? 

Robert M. Gagne was an American psychologist whose worked centred on educational psychology. He is best known for his 1965 book The Conditions of Learning. There, he demonstrated a nine-step process for creating effective learning called the events of instruction.

The 9 instructional design principles (also known as Gagne’s nine events of instruction) as outlined by Gagne are:

1. Gain the attention of your learners
2. State the objectives 
3. Stimulate recall of prior learning
4. Present the learning content 
5. Provide learning guidance
6. Elicit performance from learners
7. Provide feedback
8. Assess learner performance 
9. Enhance retention and transfer

You’ll find a detailed explanation of each of Gagne’s instructional design principles below alongside practical tips for implementing them in your eLearning course, classroom or live training session. 

Instructional design principles are important because they provide a proven framework for designing an effective learning experience. They successfully incorporate the key concepts and psychological principles at the heart of learning into a practical, easy to follow process.

In my experience, these principles help concretize all the learning theory out there and make it easy for me to ensure the course I’m designing will engage students and achieve the desired learning outcomes. They provide a systematic process that is easy for any instructional designer to follow, repeat and internalize.

While most of these principles will occur in your course roughly in the order presented above, it’s worth noting that these events can overlap and you’ll revisit them at various points in your learning flow. 

For example, it’s common that an eLearning course will present the content of one training block alongside an interactive game that gives learners an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and for instructors to gauge their progress.

Afterwards, you might then go into another learning block that repeats this process, perhaps even restating objectives at certain points and asking learners to remember previous learning when pertinent. 

In most effective courses, many of these instructional principles are repeated throughout and learners will have multiple opportunities to receive feedback, interact with experiential content and practice their skills.

Try thinking of the list as both a rough skeleton of the points you will want to hit in your learning flow as well as practice advice for improving individual sections of your course or training programs. 

When designing an eLearning course outline or instructional design storyboard, it’s helpful to detail how each training block aligns with your learning objectives.

In SessionLab, instructional designers can add colour-coding to training blocks to delineate the learning objective, activity type or even which stage of the learning process it touches upon. This can help ensure you have a balanced learning flow that will be engaging for your learners. 

As Gagne writes, “organisation is the hallmark of effective instructional materials.”

Start by creating a simple course outline that meets your learner needs. Turn that outline into a storyboard by adding detailed text, timing and clear instructions. Attach learning materials, images, links and other multimedia to each training block so that your content team can easily find what they need.   

By combining the following instructional design principles for course creation with SessionLab, you can quickly structure your online course and ensure nothing is missed. 

1) Gain attention

Effective learning can only begin once learners’ attention is in the room or on the course provided. Gagne’s first event of instruction is all about getting the attention of your learners, sparking their curiosity and drawing them into the session. 

In a live setting, gaining attention often means actually starting the session, asking for people to settle into the room and leave what’s outside of the session for later. While this can be as simple as raising your voice and saying, let’s begin, it can be especially effective to engage learners’ curiosity and help them be present in the moment with a game or activity.

For a learning program or online course delivered via an LMS or course platform, getting the attention of your learners also needs to consider a combination of good design and simple, but engaging content.

How to gain attention in instructor-led training

• Call the room to action by using your voice and presence. Often, this looks like standing up at the front of the room, raising the volume of your voice and calling the group to attention. In traditional learning environments, lots of learners expect some kind of formal signal to begin so don’t be afraid to lean into this.
• Use an icebreaker game to help people mentally arrive in the room. Bonus points if it relates to the topic of the day and starts getting people engaging and learning with one another.
• Don’t forget the body! A simple invitation to take a few deep breaths, stretch or do an energizer can help people give their attention to what’s happening in the room, rather than what’s happening on their phone or after the session.  
• Use music or other audio tool to signal the start of the session. One facilitator friend swears by the use of a Tibetan gong!
• Create engaging visuals. Have a thought-provoking cover slide on your visual presentation or have posters or images relating to your topic around the room. 
• Place question cards, quotes or image cards on tables and chairs ready for when people come in. Pique their interest or invite them to start thinking about the session and their own understanding of the topic at hand while everyone arrives.

How to gain attention in eLearning courses

• Share a short, engaging intro video. Video content that features the instructor behind the training can be very effective, adding a human touch to forthcoming material while also introducing the key points of the course.
• Share a story relevant to the topic at hand. Good stories are highly engaging for us as people, whatever the medium. A real world example that engages with the topic of your course is also a great shout – if it’s personal, even better! 
• Have an interactive moment early on, preferably including some element of user choice. Picking an avatar, a favourite colour or simply answering a question in the first moments of the course can help get the attention of learners in this environment. Bonus points if it’s persistent! 
• Use compelling visuals. As above, attractive, thought provoking visual material can be a great way to get attention immediately. Good design can go a long way here!  
• Make a big claim or bold statement to grab learner attention and encouraging critical thinking. Something a learner strongly agrees (or disagrees!) which can be a compelling hook to move forward. On other occasions, using evocative language and restating the ideal goal state or benefit of the course can be a great way to gain learner attention. Let them know what real world problems they’ll solve after taking your course!

2) State objectives

In adult learning, it’s been shown that people learn better when they know why they’re doing a particular activity and what the goals or desired outcomes of a training program are. Gagne’s second event of instruction is all about outlining the goals and objectives of the training they’re about undertake.

Stating course objectives can help learners engage with each step of the learning flow, understanding what the overall goal is and how each step can help them reach that goal. 

This stage is often about building trust too – giving your learners an overview of what they’re going to learn and some sense of how you’re going to help them learn it. Whatever your learning format and audience, try to use language that speaks to them and relates to their personal goals, as well as those of the wider training program.

How to state objectives in instructor-led training 

• Let your learners know the objectives of the training session early in the process. Practically, this looks like having a slide in your presentation to present the objectives or a handout which includes learning objectives close to the top. For some sessions, you might even state the objectives of the training in the invitation email or in a shareable agenda so participants can come to the session fully prepared. 
• Try making objectives personal and aspirational. Statements such as “by the end of this training you will be able to:” can help the goals of a session more concrete. Aspirational statements that invite participants to consider their personal goals can also be effective ways to motivate learners.
• In live environments, it can also be effective to ask learners and trainees what their own objectives are at the beginning of a training session. This can help ensure alignment, create a participatory environment and also create the potential to cover peripheral topics (if able) that learners will respond to. 
• Having learners share those desired learning outcomes with the rest of the group can also be an effective way to cover the objectives of the course and also begin the active learning process. Ask participants to share their own goals with the group and then add any core learning outcomes they’ve missed at the end.

How to state objectives in eLearning courses

• A simple bullet point list or slide that tells learners exactly what they’ll learn on the course is a tried and tested method for stating objectives. This might also come in the form of a course outline where objectives are linked to the main sections of your course. 
• Outlining before and after states is also an effective way to sell the self-paced course they’re on and carry them through the first screens and into the training proper. What will it look like after the course has been completed? How will the learnings benefit their day-to-day work?
• A short video where the instructor introduces learning objectives works well. The human touch can help demystify tricky objectives or help demonstrate an ideal future state. For example, if you were running a course on improving facilitation skills, a video where an expert facilitator tells trainees how achieving learning objectives has improved their personal practice can do wonders to get participant buy-in. 
• I’ve found that including an activity that asks participants to write down their personal objectives is a great way to start people on their learning journey. If you’ve gotten the right people on the course at the right time, most personal objectives will overlap with those of the course, but it’s an effective exercise to get participants thinking about what they most want to get out of the material ahead. 

3) Stimulate recall of prior learning

In Cagne’s principles of instructional design, the recall of previous learning is an integral part of the learning process. By creating connections between new material and their existing knowledge and experiences, it’s easier for learners to retain what they learn. 

In many cases, the recollection of previous material is also a great tool to allow a trainer to assess participants’ existing knowledge or skill level. You can use this to tailor the learning experience and to measure the impact of your course – for example, running a short quiz at the beginning and end of the training and seeing how the results change.

Remember that previous learning doesn’t just mean “what previous courses or training have you taken on this subject?”

If the subject of your training is conflict resolution, it might be more effective to ask participants about recent conflicts and how they resolved them. Personal experience and parallels to real life situations can be very effective at stimulating the recall of prior knowledge. 

How to stimulate recall in instructor-led training

• Group discussions where participants are encouraged to share their experiences around a core training topic is a highly effective method of stimulating recall. In my experience, 1-2-4 All provides the best structure of this kind of discussion. It allows trainees to have some personal time thinking about the subject before a pair and small group discussion. It also ensures that one person doesn’t dominate a whole group discussion and that multiple viewpoints are shared. 
• Experiential activities can also be a great way to stimulate recall. For example, a simple problem solving game might require participants to use skills they’ve learned in order to be successful. In my experience, using an energizer game as an opportunity for people to use problem solving skills related to the topic at hand can also help.
• One simple way to stimulate recall is to simply ask all participants to summarize their knowledge on a chosen topic and present those summaries to the group. 

How to stimulate recall in eLearning courses

• Quizzes and other interactive content are highly effective in a self-paced format. A short quiz can help you engage learners early on, providing variation in your course content while also allowing you to gauge their level of knowledge.  
• Asking learners to recall prior knowledge and summarize can work in a self-paced format, though without peer feedback, it might not suit every training topic or learning format. That said, even as a self-reflection activity it can be effective. You can even begin the process of multimedia learning by asking participants to create a slide-deck or image to summarize their existing knowledge.  
• Referencing previous learning content or well known material in your course material can help gently nudge learner recall. If you know your trainees have engaged in a previous course or will likely have read a well known book on the topic, organically referencing these in your course is a good idea.
• Sending preparatory reading material to your trainees in your invitation or prep materials can give participants an opportunity to prepare and also give you something to refer back to later. Be aware that not every trainee will do this reading, but don’t be afraid to refer back to it to help stimulate recall either. 
• A single great question can also pave the way for this kind of recall. Ask a question that invites participants to reflect (and take time to do so!) on a given topic or an inspiring subject can be all it takes to promote this learning principle. 

4) Present the content

So this is the big one – actually presenting your learning content to your trainees. In most training sessions, this is where the bulk of time is spent. Here, you’ll organize your learning content into a methodical, engaging learning flow that will help learners understand and engage with the learning material. 

In live training, presenting content can often look like a trainer running through a slide deck, asking questions from the group, encouraging reflection and perhaps including an experiential game to demonstrate some of the content in action. 

In eLearning environments, content will likely live in an LMS or learning platform, and be a sequence of interactive slides, games and other material. Using the key principles of multimedia learning and varying your content style is a great place to begin, though you’ll want to go further in order to produce a truly effective instructional design.

In any format, there are some solid best practices for ensuring your learning content is presented in an engaging fashion that will help learners move efficiently to the next stage. 

How to present content in instructor-led training

• Try presenting your content in different ways to engage different learning styles. Standing at the front of the room and simply talking to your trainees without any variation or interactivity can quickly grow stale and lower engagement with your content. Use slides, videos, audio, handouts and images in your visual presentations to cater to different learning styles. You might also encourage active participation in the form of a training activity that involves your participants in presenting content.
• Simplicity and legibility is important. Your content should follow a structured learning flow that makes it easy for learners to follow, understand and synthesize. Be sure to contextualize anything you present and that it’s suitable for the level of understanding your learners have.
  Using SessionLab to design your content flow and storyboards is one effective way of ensuring your content is well structured and follows a logical sequence.
• Summarizing content and describing key points to learners either at the beginning or end of a training block can be helpful at switching your participants into the right mode for learning while also reinforcing the key takeaways. 
• Relating your material to real world contexts can provide learners with a way to relate this new knowledge to their own experience. Try using multiple examples or even ask for examples from your group.
• Encouraging note-taking is another effective method of helping participants engage with the content you’re presenting. In some training activities, you might ask learners to share notes with each other between learning blocks or to summarize the content you just presented using their own notes. 

How to present content in eLearning courses

• Presenting content in different forms is especially important for keeping learners attention in self-paced eLearning. Using a blend of text, video, audio, infographics, slides and other media are all useful at creating engagement.
• Interactivity can be an effective way of presenting your content in a more memorable and experiential manner. Simple learning games developed with the help of subject matter experts can make all the difference when it comes to helping learners actively engage with your content.  
• Ensure that any additional media or interactivity you add is relevant to the topic and learning goals. Making things visually appealing is a bonus, but adding heaps of images that aren’t relevant to your central content can distract the learner. As with everything in instructional design, balance is key. 
• Segment your content into digestible chunks and add simple, measurable goals to each section. This can help keep your learners on track and ensure they don’t lose sight of why they’re being given a particular piece of content. 

5) Provide learning guidance

Gagne’s fifth event of instruction is where the instructor or trainer provides learning guidance. This guidance can come in many forms, though it should always have the aim of helping learners better understand the material provided and helping them learn how to learn. 

In my experience, learning guidance comes in two main forms: 

1. Learning guidance that is baked into the content
2. Learning guidance offered alongside main content by the instructor or course

Making learning guidance present on a content level is often a design decision. For example, instructional designers will often start with simple material before increasing in complexity in order to facilitate learning.

They may distribute handouts which help guide a learner towards answering questions on the training content or include step by step instructions that facilitate deeper comprehension. They might also include practical examples of what is being learned in the form of a case study or training activity. 

Learning guidance offered alongside the main content is often about helping learners improve their own ability to learn.

Instructional designers might include a PDF on best practices for studying, taking breaks and keeping learning alive. In cohort based learning, that guidance might also look like providing office hours or online chat groups where participants can help one another learn too.

How to provide learning guidance in instructor-led training

• Develop step-by-step lessons that start with simple, easy to understand concepts before moving towards more complex material. This allows learners to build on existing knowledge and develop their understanding as they go.
• Break your content into small chunks and create opportunities for the group to ask simple qualifying questions at regular intervals. You might also solicit relevant experiences from the group or step to one side and talk about how to best internalize the content effectively.
• Using an instructional design model such as the ADDIE model to thoroughly understand your learners needs can really help you choose the right method of learning guidance. Ensure you’ve investigated what will wok best for your learners in order to produce the most effective instruction.
• Talking through a question and how you might arrive at an answer for the group can be really effective at demonstrating a learning mindset. You might do this yourself or by doing a pop-quiz and asking the correct respondent to talk more about the process they went through when finding the answer.
• Practical examples are a great tool for providing learning guidance. You might include a real world example or case study in your content that shows how someone might deploy the knowledge being learned in your training. You might also use a training activity involving role play that gives participants an opportunity to practice in a safe environment where you as a trainer can also provide guidance. 

How to provide learning guidance in eLearning courses

• Most content authoring tools offer features like image hotspots or buttons that allow users to explore a subject in more detail. Add links to additional material where you can. Include tooltips on key terms and learning points so that those learners who may need extra help can find it without leaving your course and come out of their learning flow. 
• Add a section with advice on how to get the most out of the course. Set expectations for how long learners should spend on each section, how much extra reading they should do and how they should approach the material. Even something as simple as a reminder to silence phones and give learning material their full attention can help here!
• Peer-support and activities can be effective, even in a self-paced environment. With cohort based learning, give opportunities for learners to discuss material or complete a group task to support your self-paced material. Blended courses are a great way to make this dance between self-directed learning and group discussion a reality – see more in this blended course template! 

6) Elicit performance

Gagné’s sixth event of instruction is eliciting performance. This is typically where learners are able to practice new skills, demonstrate what they’ve learned and begin retaining information. Practical exercises, role playing simulations and quizzes are all common methods trainers and instructional designers will use in order to elicit performance from learners. 

By tapping into experiential learning methods, this stage of the learning process can help learners retain information and file it in their long term memory. 

This is arguably the most important step of the learning process. Whatever the topic or format of your training, you’ll want to ensure you give ample opportunity for participants to practice their skills and demonstrate their knowledge within your course – simply providing lots of informational content isn’t enough, however great that content might be. 

Eliciting performance is also an important step for the instructor. If learners are having continually difficulty with a particular concept, the instructor may want to revisit that topic in greater detail. In a self-paced format, the input you get from participants at this stage can also be used for improving your learning experiences. 

How to elicit performance in instructor-led training

• Role-playing games and training activities where learners must deploy their new skills are great ways to elicit learner performance. In some scenarios such as soft skills training, participants are able to use what they’ve learned in a real-life situation immediately while in others, you may need to offer a simulation – such as for workers operating specialized machinery which may not be available on site. Wherever possible, consider how you can create opportunities to directly employ what’s being learned in a “as true to life” manner as possible. 
• Simple quizzes and Q&A sessions can also be an effective way to give participants a chance to show what they’ve learned. It’s often useful to go beyond repetition and ask learners how they arrived at an answer or how they might use their answer in the real world. 
• Giving participants an opportunity to present what they’ve learned and demonstrate their understanding is another common method of eliciting performance. Put folks into groups and ask them to discuss what they’ve learned, how they might apply it and then presenting those ideas to the rest of the cohort. This is an effective way of encouraging people to not only repeat what they heard, but to start putting those learnings into practice. 
• In a live session, it’s important to consider how a balanced agenda can pave the way for effective practice. Add breaks to your SessionLab agenda and use the automatic timing calculations to ensure participants haven’t been digesting content for 3 hours straight before then being asked to demonstrate new knowledge!

How to elicit performance in eLearning courses

• Interactive activities are the name of the game for this stage of the learning process. Use quizzes and games where participants need to demonstrate their knowledge in order to proceed. You can gate progress or create fail states so that participants can only go to the next step when they provide correct answers and demonstrate their understanding. 
• Simulations are even better if they’re relevant to your learning objectives. For example, if you’re delivering a sales training course, you might simulate a few customer calls and ask respondents to select the best responses.
• If you’re running cohort based training or a blended learning course, get participants to do an activity together or in a facilitated group activity. This provides a great opportunity to practice new skills with the guidance and feedback of peers and an instructor. 
• In some scenarios, using open-ended questions and giving participants an opportunity to respond creatively to a problem and use their new skills can be effective. This approach requires peer or instructor feedback to be effective, and so is best used in a blended format, or at the end of a larger unit of self-paced training. 
• It can also be effective to give participants some homework or ask them to practice what they’ve learned in a real-life environment between training content. Give participants a clear call to action on what to do next with some practical ideas for how to use what they’ve learned. Even with entirely self-directed learning, it’s possible to give direction for employing new skills between training content and then ask participants to reflect on what they did when they come back for the next block.
• Allow participants to retake or repeat key sections, particularly if they’ve not satisfied performance expectations. You might link back to sections contextually or simply provide an index or course overview so learners can go back over what they need to whenever necessary. 

7) Provide feedback

Gagné’s seventh event of instruction is providing feedback. This is where the instructor provides direct feedback on learner progress and how they’re performing in comparison to the desired learning goal. This kind of feedback is most often given in direct response to learner input, such as when they are answering questions about a new learning, conducting a practical exercise or practicing new skills. 

In a training context, feedback is most effective when given immediately following learner action. It should also provide enough detail for the learner to understand what went well or what needs improvement. The idea is not to just tell the learner why they were wrong but also to help them make adjustments and move towards the desired learning goal.

The best kind of feedback to give your learners is often dependent on context, where they are in the learning journey and the relative importance of a given point. Here are some of the different kinds of feedback you might provide to your learners:

• Confirmation feedback: this kind of feedback lets the learner know they did the right thing or gave the right answer. This typically includes a positive affirmation that futher encourages the learner.
• Corrective feedback: the type of feedback tells learners that they did the wrong thing or an incorrect answer was given and explain why. Remedial feedback will typically direct learners to where they can find the right answer or prompt them to try again. 
• Evaluative feedback: this feedback method gives the learner a sense of how they performed, often in the form of a score. You might also include a description of what that score means, often in line with an assessment criteria document. This kind of feedback is often short and to the point, with learners expected to take some ownership of next steps based on the score they received. 
• Descriptive feedback: descriptive feedback can be used in both correct and incorrect scenarios, giving participants a deeper level of feedback that often includes suggestions, additional information and next steps that will help learners improve their performance and progress on the learning journey. 
• Peer feedback: peer feedback is an opportunity for learners to reflect on the performance of others and provide input to one another. This is especially useful during group activities or as a point of contact in a blended learning environment.
• Self evaluation/self feedback: this kind of feedback method involves prompting the learner to self reflect on their progress or performance. Self reflection is a great habit to encourage at various points in the learning process.

How to provide feedback in instructor-led training

• In a live environment, feedback is often given immediately following learner input or during a practical exercise. The faster you’re able to help learners correct their actions, the easier it is for them to make changes and incorporate the desired learning. 
• Create space for learners to ask follow-up questions. The best learning experiences are rarely one way and giving participants a deeper understanding of what to improve, change or why their answer was correct can help deepen the process.
• In many cases, it’s vital for learners to understand why they were wrong, as well as being given the correct answer. Contextualize your feedback and where necessary, detail the process of finding the right answer. This can help ensure participants develop the skills they need, rather than just parroting the correct answer in a training context.  
• When learners are practicing their skills or conducting role-play exercises, ensure there’s an opportunity to course correct and practice the ideal behaviour. This can help switch context from a potentially negative to positive relationship with the training material and help reinforce the desired outcome. 
• Positive affirmation that helps reinforce ideal behaviour is as important as correcting undesired responses. Tell people when they’ve done well and explain why their response was ideal. In a group setting, it can also be helpful to share what a great response or effective application looks like.     

How to provide feedback in eLearning courses

• It’s worth noting that giving people a chance to learn from their mistakes is especially important during eLearning. Just telling people they were wrong and then moving on isn’t an ideal flow for learning. After providing feedback on a wrong answer be sure to then provide the opportunity for participants to give the right answer or demonstrate their knowledge some other way. You might also offer a simpler or adjusted version of the simulation or provide a quiz that offers additional hints or tooltips. 
• As with live training, any feedback should be given in a direct, immediate and clear manner. Your content authoring tool will have everything from tooltips, pop-ups, audio tools and more. Leverage these tools thoughtfully to congratulate participants on a correct response or gently let them know that the response was incorrect and provide them with feedback that can help them do better next time. 
• As a rule of thumb, try to ensure every point of learner input provides feedback of some kind. Whether it’s a positive affirmation of correct practice or an incorrect answer message, each point of input is an opportunity to guide participants to the ideal learning journey.  
• Achieving clarity in a self-paced training course isn’t just about the text. Visual design is a vital element of providing feedback that is easy for the learner to understand and doesn’t create friction. Think about how to make feedback visually distinct from other learning material and try to employ a consistent method of delivering feedback throughout your course. 
• Test your courts and explore how it feels to receive feedback to an incorrect response. If every incorrect answer triggers a warning klaxon and a wall of text, that’s unlikely to feel good for your learner, and may negatively impact the learning journey. 
• Remember that feedback is about guiding participants to the correct response and deepening the learning journey. Messages will want to let people know what went wrong but also guide them towards understanding. It’s not fun to be told you’re incorrect over and over again without context or support! 
• Providing links to additional material or opportunities to revisit content is easily achieved in most content authoring tools. Giving learners an opportunity to improve their understanding by linking to supporting material can help ensure they get the right answer while also reinforcing key points. This can be an effective way of helping learners gain an understanding of the material, rather than just brute forcing your quiz. 

8) Assess performance

Gagné’s eight event of instruction is an assessment of learner performance. This is where trainers officially evaluate how well learners have performed against the desired learning objectives. In practice, this can look like a written or oral exam, practical demonstration, scored quiz or other form of assessment. 

For most learning scenarios, it’s important that trainers do not offer additional guidance or help while assessing performance. Participant ability will typically be measured on individual performance and with a pass/fail model. 

The results of these assessments are used in multiple ways. First, they’re often given back to participants to either congratulate them or provide an opportunity to retake an assessment or deepen their learning.

Assessments are also a great tool for trainers and instructional designers to improve the quality of their materials – if participants struggle with certain elements, it’s potentially a sign you need to make something clearer or cover certain topics in greater detail. 

How to assess performance in instructor-led training

• Demonstrations and practical activities that are supervised or observed by the instructor is a common method of assessment in live training. Typically, those assessing the performance will score or grade each trainee as they progress through a pre-defined scenario. This is especially useful when training participants in practical skills.
• A formative assessment in the form of a written or oral exam is also common. These often include a series of questions that are scored by the trainer in order to determine performance. 
• Individual outputs such as essays, reports or creative products are another tried and tested assessment method – many university courses include essays and other personal outputs to assess learner progress and performance. Note that these can be more difficult and time consuming to assess, and require thorough assessment criteria used by every instructor in order to be fair and effective. 
• Be sure to outline how performance will be assessed at the outset of the course and again just before an assessment. Trainees should know exactly how they’ll be assessed and there shouldn’t be any surprise criteria that doesn’t relate to what they learned. Include it in your training agenda and provide links to supporting material where appropriate.
• In some cases, it can also be effective to assess participants before the course begins and then assess them again at the end. Measuring the improvement in skills or knowledge can provide a finer degree of assessment and also help the trainer understand the true impact of their material. 
• Going further, it can also be helpful for learners to get used to being assessed in some small form throughout the course. You might sprinkle various assessment techniques such as quizzes and group questioning throughout your course to help you and your learners be aware of performance throughout the course. 

How to assess performance in eLearning courses

• Scored quizzes are a common feature of self-paced courses for good reason. They provide an opportunity to cover many learning events in turn and effectively assess the performance of learners. 
• Vary the format of your assessments so that they’re engaging and can’t be brute forced. Using a mix of multiple-choice questions, word games and other quiz formats can help you assess performance while avoiding burnout.
• Challenges and simulations provide an experiential way to assess performance. Remember that even if your assessment method is gamified, participants still need to know how they are being assessed. Clear instructions and good feedback are key here. 
• Include links to assessment criteria and supporting materials in your course introduction and ensure participants can access what they need when preparing for assessment. 
• Clearly signpost when a section of your online course is part of the formal assessment of course progress. You might distinguish these sections visually while also clearly spelling out that this section is important. 
• Milestone tests or short assessments spread throughout the course are especially important in a self-paced environment where the instructor does not have the ability to organically gauge performance. 
• Pre-testing before the start of an eLearning course can be an effective way to tailor the experience for your learners. You might allow them to skip certain sections or draw more attention to others based on the results.

9) Enhance retention and transfer

Gagné’s ninth event of instruction is about enhancing the transfer of knowledge and helping learners retain what they’ve learned during the course so they can apply it in real-life. The goal of any learning experience isn’t to just help participants pass the course – it’s to equip them with skills and knowledge that will be used from here on out.

Instructional designers tend to achieve this in two ways. First, by using activities that improve retention and knowledge transfer throughout the course, often in the form of simulations and practice exercises.

They’ll also provide resources to help participants continue learning once the training is over. Static resources like PDFs, checklists and job aids are helpful, though you might go further and offer feedback loops with line managers or group forums for peer support. 

How to enhance retention and transfer in instructor-led training

• A summary of key points and core topics in the form of a one-pager can be a great resource to provide to learners at the end of a training session. A job-aid that helps demonstrate the connection between what’s been learned and how to apply it in day-to-day work is also an effective resource to share at the end of a course. 
• End your training session with a final opportunity to practice key skills or demonstrate knowledge. You might do a final group role play, quick-fire quiz or practical exercise. 
• Close the session with a group reflection or debrief. Giving everyone the opportunity to reflect on what they learned and share different perspectives how they’ll use what their new skills or knowledge can be a great way to ensure next steps are taken and that learning is retained. Closing activities like Letter to Myself or I used to think…Now I think are proven methods you can use here. 
• Create opportunities to check-in following the training session. You might have line-managers or trainers check-in with trainees to discuss progress and to reinforce key learnings. Alternatively, create an accountability group where a cohort of trainees can share experiences and tips while keeping what they learned alive. 
• Have trainees create an action plan for how and when they’ll use their new skills following the workshop. Setting an intention for a real-life application of what’s been learned can ensure trainees are in a good position to retain material following the course. 

How to enhance retention and knowledge transfer in eLearning courses

• The steps trainees take immediately following the completion of an online course are key. Encourage learners to think about how they’ll apply their new skills and knowledge throughout or ask them to create an action plan with next steps. 
• Ask participants to create their own artefacts related to the course. You might have an activity where they create a one-pager with key points or create a visual that would help others (and themselves) to remember the most important elements. 
• Remind learners of the journey they’ve been on and give them some guidance of what they might do next. If there’s a story at the heart of your training, you might use the end of your course to give that story a compelling ending or show how other learners have achieved great things following the course. 
• Links to further reading and interesting resources related to the course can encourage trainees to continue engaging with the material and go deeper. 
• Repeatable simulations which trainees can use to practice their skills are a great method of encouraging knowledge retention. You might allow participants to simply repeat previous practical simulations or include a more difficult version that encourages them to go further. How about creating a scored simulation where trainees in a cohort might be encouraged to achieve and share a high score?  

Next steps

Now we’ve explored these core instructional design principles, you might be wondering what’s next and how you might go about using these principles to design effective learning experiences.

Beyond these core principles, most instructional designers will use a tool such as the ADDIE model to effectively project manage the process of creating a completed learning experience.

It’s also worth acknowledging that alternative principles of instructional design are out there.

Some learning designers prefer David Merrill’s principles, which includes five principles: task-centered, activation, demonstration, application, and integration. The successive approximation model (SAM model) is also a popular method for creating a learning program.

I would recommend using these instructional design models to get a broader view of how you might progress from conducting a needs assessment to working with subject matter experts and sharing a completed course with participants. 

Whatever instructional design model you use, a storyboarding and learning design tool like SessionLab is a simple and effective way to go from an outline to a fully realized learning design while keeping these principles in mind.

You can invite your subject matter experts to collaborate on your design and attach materials to each learning block, ready for your content team to recreate in your LMS.

Want to learn more? Explore how learning designers at Vlerick Business School use SessionLab to design instructor led training and eLearning courses at scale. 

Working on a blended learning course? See how to apply instructional design principles in a blended environment with this in-depth guide to blended learning design.

Designing instructor led training? You might also find this step-by-step process for creating a training session plan helpful. You’ll find tips on creating engagement and realizing a live training session with the help of a detailed agenda.  

We hope that the above guide and these additional resources will help you take a systematic approach to learning design that also leaves space for your personal touch.

Did we miss anything or is there something we should explore further? Let us know in our community of facilitators and learning professionals!

Even for expert trainers and learning designers, developing a blended learning course can be a daunting experience. Combining such disparate elements in a coherent whole that leverages the best of each, for learning that sticks, requires thoughtful planning and design.

In this article, we’ll look at the key elements for creating excellent blended learning experiences. Read on for practical tips and tricks, ideas and recommendations on avoiding possible pitfalls. We will cover:

What is a Blended Course?

Blended learning courses are training and education experiences that combine different elements, leveraging the power of both synchronous and asynchronous study opportunities. 

Barely existing before the Covid-19 pandemic, blended learning spaces are now a growing trend. The reasons are quite straightforward: the training community is now very well aware of the advantages offered by online, self-paced learning (such as MOOCs, Massive Open Online Courses). Content can be hosted online and accessed by learners at their convenience, offering much-needed flexibility. 

At the same time, it’s well known that direct interactions with peers and instructors are irreplaceable elements for learning that sticks. Blended courses designed by learning designers bring together the best of both worlds.

There are four possible components to a blended course.

• Asynchronous, self-paced learning modules. Self-paced study resources, such as videos and articles, give learners the flexibility to study when it works for them, and return to materials at any time.
• Small group work. Working through assignments in a group of peers is a strong motivator, which is likely to increase retention and boost learning. We will see below how this can be organized, depending on the type of course you are designing.
• Synchronous workshops, online. Participatory workshops held on online platforms are a versatile container for learning activities. These can combine plenary work, guided individual reflection, and discussion in breakout rooms (Looking for more information on how to hold engaging workshops for online learning? Here is a dedicated guide).
• Synchronous, face to face sessions. If your course is designed for a specific company, or perhaps for a University, it may allow for participants to gather in person. We’ll see below how to make the most of this opportunity! 

Not all blended courses will include all components, as the mix greatly depends on the specific circumstances. Having at least one synchronous and one asynchronous element is what makes it a blended learning space. You can see an example of how this might fit together in this blended learning course template.

In the next paragraphs we’ll look into each modality in turn. But first, allow me to share a personal story.

A Real-world Example of Blended Learning

My experience with blended learning environments comes from working as a group coach for various cohorts of Masters’ students enrolled in the EIT Climate-KIC’s education programs. 

Traditionally held only in-person, these programs had to undergo a quick, radical restructuring due to the Covid-19 restrictions of 2020 and 2021. In 2020, the program was moved fully online but remained completely synchronous, with participants joining from all over the world to online workshops and lectures, held on Zoom.

Having kept our poor students (as well as ourselves!) hostage too many hours in front of the screen, we quickly learnt that online participation could be leveraged to give more flexibility to learners. 

The 2021 program was therefore re-designed, this time as a blended learning environment. Our main objective was to design online learning activities that would encourage strong connections among participants, adding many opportunities for online interactions.

We achieved this with a combination of

• large, online, in-sync workshops, where 200+ participants joined at the same time, working on vast Miro whiteboards, listening to inspirational speakers, and going through a variety of online learning activities;
• intimate, 8-people cohorts that met on Zoom once every two weeks with a coach to work through specific parts of the program and support one another’s motivation and learning process.

The rest of the program was based on self-study, with modules including online resources such as reading materials, videos, and individual exercises, particularly journaling. 

In 2022, the program moved back to a mainly in-person, live environment. As designers and education specialists, we met o discuss whether we should keep any elements of the previous blended learning environment.

We concluded that online work was extremely supportive of the in-person section, enabling participants to e-meet before meeting in the classroom, explore topics, and start forming a group spirit. 

After the in-person component, we designed modules that allow participants to dig deeper into topics of their choice, and online workshops to keep in touch and keep learning together long after the events were over.

Why Learners Love Blended Training

As I learned when designing blended learning programs for our students, participants get a lot of benefits from blended training. Essentially, it allows to get the best of both worlds: the flexibility and depth afforded by self-paced learning, and the cohesiveness, networking opportunities, and shared space for reflection that comes with live interactions. 

Research shows that the absence of learner interaction causes failure and eventual drop-out in online courses and the lack of learner connectedness was noted as an internal factor leading to learner drop-out in online courses.

Blended learning effectiveness: the relationship between student characteristics, design features and outcomes

As noted in the above quote from this intriguing paper published in the International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, failure in online courses stems most often from the absence of opportunities for interaction among peers and with instructors.

Blended learning, by contrast, includes many different opportunities for online and face-to-face training activities that strengthen connectedness and support the learning process.

How to Combine Synchronous and Async Elements for Blended Learning

Each element of a blended learning course serves different purposes. As designers of such courses, it’s important to have clarity about what works well, using each format to support learning in such a way as to have them strengthen each other.

Let’s go through them one by one and see what purposes they serve, and how they can work together to ensure your learning objectives are met.

Asynchronous, self-paced online learning

Self-paced online learning is individual work learners can do in their own time. From the designer’s point of view, this implies creating, selecting and developing online resources. These can include videos and reading material as well as exercises and worksheets for learners to work through individually.

To design modules for self-paced e-learning, you’ll need first to storyboard the flow of the course, then work with learning content providers to add videos, course content, presentations and activities. If you need some extra ideas on how to set up your workflow with all the right software tools, this article on instructional design software might help. 

Great for: flexibility. Learners can study at their own pace, whenever is convenient. Well-designed self-study modules will also allow for different levels of exploration and depth, with the main content being the same for everyone but plenty of opportunities to dig deeper into specific facets of the subject.

Risk: it can be hard to sustain motivation if relying only on self-paced modules. Lack of feedback channels with other learners and with instructors mean it’s easy to get lost and give up.

How to use it: use self-paced e-learning modules to structure content, especially when it’s technical. Divide topics into easily digestible chunks, and lay it out clearly in your LMS (Learning Management System).

Small group work

Designing small group work into your blended learning course can be a challenge, but it’s certainly worth it. Here are some possible scenarios and ways you can set small groups up:

• In higher education, randomly place students in peer groups and provide them with group projects. Make sure you dedicate a live (online or face-to-face) session to setting up their groups and coaching them on how to work together, and give them precise milestones to achieve, step by step;
• In company trainings, it might be appropriate to have individual teams work through group assignments together, potentially with case studies that apply to them. 
• Even in courses that are joined online by individual learners, it’s possible to get the benefits of small group work. One way of doing this, as is the case in my story below, is to invite participants to join as a small team of co-workers or friends. Another option is to randomly assign participants to a group (this latter option is only feasible if the course has a precise starting date by which all participants will be registered). 

Great for: motivation. A small group setting is an excellent way to keep participants accountable. It doubles as a space for networking and creating connections.

Risk: small groups require a strong set of guidelines, especially at the start of their learning journey to work well. 

How to use it: expect some fluctuating attendance and drop-outs, so make the groups a bit larger than you would in a face-to-face setting (think 5 to 8 people). Include a small group activity after each self-directed module. 

As is wonderfully laid out in this case study from the BMC Medical Education journal, small group practice can degenerate into an unstructured, disorganized mess where a few earnest individuals end up doing all the work for everyone. Or it can be an uplifting, memorable experience of collaboration and learning. 

Early in the Covid-19 lockdowns, I enrolled in a blended learning course hosted by Acumen Academy. I was encouraged to set up a study group, and since everyone was home trying to figure out how to live our lives in our living rooms, I easily persuaded five other facilitators to join.

We were encouraged to meet for a couple of hours online every two weeks, after each completing a course module individually. After our small group session, we each had to upload a finished worksheet with a group project to our LMS accounts, proving the session was complete, before moving on to the next module. 

Although setting the actual time and date was left up to us (and was a scheduling challenge, I will not lie!), the rest of our work was carefully set up fro us with canvases, exercise sheets, and detailed session timelines. As someone who likes to learn in conversation with others, I have clear and crisp memories of our lively discussions and the online canvases we created and filled with virtual sticky notes. 

Synchronous, online workshops

Include online workshops in your design as opportunities for learners to interact with content providers and peers. A virtual workshop can serve many different functions, including going through case studies, running role play activities, giving space in breakout rooms for discussions relative to the course content and Q&A sessions with speakers. In the context of a blended course, online workshops should not feel like lectures or webinars, but be truly interactive. 

Great for: integrating course content into real-life scenarios, digesting and discussing content, exploring the topic with peers.

Risk: the use of technology tools such as whiteboards can pose an obstacle to participation. Make sure you have experienced virtual facilitators and tech hosts on board. Getting participants fully familiar with the technology you are using is key to making the experience useful and memorable. 

How to use it: add online workshops at the start and end of the course. Repeat the same workshop more than once to ensure higher attendance.

How to add Live, In-Person Events to Your Blended Learning Design

Not every learning course can include live, face-to-face events. If you are having participants join from all over the world, for example, it’s extremely unlikely that everyone will gather in the same location at one point in time. That said, there are quite a few situations in which adding in-person events to your blended learning design is possible. 

You might be designing training for a company that has a team retreat later in the year, which can be an opportunity to reflect and discuss the learning content. In higher education settings, it might be possible to launch an online learning course at the start of the school year face-to-face, or meet in the classroom every few months. 

When people meet in face to face sessions, the amount of social interaction is much higher than in remote learning. Informal moments during coffee breaks can lead to unexpected outcomes, synchronicities, collaborations, and new ideas. Cohorts formed exclusively online tend to dissolve after the course is over, while people we’ve met in real life we might keep in touch with for years.

If you do have the luxury of adding face to face events to your design, you should make sure not to waste them! 

Great for: creating momentum and enthusiasm. Networking. Supporting reflections, questions and feedback.

Risk: live events are more expensive and time-consuming to organize. 

How to use it: add a face-to-face event at the beginning of your course to raise enthusiasm. If you have this component as well as small group work, make sure to dedicate some time during the live event for groups to meet and start organising their work together. If it’s possible based on your situation, add periodic face-to-face meetings with instructors and content providers for such activities as Q&A, role plays and simulations. 

Don’t waste them in: lengthy presentations and “death by powerpoint” – you have so many more options of how to provide great content for your learners!

5 Tips (+1) for Designing Great Blended Learning Environments

Having established what the components of blended learning courses are, let’s look at some practical tips to keep in mind when working on the storyboarding and setup of such courses.

1. Keep the sections straight in your head. It’s up to the designer to clearly establish what content will be delivered how, and how the various sections work together to achieve your learning objectives. Diagrams and schematics may help with this, as can a practical design tool such the ADDIE model for instructional design. You can also use the SessionLab app to keep the design clear and visually appealing.
   
2. Use in-sync components to raise motivation, whether it’s big online workshops or small group work assignments. Dropouts are a big concern in online learning, and blended learning approaches can really help with this!
   
3. Leverage the power of small groups. Research findings prove that small groups are the key to achieving learning outcomes. Design activities that groups can go through autonomously, give them team challenges and tools for collaborative learning.
   
4. Provide opportunities for deeper dives. The main content for your self-paced online learning modules will be the same for everyone: keep it accessible, clear, and simple. At the same time, motivated learners will want to dig deeper into topics of their interest, so provide extra resources and specialized learning tracks;
   
5. Give extra-clear instructions in your LMS. Blended learning courses have many moving parts and learners might get confused. What time is the online workshop? Do I need to attend? Create FAQ sheets and video explanations detailing the course structure. Have an email address or chat for participants to contact and make sure someone is answering. Don’t be afraid to repeat information twice (or more).

The last piece of advice I’ve got is rather controversial, so hear me out, and feel free to disagree in the comments:

6. Don’t record live components. The most common questions you will get once the course is set up are probably going to be “Will you record the live sessions?” and “Where can I watch them?” Knowing that sessions will be recorded is bound to lower learners’ motivation to join, and we all know that watching a recording of a participatory workshop is no substitute for participation. Clarify that these are not lectures, and instead of providing recordings, repeat sessions more than once to accommodate different needs and time zones. 

Start your Blended Learning Design from a Customizable Template

Now that you know more about the different elements that compose a blended learning course design, you probably have some ideas of how to put them together in a flow that works for your learners.

Starting and/or ending with synchronous sessions is a common format, as well as including small group work after every self-paced module. 

Using SessionLab, you can easily visualize all the components, color-code them, and drag-and-drop elements to customize your design. To see what a blended learning course might look like, we’ve prepared this ready-to-use template. 

This starter kit begins with an opening session designed to be hosted online, with the support of a facilitator well-versed in virtual workshops. It then contains two blank example modules to be filled with your content.

Each module ends with a small group session, and the entire course concludes with a synchronous reflection workshop where learners can have the opportunity to ask questions, think back on their learning and provide feedback. Find the complete template here!

In closing

Blended learning courses are a growing trend in education and elearning, both for higher education students and for professional training. I hope this article has equipped you with all the terminology and resources you need to design great blended learning courses with confidence! 

Have you tried basing your design on our ready-made template? Have you used SessionLab for your blended course design? Do you agree that live sessions should not be recorded? Have we forgotten any important tips? Share in the comments and in our friendly online community!

This honest guide to hybrid event planning is packed with practical tips, insights and information to get you started setting up, designing and running successful hybrid events. First of all, you’ll find a definition of what hybrid events are, complete with examples of how they may work, hybrid event best practices and more. 

Once that is clear, read on to find out three key insights on how to face the challenge of working with both people who share a space and people who join online.

* Why “honest”? 

• Because hybrid events can be hard and we’re not going to hide it. 
• Because we collected insights based on conversations and experiences from real people, working in the real world. 
• And, last but not least, because this guide will not provide cookie-cutter solutions but rather insights, pointers, tips and inspiration – ultimately, as always, the actual design is up to you! 

The following sections of this in-depth guide include practical tools, roles that you’ll need to cover, an overview of tech needs, and more. The whole article is packed with useful tips, but if you are in a rush to begin planning, start with this section on practical tools to support inclusion in your next, exciting, adventure in hybrid event planning! 

What are hybrid events?

A hybrid event is one in which some participants are sharing a physical space, while others connect online… all at the same time! This is not altogether a novelty. Keynote speakers, for example, were sometimes presenting and answering questions from a screen long before the Covid-19 pandemic came along and hybrid events entered the mainstream.

That said, contemporary hybrid events are going in the direction of more interaction and engagement than a mere Q&A. Effective facilitation is therefore essential to make hybrid participation work.

The word hybrid is borrowed from the natural sciences. In botany and biology, it refers to the offspring of two animals or plants of different subspecies or varieties. A hybrid will preserve some features from each parent and develop others that are completely new. Similarly, hybrid events share some of the characteristics of in-person events and some that come from the online world… and others that are unique. 

In this guide, we will be using hybrid events, meetings and workshops somewhat interchangeably. Distinctions among them can be made (and are, with great accuracy, by Robert Kienzle in his excellent 132-page Hybrid Live Guide). That said, as long as you aim to facilitate active participation while some participants are sharing a location and others are joining from elsewhere, this guide will apply: take what is appropriate and adapt it to the specifics of your situation.

For more long-term setups in hybrid teams that will work together continuously, this guide will still work for you as facilitator, but you are likely to have to add some research on what workflow and communication tools and apps (such as Slack, Asana and so on, as described in this guide to remote collaboration tools) might support your team in the long term.

Hybrid events are not the only possible way of combining remote and in-person: another possibility is to combine modes of participation not at the same time, but in sequence.

In blended events, sessions are run remotely and in-person at different times, with all participants joining in the same way. Think, for example, of training courses in which everyone meets for intensive seminars, then takes some online modules over the space of a month or two. Here is a little slideshow I put together to illustrate the difference. 

Different ways participants may be joining your hybrid event 

While all hybrid events have in common the simultaneous presence of participants sharing a physical space and others connecting online, different configurations are possible. 

Hub-and-spoke: cohorts of participants who are in the same room, with rooms scattered in different locations, all connecting to the same event. You may have, for example, a group of five joining from the Zurich office, a group of seven in Lisbon, and a larger assembly of twenty joining from headquarters in Copenhagen.

Hub and satellite: one main group joining in person, and individual virtual attendees connecting from their personal devices. This is becoming an increasingly common setup for many hybrid events, e.g. for community/networking gatherings and festivals. The main hybrid event takes place in a physical location, and access is given to remote participants to join with a virtual event platform as well, for the entire event or in part.

A combination of the two is also possible, with some participants joining your hybrid event independently and others in small groups. From the facilitator’s point of view, the scenario changes what activities you can run and how to give instructions for them.

Start your session design process by mapping who will be there, with approximate numbers of participants. Combine this with your overall objectives to create a flow appropriate to the specific hybrid event or meeting.

Why you need to know how to handle hybrid events

In 2020 and 2021, with so many people working from home, facilitators moved their work to online settings. We shared knowledge (e.g. in SessionLab’s remote facilitation guide) the tech improved at breakneck speed, and it’s a safe bet to say that online facilitation is here to stay. Having a virtual event enables wider participation of attendees from different locations and personal situations (or over-booked agendas). 

At the same time, in-person events are possible again: those who are able to dedicate the time, and travel, might be keen to attend a physical event. Given all the possible reasons that might keep virtual attendees in front of their screens while others want to be in the same room, it simply makes sense for event organizers to create hybrid event formats. 

It is in looking at facilitation practice in 2022 that the striking emergence of hybrids becomes clear, with over 60% of facilitators having led at least a hybrid session (based on the State of Facilitation report).

It’s therefore important for facilitators to be aware of how hybrid events work, and get familiar with how to facilitate them. Just as it was important to learn how to run virtual events alongside traditional in person events during the global pandemic.

Even if you end up deciding that hybrid event planning is not for you, you’ll need to know why, and how to articulate this to clients. Who knows, you might take to this new environment as a fish to (new) waters and become one of the first world-class experts in hybrid facilitation!

When should you run a hybrid event?

While every facilitator should at least be hybrid-literate, certainly not every event should go hybrid. As hybrid events become increasingly common, it’s important to clearly communicate to clients that they do require more work, (ideally) a larger team, and extra attention to technology. This might mean hiring more people, renting equipment, adding time for preparation and therefore, in essence, more expense. 

Hybrid events should not be thrown around as an afterthought or an “add-on” to events planned in a different format. Having a camera pointed at speakers during a conference and allowing people to tune in is not a hybrid event: it’s a live broadcast and/or a webinar. In a hybrid event, we are looking at actual participation of all attendees, in different ways, aiming for the same level of engagement, with a flow of communication among all those involved.

Clearly articulating the specificity of hybrids to event organizers is essential to ensure decisions are taken realistically. Make sure you take the time to ask for the rationale behind the request for a hybrid event.

Discuss pros and cons with the convenor/client. Is is genuinely better than a strictly virtual event? If for the purposes of the gathering it’s a real advantage to allow virtual attendees and in-person attendees, and the resources to make this happen are available, then go for it! 

What are the challenges of hybrid event planning?

In terms of facilitation, all hybrid events require three complete designs: one for the people who are sharing the room, one for those joining remotely, and one for the connection between the two.

The novelty of this scenario and the complexity of juggling so many moving pieces made handling hybrids one of facilitators’ main challenges in 2022, according to the State of Facilitation report!

It can get even more complicated in cases in which you will have to tweak instructions for different numbers of people joining from different rooms: in the “hub-and-spoke” model, for example, activities might need specific instructions if some groups are even and some odd-numbered!

Besides the challenge of running different programs simultaneously, hybrid events add the hurdle of combining them. If this effort fails, you are likely to end up with disengaged participants or groups. This can create disagreements and conflict between your virtual audience and in-person attendees. People may end up feeling slighted or excluded from certain conversations, dynamics or decision-making taking part in other parts of your hybrid event.

Ideally, participants joining in different ways should still have many opportunities to work together and interact, create bonds and foster the sense of being “in this together” as parts of a whole.

Taking into consideration people with disabilities and neurodivergent people will require additional hybrid event planning. You’ll need to consider how to support access to audiovisual technologies and resources these people may need to participate fully in your hybrid events. Just as accessibility should be considered for any in person event, the same is true for virtual attendees and their hybrid counterparts.

How to plan a successful hybrid event

In early 2022, the Italian chapter of the International Association of Facilitators hosted a one-and-a-half-hour discussion among a group of about 30 professional facilitators on the topic of hybrid events. At the end of the conversation, three approaches emerged as crucial for facing the hybrid challenge successfully and making hybrid event planning more effective:

1. Keep it simple

Keep. It. Simple. These were the three most-oft-repeated words at the workshop! The setting of a hybrid event is so complicated that simple activities work best. Keep the instructions clear and minimal and be a bit more directive than you normally would. This advice was valid when moving towards virtual events and its valid here too!

Don’t worry about being too basic or linear: trust that the nature of hybrid events will provide added complexity, and throw you some curveballs. That is when you will be grateful for all the head-space you will have given yourself by rejecting more elaborate methods or activities. 

2. Craft a spacious design 

Make sure you have defined objectives with the event organizers, and plan activities to ensure those are reached. Because there are so many uncertainties connected to the technology and all the different settings, keep the breaks as actual breaks rather than scheduling leisure activities or games.

Virtual attendees will need that time to get away from the screens. Those people who are physically present will be glad to have informal opportunities to mingle and relax. And you and your team will need all the time you can get to make last-minute adjustments or, if you are lucky, take an actual break! Approach your hybrid event planning with spaciousness and generous time buffers in mind for best results!

3. Gather feedback and correct course

Another piece of advice that is always valid, but worth focussing on for hybrid events: gather feedback, iterate and correct course. Hybrid event planning requires a lot of preparation, but this should not mean you are now bound to a definitive schedule that will never change.

Every group and interaction is different. Learning how to ensure your specific hybrid event is successful will require adaptation to the unique context at hand. What works for a virtual audience is different for those at the in-person event, and so too might it be different during a hybrid event. As such, it pays to listen and create space for feedback.

Involve participants from the beginning in shaping your hybrid strategies (see below for more on how to do this) and schedule regular moments for feedback. For longer events, this could be at the end of each day. For shorter workshops, don’t wait for the last moment: ask for feedback about mid-way, ideally just before a break, so you can start making some changes right afterward.

Time for feedback on the process should not take long: use a poll and get some insight in 5 minutes.

You might want to ask questions such as:

• Which cohort are you in (online, in-person…)? [multiple choice]
  
• How connected do you feel to your cohort (the other people participating in the same mode as you)? [quantitative, e.g. on a scale 1-5]
• How connected/aligned do you feel with respect to the other cohort(s)? 
• How easy/hard is it for you to contribute to discussions?
  
• What are the facilitators doing that is working well to make this hybrid event a success? [open question]
• What could we do to make the experience even better? 

Collecting feedback in this way is serving more functions than one. First of all, you are gathering information that can help you and your facilitation team improve as the event goes on, shaping it based on your specific group’s needs. Secondly, you are modeling flexibility and willingness to adapt and change, two values that are likely needed in any organization or group you might be working with, all the more so if they are experimenting with virtual and hybrid events.

At the same time, you are raising the participants’ awareness of the process, even just by the simple act of reminding them that different cohorts in your hybrid event might have different needs and experiences. This in itself makes it more likely for attendees to collaborate in making it easier for everyone to be included and contribute.

Remember that this feedback is invaluable for future events. Be sure to share this with the hybrid event organizer, the rest of the team and potentially the attendees too!

Hybrid events best practices

In this section we will cover a range of practicalities you’ll need to keep in mind while designing, setting up and running hybrid events. The first part is a deep dive into strategies to support inclusion of different groups. This is arguably the number one challenge of a hybrid event: in this section, we find out why, and list some strategies as well as four practical tools you can use to make sure inclusion is fully supported, wherever your participants may be!

Next, we touch upon the intricacies of tech setups. As virtual event platforms and tech solutions change all the time, so rather than recommend specific solutions, we will be pointing out what you need to watch out for and keep in mind during hybrid event planning and when facilitating a successful hybrid event. 

The third essential matter to consider is your prep work: besides designing carefully and mapping participants, you’ll need to figure out how you will communicate instructions in different ways to both virtual and in-person attendees.

As facilitators, we are already wearing various hats, and hybrid event planning and facilitation will add some new ones to your collection. In this section, we use roles as a way of framing how to best set up a hosting team, and who will do what.

The fifth and final matter to consider is how to run different types of activities: plenaries, small-group, individual, as well as specific activities, to bridge the different cohorts. This section is packed with practical tips to get every part of your program fine-tuned and hybrid-proof! 

Ready to dive in and learn what it takes to run a successful hybrid event? Let’s start by looking at thorny matters of power dynamics and how to bridge those differences.

How will you make sure everyone is included in the hybrid conversation?

In any gathering of human beings, there is bound to be a lot of diversity, and some imbalance of power. This is the case for in-person events and it remains true for hybrid events too.

As facilitator, part of your role is to make the invisible dynamics intelligible to all participants. Offering new vocabulary and words to express what is going on in terms of power dynamics allows the group to reframe them as cultural artifacts: elements that can be interacted with, evaluated and, if needed, changed.

Let’s consider some key points concerning possible power imbalances specific to the hybrid environment, and what we, as facilitators, can do about them.

Power imbalances in hybrid events

Here are three typical cases of how the hybrid setting can exacerbate pre-existing power imbalances or create new ones. The next time you join or lead a hybrid event, see if you can spot these as they happen! 

1. In-person attendees may have a stronger say – Participants who meet in person will have all the benefits of sharing space and are likely to tend to create a niche culture for themselves, based on the simple fact that they will read one another’s body language and subtle cues. As facilitators, we should raise each group’s awareness of cohorts joining from other locations and not fall into the trap of allowing the in-person group to prevail over virtual attendees.
   
2.  The largest group, wherever it is, may dominate – There certainly is power in numbers, and the largest group of attendees, whatever their position, may hold greater sway over the entire hybrid event. Pay extra attention to the minority and make sure those voices are heard, perhaps by inviting them in, as you would with any quiet participant (“We haven’t heard from the folks over in Sydney in a while.. I’d like to just check in if there is anything you’d like to add…?”).
   
3. Those who share the facilitator’s position might prevail – By the mere, inescapable fact of being humans, facilitators may develop an unconscious bias towards the people in our same room or position, creating momentary alliances. Be aware of the “us vs. them” risk. You may find it natural to prioritize those with whom you are sharing space, or a situation (e.g. if the facilitator is online), and should remind yourself to check your biases and act accordingly for all hybrid events.

How to handle power imbalances

Our goal as facilitators is to make sure everyone’s voice can be heard. There are (at least) two pathways to getting there. The first is to work on your awareness as a facilitator, while the second leverages the collaboration of the entire group. 

1. Keep power imbalances in your awareness and be attentive to them. 

Consider this part of your facilitation prep work. Take time to consider where power imbalances might be and how your own stance, language and behavior can worsen or improve the situation. 

If you know you will tend to prioritize in-person participants (because you are in the room with them, or out of pre-virtual-facilitation habit learned from attending online events), make a mental note of this. Remind yourself and your team to take questions from online participants first. Place the screen on which you see the online participants where your attention will be directed to it.

If you catch yourself internally agreeing with the in-person attendees more than with the online ones, ask yourself why. Are you fully understanding them, or are you missing their point (perhaps because of the lack of visual clues)? If you’ve run a lot of virtual events, that experience will help here too!

2. Focus all participants’ attention on the hybrid scenario, open a conversation and co-create support systems. 

If you got the impression that the previous point might leave you exhausted, you are probably right. Holding your attention on the in-person and online groups at the same time is yet one more task for your already pretty busy inner juggler.

What can you do? Use one of the tools facilitators like best: throw the ball right back to your participants! Take time at the beginning of the session to discuss with the group: how are you feeling about being in this hybrid event? What examples of successful hybrid collaboration have you experienced? What would help you participate fully, at your best?

This can be part of the slot you have set aside to present and discuss ground rules/group agreements, or can be a specific conversation. With a large group that will meet only once, for example for a community event, it may be enough to acknowledge the challenge out loud, and propose some basic agreements.

With groups that will work together longer, e.g. in a series of workshops or a company team, it’s definitely worth spending time talking this through together.

At the start of a workshop, kick-start separate conversations in the different groups around such questions as:

• How does it feel to be in this cohort?
• What do you think might be obstacles to your full participation in the event today?
• What would work for you to counteract these? Do you have any requests for the plenary group? 
• How do you imagine the other group(s) feel about this setting? What might support them?

Then, use the What I need from you activity from Liberating Structures to facilitate a dialogue among the different groups of participants and invite them to ask of each other what they need to support full participation.

This process can feed into drafting your group’s unique “hybrid event collaboration agreement”, which you can revise as you go.

Practical tools to support inclusion 

Map the group

For participants – Use maps and diagrams to make sure everyone knows who is in the hybrid event, whether or not they are in the room. If people are joining in a huddle from the same screen, ask them to add individual names as well as the location (e.g. “Marina, Hannah, John – Vienna team” rather than just “Vienna team” or “Marina”). Names of participants joining remotely might be hard to read if they are projected on a screen for the in-person crew: make a map of your hybrid event participants on a whiteboard so everyone can see who they are interacting with. 

For yourself – Draw a diagram, for your own use, of who is where. Keep it on top of your notes. Add a mark next to the name of those who are taking the floor and speaking up. Even if you don’t remember to do this every time, you might still notice patterns emerge. Are people in the physical space, or in one particular room, participating more? What about your virtual audience? Try some nudging to rebalance this, e.g. by inviting a specific group to speak up more “I’d love to hear what our colleagues in Paris think about this…”

Language matters

Take a moment before the event to decide on how you will refer to the different groups in your hybrid event, and stick to it. This can also be part of the explicit agreement you establish with participants. Avoid creating accidental hierarchies in your virtual and hybrid events by referring to one situation as not-that: in-person and not-in-person, on-line and off-line or, worse, “here” and “there”.

Several facilitators and educators have been popularizing the idea of talking about roomies and Zoomies (I first heard of this trend from Judy Rees over at ReesMcCann). While this may not apply to your situation (you may be using another software, or have more than two groups) it’s a great example of what works. The two terms are fun, playful, and neutral, in that they do not imply one is more important or better than the other. 

Hybrid buddies

What do you do when you have a large group of people traversing an unfamiliar landscape, like a big city, and you want to make sure nobody gets lost? You create a buddy system! As we set out with our group to explore the terrain of our hybrid event, we can do the same. At the start of the workshop plan team-building activities in breakout rooms (see here for our handy methods list) to form a buddy pair, triad or huddle.

Inform participants that this group will remain stable throughout the event and be the setting in which they can support one another and draw the best from the different situations they are in. People connecting from their computers are at an advantage in terms of doing quick research. Those sharing a room with a facilitator might find it easier to attract your attention, or to speak out.

A buddy system is an excellent solution to ensure the group shares the challenge of making this the best possible hybrid experience, and lighten your load as well!

Use polls for convergence

When taking decisions or checking the room for agreement, there is a heightened risk that people will stay silent in a hybrid event. Because facilitators will be dividing their attention among different cohorts, it is easier to miss subtle body signals or facial expressions. Make moving towards convergence easier by using polls like those you would use in a virtual event to make sure everyone has an opportunity to pitch in a vote or a comment.

Participants at in-person events can use their mobile phones to take part in online polling apps like Menti and Slido (find more ideas on what tools to use in this article on tools for remote participation). By checking the number of people contributing to a poll, you can instantly verify participant engagement, count votes and move the group towards decision-making.

What technology should you consider when planning a hybrid event?

The tech side of planning a hybrid event can be daunting. There are a lot of choices to make that need to take into account the logistics of both in-person events and virtual events. There’s also some cool new tech (such as Owls, cameras designed to follow the speaker) to consider, but ultimately it comes down to figuring out, based on the constraints of the specific situation, how to enable everyone to hear and see one another, in all possible directions.

How will participants at your in person events be able to see those online? Screens and projectors will need setting up. How will remote attendees see those in person? At the very least, you will need multiple webcams pointed on the facilitator/speaker, the other participants, and any materials (e.g. whiteboard).

In hybrid events, sound is even more important than sight to allow for interaction and participation. Be aware that people might even be joining from their phones, with audio-only, if the connection does not allow for more data sharing.

What exactly to do in order to allow everyone to hear one another depends on the situation, but for sure you will need ways for people connecting online to clearly hear participants in the room, and vice-versa. You might have the option of using a multi-directional mike, or require an assistant with a cordless microphone to move around the space.

Having an established spot with a microphone from which online attendees can clearly hear the speaker is the easiest tech setup. This will probably translate into having to remind participants of where to go when they want to speak, until a routine is established. 

Small group work mixing online and remote participants is the hardest type of activity to set up if your location has limited space: if everyone is working together, with both in-person and virtual audience, there will be a lot of audio interference from hearing different voices and echoes coming from many speakers.

Be aware of the limitations beforehand, and plan activities based on the constraints of the specific location. Make ample time in your schedule for planning and checking your tech, just as you would for a virtual event.

It’s also important to have a backup plan to communicate with cohorts that are not sharing the space with you in case something fails (e.g. by setting up an instant messaging channel for all hybrid event attendees – and another one for just the hosting team!).

Virtual online whiteboards and shared documents, giving the possibility to all participants to visualize the same information and capture insights directly, are a great support to keep everyone aligned and on track. These work just as well in hybrid as they do in a virtual event. Define a single source of truth for your hybrid events where attendees can find all the key information on the program, links, contacts and schedule.

The hybrid event format allows virtual and in-person attendees to create particularly rich shared documentation by working together. Set up shared documents and galleries on which to upload pictures and output from exercises. 

In this facilitation story by Daniel Unsöld, the shared whiteboard used during a multi-day hybrid event functioned as a home base to orient remote participants who dropped out and reconnected, something which is likely to happen with longer gatherings. 

How to prepare for your hybrid event?

The factors limiting your design choices will fall into three categories: distribution (of participants), objectives (co-defined with your client/host) and technology (in which we are including also factors connected to the location). Before starting to create a session flow, define your objectives clearly.

Design based on desired outcomes; especially if these are your first experiments with hybrid events, trim down activities you may be tempted to insert as extra bits but that do not serve the main purpose.

Next, map all the participants of your hybrid event. Even if the map is approximate, it will still help you clarify what is needed for the different cohorts. Think about the technology available and any limitations connected to available spaces (e.g. acoustics). Remember that many of the logistic concerns of an in-person event (accessibility, room size, etc.) still apply!

Similarly to virtual events, and more so, hybrids require a lot of preparation. Get instructions ready for every activity. Virtual attendees will benefit from having instructions written up for them, perhaps in a slide or ready for the tech host to drop in the chatbox. Printed or projected instructions can also help participants who attend in person to understand the activity better, particularly if you expect your attention to be going to the remote cohort at that time. 

What roles need to be covered for successful hybrid events? 

What follows is a list of roles, not of people. A role is a part played by someone in a particular situation. For example, you are probably familiar with the role of time-keeper. You may keep the role of time-keeper for yourself as facilitator, or you may delegate it to a co-host, or even appoint a participant to remind everyone of the time. You may even use an app or automatic reminder to cover the role.

Roles are a useful lens through which to puzzle out the problem of creating the best team for a successful event: a person might fill more than one role, and a role could be filled by more than one person.

In any hybrid event, you need to consider all the roles you would for an in-person event, plus the ones needed to successfully run an online gathering, and a couple of new ones. Depending on the exact nature of your hybrid event, event organizers, number of participants, type of setting and so on, you may need to cover many different roles yourself, or have a hosting team.

There is no point in trying to be a jack-of-all-trades if that is going to be exhausting and result in less attention given to participants. Go through this list whilst planning your hybrid events and make sure you know how many roles you are taking on, whether you have enough resources to delegate the roles you need other people to do, or if you need to onboard apprentices, volunteers, (or even participants!) to cover some of these. 

Event designer

This is a role you are likely to be taking yourself, perhaps alongside someone from the convening team (aka, probably, your client). At the design stage, consider what the experience will be like for all the different groups involved in your hybrid event, create your plans B (and C…D?). Take a look at this template to see how the breakout session function of SessionLab can help you organize your design for a hybrid event. 

Lead facilitator

This is the role mainly responsible for guiding participants through the various activities of your hybrid event. The lead facilitator’s main focus is on awareness, clarity and inclusion. As lead, you’ll need to have the mental space required to sense the room and be as present as possible with the participants, regardless of which cohort they are in.

There is no firm rule or established practice in hybrid events as to where the lead facilitator is. The default may be to attend in person events, but it’s worth considering based on your specific event. They may be with the largest group meeting in person, with one of the satellite groups, or working alongside virtual attendees. This will influence power dynamics and tech needs. 

Tech host/producer

The tech hosting role is the one ensuring that the online environment works as smoothly as possible. This role is usually behind-the-scenes and is often (but not necessarily) silent. Think of who will be answering people in the chat, setting up breakout rooms and giving everyone access to links for whiteboards and polls. Anyone used to running a virtual event will find their skills useful here.This person may also be responsible for choosing a hybrid event platform or which online tools you will use.

Video/audio specialist

The technological aspect of hybrid events is key to enabling full participation. Video is important, and audio is fundamental! This role is there to ensure participants can see and be seen, hear and be heard. Experience in running virtual events and using those tools will be invaluable here.

Visuals curator/designer

Well-crafted visuals can be a great support for different groups to participate and follow. The role of the visuals curator/designer is to support full engagement with the aid of graphic tools. This might coincide with the work of a graphic recorder and/or might be more focused on preparing virtual whiteboards, curating collections of snapshots from the various locations, and so on.

Bridge-builder 

This role’s task is to pay particular attention to the connection between the different cohorts throughout your hybrid events. It may be partially filled by elements of the design itself, or there might be a person tasked with putting extra attention to this element. Though this might seem like an optional role, the bridge-builder can be vital in creating a successful hybrid event.

Time-keeper

A time-keeping role is essential for every meeting, hybrid or not. That said, because different groups at your hybrid events will be in such different settings and probably, at least part of the time, doing different activities, a time-keeping role is essential to ensure everyone stays on track. 

What should you keep in mind when designing and running activities at a hybrid event? 

Facilitators love to mix and match different types of activities to create an engaging flow. Below, you’ll find some practical tips on how to adapt different types of activities for a hybrid event, including plenary sessions, small-group work, individual work and a special new extra hybrid-only category: activities bridging the virtual and in-person worlds. 

In plenary 

When everyone is working together at the same time, the challenge is holding everyone’s attention and keeping the event cohesive. Excellent audio and video are key here, as you want to make sure participants and speakers can see and, even more importantly, hear one another wherever they are. 

Tips for facilitating plenary sessions in hybrid mode:

• Ensure your audio and video setup allows speakers to be heard and seen by all;
• Keep presentations short and interactive, use polls to punctuate longer talks;
• In Q&A sessions, give the floor first to the group that is at a disadvantage in that setting (in many cases this means the online cohort, but other scenarios are possible, e.g. the speaker and facilitator are both online and there is a small group meeting in person, in which case, prioritize them!);
• Make sure discussions are captured in a way that is accessible to all. If you have someone writing on a physical whiteboard, take pictures and upload them on a virtual platform, so your virtual audience can see what was written down and so that attendees to your hybrid events can review later.

Small group activities

Facilitators appreciate the benefits of working in small groups and breakout sessions, where participation is higher and everyone has time to get their say. This remains valid in hybrid events. Here are some specific considerations to keep in mind.

There are basically two ways of organizing small group work in a hybrid event. If your tech setup allows it, you should consider alternating both of these in your design, as they have different benefits. 

1. Different activities for online and in-person participants. 

Beginning with the same objective, design different things to do for the people who are sharing a space and for those who are online. This will allow you to benefit from the best of both worlds throughout your hybrid event. In-person groups can move around and use objects, maybe do a role play. With virtual attendees, you can encourage using the power of quick research and note-taking.

An example of this would be a storytelling activity in which the people who are in the same room tell a story with objects and acting, while the ones who are online create a storyboard using images collected from the web.

If you need to give different instructions to the two groups, make this clear, and share in a slide or chat the instructions for your virtual participants. If timings are different, give the remote crew more breaks, as they are needed to counteract the fatigue of being online.

2. Mixing online and in-person participants in small groups. 

This is the kind of activity that will feel most unique to hybrid events. To enable participants in different settings to work together, each small group will need their device (laptop or phone). You can leverage the fact that both the in person and virtual audience of your hybrid events will likely have a smartphone in their pockets.

The two limiting factors in this event format are bandwidth and acoustics. Firstly, you need to make sure the connection at your location can be trusted with multiple people connecting at the same time.

Next, try to imagine what the space will sound like with numerous conversations going on in hybrid mode: will participants be able to hear voices coming from different audio equipment? The risk is that everyone in the hybrid event will raise their voices and create a distracting cacophony. This can be avoided if the space allows participants to wander into different breakout spaces or use the outdoors. 

Tips for facilitating small groups at a hybrid event:

• Include in your design activities in which each cohort works separately and others in which they work together (as long as this is feasible for your tech setup);
• Keep instructions as clear and simple as possible. 
• Get everyone together again to debrief and share reflections;
• Use shared documents online to capture learnings. 

Individual activities

Make space for individual reflections as well as group work during your hybrid event. Before a brainstorming session, or at the end of a block of activities, learning is enhanced by having a quiet moment for each person to answer prompt questions individually. If you need to create breakout groups online or do other behind-the-scenes work, you will thank yourself for putting some time for participants to do individual work just before the activities you need to do more setting up for. 

Bridging the online and in-person groups

In a hybrid community gathering held in December 2022 in Valencia, which was based on this template, the facilitation team was looking for a simple way to connect people joining online to those in person on a very human level.

With co-facilitators Rowan Simonsen and Szilvia Zsargo, we decided to punctuate the event with what we called hybrid checkpoints: every two or three hours during our hybrid event, me and Szilvia invited the in-person audience in Valencia to scatter in the outdoor space of the campus and use their phones to connect to the Zoom call their colleagues were on.

Once they were in the call, Rowan, who was hosting the virtual component, created pairs (in some cases, triads) and sent them off for a 10-minute chat in breakout rooms. The prompt was simply “how are you doing and what are your insights at this point in the gathering?”. The insights collected were invaluable, and both virtual and in person attendees reported feeling a real sense of connection and empathy. 

Hybrid events checklist

We hope this guide gives you all your need to feel prepared and confident in setting up a successful hybrid event.

And since there is a lot in here, we thought it might be helpful to add a checklist you can go through while planning and designing. Whether you’ve never run an in-person event or or a pro, hybrid events have many moving parts and this guide can help you ensure a smooth process.

In closing… let’s learn together, fast!

Have you thought of how and where you will share your learnings about hybrid events and meetings?

Tools and skills around hybrid events are likely to be the defining topic for the next few years, and this is just the beginning. After all, it’s one of the best things about working in facilitation: the learning never stops!

We can all expect a lot of new things to learn, success stories (and the occasional spectacular failure) from the world of virtual events and hybrids. Learning is faster and more effective when we learn together as a global community of practice, so consider contributing by sharing your stories and experiences of hybrid events with other facilitators, including in comments to this piece!

Whether you’re a team leader, business professional, or facilitator, knowing how to plan and run a virtual workshop effectively is a valuable skill in today’s digital landscape. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through how to run a virtual workshop that is engaging and impactful.

What is a virtual workshop?

A virtual workshop is an interactive and collaborative process that is conducted entirely online. Unlike traditional face-to-face workshops held in physical spaces, online workshops take place in a virtual environment. 

During the virtual workshop, the facilitator will lead participants through an agenda including activities, discussions, and exercises with the intention of reaching a desired outcome.

Common outcomes for a virtual workshop can include improving team collaboration, solving tough problems or creating innovative ideas. Workshops can cover almost any topic you can think of, and they are especially effective at unleashing collective intelligence and bringing people together around a shared goal.

Virtual workshops are typically run by a workshop facilitator or team leader, all within an online setting. Facilitators will use digital tools to host the session, encourage engagement and collect input from participants. Using breakout rooms to hold small group discussions or using quizzes and polls to collect input are just some of the ways that facilitators might use digital tools during the workshop. 

Check out our workshop templates to see some example agendas you can use for inspiration or to get started when designing your virtual workshop.

How to plan a virtual workshop

The process for planning online workshops isn’t all that dissimilar from planning an in person workshop. Generally, the facilitator will follow a workshop design process from idea to completed agenda by thinking about objectives, audience and good design principles.

That said, facilitating in a virtual environment has a number of differences that factor into how you design, organize and host your virtual workshop.

The below list serves as an outline of a virtual workshop planning process, though you’ll find more in-depth tips in our section on best practices.

Want to go deeper? Check out our full step-by-step guide to planning a workshop.

1. Define the goals of the workshop
2. Define your target audience
3. Draft the initial concept of the workshop
4. Get approval from any stakeholders
5. Draft your virtual workshop agenda
6. Establish time, place and participants
7. Choose your virtual workshop platform
8. Create supporting materials such as visual presentations and interactive elements
9. Share completed agenda with any stakeholders
10. Refine your agenda based on feedback
11. Brief co-facilitators and technical team
12. Send invitations to participants or begin promotion of your virtual workshop
13. Test your technology
14. Set up your virtual space in your virtual workshop platform
15. Take a deep breath and run your session!
16. Report back to stakeholders
17. Follow up with participants
18. Reflect and consider improvements for your next virtual workshop

Want to see how such a planning flow can work in practice? Explore our workshop planning template to see a sequence of five working sessions where workshop organizers can come together to create an effective virtual workshop.

What are the benefits of running a virtual workshop?

Virtual workshops have become increasingly prevalent as both individuals and organizations turn to digital tools to help facilitate learning and growth. Being able to connect and collaborate with others in a dedicated session wherever you are located can be incredibly impactful. 

In this section, we’ll explore the benefits of running virtual workshops and why you should consider running them in your group or organization.  

Accessibility and inclusivity

One of the primary advantages of virtual workshops is their accessibility. Participants can join from anywhere in the world as long as they have an internet connection and some basic tech. This can help eliminate geographical barriers and allows individuals from diverse backgrounds to engage in learning or collaboration opportunities that may not have been accessible otherwise. 

With the right online tools, virtual workshops can also be inclusive in other ways. Consider how automatic transcription, description and translation software might widen your audience and make it easier for people with different needs to participate. 

The accessibility and flexibility of a virtual workshop makes it possible to bring people who might not otherwise be able to attend together. Different time zones become less of an issue. Inviting an expert speaker or coach to your session becomes possible. Think of a virtual workshop as an opportunity to do more and include more people too! 

Cost-effective

Hosting or attending virtual workshops is often more cost-effective than traditional in-person workshops. There are no expenses related to travel, accommodation, or renting physical venues. This makes virtual workshops an attractive option for individuals and organizations looking to optimize their budgets.

There’s also a reduced impact on less tangible costs that might otherwise be absorbed by participants or a team. Even time is saved when hosting a virtual workshop! This can help create an environment where participants are happy to attend and aren’t compromising some other aspect of their work or life.

Diverse learning tools

The digital environment of virtual workshops allows for the use of a wide range of learning tools and technologies. From virtual whiteboards for brainstorming to breakout rooms for group discussions, these tools enhance the learning experience and make it more dynamic and engaging.

Using specific tools for your use case can improve things further. Running a design thinking session? Use Figma and prototyping tools to supercharge your workshop. Running an ideation session? Encourage the group to bring in inspiration and resources for everyone to explore together, then use AI to summarize and cluster ideas.

The possibilities for a virtual workshop are vast and can be tailored to your audience. Be creative and use all of what’s available to make your virtual workshop something special. 

Get results, fast 

Workshops are proven methods for solving problems, creating change and driving innovation. Often, a team can get more done in a few hours of a well-designed workshop than they can in weeks of unfocused work. 

If your organization discovers a need for deep collaboration, why wait until the next team retreat? Run a virtual workshop with an effective facilitator to unblock your team and get results now, wherever you’re located.

If you have time in your calendar, putting together an agenda and bringing people together in a common goal can be done quickly and effectively. Just remember to plan effectively, have a clear goal and where possible, bring a facilitator! You might also save time by using a tried and tested workshop format based on the results you want to achieve. 

Recordings and reusability

Many virtual workshops are recorded, allowing participants to revisit the content at their convenience. This is especially beneficial for individuals who may have missed a session or want to reinforce their understanding of the material. Additionally, recorded workshops can be reused or repurposed for future training or reference.

The outputs of a virtual workshop are often collected in online documents and collaboration tools. Having these ready to go immediately after the workshop can help your team take action quickly. It can be so gratifying to pick up exactly where you left off, often using the same tools!

Reduce environmental impact

In an era of heightened environmental responsibility, virtual workshops align with sustainability goals and allow teams and individuals to practice what they preach. Virtual workshops significantly reduce the carbon footprint associated with travel, accommodation, and physical resource production. 

By embracing virtual workshops, organizations and individuals can contribute to a greener future while still enjoying high-quality learning experiences.

Connect remote teams 

In remote teams where possibilities for connection can be limited, a collaborative workshop can be a great way to get to know one another more deeply while working on a shared goal.

You might even include workshop activities expressly designed to improve connections and bring your group together. While online meetings are great to share information, think of a virtual workshop as a place to truly get things done as a team.

You’ll also find working together in real-time, rather than asynchronously, can be a refreshing change of pace. In our remotely located team, workshops offer a chance to have fun, as well as get things done! 

Tips and best practices for engaging virtual workshops

Virtual workshops have become an integral part of how remote teams collaborate, grow and solve tough problems together. Finding the right platform and bringing your team together is a great start, but the success of your virtual workshop depends on more than just the technology.

In this section, we’ll explore a range of tips and strategies to help you run virtual workshops that captivate your audience, facilitate active participation, and leave a lasting impact. 

Define your goal

Before you dive into planning your virtual workshop, it’s crucial to define clear workshop objectives. Ask yourself, “What do I want participants to achieve or learn by the end of the session?” Your objectives will guide every aspect of your workshop, from content creation to engagement strategies. Clear objectives help participants understand what’s expected of them and motivate them to actively engage.

For instance, if you’re hosting an ideation workshop, your objectives might include fully exploring a problem, brainstorming possible solutions, choosing the best and them coming up with action items that ensure next steps can take place. With these objectives in mind, you can structure your content and activities accordingly.

Be sure to include your objectives in your agenda and let participants know the objectives of your workshop too! If anything unexpected comes up on the day, your objectives can also provide a clear north star you’ll use to stay aligned. 

Choose the right tool(s)

Selecting the right tools is essential for a smooth and engaging workshop. Depending on the design of your workshop, you may need anything from a simple video chat software through an online whiteboard and even a dedicated platform. 

When choosing tools, workshop organizers should start by asking what is needed to run the workshop. Next, consider what you and your participants are already familiar with. The right tools are often those that satisfy the technical needs of your workshop design while also being easy to learn and use. 

You may also want to consider the following factors when selecting your tools:

• User-Friendly Interface: Ensure that the platform is intuitive and easy to navigate for both hosts and participants. This might also include asking your participants or client what they’re familiar with and whether they already have a platform for running virtual workshops. 
• Features: Evaluate the platform’s features, such as video quality, screen sharing capabilities, breakout rooms, chat functionality, and the ability to record sessions. Make sure the platform aligns with your workshop’s requirements.
• Scalability: Check if the platform can accommodate the number of participants you expect. Some platforms have participant limits or work best with smaller groups. 
• Cost: Review the pricing structure to ensure it fits within your budget. Some platforms offer free basic versions with limited features, while others have subscription plans.
• Security: Assess the platform’s security measures to protect your workshop from unwanted disruptions or unauthorized access.
• Your workshop design: Finding tools that meet the needs of your design is an integral part of the process. If you’re running small groups in parallel, support for breakouts that’s a must. If you want people to collaborate visually, perhaps you’ll want an online whiteboard tool as well. 

Need more help? Our post on the best online tools for workshops and meetings is a great resource for finding the right platform and toolset for your needs. 

Create an agenda (and share it!) 

A well-structured agenda forms the backbone of your online workshop. Without an agenda, it’s all too easy to go off track, waste time and be unproductive.

Start your process by designing an agenda that includes a clear timing, instructions and a structured flow of activities. This will keep you on time, ensure you meet your goals and keep you organized too!

In SessionLab, it’s easy to build a step-by-step agenda in minutes. Drag and drop blocks to structure your session. Add timing, instructions, attachments and links to each block so you can facilitate your virtual workshop with confidence. 

Remember that your agenda is also an invaluable tool for co-facilitators and participants too. Share your agenda with anyone helping you run the workshop so you can stay aligned and ensure that the session runs smoothly.

It’s also a great idea to share your agenda with your participants so they can prepare for the workshop and clearly see a breakdown of the session. With SessionLab, create a customizable printout or share an online agenda your participants can follow during your workshop.

Finally, when it comes to running your virtual workshop, have your agenda on a second screen, on a mobile device or in an easily accessible window.

Make it interactive 

Virtual workshops are highly interactive in nature. Rather than lectures or webinars where information flows in one direction, workshop participants are actively encouraged to engage and collaborate in the process.

The result of this interactive format is an engaged group who are actively contributing to the learning process and outcomes of the session. When designing your workshop, aim to include interactive elements and activities that allow your participants to collaborate and actively participate. Here are some of the ways you can make your virtual workshop more interactive.

• Discussion and Collaboration: Virtual workshops include facilitated discussions, group activities, and collaboration among participants. Facilitators often use breakout rooms and whiteboard tools to create space for participants to collaborate and share ideas alongside the plenary session. 
• Interactive Tools: Workshops often employ a variety of interactive tools such as polls, quizzes, virtual whiteboards, and online games. These tools promote participant engagement and encourage real-time interaction. Use what’s appropriate but remember that often, the best thing you can do is simply get people talking and collaborating. Keep it simple and always keep your goal in mind when choosing interactivity tools. 
• Feedback Mechanisms: Facilitators actively seek and incorporate feedback from participants, creating a dynamic learning environment where input is valued.This might look like asking for emoji reactions, responding to a poll or using text call chat to give input without disrupting the speaker. 
• Hands-on Activities: Many virtual workshops incorporate hands-on activities, exercises, and simulations that require active participation, problem-solving, and application of knowledge. Use breakout rooms and collaborative online tools to help your participants engage experientially and work on something in real-time. 

Finding a virtual workshop platform that supports interactivity and real-time collaboration will help make your session more engaging but remember that simplicity is also important.

Simply using engaging workshop activities and getting people talking and collaborating can be enough. Explore facilitation methods that match your goals and encourage your group with games and discussions.

Test your technology and set-up 

Technical issues can derail a virtual workshop, so it’s essential to test all your equipment and software before the event. Here’s a checklist of things to consider:

• Internet Connection: Ensure that you have a stable internet connection with sufficient bandwidth to handle video streaming and other online activities.
• Hardware: Check your computer, camera, microphone, and headphones to ensure they’re in good working order. Ensure your laptop is charged and that you have all your cables! 
• Software: Update your video conferencing software and any other tools you plan to use. Test screen sharing, chat features, and breakout rooms.This is especially important if you’re using any integrations or jumping between tools. A smooth experience can enhance the workshop while any delays or issues can be frustrating. 
• Location: being able to clearly see and hear the host is an important but often overlooked part of a virtual workshop. Consider lighting, background noise and what else is in your camera frame before the session.  
• Backup Plan: Have a backup plan in case of technical difficulties. This might include a secondary device, a mobile hotspot, or alternative communication methods. 

By addressing potential technical issues in advance, you can minimize disruptions during your virtual workshop. And when things fail? Own it and be honest and open with your participants. I’ve often found that using issues as an opportunity to be vulnerable and connect can help create a collaborative atmosphere where everyone is in it together.

It’s also helpful to bring an assistant or co-facilitator to help with technical aspects of your workshop. This person might help with any requests from participants, or even step-in if you are disconnected suddenly.  

Facilitate effectively 

Good facilitation is the key to a successful virtual workshop. As the facilitator, it’s your responsibility to create an interactive and participatory environment. You’ll direct the flow of conversation, keep the workshop on track and ask important questions too. 

While learning how to be an effective workshop facilitator takes practice, here are some simple strategies you can use to engage with your participants effectively:

• Start with icebreakers and check-ins: Start your workshop with icebreakers or introductions to help participants get to know each other. This sets a friendly and welcoming tone. Asking participants to check-in is also a great way to get everyone’s voice in the room and become aware of any needs or issues nice and early. 
• Active Participation: Encourage active participation through polls, chat discussions, and interactive activities. Ask open-ended questions to stimulate discussion. Most facilitators have their own preferred form of encouraging participation, but however you approach it, remember that workshops are collaborative in nature. Create plenty of opportunities for collaboration between workshop participants and participation will follow.
• Encourage Diverse Perspectives: Foster an inclusive environment where participants feel comfortable sharing diverse opinions and ideas. In practice, this can mean using breakout rooms where everyone has a chance to speak, and also being aware of who has and hasn’t spoken in plenary. 
• Use Breakout Rooms: Speaking of breakout rooms, they are a valuable tool for group discussions and collaboration. Use them strategically to divide participants into smaller teams for focused activities where everyone gets space to contribute.
• Manage your time: Try to keep discussions within the allotted time to maintain the workshop’s schedule. If something deserves more time or space, go back to your agenda and see what can shift to ensure you cover the ground you need to while also reaching your objectives. 
• Take breaks when needed: Maintaining energy levels when working virtually can be difficult. Aim for a break every 90 minutes, and ask your group if they need a break if energy levels are flagging. Either getting up from your desk or having a brain break or stretch can do wonders for engagement. 
• Be present: Just as you might ask your participants to close other tabs and be present in the virtual workshop, be sure to do the same. Take a breath and center yourself before the session so your attention is on delivering an engaging workshop and helping the group achieve their goals.

Facilitation is an important skill for anyone leading workshops and meetings. If you’re looking to improve as a facilitator, our article on facilitation skills is a great place to start. You might also find our guide to virtual facilitation useful for navigating the challenges of facilitating an online session.

Use multimedia where appropriate

To enhance understanding and engagement, virtual workshops often incorporate multimedia elements such as presentations and videos. These visual and interactive components add variation to your agenda and cater to different learning styles. 

Used well, these items can elevate a humdrum virtual event into something special and memorable. Here are some of the multimedia elements you might add to your virtual workshop. 

• Visual Slides: Presenters use visually appealing slides with images, diagrams, and bullet points to convey information effectively. Read more on how to create effective visual presentations here. 
• Videos: Short videos or animations are used to illustrate concepts, demonstrate processes, or provide real-world examples. While these can be effective, it’s worth making them short and to the point. Use Youtube timestamps or trim video content so you can engage your audience without making it feel like a trip to the cinema. 
• Screen sharing: Walking participants through something by sharing your screen can be more effective than simply telling them to do so themselves. As with the above, use sparingly and keep things to the point. Watching someone navigate a database for an hour is unlikely to engage your participants!
• Interactive Whiteboards: Virtual whiteboards allow presenters and participants to draw, diagram, or brainstorm collaboratively. Recreating the feel of writing ideas on a whiteboard during an in-person session can be a great way to engage the group. 
• Polls and Quizzes: Sharing the results of interactive polls and quizzes on-screen can be an effective way of making your workshop more engaging and visual. Use tools that do this in real-time to add an element of excitement to proceedings! 

Set clear expectations at the outset

From the outset, set clear expectations for your virtual workshop. Let participants know what they can anticipate in terms of the agenda, timing, and expected participation levels. Communicate any pre-workshop materials or requirements so that everyone is prepared.

Setting expectations also involves defining ground rules for behavior. For instance, you may establish guidelines for muting microphones when not speaking, using video cameras, and respecting others’ opinions in the chat or discussions. 

Virtual workshops are at their most effective when everyone is aligned on ground rules and expectations. Demonstrate the values you want people to embody throughout to set an example for others to follow. Set expectations when you first send out an agenda and then remind people at the beginning of the session for best results. 

Brief Co-facilitators

If you have multiple facilitators, ensure that everyone is well-versed in the agenda and comfortable with the virtual platform. Practice transitions, interactive activities, and troubleshooting scenarios to ensure a smooth workshop flow.

In most case, virtual workshops benefit from the addition of at least one facilitator or technical helper. Check out this guide to co-facilitation to see best practices for digital collaboration on a virtual workshop.

Clearly communicate with workshop participants

Provide workshop participants with clear instructions on how to join the workshop, use the virtual platform, and participate in interactive activities. Often, this means sending an invitation email with a copy of the agenda and major points attached. Be sure to include any relevant links to everyone can join with ease!

Establish guidelines for communication, such as using the chat for questions and comments, and encourage active participation throughout the workshop.

Evaluate and adapt

Continuous improvement is key to running engaging virtual workshops. After each workshop, take the time to evaluate its effectiveness. Gather feedback from participants through surveys or direct conversations and also reflect on your own performance as a facilitator.

Identify what went well and areas that need improvement. What changed in your agenda? What sections were especially effective and which need work?

Use this feedback to adapt your future workshops. Make adjustments to your content, engagement strategies, or technical setup based on the lessons learned from each session.

By constantly refining your approach, you can ensure that each workshop is better than the last. In SessionLab, you can save time by reusing your existing agenda, keeping the structure and whatever worked while also making any necessary changes in a snap. 

Practice and rehearse

It’s invaluable to find time to practice and rehearse your virtual workshop before the actual event. This includes running through your content, interactions, and technical setup. Pay attention to your pacing and timing to ensure that you can cover all the essential material within the allotted time.

If possible, conduct a test run with a small group of colleagues or friends to get feedback and identify what worked well and what could benefit from another pass. 

If short on time, I find it useful to practice the opening of the workshop, any interactive elements and any places where you introduce new tools, share your screen or otherwise switch from a straightforward set-up. These are the places where complications often occur and where rehearsal can help you feel confident and prepated. 

Follow up

After a virtual workshop is complete, that doesn’t mean your work as facilitator is over. An effective session will be supported by follow-up actions that will make it easy for participants to cement learnings and take next steps.

Send a follow-up email to participants with a summary of key points, additional resources, and contact information for further questions or assistance. You may also use this opportunity to ask for feedback or let participants know what’s coming next. 

You might also create a repository of resources related to the workshop’s content and share it with participants for ongoing learning. If applicable, you might also include a recording of the session or any working documents and materials. If there were any agreed actions or next steps, reiterate these or send links to where these actions will be logged and tracked. 

Remember that your workshop is just one part of an ongoing process. Use the follow-up to prepare your participants for whatever comes next and to take the great work of the workshop forward.  

Conclusion

Running a successful virtual workshop requires careful planning, effective facilitation, and adaptability to technical challenges. With this comprehensive guide, you can ensure that your virtual workshops run smoothly, engage participants effectively, and achieve your defined objectives.

Want to learn more about how to run effective virtual sessions? Check out how facilitators use SessionLab to run engaging online workshops that deliver results and supercharge collaboration. 

Course builders will have questions on graphic design and styles. Learners will need clear, fool-proof instructions to navigate the learning management system. And you, working as an educator, corporate trainer, elearning course builder, or learning designer, need to make sense of it all. 

This is where the ADDIE model comes into play. The ADDIE process is a time-tested model that will help you conceptualize and make sense of the steps needed to create an engaging learning experience that achieves your desired outcomes. 

Let’s delve into what ADDIE is, how it works, and how you can quickly start using it to organize your instructional design workflow. In this article, we’ll look into:

What is the ADDIE model for instructional design?

The ADDIE model is a versatile and practical framework that covers all the steps of the instructional design process. The word is an acronym to help you remember all you need to do for the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a training program. 

What may sound like common sense (“Well of course I need to analyze needs before designing!”) does tend to get lost when we are busy and under pressure to deliver. Evaluation, for example, might be forgotten in the mire of to-do lists and content provider email exchanges.

So keep the ADDIE model by your side (we’ve made a nice visual you can print out!) to make sure you always include all these important elements:

• A for Analyze. In the analysis phase, you’ll seek to understand the organization’s goals and the learners’ needs to define learning objectives. We will see below how the analysis phase can be covered in client meetings, with some facilitation tools and tips;
• D is for Design. The design phase is where you zoom out to craft the overall structure and flow of your course and lesson planning.
• D is (also) for Development. After completing a high-level plan, it’s time to build the course content and materials in a learning environment. This often implies using a suite of software tools (more on this below) and sometimes working with different team members, such as graphic designers and course builders.
• I stands for the Implementation phase. After all that hard work, it’s time to pilot-test the course and get it out into the world.
• E stands for Evaluation. The last step of the flow is to collect data and learnings on course effectiveness, and apply them when you start again!

By following the ADDIE model, you ensure coherence, effectiveness, and a good dose of efficiency in your instructional design workflow. 

Where does the ADDIE model come from?

Florida State University initially developed the ADDIE framework in 1975 as part of its instructional theories for military training. From the very first definition, it acknowledged that the rather universal division in steps can be applied to any curriculum development activity. In fact, it’s not different from any step-by-step approach to project design and implementation. 

When working to write this very article, for example, I had to first think about what readers might need to know (Analyze), then I created a high-level plan for my article, consisting of all the titles and subtitles (Design). I then went on to research and write out each paragraph (Develop) and move it to publication, adding some visuals and links (Implementation).

If I’m smart about it, I’ll check how the article is doing in a few weeks (Evaluation) and see if I need to make any changes to make it clearer or more engaging.

You can go through the same steps for any project. Friends are coming to dinner! To decide what to serve, you’ll think about their tastes, allergies, and preferences (Analyze). You’ll make a list of dishes and consider how to serve them (Design). Next comes shopping and cooking (Develop). You know what Implementation is like. And you might get some Evaluation at the end of the meal, hopefully positive! 

ADDIE is a common-sense framework, yet this doesnt take away any of its import. It is a flexible guideline, easy to remember. Use it and it will quickly become second nature. 

The original 1970s model had many more steps, but it was systematized in the 1980s. It’s the most commonly used model today, with some competition from Rapid Prototyping, which is essentially a variation of ADDIE where more short-term iterations are run in quick succession.

Rapid prototyping, with its focus on speed and less attention to completion and polish, might work well for you if you are short on time and plan future re-runs of the same course.

Why use the ADDIE model for instructional design

The absence of a structured model in instructional design can lead to a messy process and, ultimately, disappointing learning experiences that do not match your client’s expectations.

The ADDIE model provides a scaffold for your thinking and for collaboration with the rest of your learning design team. Use it to ensure you don’t overlook any steps and manage the project effectively. 

Here are some of the key advantages of ADDIE:

• It’s clear, it’s simple, it’s linear. Analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. The process easily becomes part of your workflow.
• It’s complete and thorough. The main risk of not using such a model is to go straight to design and implementation without putting time and energy into analyzing needs and evaluating results. 
• It allows for both collaboration and independent work. Some steps are more naturally adapted to individual work (design) while others are collaborative in nature. In this template detailing all 5 steps of ADDIE you can see examples of when to organize team meetings and when to work alone. 
• It integrates feedback for continuous improvement. The essential Evaluation step is all about learning and applying that learning to future designs. 

What are the 5 steps of the ADDIE model?

What does each step of the ADDIE model imply? In the next paragraphs, we’ll go through typical examples of actions that might take place while designing training courses with ADDIE.

Analysis Phase

The analysis phase lays the foundation for your course. Conduct a needs assessment to identify what problems your client or organization wants to solve by providing the new training course you’re tasked with designing.

What are the learning goals? Who is your target audience? What are potential learners’ skills, experiences, and barriers? What should participants be able to do or know at the end of the course? Also look at subject matter analysis: what concepts will need to be covered?

This phase is best served by organizing client calls and team meetings. In this ready-to-use canvas, you can collect essential information from your initial needs analysis. At every subsequent step, you should be designing, developing, and implementing a training program that responds directly to these needs. 

It’s often the case that clients are not 100% clear about what they actually need at the very start. And it’s your job, as a learning designer, to patiently draw the information out until there is a shared understanding of the learning objectives for your course. 

A common issue in the analysis stage is that clients may want to try to cram too much into a single training, so take your time analyzing needs and defining what should be covered in this course and what should be kept for a later one.

Perhaps you will see the opportunity for a more advanced version of the same training, building on existing knowledge. The output of the analysis phase is a needs assessment to feed into the design phase.

Design Phase

After the analysis phase is done, the next step is to create a high-level course curriculum blueprint. As courses are often modular, it could also be the design of a single module, repeated as many times as needed and sandwiched between an introduction and a final lesson and/or assignment. 

In the design phase, you’ll be answering questions such as:

• How many training hours should it take for learners to go through the course?
• What will each module or lesson cover?
• How many lessons will there be? 
• How will learners progress through the course? 
• How will you be leveraging and referencing learner’s existing knowledge?
• Where will there be interactive elements (such as quizzes, surveys, and live sessions)?
• When will there be assignments and assessments? 
• When will you collect feedback about the course itself, to use in the evaluation phase? 

By considering these kinds of questions and using the information in the analysis phase, instructional designers will then create an outline designed to meet learning objectives and satisfy business needs. The design phase deals with all the items needed to get approval from a client so you can then move towards creating course material.

To see an example of a typical learning design blueprint, check out this template for a blended learning course, that combines self-paced and workshop elements.

SessionLab is a particularly useful tool to use at this stage of your instructional design process, as it allows you to see the entire course at a glance, color-code sections, share it with the client, and collaborate with colleagues directly. 

Development Phase

The development phase is probably where you will spend most of your time when creating a new learning program. Once you have alignment and approval on the blueprint for your design, you’ll likely move it to a storyboarding tool and start adding content to the course.

A suite of educational technology tools can help you in the process, and for more on this check out our article on the best instructional design tools on the market. 

Typical actions you’ll be taking at this stage include:

• collecting materials from subject matter experts;
• adapting materials to your course design;
• working with graphic designers to make the course visually attractive (for more on this topic, here is a useful textbook by Dawn Lee Diperi);
• uploading training materials and building up the course in an LMS (Learning Management systems);
• setting up interactive sections such as quizzes and surveys.

During the development phase, challenges often arise that are related more to project management than to actual learning design. It can be hard to collect all the bits and pieces you need, and make sure you get all the materials you need to build your course on time!

Mitigate these risks by taking time to carefully brief subject matter experts and the rest of your team, clarifying any questions, and setting realistic and clear deadlines!

We’ve heard from a business school learning design team that they color-code sections of their courses in a high-level SessionLab outline of the program. Different colors make it immediately evident what is done, what is missing, and where builders and training developers need to do some work.

Implementation Phase

The deadline draws near and it’s (almost) time to make your brand-new course live! Before you do that, there is a last step in the Implementation phase of the ADDIE model: pilot testing. 

Testing and refining an almost-ready course rarely gets the attention (and credit) it deserves. Take some time to look at your product with fresh eyes (and a cup of tea, this will take a while). Run through the entire course as if you were a learner. Ask yourself questions such as:

• Do I have all the information I need to fully understand the content (e.g. take care to expand those acronyms!)?
• How long does it take to read through materials? Is this reflected in the way the course is presented?
• Are modules more or less the same length?
• How is the course holding my attention?
• Does the course curriculum meet the intended learning objectives.

Crucially, it’s important to remember that learners will never go through your materials exactly the way you imagine they will. Try “breaking” the course by following links in unexpected ways or trying to do things “wrong” (e.g. submitting assignments late, or twice). Explore the learning environment fully. Check all the links. What happens? Refine your course accordingly before training delivery begins.

At this point, most of your work is done, as attention will shift to promoting the course and student registration. Keep your inbox monitored for last-minute changes and glitches. If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to read all feedback and assignments as soon as they come in, just out of curiosity about how your course is doing! 

Evaluation Phase

Evaluating the effectiveness and impact of any learning intervention is a hot topic. Having the evaluation phase as the last step of the ADDIE instructional design model serves as a reminder to embed opportunities to seek feedback and evaluate progress at every step of the way. 

After the course has been running for a while and completed by a good number of people, you should take time for post training assessments. This means essentially analyzing data from the LMS and drawing hypotheses and learnings. 

What are dropout rates and when do people drop out? What feedback have learners left? Were the desired learning outcomes achieved? Reflect back on how the course went, both as an individual reflection and with clients and team. Evaluation and feedback are the doorways to continuous improvement.

If you have the opportunity to gather the whole team together for a retrospective on how the course went, you might find inspiration in templates such as the Team retrospective or the 1-hour online WARP retrospective. For shorter activities that can help you look back and evaluate the program, check out this list of feedback resources from SessionLab’s library of methods. 

What feedback do you ask for at the end of training programs? This question is also at the center of a lively discussion in SessionLab’s free community. Join to share notes with other practitioners and add your perspective. 

Other useful models for instructional designers

The ADDIE process will give you a great starting point to plot out your work as an instructional designer. It will not give you an instructional strategy or a model of how to organize your course material. If you need some support to decide the order of activities your learners will go through, you can look into other models. Here are two of my favorites:

Kolb’s learning cycle

When designing training sessions, I most often turn directly to this tried-and-true 4-step cycle for experiential learning. This is because I work at the intersection of facilitation and training, where all learning is hands-on and participatory.

Kolb’s learning cycle starts with concrete experiences, such as a training game or learning activity, and follows that with reflective observation, where participants are guided individually or in small groups to draw learnings from what happened directly.

The third step in the cycle is about conceptualizing learning: this is when as a trainer you should offer food for thought, theories, and information. And finally comes active experimentation, which is about applying learnings in the real world, or in simulated real-world situations. 

I find it especially important to use Kolb’s learning cycle when training on communication skills, emotional intelligence, or other topics such as facilitators training, or sustainability. It may not be the model you go to for more technical topics where sharing data and information is the core of your training. This is a template that summarizes how to use Kolb’s learning cycle in the classroom.

4MAT

Another popular theory, building further on the Kolb experiential learning cycle, is the 4MAT model. This model works around the idea that people need to know:

• Why they are learning something
• What they are learning
• How it works
• What will happen if they apply this concept

4MAT is a great reminder of how to frame learning content so that it is more relevant and accessible for learners.

For more on this and other tips and theories for designing training events, read our Train the Trainers article. And remember the wisdom behind the ADDIE model: before getting down to developing a course you’ll need to Analyze needs, and pick a high-level design framework that makes sense for your particular situation and learning cohort. 

Start designing with ADDIE today

Now that you are familiar with the ADDIE model, you’re equipped to launch into designing your next training course with confidence. In this template we’ve put together information and ideas on how your workflow with the ADDIE model might work. Sections are color-coded to show which parts are more likely to involve individual work and which are team meetings. 

You’ll also find a copy of the Needs Analysis Canvas in attachments, and step-by-step instructions on how to organize effective, participatory meetings with your learning design team.

Have you used this template? Let us know how it went in the comments, and best of luck with setting up your next training courses with the ADDIE model! 

In this blog post, we’ll explore ten meeting agenda examples that cater to various meeting types and objectives. By the end of this article, you’ll have a toolbox of ideas and agendas to help you plan and facilitate more effective and efficient meetings.

The process of planning and organizing meetings can bring up challenging questions. What are the best practices for meeting design? What agenda items should you include? How do you ensure your meeting stays on time while also covering everything your team needs to be productive and aligned?

Whether you’re a seasoned manager or new to running meetings, exploring some example meeting agendas and learning from others is a great way to save time and improve your meeting practice. Keep reading to explore 10 effective meeting agenda templates you can start using in your next session.

You’ll find a Word agenda template for each session, alongside a SessionLab meeting agenda templates you can use to take your agenda design to the next level.

Let’s dive in!

What should be included in a meeting agenda template?

Before we dive into specific agenda examples, let’s discuss what elements you should include in a meeting agenda template, regardless of the meeting type. A well-rounded agenda typically contains the following components:

• Meeting Title: Give your agenda a clear, concise title that will make it easy to understand what it is when consulting your calendar or when searching for your agenda later.
• Meeting Goal: All good meeting agendas have clear meeting goals, objectives or a meeting topic in mind. The goal can be simple or complex. For example, your meeting goal may be to provide status updates, improve team dynamics or solve a challenge. Use the goal while designing your agenda to ensure your meeting is fit for purpose. While running your session, refer to the goal to ensure everyone is aligned and that the group stays focused.
• Date, Time, and Location: Specify the date and time of the meeting, as well as the meeting location (physical or virtual) so that its easy for participants to attend. Also include how much long the meeting is expected to run for so that everyone can organize their calendars and plan their working day.
• Attendee List: List the names and roles of participants who are expected to attend. This helps in identifying who is responsible for what during the meeting and ensuring all important stakeholders are present.
• Agenda Overview: Provide a simple, high-level overview of the meeting’s flow. This helps participants understand what to expect and prepares them for the meeting’s structure.
• Discussion Topics: Break down the meeting into specific discussion topics, talking points or agenda items. These items should each have a clear title and a little supporting information if necessary. It can also be helpful to put all agenda items in order according to priority so that if you run out of time, you’ve done the most important items first.
• Time Allocation: Assign time slots for each agenda item. Time-boxing in this way ensures that the meeting stays on schedule and that each topic receives adequate attention.
• Presenter or Facilitator: Assign responsibility for each agenda item to a specific individual. This person will lead the discussion on that particular topic or facilitate the activity.
• Materials and Preparation: Mention any documents or materials that participants should review before the meeting. This ensures that everyone is well-prepared. Where possible, attach meeting materials or links to your agenda so they’re easy to find!
• Action Items: Allocate time at the end of the agenda for summarizing actions, next steps and assigning responsibilities for follow-up tasks.
• Open Floor or Q&A: If applicable, reserve time for open discussion, questions, or feedback from attendees.
• Check-out or closing: Effectively bringing a meeting to an end is an important part of the process. You’ll use this time to reiterate key points, leave on a positive note or give feedback on the meeting.

Every example meeting agenda below contains everything you need to run the session. You’ll find instructions, a meeting objective, time allocation and other items you need to get started. We’ve also included tips and details that can help ensure your meeting will be success.

Of course, you’ll want to add your own content and customize your agenda to your needs. In SessionLab, it’s easy to drag, drop and reorder blocks to create a perfectly timed agenda in minutes. SessionLab handles the timing calculation automatically so you can stay track without needing to manually calculate your times.

When you’re ready for feedback, invite your collaborators and clients to refine your agenda. On the day of the meeting, create beautiful meeting materials by customizing a printout to your needs.

Need more help with finding tools to support the management of your meetings? Check out our guide on the best meeting management software to explore how dedicated tools can supercharge your meetings.

Meeting agenda examples

In this next section, we’ll share a selection of meeting agenda templates you can use to run your next team meeting. They’re a great source of ready-to-go agendas designed by facilitators. We hope you find these free templates a useful source of inspiration and practical design tips.

Download your chosen team meeting agenda template in Word or use and edit the SessionLab agenda to make it your own. SessionLab also makes it easy to create minute-perfect sessions, invite collaborators and create beautiful printouts of your meeting agenda templates too!

Team Meeting Agenda

Great meetings tend to follow a clear structure. This effective meeting agenda is a proven structure for bringing a team together and pragmatically covering what is in your agenda.

This team meeting agenda template starts with a quick check-in to help your meeting participants get settled in. You then take a moment to share the intention, desired outcome, agenda, rules, roles and responsibilities, and time allocated for the meeting. By clearly outlining these items with IDOARRT, you can very quickly create the conditions for a productive meeting and get everyone on the same page.

When it comes to running your team meeting, use the following guidelines for choosing the order of your agenda items:

• start with announcements and quick updates;
• next, introduce the one or two main points of discussion;
• have a “parking lot” space to set off-topic conversations aside for another time;
• 10/15 minutes before the meeting end time, move to action points. Closing a meeting takes some time!

Agendas for a regular meeting or team gathering will differ depending on the group, setting, project and the time available. Use this team meeting agenda template as a solid skeleton for any such gathering and adjust to your needs!

Download the Team Meeting Agenda – Word

Download the Team Meeting Agenda – PDF

Use the team meeting agenda template in SessionLab

Tips for running the Team Meeting Agenda

• Going for longer than 1 hour 30 minutes? Add a break! You might also add a short break between particularly heavy items if energy dips or you feel like people need a moment to reflect in silence. In the SessionLab agenda template, simple add an extra block or drag and drop existing items to make space.
• When outlining action points, try to briefly reiterate any decisions or dependencies that have been noted earlier in the meeting. Be sure to take meeting notes to support this process. This can help your team prioritize follow-up actions and assign the right person too.
• Attach a simple PDF overview or online version of your agenda to your invitation emails or calendar invites. This will help your team adequately prepare for the session.

Board Meeting Agenda

The classic agenda is a simple, time-tested board meeting format. Designed for boards and committees, this meeting format typically includes sections like “Call to Order,” “Approval of Minutes,” “Old Business,” “New Business,” “Discussion Items,” “Action Items,” and “Announcements.”

This meeting agenda template structure is suitable for formal meetings, such as board meetings and corporate gatherings, though it can easily be adapted to suit other needs.

This board meeting template runs for 2 hours, though depending on the maturity of your board, your meeting time may differ. Most board meetings can run for 3-4 hours, with a break somewhere in the middle.

In SessionLab, you can easily adjust the agenda and the overall timing will automatically calculate. Want to change the items in the agenda? Drag, drop and add new blocks to quickly tailor your agenda to the needs of your board. You’ll even find space to add meeting notes, meeting minutes and even attach reports or a presentation to each agenda item.

Download the Board Meeting Agenda – Word

Download the Board Meeting Agenda – PDF

Check out the agenda template in SessionLab

Tips for running this Board Meeting Agenda

• You can speed up the process of approving changes to the agenda and approving previous minutes by sending these items out to board members ahead of the meeting. Share your SessionLab agenda to allow members to make any suggestions directly and keep all changes in one place.
• Aim for brevity when creating and giving reports. Try quick summaries to help keep the meeting lean and aim to keep presentations to one or two slides where possible. This doesn’t mean omitting key details, but aiming to present key information without the fluff.
• Keeping on track during your meeting agendas often means effectively time-boxing discussions and gently moving the group through your agenda items. A good meeting agenda template will help keep the session on track, though you can go further by using SessionLab’s time tracker to keep a running timer throughout your meeting.

Daily Standup Meeting Agenda

Stand-up meetings are all about brevity and focus. A typical stand-up meeting agenda might include sections for everyone on the team to check-in, share status updates, challenges and what they’ll be working on next.

This team meeting agenda template is based on the daily scrum of an Agile team, though it’s suitable for any team doing a daily check-in! After a brief introduction, teams go through a process of answering three questions:

• What did you do yesterday?
• What will you do today?
• What’s in your way?

By working through these three simple questions in just fifteen minutes, you and your team can quickly get aligned and start the day effectively! In this template, you’ll find a round-robin variation and a step-by-step version ready to tailor to your needs. Running weekly team meetings rather than one-a-day? This agenda template serves as a great foundation for a weekly alignment too.

Download the Daily Standup Meeting Agenda – Word

Download the Daily Standup Meeting Agenda – PDF

Check out the team meeting agenda template in SessionLab

Tips for running a Daily Standup Meeting Agenda

• Remember the purpose of the meeting. It can be tempting to go off topic, but this meeting is about getting quickly aligned, covering major talking points and moving forward. Be focused, but add interesting items to the parking lot to look at asynchronously or in a follow-up meeting of their own!
• Take meeting minutes or notes and share them with your team. These meeting notes can be especially useful when it comes to the next meeting or for people who couldn’t attend. You can speed this process up too by creating a meeting minutes template alongside your agenda.
• Recurring meetings should be systemized. Create and adjust a meeting agenda template of your own to save time running your next sessions and to ritualize your meetings.

Brainstorming Meeting Agenda

Brainstorming sessions are a great setting for unleashing a group’s collective intelligence and getting creative juices flowing. While this format encourages creativity and innovation, it doesn’t mean you don’t need structure. A good brainstorming session creates space for the unexpected though also helps your team stay focused, goal oriented and on-time.

In this team meeting agenda template created by Sabrina Goerlich, you and your team will spend just over an hour on a process based on Google’s design sprint, a proven structure for creating innovation and solving tough problems.

You’ll start by setting the stage with expert insights and a problem statement to help orient your team. Next, you’ll use a round of lightning demos to find inspiration before each team member individually brainstorms ideas and shares with group before a second round of ideation. After a round of voting for the best ideas, this brainstorming team meeting will be brought to a close by setting actions and assigning responsibilities.

The One Hour Brain Sprint is an effective meeting agenda template for any organization that wants to surface new ideas and solve tough problems. It’s especially effective if your problem does not have a clear solution, and you want to encourage creative input from everyone in your team.

Download the One Hour Brain Sprint Agenda – Word

Download the One Hour Brain Sprint Agenda – PDF

Check out the meeting agenda template in SessionLab

Tips for running a Brainstorming Meeting Agenda:

• Be sure to review action items and assign steps for the next session before the end of the meeting. It’s easy to miss this step and lose momentum so make sure your entire team knows what to do next before you close.
• Document everything. Being able to review what was discussed and all related ideas can help unblock teams later in the process.
• Have a clear decision maker in the room to break ties or make final decisions on what to move ahead with. While the voting round often ends with a clear frontrunner, when there isn’t consensus, it pays to have a stakeholder there to unblock your team.
• Come prepared with data or insights to clarify the problem you are trying to solve. Any solution is only as good as your understanding of the problem. Try to prepare some slides or supporting information and bring it to the meeting so your team can make data-informed decisions.

Decision Making Meeting Agenda

This decision making meeting agenda template is all about working together to make a decision and move forward as a team. It might be about a trying to solve a tough problem, working on innovative ideas or simply choosing the best solution from some you’ve already prepared.

This half-day team meeting agenda illustrates a complete flow from ideation to decision. You will find information and details on the following steps:

• presenting a problem to a team
• brainstorming on multiple solutions (divergence)
• selecting one or more proposals to work on using dot-voting (convergence)
• using consent-based decision-making to refine the proposal
• turning the proposal into a decision you make as a team

If you struggle with running team meetings where all attendees can feel involved while also ensuring the decisions made are high quality, this is the team meeting agenda you need.

Download the Decision Making Meeting Agenda – Word

Download the Decision Making Meeting Agenda – PDF

Check out the meeting agenda template in SessionLab

Tips for running the Decision Making Meeting Agenda

• Try to get familiar with consent-based decision making and Sociocracy before running this kind of decision making model. A thorough knowledge of the methodology will help you lead this team meeting agenda template effectively.
• Meeting minutes that effectively detail the process and discussions around the decisions that were made can be a massive boon when it comes to explaining to others or simply improving your process. Assign someone to take meeting minutes or notes at the outset of your session.
• Ensure you clearly document what decisions were made so you can share with people outside of the meeting and track progress on next steps.

Project Kickoff Meeting Agenda

When starting a new project, running a kickoff will help your team get aligned and start on the right foot. If you’re working with an Agile methodology, this meeting agenda template is a proven process that adheres to Agile principles and gives a team everything they need to get started on their next sprint or project.

This template is designed to support teams new to Agile, as well as seasoned Agile organizations. Start with a refresher on Agile principles and agreements before moving into the kickoff proper. You’ll cover the project overview, set roles and responsibilities, set a timeline and define success criteria before closing with action items and a Q&A.

This team meeting agenda is one you’ll likely run with your Agile team again and again. Save time by reusing your session or making a template of your own. Include any variations or team rituals to ensure your team meeting is fit for purpose and successfully enables a smooth kickoff.

Download the Agile Kickoff Meeting Agenda – Word

Download the Agile Kickoff Meeting Agenda – PDF

Check out the template in SessionLab

Tips for running the Project Kickoff Meeting Agenda

• For teams new to Agile, be sure to include the section outlining Agile principles. Got a team who knows how to run sprints and scrum meetings already? Give a brief reminder and jump in to scoping the project.
• While the broad meeting objectives for an Agile kickoff don’t change from sprint to sprint, it’s always worth reiterating what is part of a kickoff session and what is not. Seasoned teams can sometimes wish to jump ahead on exciting projects and without alignment, this can get messy.
• Add the dates for any key meetings or check-in points to your calendar. Choose a time that works for the majority of people on your team for your daily scrum meeting so you can easily update one another on progress made.
• Detailed agendas like this benefit from an easy-to-understand structure and time-boxed sections. Use SessionLab’s Session Planner to set clear timings and stay in control of your agenda.

Training Session Agenda

A clear and organized training sessions helps ensure participants get the most out of the experience. In this training session agenda template, you’ll use find an easy to amend structure for a basic training session. The agenda is based on a learning framework designed by American educational theorist David Kolb which follows four steps:

• Concrete experience, with room for practical, experiential activities;
• Reflective observation, a time to debrief, form opinions on what the exercise revealed, and discuss them with others;
• Abstract conceptualization, when it’s up to the trainer to offer models, theories and frameworks conducive to deeper understanding and, lastly
• Active experimentation, in which participants are guided to begin applying new learnings to real-world situations.

Before you dive into delivering your experiential training materials, you’ll have space for an opening section designed to orient participants. At the end of the session, you’ll also find time to collect learnings (a key step in ensuring training material sticks!) and effectively close your training session.

One common complaint of employee training is that the skills learned in a session rarely get applied after the trainer has left. This training agenda avoids this risk by including real-world examples, case studies, and giving participants time to reflect on what steps they will take, in practice, to apply what was presented at the training. Want to learn more? Explore our guide on how to design an engaging training session.

Download the Training Session Agenda – Word

Download the Training Session Agenda – PDF

Check out the meeting template in SessionLab

Tips for running the Training Session Agenda

• Clarify expectations at the outset. The presence, attention and participation of meeting attendees is a key aspect of a successful training.
• Don’t skip the debriefing. Giving participants time to reflect together and synthesize learnings can be when a topic truly comes to life and sticks.
• Collect feedback. Especially if you plan on running future meetings, ask participants and co-facilitators for feedback and amend your program accordingly. Add notes to your SessionLab agenda during a training session so you don’t lose any insights.

Workshop Planning Agenda

A great workshop doesn’t happen without adequate preparation. In this series of client meetings, we outline a process that allows you go from an idea to a completed workshop. Paired with our guide on how to plan a workshop, it’s a great resource for practically making a workshop or more carefully orchestrated team meeting happen.

This series of meeting agendas is divided into five parts, each lasting an hour. 

The first part, Sharing a vision, is an agenda for the first meeting with your client (and/or their team) to set clear expectations, get on the same page and start shaping the future workshop. You can also download a ready-to-use canvas to help support this important first meeting!

The second part, Defining the agenda is the stage at which you will define your draft agenda using the information gathered in your previous meeting. For more information on agenda design, check out this post on how to design a workshop agenda!

The third part of this meeting agenda template, Refining the agenda, is about sharing your proposed agenda design and collecting feedback.

In the fourth section, you’ll get ready for the day of the workshop by briefing the team, host and speakers. Finally, after the event is over, get together once again for a retrospective meeting focused on learning.

Download the Workshop Planning Agenda – Word

Download the Workshop Planning Agenda – PDF

Check out the template in SessionLab

Tips for running the Workshop Planning Agenda

• Each step of this agenda has a clear set of action points and a checklist for what needs to be achieved by the end of each meeting. Add your own items to the session or the individual agenda items in order to stay on track and ensure you meet your goals.
• When running recurring meetings or workshops, it can be helpful to know when each one is expected to transpire so you have a clear schedule for the entire project. Be sure to put each meeting or project stage into the calendar. SessionLab’s multi-day sessions feature can help you easily visualise an overview of connected series of meetings like this one. Note that this is a great place to keep meeting notes, too!
• Workshop planning doesn’t need to be lonely! The success of your session can often be attributed to how thoroughly you and your stakeholders clarify the goals and collaborate at each stage of the way. Invite collaborators to co-design your agenda or try making what might have been a solo experience into a team meeting. The results will often be much better for it!

Retrospective Meeting Agenda

All projects and initiatives should be reflected upon and learned from. In this team meeting agenda template, you’ll take a group through an efficient project retrospective that will help you collect learnings, improve as a team and set clear next steps.

While this meeting agenda template is designed around the principles an Agile retrospective, it can be used for reflecting on any project or period of time, sprint or not!

Start by checking-in with the group and reiterating key facts and figures for your recently closed project. Next, lead the group through a process of reflecting on what happened at each stage of the project and recording feedback and insights.

After generating insights and identifying the root causes of things that went well and could be improved you’ll collaboratively decide what to do next time. Record takeaways and learnings and then close with a round of feedback and a final debrief.

Tips for running the Retrospective Meeting Agenda

• Retrospectives should be run at the end of each project, quarter or initiative your team completes. Find a format that works for you and create a template so that you and your team can save time and effort running this important session.
• Preparing key metrics and an overview of what was done to present at the beginning of a meeting is a key step. Even a single slide of useful information can help orient your team effectively.
• Short on time? It can often be affective to ask each person to note what they liked, learned and lacked asynchronously in a Mural board or a virtual meeting tool like Team Retro.

Download the Retrospective Meeting Agenda – Word

Download the Retrospective Meeting Agenda – PDF

Check out the template in SessionLab

Online Event Agenda

Whether you’re running a formal meeting with a virtual audience or creating an informal networking session, an agenda helps you stay organized. This simple meeting agenda template is designed for anyone running an online session. It has space for presenters or speakers to share content, as well as blocks for general networking and breakout groups.

This agenda template begins with space to welcome attendees and introduce a guest speaker before moving into networking and a featured presentation. Add breakout rooms to the agenda in SessionLab to easily organize parallel discussions and tailor this session to your group.

Download the Online Event Agenda – Word

Download the Online Event Agenda – PDF

Check out the template in SessionLab

Tips for running this Online Event Agenda

• Add presenter information or a script to your agenda template to take some of the pressure out of hosting. Even a few simple prompts can make it easy to present with confidence.
• Keep all of your links and supporting materials in one place. Add the links to any Miro boards, slideshows or Mentimeter polls to the relevant point in your agenda. Scrambling to find the right link in front of your attendees isn’t fun! (See more best practices for virtual sessions in our guide on how to plan and run a virtual workshop.)
• Invite co-presenters or facilitators to your session so they can stay in sync and have a clear idea of your running order. You might even share an online version of your agenda or meeting template with your audience members so they know what’s coming too.

Conclusion

A well crafted meeting agenda is an essential element of a successful meeting. Paired with effective meeting facilitation, using a team meeting agenda template can help you and your group achieve your goals and finish on time too! Whatever your purpose, we hope the agenda templates above serve as a useful starting point.

Remember that a structured meeting agenda template not only keeps the meeting on track but also sets the tone for a productive and meaningful gathering. Adapt and customize these agenda templates to suit your needs, attach the agenda to your calendar invites and refer to the agenda throughout your session to start hosting more efficient and engaging meetings.

Want to see more? You can explore our complete template collection to find inspiration or a proven process for your next workshop, meeting or training session.

Ready to start designing your own meeting template? Explore how SessionLab can help save you time and effort when designing your next agenda.

On a good day, facilitation can feel like effortless magic, but that is mostly the result of backstage work, foresight, and a lot of careful planning.

Read on to learn a step-by-step approach to breaking the process of planning a workshop into small, manageable chunks. 

The flow starts with the first meeting with a client to define the purposes of a workshop. In other words, we are working on the assumption that the facilitator has already been chosen and hired for a job. 

It’s also possible that you are designing a workshop agenda you have ideated yourself. You have a topic to share with your audience, and potential participants in mind… great! You can still use the same process, although not all steps may be relevant to your case.

How to plan a workshop in four phases

We have divided the process of designing a workshop step-by-step into four sections. This structure is inspired by the insightful design methodology known as Dragon Dreaming, as codified by John Croft. The framework is an invitation to move in a structured way from dreaming to designing, from designing to doing, and from doing to celebrating and learning.

In this workflow, we will go through similar steps, albeit much simplified and adapted to this specific example. If you find this categorization intriguing and you’d like to learn more, here is a page about Dragon Dreaming project design. The methodology originated in Australia, and you can see a wink to its origin in how the design turns counterclockwise! 

Each phase (vision, design, action and learning) is divided into subsections defining specific actions you need to take in planning your workshop. Each also includes a checkpoint with the client. These four meetings, plus a facilitation team meeting to draft the agenda, are described in detail in the accompanying Workshop Planning Template.

In the template, you will find ideas and inspiration for five one-hour meetings in which to:

• draw out the overall vision and desired outcomes;
• define a draft schedule;
• get buy-in for the workshop agenda;
• check-in for a briefing before the actual workshop;
• run a retrospective after the event is over.

I see this process as a dance between working alone and co-designing with a client. In this dance, two different ways of working interact, from being alone at the desk surrounded by sticky notes, to talking things over and getting feedback, into a new iteration of the design, and so on. Successful workshops all start, as most things do, with a vision, and a conversation. Let’s take the first step! 

Phase 1 – Vision

Every project begins as an idea in somebody’s mind, which really starts to take shape once it’s shared with someone else. In the first part of the process, we cover how to lead conversations that will move the idea from the abstract to a more concrete realm.

This process starts with a kick-off meeting attended by the facilitator, the client and, if applicable, other members of the team. To help you set it up, we have prepared a dedicated template complete with a workshop structure you can use to collect all the information from this visioning stage!

What are the desired outcomes of the workshop? Who will be the participants or what is your target audience? Once you have some initial answers to these questions, you can use them to shape a concept note, sign agreements, contracts and/or an MoU (memorandum of understanding). 

Sharing intentions

According to the State of Facilitation in 2023 report, a majority of facilitators find negotiating with clients and stakeholders quite the challenge. In the survey on which the report is based, we asked over 1100 professionals what was hard for them in the previous year.

While the top challenge reported was “keeping up with the trends”, a series of matters more related to difficulties negotiating, designing and getting buy-in from stakeholders emerged as well. We hope the following workshop planning tips can help you overcome such obstacles. Learn more about trends in facilitation in 2023 and the art of running workshops in the State of Facilitation report!

Designing based on the “why” is a necessary premise to design workshops that will prove meaningful to participants and clients. Often, though, this “why” is not entirely clear from the get-go. A skilled facilitator will use a range of communication skills such as probing questions, active listening, and appreciative inquiry to clarify intentions.

In most cases, it’s a matter of slowing the client down, and gently inquiring into their motivations. Run a mini-workshop with your client and transparently share what you are looking for. Time spent on this now will save time and resources by minimizing the risk of misunderstandings and re-writes later!

There are four key elements I check for when looking for desired outcomes with the client at this very early stage:

(1) Non-negotiables. These are the boundaries for your design, the things that are set and cannot be changed. This might be, for example, the duration of the workshop, the location, or the list of participants.

(2) Tangible outcomes (aka deliverables). What needs to be produced, concretely, by the end of the workshop? Is it an action plan? A set of decisions? A report? Try to get as many details as possible on this requirement.

If this point is not initially clear, invite your client to explore the future with their foresight and imagination: at the end of the workshop, what do they want to have that was not there before the start?

(3) Intangible outcomes. What intentions are connected to the workshop in the immaterial world of communications, connections and emotions? Mark down the keywords you hear your client use. Is it a matter of increasing networking opportunities and connections? Deepening trust? These “soft” outcomes can inspire and direct your choices of activities, setting and style.

(4) Levels of participation. If you are planning a workshop rather than a training event, I have found it very useful to introduce the concept of the ladder of participation to clients, early on in the design stage (here is a version relating to citizen engagement).

This involves probing how much power is allocated to participants into shaping future choices. Will proposals selected by participants in your workshop be adopted directly? Is this a consultation process someone else will turn into a decision later? Or, perhaps, the workshop is meant to inform and get buy-in on choices that have already been made?

All these scenarios are possible and valid, but it’s important to know which one your workshop falls into, so as to minimize the risk of disappointment or confusion.

Once you have collected this information, you probably have an idea of where you want your workshop to focus. All you need now is to figure out who is it for before drafting a concept note and initial agenda.

Defining the target audience

Once you have clarity about the desired outcomes, it’s time to focus on your hypothetical participants and your target audience. You may already have a list provided by the client, or it may be a completely open invitation. In any case, it’s a good idea to spend some time focussing, after the “why”, on the important question: “who?”

Things that can be useful to consider doing at this stage, depending on the specific situation, include:

• Creating a “persona” for the workshop. Who will benefit? What are their needs, pain points, interests? Why will they come? This work will initially be based on your assumptions only, but it could lead to an exchange of information with your client to learn more. Here is a canvas from MediaLAB Amsterdam that can help you create a persona for your event.

• Having interviews with potential participants that match your target audience to collect more information on their wants, needs and expectations. If you are able to contact participants before the workshop, aim to talk to a few. If key decision-makers will be in the room, it’s definitely a good idea to ask for a half-hour chat with them! 

Start by clarifying that you are talking to a few people in order to better prepare your workshop. Next, kick-start your exploration by asking them what their motivation for attending the workshop is. Listen carefully and take notes! It’s good practice to have a list of questions that will be the same for all your interviewees, but also let the conversation flow naturally. 

End the conversation by asking your interviewee whether they know of someone who should definitely be at the workshop, and add them to the list of potential invites!If time does not allow for 1:1 interviews, you can also consider sending your questions out via email.

Finally, check back in with the client to ensure they have considered who should be there and whether any important stakeholders or potential workshop participants are being overlooked. 

In my personal practice, I do hold a commitment to widening representation and will often reach out to my clients with questions, for example, on gender balance or including underrepresented groups. Can we get more women’s voices in a conversation about the future of logistics and mobility? (The answer turned out to be yes!). In this urban planning process, will someone be speaking with the interests of elderly citizens in mind? And what about the children’s?

At this stage, it’s also important to start making notes of any special needs. Does your persona include, for example, families with small children? Or people with mobility concerns? These considerations have a bearing on such key planning elements as your choice of venue, location, and timing. Successful workshops are those in which the needs of target attendees are considered and steps are taken to ensure participants can take part.

Drafting the initial concept 

Once you know the “why” and something around the “who” of a workshop, it’s time to start designing the “what”.

What is needed at first is some clarity as to the main points of the agenda, not a detailed run-through. The client will probably have more feedback once things start to look concrete, and it’s not particularly fun to have to revisit the entire thing and do work twice. That is why I have found it good practice to keep the agenda still quite open at this stage.

An initial concept draft for a successful workshop should contain:

• A summary of the desired outcomes;
• A list of benefits for participants (what are their pain points that this workshop will solve?);
• A list of learning/key objectives;
• A description of the main activities or building blocks of the workshop.

At this point, you’ll need to circle back to your client, share the draft with them and ask for feedback. In my experience, it’s a good idea to approach this step lightly, with curiosity, knowing you have done your homework but ready if necessary to change your entire concept around and pivot to something different. And if you still feel yourself having rigidity towards feedback, check out some useful feedback tips by learning expert Skye Suttie. 

Signing agreements

By the end of the vision phase, facilitators and clients should share a feeling of commitment and alignment. This is made visible and concrete through signing agreements, contracts and/or a memorandum of understanding (MoU).

What exactly these contain varies greatly depending on circumstances and location, but here is a useful summary, complete with template examples of what your MoU might look like, from Malia Josephine over at the startup Facilitation Jobs. 

Phase 2 – Design

So now you have a draft outline of the workshop and an idea of who will participate. The next section is all about the nitty-gritty details of planning. Think of any other event, such as a family gathering or a wedding: there are a lot of things to consider so that everything will be ready when attendees arrive in the space you have designed and set up for them. It can be a very creative phase, if a bit solitary at times for the workshop leader! 

In the design stage, we are aiming to answer the question: how will this happen? This includes choosing dates and venues, drafting an agenda, creating a communication plan so that your workshop attendees will get the invite and join, populating a participant list, and refining your draft agenda into a detailed script. 

Establishing time and place

A workshop begins to feel like it’s really going to happen once the date and location are decided upon.

Whether you are scouting for a location yourself or not, you still need to clarify and communicate a list of requirements clearly. Don’t give anything for granted! List any needs such as accessibility, type of space, and equipment such as tables or presentation equipment. No location is going to be perfect, but the clearer your request, the closer to ideal you might get. 

If you’re running a virtual workshop, you still need to put it in the calendar and arrange for a virtual space to hold it in, such as a Zoom account and a whiteboard space. And if it’s hybrid, you’ll need to do both: scout for a location (with great wifi and acoustics, here you can read more about why that’s important) and set up online resources as well. If you don’t know yet what kind of room setup you will need, take a look at our detailed guide here.

Once the location has been chosen and booked, make sure you have an understanding with the location manager of how your session will work and what they can expect.

Will you be using masking tape to hang posters on the wall? Is that ok? How early do you expect to be at the location, and who will be there to open the doors? Will you need breakout spaces for smaller groups to work in? Will participants be milling around using outside spaces, which, and when? What about wifi use, passwords, and other tech needs? 

Having a persona in mind might help establish a schedule. Is this a personal development workshop that people sign up for as individuals (that will probably mean running it in the evening or on weekends?) Or is it going on at the workplace? When are employees free to attend, and what will not clash with previous engagements? Will it be a one-off thing or a series? Successful workshops take all this into account to ensure workshop participants can actually be there!

If you are working on a series of meetings for participatory planning and would like to encourage a diverse attendance, it could be a good idea to switch times and dates around quite often, so that people with different jobs and schedules can fit at least one meeting in. And get a babysitting service, or have someone who works with youth set up a related workshop with the young ones.

Drafting the workshop agenda 

So now the word is out, and there is probably some time to wait before the workshop kick-off. This is the moment to sit down with yourself and work on the facilitation design. For many trainers and facilitators, this is a favorite part of the process.

Here is where we create a detailed schedule, choose activities and methods and assemble them into a coherent flow. You’ll seek to create a workflow flow that balances group discussions, experiential activities and different learning styles in order to meet your workshop’s purpose. Proper planning and a structured process is a proven way of turning a workshop idea into a reality.

Using a workshop planning tool like SessionLab can make the task much easier and save you time in your process.

A successful workshop is one with a clear structure that supports the learning process. With the Session Planner, you can easily drag and drop your content blocks to quickly build an effective flow.

I like to start by creating a skeleton of each item in the workshop agenda and then adding additional content once I feel confident in the flow.

SessionLab also ensures you stay in control of time while creating your workshop agenda. Add timing to each block to confidently plan for the time you have available. And when you make changes, SessionLab will automatically calculate your timing. It’s easy to iterate and plan the most effective workshop flow for your participants.

Need inspiration? Research and exploration into the methods library can help you find suitable activities for your session, as well as other online repositories of ideas such as this one by Untools. 

The actual process of creating a draft agenda is quite personal. You may be working on it completely alone (hopefully, with a hot or cold beverage of your choice, and plenty of time!) or with a co-facilitator.

Results from the State of Facilitation report indicate that facilitators like to work directly with online tools, such as SessionLab, others, me included, prefer to start with pen and paper… or by taking voice notes while taking a walk!

However you approach the matter, you are likely to do all of these things (and more!), while not necessarily in this order:

• Create a timeline, showing when your workshop starts, ends, and how long each section will last;
• Check your notes from meeting with the client, refer back to desired outcomes both tangible and intangible;
• Refer back to your interviews with participants, or any other information you may have collected from them, to pinpoint main needs and expectations;
• Brainstorm activities you believe will meet the client’s and the participants’ needs;
• Pick among those activities: which are “must-haves” and which are optional?
• Assess how much time each activity will take, and add a bit of buffer to account for the unexpected;
• Check that your activities are diverse enough to include people with different styles and approaches (e.g. by having both individual and group activities);
• Add essential opening and closing activities such as icebreakers and introductions at the beginning and feedback and drawing conclusions at the end
• Arrange them in a timeline;

And whatever you do, don’t forget to schedule some breaks! A successful workshop ensures that the workshop facilitator and all participants are able to participate and maintain their energy levels will learning new skills.

Refining the agenda

Once you have a solid agenda, it’s time once more to check in with the client. Run through the agenda together, checking that you share an understanding of what is going to happen, and making any needed tweaks and changes as you go. I always aim to share my reasoning with clients and share tidbits of facilitation along the way. 

If you’re using SessionLab, you can invite clients and stakeholders directly to your agenda so you discuss and co-create in real-time or asynchronously. Collaborating in one-place can really help ensure your workshop preparation is smooth and that your session will meet your goals.

Refining the agenda is the subject of the third client/facilitator meeting detailed in the template that goes with this piece. The first thing to do is restate the high-level purpose and objectives of the workshop, before going into a review of details. This process encourages clarity and alignment, as well as enabling the facilitator to check whether the proposed agenda is fit for purpose. 

This is also the stage in which, if I am facilitating a group discussions on a topic I am not familiar with, I’ll be doing research into that topic. Opinions about how knowledgeable, if at all, a facilitator should be about the topic under discussion vary greatly. Personally, my attention is on the dynamics of their conversation rather than on the content. Because of this, I don’t mind working with groups or companies who are talking about something I am not informed about. 

At the same time, I find it useful to have at least a beginner’s understanding of the discussion. To enable this, I will ask clients to send me some papers or links to study. Mainly, I will be looking for jargon and terminology: I want to have at least a sense of what people are talking about and what terms to use myself. I also try and get a sense of what in the field is clear, and what is contested or up for debate.

Research can lead to changes to the agenda: in a recent workshop I chaired, reading some documentation led me to assume that terminology being used in the field was still not well-defined. Different stakeholders were using different terms to indicate the same things, or the same term to indicate different things!

I checked in with the client to verify if this was indeed the case and we decided to add a section discussing terminology at the beginning of the workshop. We did not aim to settle the argument once and for all, but rather to share with participants the current state of the art in this particular industry and agree on what terms we would use for the duration of the workshop. 

This is also a great time to reconsider the implications of your setting. If you’re running a virtual workshop, how will you encourage participants to take part and explore ideas in such an environment?

Creating a communications plan 

Whether you are opening the workshop for participants to enroll or whether it’s the host preparing a list of attendees, it’s likely someone will be working to create a buzz around the event.

Often this is not handled by the facilitator directly but rather by a communication agency or office. That said, do your part by preparing material for dissemination and helping make sure the news reaches the right ears.

If you are not doing communication and enrollment yourself, avoid missteps (such as the advertising sending a message that is not aligned with your intention and design) by preparing such a brief well in advance.

A basic communication plan for your workshop should include:

• How will people find out about the workshop? Where will it be advertised? Are there networks, groups or individuals that should be reached out to? 
• What should people know about the workshop in advance? Create a one or two-sentence description of the workshop to go out in communication channels and invitations. What is the workshop’s unique value? How can you entice people to be excited to join?
• How will people enroll in the workshop? And how can they find out more? Who should they contact to register, is it you, or the client, or should you set up an automatic registration service (such as Eventbrite)? What information do you need to collect upon registration? Do participants need to sign authorizations (e.g. for audio-video use)? Will they get a confirmation email? Automatically or through you/the client?

Establishing who will be there 

Many hands make light work: now that you have your detail agenda or script set out, you should have a clear sense of whether other people are needed to make it work. Will you need a tech host? An assistant to help with the practicalities? A video-maker? Photographer? Visual practitioner?  If you need to assemble a team, it makes sense to onboard them once you know the agenda and tasks they will take on.

The other aspect of establishing who will be there is having a final (or “almost final”… there are usually last-minute surprises!) participant list. Registration can also be an interesting opportunity to collect information on your workshop attendees that might inspire some final details of the design.

When registering participants for a short (3-hour) leadership workshop for the international organization C40, besides asking for basic information such as names and emails, I added three optional questions concerning people’s motivation for joining, interesting initiatives they might like to share, and a blank space for “any other communications”.

This process was useful for me to start to get a sense of who was going to be in the room and adapt my choices and language to the audience. Furthermore, these questions can kick-start the workshop long before it begins by asking participants to start reflecting on a certain topic.

Phase 3 – Running the workshop!

As the moment of running a workshop draws closer, there are some tasks to do that are very practical, having to do with implementing what has, up to now, existed in words only.

This is the phase for getting things done: assembling materials, briefing your team and any speakers, taking care of your inner work and preparation and then, in a leap of faith…Trusting that all you’ve done is enough, finally doing away with plans, and going with the flow! 

Running workshops can be tough work, so in this section we’ve collected some tips for managing workshop attendees (and yourself) that should help running the workshop easier!

Assembling materials

Shopping time! The stationery shop is like a second home to most facilitators: it’s time to get your gear together and fill up boxes of sticky notes, posters, and marker pens. Now things are getting real! (And if you used SessionLab to plan your session, you’ll find a handy list of materials consolidated on the information page!)

As the date of the workshop approaches, make sure you have all the materials you need ready at hand. This might include your presentations, virtual whiteboards, or physical goodies. I have found myself roaming Rome at dawn to get photocopies of materials in a neighborhood with no such services. Not fun! 

I often wonder how important is it to give participants printed handouts. On the one hand, let’s admit it, such materials don’t often get read. Printing is a waste of energy and paper and my sustainable-minded self would rather avoid it. 

On the other hand, printed materials might be a useful reference a long time after the workshop is over, and many people like to have something physical to hold onto and take notes on. You can also consider the option of having digital-format handouts to send to everyone before or after the workshop. 

Briefing team and speakers 

A few days before the workshop, set a briefing call with the client, your team and, if applicable, speakers or other guests. I have sometimes avoided doing this for the sake of efficiency… and usually regretted it. Even though it seems like everything is clear and smooth, by talking a workshop through, even in a brief 30 min meeting, something might emerge that needs attention.

If you have external speakers joining, e.g. for a keynote or presentation, remember they have not dedicated the amount of time and attention to this event that you have! Brief them on the intention behind the workshop and on the participants in the room, and discuss what will happen before and after their speech. As your star guests, they should feel welcome and well prepared. This will improve alignment and the overall experience for participants.

When running a workshop with a team, it’s very important to know who will take care of what. Take the time to clearly define roles and responsibilities and add to the script the name of the people who will be, for example, presenting or tech hosting at a given time.

You might also have pre-workshop communication you want to send out to participants, perhaps to remind them of logistics or do some prep work. Always include a way to contact you (or someone from your team) if something happens at the last minute! 

Personal energy management

Once all the design and preparation are done, so much rests on the facilitator’s personal stance and attention. Here are some examples of things facilitators I know, or myself, do in terms of personal energy management:

• No work the day before and/or after an important event;
• Meditation and focussing activities;
• Spending time in nature, taking walks;
• Coaching session with trusted colleagues or a professional coach;
• Taking time to reflect on possible biases and on personal intentions. 

What do you do to prepare yourself before a workshop? Do you take time and space before the start to tend to your own needs? We’ve also been sharing this conversation in SessionLab’s community space: join us here. 

Going with the flow

Step by step, you have now reached this exceptional threshold. People have assembled in a physical or online space, which is equipped with all they need to learn and grow together. The workshop is about to begin! 

This is what all the preparation work was for: take a deep breath and delve into the agenda. Skilled facilitators know how to read the room, trust their instincts, and stick by the plan, or change it, depending on what is needed in the moment, here and now. 

Phase 4 – Learn

The workshop may be over but the work is not! Learning, celebrating and reflecting should take just as much of your time, energy and commitment as any one of the other phases. This is the step where we truly grow and become, with time and experience, wise and excellent facilitators!

In this learning phase, we aim to close a cycle mirroring how it was opened. This means continuing a dialogue with our client and making time to think back together. Such reflections are too often swept aside in the hustle of business cycles. Yet, the more space we can make for them, the better.

As we learn together, we consolidate trust and strengthen partnerships. Furthermore, reflecting and celebrating builds momentum for the next workshop cycle, which is often just around the corner! 

Reporting

Agreements taken with your client might include your contribution to drafting a final report. And even if they don’t, it’s still a great idea, for your own records, to take some time to look back and write up a summary of what happened. It will be invaluable in time, e.g. when two years down the line a client calls you back to know: “Could you do that workshop again?” “What made this a successful workshop and what would you change in any future workshops?”

A workshop report generally includes two main parts: one is about information, the other is focussed on learnings.

Report Part 1  – information on the workshop

The first is a collection of data about the workshop: when and where was the workshop held? How many people attended? What was the schedule? 

• Workshop concept 
• Agenda (you can use SessionLab to include a handy printout of the session agenda!)
• Data on attendees (e.g. how many people attended, and whatever data about them is relevant and can be shared)
• Pictures from the event

Report Part 2 – learnings from the workshop

The second part of the workshop report is more subjective. This is the place in which to include reflections on how it went, a summary of key conversations and discussions, recommendations, notes on methodology

• Reflections on the methodologies chosen
• Facilitator’s notes and observations
• Feedback received
• Key recommendations or decisions taken. 

Following-up

Presenting a report, and opening it for final revisions, is a great excuse to set up that precious follow-up meeting with your client. 

Reserve a chunk of time to look back at your work together and reflect: what went well? What would you change next time? This is a time for constructive feedback, expressing appreciation, and really taking care of the relationship. You can find some inspiration on what to include in such a meeting in the last part of our Planning a Workshop template. 

Besides following up with your client, you also may have some follow-up actions to take towards participants. Here are some ideas of what that may include:

• Sending certificates of attendance with the number of hours spent at the workshop and the main topics covered;
• Sending lists of extra materials, bibliographies, and resources;
• Collecting feedback through a questionnaire;
• Inviting people to subscribe to your mailing list, follow you on social media, or in any case providing ways for them to stay in touch. 

And of course, if you haven’t done it yet, it’s also time to do that bit of life admin and send an invoice! 

Collecting learnings

The follow-up and reporting steps are mostly outward-facing, that is, you are writing for others. While you do that, probably some ideas and learnings will emerge that are about your work and practice. A collection of personal learnings can be the outcome of your own reflection or, if you are part of a community of practice or professional development program, of time spent debriefing the workshop with your peers, coach, or mentor.

I don’t always have as much time as I would like to properly debrief and collect learnings. At the very least, I take 15 minutes to think through this quick “Regret, Celebrate, Learn” process I learned from the Mediate your Life program. To do that, I quickly jot down some notes or a mental map in response to the following three questions:

• Regret – what happened at the workshop that I regret, am worried or sad about? How did I feel about that? Do I know why I did it (what needs was I trying to satisfy?) 
• Celebrate – what happened at the workshop that I really celebrate and am glad about? How did that feel? What needs of mine were met? 
• Learn – with those things in mind, are there any learning points I want to draw and remember? 

I might, for example, regret answering a participant’s question rather brusquely, and realize I did that because I was feeling rushed for time. At the same time, I might celebrate that I did take that person aside to check in with them during the break. This may lead me to remind myself to invite people who have off-topic questions to “park” them on a poster to answer at a later time. 

You may want to add some notes next to certain tools or methodologies you used: most workshops present an opportunity to do something slightly different next time. If you are using SessionLab, you can add these to a certain activity’s card, so you’ll find them waiting for you next time you pick the same method from your personal library. 

Celebrating

Celebrating can mean different things to different people. If I am traveling to/from the workshop, I consider that time spent on the train on my way back, taking notes on my diary, part of celebration. 

Plenty of other actions might help you feel like the circle is closed: taking a relaxing break, going out for dinner with your team members, buying yourself a little gift… whatever helps you keep your energy level high and integrate the experience into the flow of your life.

Processing your reflections and giving them some time to settle is likely to lead straight to the next great idea. How about we took this learning from this workshop and did that with it? Time to start taking notes, because these thoughts are the sign that a new cycle of ideation is about to begin! 

Processing your reflections and giving them some time to settle is likely to lead straight to the next great idea.

In closing 

When I asked our in-house designer to come up with the illustration on the top of this article, it felt very appropriate to summarize the complicated process of designing a workshop into a single, perfect circle.

Now that it’s done, I realize it’s really not a circle at all, because once all the work is complete nobody, neither client nor facilitator nor participants, is in the same place they began from. The process of designing a workshop is actually like a spiral, that widens and opens each time we go around.

By the end of all these steps, everyone will have changed in some way. Relationships will have formed, new ideas defined, and lessons learned.

At the start of the spiral, there is only an idea, which becomes a design as it is shared, consolidated and refined. The facilitator’s job is to turn it into an agenda, and go through all these steps, alone or with a team, to make it happen.

By learning from all that took place, the flow will, in time, become more natural, fluid, almost second nature. My hope in setting it down in this piece is that it will help you along the journey.

Want to see an entire workshop journey in action and get help in putting together a water-tight agenda? Explore our workshop planning template to go through a proven agenda design process that will help you dazzle potential attendees.

Does this process describe how you have been designing your workshops? Did it give you new ideas? Leave a note in the comments, and join the discussion in our Community!

A well-trained and motivated workforce is essential for a thriving business, and that is where the train-the-trainer model comes into the picture. By creating an internal training program where experienced trainers help others gain the skills needed to lead effective training, you can create a learning culture and supercharge talent development across your entire organization. Let’s explore.

Having an internal training program is a powerful way to ensure that employees learn to acquire fast the knowledge and skills necessary to perform well in their jobs.

But how do you make sure that you have the capacity to effectively train employees at a scale? By making subject matter experts employees capable of teaching their colleagues via the train-the-trainer model

What is Train the Trainer?

Train the Trainer is a framework for training potential instructors or subject matter experts to enable them to train other people in their organisations.

In other words: A group of employees receive a compact training program that focuses both on specific training content and on how to teach this training content to others.

For example, a subject matter expert trainer trains a select group of employees on meeting facilitation skills and simultaneously teaches them how to train other colleagues on how to run effective meetings.

The expected outcome is that attendees learn the new knowledge or skill, and they will instruct further batches of people in the organisation. They’ll learn new training methods from a certified trainer and explore how to design everything from their first training session through to a complete learning program.

This approach was first applied in NGOs and non-profit organizations and since then enterprises picked it up and applied it to their learning and development programs.

What are the benefits of the train-the-trainer model?

The core advantage of the train-the-trainer model is its effectiveness to teach new skills and knowledge to a wide range of people within an organisation by involving internal resources to scale training delivery.

Also, becoming an internal trainer and picking up new competencies is a great professional development opportunity for the people involved. Let’s inspect see what are the other benefits that make the train-the-trainer model a frequently used approach in the learning and development industry.

• Cost-effectiveness: It is much less costly to send one expert trainer to train internal subject matter experts, than hiring a large unit of external trainers to deliver every single training session within the organisation. Once you’ve gotten going with the train-the-trainer model, it’s easy to create a system of consistent training where trainers pass on their experiences while teaching skills to other employees.
• Consistency in delivering a training curriculum: The default mode of operation for train-the-trainer programs is that trainers receive the exact same materials they were trained on, and therefore they disseminate the same learning through the organisation. This makes the model ideal for large organisations where continuity of training is important. Additionally, the standardized format allows to measure and compare the performance of each training group.
• Acceptance of internal trainers: In most organisations, people tend to seek advice more from their colleagues who they are already familiar with, than from outside specialists. The train the trainer model helps create supply to meet that demand.
• It fits well in situations where fast dissemination of information is needed. After the initial train-the-trainer course is completed, the freshly minted internal trainers can deliver their courses simultaneously to their colleagues. This is particularly useful when rolling out change initiatives for a whole organisation.
• Tailored learning: Internal trainers have the advantage of knowing the environment and culture of the organization as well as the products and services offered and client needs, allowing them to tailor the training content to the specific needs of the training participants.
• Trainers’ growing subject-matter mastery: Teaching someone else is the best way to learn. As trainers keep delivering training sessions to their colleagues, they will be exposed to handling new situations, meeting new questions and perspectives. As they find their way to answer these challenges, their subject matter expertise will inevitably leap to new heights.
• Developing a competent internal training team: Once people attend a train-the-trainer program and they start teaching their own colleagues, their competence as instructors will keep growing. Next time, when your organisation needs internal trainers for another subject, you already have a group of employees in the organisation who are skilled in training delivery.
• Better training follow-up: Since trainers are in-house experts, they stay around and can easily follow through until the new skills and knowledge become part of their colleagues’ routines.
• Train-the-Trainer has a ripple effect making the enterprise an appealing employer and progressive workplace for attracting talents. A company that provides growth opportunities for their employees and training through innovative techniques is attractive to potential employees.

On the other side, all methods have their limitations, and the train-the-trainer process is no exception. One of the most frequently cited drawbacks is the lack of flexibility it offers to customise and adjust the centrally rolled out training curriculum.

Needs may differ in different units of an organization, and often times there is no time and resource allocated to tailor the scripted training program to the specific needs of different groups.

Secondly, the training programs are often designed to much lecture-oriented focusing on one-way communication and content distribution, lacking powerful experiential learning activities and hands-on practice. This can be improved by thoughtful course design respecting adult learning principles and proper training follow-up.

For some organizations, the best approach for running a train the trainer course is to create their own internal train the trainer course so they can tailor all their training materials accordingly and create a continual culture of learning.

If this is you, check out our guide to creating a train the trainer course for tips on helping create a training course that will help your participants become master trainers.

How to choose the right participants for a train-the-trainer program?

Any training program requires investment, both in time and money. And putting the right people into the course is especially vital for success when deploying a train-the-trainer model. The selection process can be easier by considering these parameters:

• The selected soon-to-be-trainers should be well respected, ideally, a role model and a person employees look up to as well as go to for help. Choose an employee that leads by walking the talk and follows the company’s processes and principles.
• A trainer must possess good communication skills and able to lead discussions as well as listen to their colleagues. Being a good public speaker and presenter is also a big advantage.
• It is important to be reflective and being open to receive feedback.
• Generally a positive attitude and willingness to help colleagues to help to bring the training instruction to real-life application during and beyond the training sessions.
• Some degree of experience and expertise in the given field or subject is a must, since the train-the-trainer model actively builds on the expertise and knowledge of its trainers. Not to mention, in order to be a credible trainer, one needs to be competent in the field she teaches. This is particularly important in subjects relating to technical know-how.
• Flexibility in time and general availability for delivering training should also be considered. Being a trainer requires time away from one’s regular job while training others in the organisation. It is a practical idea to ask the applicants’ managers for support and confirmation that their job permits them to take part in the program.

How do I build a train-the-trainer program?

If you decide to design a train-the-trainer program in your organisation, there are a set of things you need to consider to build an effective model:

1. Clarify the purpose of the program: What are the main goals you want to achieve? Passing on technical skills from experienced to younger members? Build up an internal pool of trainers who can be relied on for a wide range of skill development training? Have internal change agents in the organisation? The answers you give for these questions will determine which area you need to focus on your training curriculum.
2. Design measurement and assessment process: You will need to set measurable objectives for the program and figure out how to measure course outcomes. Tracking progress of both trainers and trainee indicates the effectiveness of the program, and it is essential to be able to evaluate and improve your train-the-trainer program over time.
3. Design the training curriculum: As the train-the-trainer model is based on both teaching subject matter knowledge and training delivery skills, your curriculum will need to reflect on both. At first, you need to define course-by-course, what is the focus content that you want your trainers to train and disseminate in the organisation. You might also use effective instructional design principles to ensure your material is engaging for the format you’re delivering content in.
   
   Secondly, you’ll also need to allocate time to teach participants about group facilitation and training delivery. (Plus, if your trainees will have any flexibility in designing their own training sessions, it is essential to know about adult learning and training design principles.)
4. Create training materials: In order to maintain a consistent rollout and delivery of your training curriculum, you should design and provide all the materials that you trainees will need when they deliver the training content to their colleagues. This may range from detailed training facilitation plans to slideshows and participant handouts.

Further learning

Creating an effective program following the train the trainer model requires a combination of great tools, expertise and good design.

Here are some further resources you may find useful when creating a training program using the train the train model or just if you want to level-up your team’s training skills.

• Creating an effective agenda or training session plan is a core skill for any master trainer. In this guide, explore how to create an engaging training session and design an unforgettable learning process.
• Experiential activities and training games can be a valuable addition to any trainer’s toolkit. Find a selection of exercises and games that can help enable learning and engage trainers in this collection of training games.
• Virtual training is a skill that all trainers need in an increasingly remote-world. While you may cover this in your program, giving every internal trainer a crash course on how to run effective virtual workshops and training sessions is a great booster.
• Running an internal course that follows the train the trainer model means using the right tools. Whether you’re looking for instructional design software to use for self-paced courses or tools to help you facilitate live training workshops, you’ll find great recommendations in these guides.

Do you have any further tips about how to design great train-the-trainer programs?

Let us know in the comments!

Have you been wondering:

• Why you should create a train the trainer program at your organisation?
• How to design using the train the trainer model?
• What are the essential ingredients of train the trainer workshops?

With this comprehensive post, we’d like to support you on your path to designing a train the trainer workshop. Let’s dive in!

Running a train the trainer program can have an incredible impact on the quality of training delivered by internal trainers and on professional development too. When subject matter experts and team leaders are able to deliver training effectively, everyone in the organization benefits.

In this guide, you’ll find a detailed breakdown of a 7-day, intensive train the trainer program including essential theories and concepts, practical tips and activities. You’ll also find detailed explanation of why everything in the course is designed as it is.

Train the trainer sessions can vary in length, scope, and design, though we hope you can take some inspiration from seeing a full outline and build a program suitable for your needs.

Want to learn more about the methodology? Check out our guide on the train the trainer model to get a better understanding of the underlying process.

Prefer to jump right into reviewing the course agenda? Check out our 7-day train the trainer course template to see how everything comes together and adjust the session to your own needs.

The Train the Trainer Model

In our ever-changing world, one of the biggest challenges organisations face is how to stay on top of their game while adapting to new markets, new requirements and environments.

To stay competitive, their workforce needs to be up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies, so it is not uncommon for employees to attend trainings in the workplace.

Running a lot of training programs call for a lot of trainers. Thus, unless you have an endless budget to hire external trainers, you might be better off training your own internal experts who can transfer skills and knowledge to other employees. The train the trainer model is all about ensuring your team has everything they need to do this effectively.

A competent and skilled group of internal trainers will also help a lot in supporting any future change and transformation initiatives that your organisation might undertake. Additionally, having internal trainers allows an organisation to pass on domain or organisation-specific knowledge from experienced employees to newer ones.

The train the trainer model provides an effective strategy to equip employees and subject matter experts with new knowledge on how to teach others and how to foster an environment where everybody feels welcome to improve their skills.

Types of Train the Trainer Courses

Our team members at SessionLab have both participated in and organised various train the trainer programs over the past years. These programs are among the most challenging and comprehensive types of training courses. That is why we love designing and delivering them! :-)

Perhaps you need to design short, 2-3 day programs aimed at equipping subject matter experts with training design and facilitation skills. Or maybe you are preparing a 2-week-long intensive course to develop competency in designing and delivering soft skill training sessions.

In either case, there are a lot of interesting questions about how to build up an effective program. We have had the opportunity to observe a wide range of programs at several international NGOs, and from them we have drawn some best practices outlined in the next chapters.

Let’s start with a brief categorisation. There are a myriad of options on how to structure your course depending on your needs and timeframe. Here are some of the most common formats:

• Short intense (2-3 day event ~ 20 learning hours): This covers the essentials and is typically used to empower subject-matter-experts with basic facilitation and training design skills. The goal is to empower trainees to deliver effective training sessions in their own fields of expertise.
• Long, scattered over weeks: (10-20 days, usually one day per week ~ 80-160 learning hours): If you don’t have an opportunity for a live intense event, then a course format with recurring weekly training days can be a great option to cover all your needs for your first course. Having a week of time between each (set of) course days gives an opportunity for extra assignments and ‘homework’ activities so trainees can practice and prepare for each session. This is particularly useful if you have a diverse group of trainees who won’t need to work as a team later on but want to learn much of the advanced content of a train the trainer model.
• Long intense: (1-2 week event ~ 40-80 learning hours): Beyond the basic skills, it allows for some of the more complex interpersonal topics that a trainer needs to master, such as group dynamics, group facilitation and interaction. Trainees are usually expected to design and deliver sessions on a wide range of non-technical topics (e.g. “soft skills” training sessions). This format is particularly useful if your group of trainees will work together in the future, as the length and intensity of the event will accelerate their team development.

Train the Trainer Agenda Overview

While there is no single best way to design an event for each of the categories above, we have created a high-level template agenda to show the essential topics we would include in a train the trainer program over the course of a week.

The agenda below is optimised for a live week-long event, but you might also break this down into smaller blocks over a more extended period depending on which parts of the train the trainer model you wish to cover.

First, let’s start with the length of the event. 7 days? That sounds like a lot of time to ask of both participants and the organisation. And funding such an initiative is a big commitment.

Remember, the people you train to become trainers themselves will make a tremendous impact on your organisation. A single subject matter expert will likely train hundreds of people each year. That adds up to thousands of employee hours spent on training. Makes sense to ensure they will be trained by someone competent, right?

In the course agenda above, you will find the most essential elements of a train the trainer program designed into a coherent flow. Let’s see below how it is structured and what purpose each session has to offer:

• Day 0: Introduction and get-to-know / team building sessions. (The depth of team building may vary based on what your organisation needs.)
• Day 1: Practice and improve the essential soft skills required for delivering training sessions: presentation skills, facilitation skills and giving effective feedback.
• Day 2: Trainees will be introduced to essential training design principles and will design the agenda for their first Practice Training session.
• Day 3: The focus is on equipping your trainees with practical skills for creating and using visuals and other training materials in their upcoming training sessions and giving useful tips on how to manage the delivery itself. In the afternoon, everyone has their Practice Training delivery session and receives feedback from the trainers.
• Day 4: Days 2 and 3 are mostly about the ‘hard skills’ of designing and delivering a training session. Day 4 is for the ‘finer’ soft areas where your trainees will be trained on how to interact with their own participants during a training session. A lot of advanced topics will be touched upon with the goal of giving actionable tips on how to interact with the group in a session. (Many of these topics can be more focused subjects of an advanced program.)
• Day 5: Time for a break! – Give your trainees a mental break by taking the morning off. The second part of the day should be used to prepare for their final training delivery / exam.
• Day 6: Your trainees deliver their Final Training session (2-hour sessions) and receive feedback. You finish the day highlighting their future path and opportunities as a trainer in your organisation. Close the event with a neat official ceremony.

Check out the detailed schedule and download the complete train the trainer event agenda template in SessionLab.

In addition to the overall course outline, we’ll also cover important elements of a train the trainer curriculum in this guide, such as:

• Team building
• Basic Presentation and Facilitation Skills
• Training Design principles
• Visualisation
• Learning Space Design
• Classroom Management
• Group Facilitation, Interaction and Group Dynamics

Put on your trainer goggles and let’s get started!

And now, let’s dive into a day-to-day breakdown of the agenda with a detailed explanation about what each session is for.

Kick-off and Team Building (Day 0)

Introduction / Kick-off

Every training course needs a proper framing, and it is no different with a train the trainer event. This is the right moment to present the agenda and discuss the expectations you have of your trainees. Make sure also to discuss the expectations the trainees themselves have of the course.

One of the beauties of the train the trainer model is the ‘meta aspect’ of each session. Whatever you do as a trainer during a particular session does not only serve the purpose of that specific session, it also models to your trainees how to do certain things as a trainer.

For instance, when you collect expectations during the kick-off, it has a double purpose:

1. Collect, review and align expectations from participants and yourself (needs assessment)
2. To demonstrate how to collect, review and align expectations at any given training session.

Pointing out this ‘meta’ aspect of the course instantly makes the whole course more fun and complex for your participants.

Beware: trainees still primarily need to be active participants in your course and not just observe the process from the outside. This is important to emphasise whenever you want to shift attention to the ‘meta-process’ of a particular session.

Team Building

It is always useful to have some time dedicated to team building before things get serious and the intense learning begins.

Team building activities enhance group cohesiveness and help participants get to know each other. It is often an integral part of training courses because it creates a safe, welcoming atmosphere and helps participants check in to the event mentally. This is an important learning point for your trainees.

Now, should you plan just a few activities to warm up the group and break the ice, or do you need a more elaborate process to facilitate the forming of a real team?

This really depends on what your organisation needs.

If the group of trainees will be working together in the future, then you might want to put an extra accent on team building. Also, if you want them to have stronger peer support at the beginning of their ‘career’ as a trainer, it is useful to give the bonding process a boost.

Lastly, it is highly useful for your participants to experience a few practical team building activities themselves so they will already have a few familiar tricks up their sleeves when they need a team building game for one of their future sessions.

Optional Exercise for Soft Skills Assessment

We have also included an optional exercise for the welcome day – an opportunity for trainees to get on the stage and a chance for you to assess their knowledge and skills. This exercise requires that you give trainees an assignment well before the course starts – to prepare a short presentation or knowledge transfer session on a topic of their expertise.

During this intro day, participants are given the opportunity to present what they prepared. You might even brief them to facilitate a short discussion afterward so that you get an initial idea of what their facilitation skills are like.

The big benefit is that it enables you to tailor the next day’s skill development session to their specific needs, perhaps as part of a wider talent development initiative.

In general, this intro day may range anywhere from 1-2 hours to a full day. If you need to do thorough team building and want to take advantage of the initial presentation activity, then you may take the whole day. Otherwise, you can just do the essential Introduction and Expectations sessions to kick off the course.

Essential Skills Practice (Day 1)

Most of the time spent at in-classroom training can be divided into a few distinct interaction types:

1. you present as a trainer
2. you facilitate a discussion
3. your participants work on an exercise either alone or in groups.

For the first two categories – beyond some degree of subject matter expertise – you will need to be able to present and facilitate effectively. Building knowledge and skills in this area is a key aspect of the train the trainer model. This is why we have included one session to focus on presentation skills practice and another session to cover the most essential facilitation skills.

Presentation Skills Practice

As a trainer, you will frequently have the responsibility of standing in front of the room and presenting material. The amount of time you spend presenting theory as a trainer may vary largely on the types of training sessions you will run. But in any case, it is important to have solid presentation skills to be able to introduce concepts and theories in an understandable, structured way.

The point of this session is to practice both how to structure a presentation and to practice different aspects of presenting, such as body language, voice and eye contact.

Your trainees should get an opportunity to deliver short (a few minutes) presentations in front of each other and receive feedback from the group on their performance.

And what is better than practice? More practice! :-)

So, after learning some tips from you, they will have another round of presenting and receiving feedback.

It is best to do this exercise in small groups of 4-6 participants. This allows sufficient time for everyone to practice presenting, and you can also assign each ‘audience’ member to observe a different aspect of the presenter’s performance (e.g. body language).

Facilitation Skills Practice

Facilitation skills are essential for any session, but especially for in-classroom trainings filled with human interaction. The focus of this session is to practice the ‘soft skills’ aspect of facilitation, that is, the various small tools and methods that a trainer may use to interact with the group, facilitate a group conversation or lead a debriefing session.

There is a separate session on Day 4 to introduce further facilitation techniques to expand trainees’ ‘facilitation toolboxes’. Those techniques are considered ‘hard skills’ where the focus is on understanding the process of running an activity (Brainstorming, Brain writing, Six Thinking Hats, 1-2-4 Dialogue, etc.).

In contrast to that one, in this session, trainees will practice essential verbal skills, such as Probing, Rephrasing, Redirecting questions and comments, and so on.

Importantly, each trainee should have an opportunity to facilitate a group conversation during the session. While they facilitate, they should apply the various facilitation techniques they have learned.

Most of the time, your participants will have varying levels of experience, so you can choose between these different tactics:

• Design a session that covers the basics of presentation and facilitation and includes plenty of opportunities for practice and feedback. This allows everyone to learn tips and tricks from one another, and more experienced trainees can help younger ones.
• Split up your participants into smaller groups based on their experience / skill level and have differentiated sessions for beginners and those with experience. Keep in mind, this requires that you really have a prior opportunity to properly observe and evaluate the skills of your trainees before the session. It is very important here that you as the trainer evaluate participants personally and do not rely solely on self-evaluations from the trainees themselves.

Lastly, you can benefit a lot from a short session that gives a shared baseline for your preferred method of giving feedback.

People often have very mixed views about feedback, so it’s useful to get everyone on the same page and use one (or a few) models consistently during the event. Whether you choose ‘I-statements’ or any other method, the point is to have a short and effective practice session.

How to Design a Learning Experience (Day 2)

One of the most essential skills for anyone working in instructional design is to know how to structure and build a training session to be engaging and effective.

It is important to understand the basics of how people, particularly adults, learn, what kind of learning styles they may have, and how to design a training program that respects different learning styles while also covering your learning objectives.

These are topics that could be their own full course; however, when there is only one day to cover the basics and give actionable learning during a program, we would include the following:

• How to conduct Needs Assessment
• Setting Learning Objectives
• Learning Styles: introduce a learning styles theory (for instance, Kolb and 4MAT) that you prefer your trainees to follow. Guide participants through the design process with this framework.
• Schedule Design
• How to design an exercise

Adult Learning

Before jumping into the detailed design of this day’s agenda, let’s have a quick look at adult learning. There are a few general principles that can help you orientate yourself while designing your training sessions.

When we learn as adults, it is a different experience than when we were children. We are better able to make decisions, draw conclusions, and recognise patterns. We are less likely to do something just because, because we expect logical reasons and arguments to do it. Malcolm Knowles, an expert in adult learning, identified four principles that help us create an environment where adults learn best.

• Adults need to be involved in the planning and evaluation of their training.
• Experience, including mistakes, provides the best basis for learning activities.
• Adults are most interested in learning subjects that have immediate relevance and impact on their job or personal life.
• Adult learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented.

These are key principles that should always be kept in mind when designing training sessions and workshops, so getting these clarified early in the training program gives a useful reference point.

And now let’s review how to proceed with a full day that is dedicated to the topic of Training Design.

Needs Assessment

Any professional development program benefits from a solid understanding of what’s needed. Before you start preparing for any training project, you need information in order to know exactly what is expected of you. You need to understand what the needs of the participants are: what are their current situations, and what do they want to improve?

Needs assessment is an analysis conducted to determine what kind of needs exist in a group/organisation and if the training is the best possible way to solve these needs.

Sometimes a training is not going to fulfill certain needs, and this is something that must be considered by, and communicated early to, your trainees!

Trainees should also understand that it is their responsibility to communicate their own needs for the needs assessment and to establish good communication with the sponsor / requestor of the training.

Some of the critical things that should be clarified during training needs assessment:

• Goals of the training
• Topics to focus on
• Who the participants are
• Number of participants
• Experience level of participants for each focus topic
• How long the training event is – How many hours is the effective training time?
• When and where the session will take place
• Logistics (rooms, equipment, visuals, etc.)

You can explain to your trainees that the methods of their needs assessment will primarily depend on the time they have and the availability of their future participants. Surveys and interviews with key stakeholders, including the sponsor of the training and key participants, are essential tools toward getting a good understanding of the group’s needs.

When there is finally enough information to work with, it is time to craft that information into learning goals.

Course Note: Due to the constraints of this specific course (participants have already picked the subject of their practice delivery by this time), trainees will not have the opportunity to do a real needs assessment here. So, the focus of this session is to communicate the proper mindset and approach to needs assessment.

Setting Learning Objectives

Every training session needs clear Learning Objectives, and in this session trainees will practice how to formulate sound Learning Objectives. Fulfilling the Learning Objectives will be the most important guideline for the rest of the preparation process.

In fact, as a principle, your trainees should learn to keep their Learning Objectives fixed and the content and process flexible in order to facilitate great learning experiences.

In general, the Learning Objectives should come out of the needs assessment. It frequently happens that you can’t address every need and expectation, but that’s perfectly okay. It is better to have fewer goals that are attainable than have too many goals and shift the topic every 15 minutes.

A practical way for your trainees to familiarise themselves with setting learning objectives is if they start working on their Practice Training and set the relevant learning objectives. When setting up Learning Objectives for a training session, they should be measurable, so the trainer can decide at the end of the training if the goals were achieved or not.

Giving your trainees an exercise to set up their SMART goals will help make objectives measurable so they can decide at the end of the training what went well and how to improve on the session next time.

If you prefer a different method to set goals, then go ahead with that one. The essence of this session is the importance of just setting goals, even if they’re based on a different model.

Learning Styles

When dealing with a group, it is essential to know that most people learn and acquire knowledge in their own way. To fully involve everyone in a training session, trainers need to create an environment where every participant is able and welcomed to learn.

There are various popular theories about learning styles that respect the diversity of people’s preferences when it comes to learning: Kolb’s learning cycle, the 4MAT model, Fleming’s VAK learning preferences, The 7 Learning Styles – the list could go on.

Often times, an organisation may already have a preference for a model they already use for planning training programs. If not, then you have an opportunity to choose which model you prefer!

For this template agenda, we would go with either the Kolb cycle or 4MAT. We have found that they work well for teaching structured agenda design where there are time constraints, as in our course agenda.

If you have already chosen a different one, just switch to the model you prefer in this block of the train the trainer event. What is important is that your own trainer team must be confident and knowledgeable in using the learning styles framework you choose.

The Kolb Cycle

David Kolb created his learning styles model more than 30 years ago. His experiential learning theory works on two levels: a four-stage cycle of learning and four separate learning styles.

The Kolb cycle emphasizes the cognitive process of how people go through an experience to form patterns based on that experience. Therefore, the Kolb learning style theory is presented as a learning cycle with four stages where learners should go through the full cycle.

Effective learning happens when a person progresses through a cycle of four stages in the following sequence:

1. Having a concrete experience
2. Observing and reflecting on that experience
3. Formulating abstract concepts and general conclusions
4. Testing the hypotheses in future situations (based on the conclusions generated), resulting in new experiences.

It is important to ensure that activities in a training session are designed in a way that allows each learner to engage with the content in the style that suits them best.

Ideally, a training session agenda should be developed in a way that includes each stage and offers a balance of these stages in the process.

Kolb’s learning theory also sets out four distinct learning styles that are based on the experiential learning cycle. These learning styles are determined by two fundamental aspects: how we approach a task and what our reactions to it are.

You may dive deeper into individual learning styles, although it is important to note that the key takeaway here is the balanced design of a training session. Primarily, the role of the Kolb cycle is to provide a framework for you and your trainees to include activities in a training plan in a way in which participants will have the opportunity to engage with a concept in different ways.

The 4MAT Model

Another popular theory, building further on the Kolb experiential learning cycle, is the 4MAT model. This model works around the idea that people need to know:

• Why they are learning something
• What they are learning
• How it works
• And What will happen if they apply this concept

In the case of 4MAT, the emphasis is more on ‘learning preferences’ than ‘learning styles’, which helps to avoid labelling learners with a particular learning style. Regarding training design, the underlying idea is very similar to the Kolb cycle. When designing a training session, try to incorporate the complete 4MAT cycle for each learning block you have.

In practice, it looks like this:

1. Assign an initial experiential exercise that lays the foundations of why a particular topic will be relevant. (This includes the debriefing of the activity.)
2. Provide the theory, and explain what the concept is.
3. Give opportunities for participants to practice how to apply the knowledge they have learnt. This practice may take place with close mentoring, as the focus here is on learning a particular skill.
4. Provide an opportunity for participants to adapt the freshly-learned skills themselves. What if they try applying their new skills in a new context?

You may find more details on the 4MAT framework at the 4MAT for Education and 4MAT for Business sites.

So to sum up the Learning Styles discussion, make sure you teach your prospective trainees to provide multiple ways to engage with a topic in the training sessions they design.

Rather than trying to provide instructions tailored to an individual participant’s learning style, offer a variety of learning experiences/techniques within a training session.

In this detailed session plan about Training Design, you will find a specific example with detailed steps on how to run a learning block on Learning Styles.

Your trainees should get the opportunity to start designing their own session plan, familiarise themselves with either the Kolb cycle or the 4MAT cycle, and then re-design their own session outline based on what they have just learned.

Schedule Design

After learning about the preferred learning styles theory of your course, trainees will start completing their training agenda for the Practice Training. They should get an overview of what it takes to prepare a complete training agenda and then start working toward achieving it. This is a vital part of the train the trainer model that helps build the skills to actually make would-be programs a reality.

This is a very practical session where trainees are presented with the variety of different training modules they might use in a training session, such as agenda review, collecting expectations, group discussions, coffee breaks, etc. Discuss each item briefly, and share best practices on how to calculate and manage timing during training design and delivery. The only exception is the main exercise which can be left as a placeholder at this point since the next session is about Exercise Design.

You may also Introduce a training agenda template that all trainees should use to complete their session design. Having a consistently-used template by trainees will make it easier for your team to monitor the preparations and provide mentoring as needed.

You may choose our SessionLab template, a tool specifically developed for training design, or any spreadsheet template you prefer for this purpose.

Exercise Design

Exercises are an integral part of any experiential learning activity. While designing effective experiential learning exercises requires a lot of practice and experience, you need to start somewhere.

This session will be a starting point for your trainees in understanding the types of exercises they might use and how to design them. Using the train the trainer model, you should provide an overview of the types of exercises in a training session and give guidance on how to choose the right type of exercise.

Your trainees should have practical working time to design the main exercise in their Practice Delivery, and your team of trainers must mentor them and give useful tips on designing exercises that achieve Learning Objectives.

Practice Makes Perfect (Day 3)

The highlight of this day is the first big practice opportunity for trainees to deliver their own training sessions, or to be precise, to practice an abbreviated session, since the 45-60 minutes they have available is really just enough for the one learning cycle that they designed the previous day.

Before the Practice Training sessions start, there are still a couple of practical sessions left to help trainees get prepared.

Visualisation

The goal of this session is to give an introduction to the visualisation tools and techniques participants may use when delivering their training sessions. It is worthwhile to introduce the most common practices for using visuals in a training session (flipcharts, whiteboards, and PowerPoint or Keynote).

As we often do, in this introductory course we will focus on actionable advice, so the emphasis is on giving practical tips and suggestions for each visualisation method.

It makes sense to put an extra accent on the method that trainees will use during their Practice Delivery. In our case, flip charts are used, so by the end of the session trainees should have prepared flip chart sheets for the Practice Training

Lastly, before the Practice Training deliveries start, there is a short session that will provide some practical suggestions for trainees related to the in-classroom training delivery.

There are a lot of small details to pay attention to when running a session, ranging from logistics issues (making sure that all materials needed are taken care of, the room is set up, and other common issues) to body language during the session. These are the final suggestions for trainees before they start their first Practice Training Delivery!

Drumroll…!

First Practice Delivery

Practice makes perfect – that is why you will see two occasions in this course where participants get the opportunity to design and deliver their own training sessions.

This first one is only a short practice (a 45-60 minutes training module) but should be sufficient for your participants to apply training design principles, practice the art of delivering in front of other participants, and get candid feedback on their performance.

Trainees should co-deliver in pairs, and you should make sure that each pair has a trainer from your team observing the session. Depending on the number of your trainees – in our case, 16 trainees – this probably requires two rounds of delivery.

One small but very important thing is to make sure that you have volunteers (not trainees) organized who will attend the Practice Training sessions, so every trainee has an opportunity to practice in front of a real audience.

The goal is fairly straightforward here: get a real delivery experience after trainees have built up their session design, and then provide detailed feedback on their performance so they know what to focus on for their Final Training at the end of the course.

If you have a coaching / mentoring program running throughout the course, which I definitely recommend, you may close the day with optional coaching or mentoring sessions to provide individual or peer group support.

Managing the Group and the Space (Day 4)

There is so much that must be done for an engaging training session beyond just a trainer stepping on the stage, sharing knowledge and facilitating exercises. A lot of this is ‘soft’ stuff and comes with years of practice but the train the trainer model also creates space to explore this as a group.

So, this day is dedicated for all the soft trainer’s skills that make a well-designed session run smoothly in the classroom where flesh-and-blood participants interact with each other and the trainer.

The truth is, many of the subjects that we touch upon this day can be their own subjects of advanced sessions. Debriefing an experiential learning exercise, group facilitation and team dynamics – each are highly complex topics, and covering them in-depth during a single day is not a realistic endeavour.

Now, consider that your trainees are on their fourth day of a really intense learning experience, and they still have their final training delivery session in front of them.

What you really want here is to give them instantly actionable knowledge and tips in order to make their deliveries properly interactive. After they graduate from this starter program and have already delivered a few dozen training sessions of their own, then it is probably the right time to dig deeper into the subtler aspects of experiential learning and group dynamics. By then, your trainees will have their own real-life experience to reflect upon.

So, here are the topics we would include if we had one single day to spend on training essential interaction skills for new trainers:

• Setting up the Learning Space
• Classroom Management
• Group Facilitation and Interaction Types
• Experiential Learning and Debriefing
• Using Questions
• Group Dynamics

Learning Space Design

This session will focus on teaching the fundamentals of how to arrange the classroom to facilitate an interactive learning experience.

The way the room is set up will influence the interaction within the group and the participants’ learning process. For instance, having the session’s flip charts on the walls around can help remind participants of the essential theory of a session. A set of flip charts full of post-it notes created by participants themselves during exercises can provide a sense of creativity and progress.

Table and chair arrangements likewise affect the learning process, as do the kinds of settings you use for group work and individual presentations. It is essential to have enough room for people to do interactive exercises in groups without feeling chained to their seats.

Therefore, participants will be taught how to arrange the space so it helps achieve the desired outcome. This includes the important aspect of selecting the room and arranging seating (classroom, circle, semi-circle, breakout groups), tables, visuals, and so on. A thoughtful design of the training room is an important aspect of facilitating learning, and here are the more common types of room arrangements, recapped by Beth Kanter:

During this session, if location permits, try out the various set-ups with your participants. Discuss the characteristics of each room set-up and which arrangements are best for which activities.

Group Facilitation and Interaction Types

To keep a group of participants engaged throughout a training session, a trainer needs to have a solid toolkit of facilitation techniques at hand. Using different group facilitation techniques is essential to having a balanced interaction during a training session.

If your participants sit in a theater-style arrangement during a whole session, sooner or later you will hear snoring sounds. Likewise, if you only switch between plenary discussion and individual work, your participants might get bored of the monotony. That is why your trainees should be aware of the most frequently-used methods to facilitate interaction within a group:

• One-way presenting
• Individual reflection
• Working in groups
  • In pairs, triads and bigger groups
• Plenary discussion (with the whole group)

There are also practical combinations of the techniques above, such as the 1-2-4 Dialogue method, idea generation techniques and decision-making techniques. You may also introduce facilitation techniques that help to manage bigger groups, for example, World Café, Rotating Flipcharts and Open Space Technology.

Growing one’s personal toolbox is a continuous personal development activity for a trainer, and this session should pique their interest beyond the starter kit.

Optionally, you may also introduce the VAK (Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic) Learning Styles concept as a supplementary theory to help trainees in thinking about how to keep a session interactive for participants with varying learning styles.

Classroom Management

We’ve established that managing the attention and energy of people in the room is an essential responsibility of trainers. Beyond generic tips on how to keep up engagement and monitor the energy/attention level in the room, this session also covers how to deal with difficult participants and handle conflicts in the classroom.

When people from different backgrounds and life experiences meet to go through an intense learning event, there will inevitably be various reactions. Some might sit back, others will fully engage, and there will be some who will adopt blocking roles. This is a natural response to some sessions or specific tasks, so it is important that trainees be prepared to handle such situations.

These are situations with which most everyone has some previous personal experience, so a structured sharing session can be the right approach to leverage trainees’ existing knowledge.

As part of this block, arrange a facilitated group discussion or a rotating café style conversation to discuss different topics in smaller groups:

• Keeping up the attention level (using different interaction techniques)
• Handling difficult participants
• Handling conflict situations.

If you look for a specific exercise to address challenging behaviours during a training session, then you might find useful the group exercise “Participants from Hell”. It gives a handy framework for letting participants brainstorm rules or guidelines for handling different kinds of disruptive behaviours.

Experiential learning and debriefing

If you want participants to achieve long-lasting learning in any training event, then experiential learning is a very effective way to do that. In this segment, your trainees will practice how to brief and debrief an experiential learning activity..

Debriefing is the key that enables participants to identify and connect lessons from workshop or training activities to their real world.

We suggest a practical debriefing exercise for this: conduct a real experiential exercise during this session, then focus on the experience of how the briefing and the debriefing were done by the trainers.

This way participants will have the chance to first take part in a debriefing as participants and then analyse the experience they just had.

Using Questions

Using questions is essential during a training session, especially during a debriefing session. Give an overview of good questioning techniques and how to ask questions properly.

In addition, if your trainees are also expected to coach or mentor other people in the future during their career as a trainer, you may dedicate more time on how to use powerful questions effectively in coaching / mentoring situations.

Group Dynamics

Group dynamics play an important role not just in the training room but in our everyday lives, too. As a trainer, it is highly useful to be conscious of the dynamics taking place in the group and to be aware of the best ways to deal with a group depending on its dynamics. In this session, therefore, we introduce the topic of group dynamics and its influence on the training process.

A 90-minute session, as scheduled in our template agenda, gives only enough time to scratch the surface of this topic. Actually, this is an excellent topic for an advanced training development course, where participants already have hundreds of training hours behind them and thus many personal experiences to refer to.

But until then, you have to start somewhere, and this is the point for that.

The commonly used Tuckman & Jensen group dynamics theory, although mostly applicable to teams, may also be used in the training field to explain processes happening within groups going through a long-term training program.

This theory also supports a common view on how a trainer should react throughout each stage of the process.

Aside from starting this session with group dynamics theory, the lesson should be tailored to the group’s needs. For example, you may decide to deliver a sharing and reflection session so participants can reflect on their own group development supported by elements of group dynamics theory.

Of course, your trainees won’t become masters of group dynamics immediately after this session, but they can learn the importance of observing, and reacting to, the dynamics in their own future sessions.

Break and Final Training Preparations (Day 5)

By this point, your trainees have gone through over four very intense days of learning and self-development. It is time to give them a short break before they set out to prepare their Final Training which they will deliver the following day.

Therefore, the schedule for this day is split into two parts:

• Free time in the morning
• Preparation time in the afternoon

It might be tempting for you to try squeezing in more content with another session in the morning. However, our experience is that trainees do reach the tipping point by this day, and some real mental rest helps them to process the learnings of the course so far.

Offering individual free time is one way to go; however if your setting allows, it is best to organise a group leisure activity – something that keeps trainees both physically and mentally busy (e.g. some kind of outdoor activity).

Here’s one tip that might come handy: if you truly want to give space for your trainees to recharge, don’t brief about tomorrow’s Final Training Delivery details yet; save it for the afternoon. Fresher minds will be more effective in tackling the job.

Since this Final Training Delivery will also be done in pairs – everyone will deliver with a co-trainer – you need to make sure that pairs and their topics are chosen in advance. As the trainer of the course, it is your responsibility to facilitate this process. If you prefer, you can directly assign pairs that challenge participants in a healthy way. (Create pairs with complementing strengths, so each person can learn something from the other in the training design and delivery process.)

Or you might poll participants by the topics that each of them prefers to deliver. They won’t have too much time to prepare, so they should be comfortable with the topic of their training session in order to save their focus for the process instead of the content.

After pairs and topics are set, trainees can start preparing for the Final Training Delivery, which will be a 2-hour training session. There is half a day dedicated for preparations. Make sure to have a mentor assigned to each pair who will keep an eye on the training design process. Mentors help whenever trainees are stuck and should make sure that everyone gets a sound training agenda designed by the end of the day.

Lastly, the Final Training Deliveries will take place in two rounds where everyone will be the trainer in one of the rounds and a participant in the other.

To help trainees sign up themselves, create a schedule of the Final Deliveries so everyone can see when they deliver their session and so they can also sign up as participants for one of the sessions in another time slot.

Make sure that you get further participants for the Final Deliveries the following day, not only your trainees, and that those people are also distributed evenly between the Final Deliveries.

Final Delivery & Closing (Day 6)

This is the last day of our program, and time for trainees to put into practice everything they have learnt over the past days. The highlight of this day is the Final Training Delivery, where trainees conduct one more session to practice their freshly-gained interaction skills and to implement the feedback they received from their first delivery.

Final Training Deliveries

Similarly to the Practice Training three days before, the scheduling of these sessions depends on the time you have available and the size of your team. Trainees should again deliver in pairs to practice the experience of co-delivery, and it is essential that one trainer from your team is there to observe and give feedback on the performance.

In our example template with 16 participants, we have split the Final Training sessions into two rounds of 2-hour deliveries, each followed by a round of feedback. You may even decide to record the session if you want to provide really thorough feedback by your whole team of trainers.

The ideal length of this session is somewhere between 2 and 4 hours – that should give trainees a thorough and hands-on experience of how it feels to deliver a complete session. This is the main assignment of the course, and completing it will provide your participants with a sense of accomplishment and closing.

Trainer Development Path

Your trainees have practically completed the course and passed their Final Delivery by this point.

This is just the beginning of their journey as a trainer, and now it is time to point out the various development opportunities they will have in your organisation.

• Present the skill development opportunities your trainees can have in the future (including further training opportunities, advanced train the trainer courses).
• Discuss how they can keep supporting each other in their development path after this course is over.
• Present future expectations and practical next steps they will have as a trainer in your organisation.

Evaluation and Closing

As the event winds down, there will be a few formal but important steps left.

Firstly, make sure that your trainees take the time to reflect upon the week’s program and share their feedback on how to improve your training materials for the future.

You may provide them with a detailed survey soliciting answers around the various aspects of the event and their learning journey. These evaluations should give you useful insights on how to adjust the agenda and scope of your event next time.

Don’t forget to schedule time with your own trainer team, too, after the course is over for an evaluation round.

Lastly, prepare a nice, official closing ceremony for your trainees and hand out certificates for completing the course. They went through a really intense learning process and hopefully built bonds with their fellow trainees that will support them in their upcoming careers as trainers. Your trainees worked hard! Now celebrate the beginning of their journey as a trainer!

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this train the trainer design guide and that it gave you some inspiration. Keep in mind, there are a lot of different options for designing and running a train the trainer workshop.

You can have shorter events, or you can have a more extended program scattered over several weeks. You may go more in-depth on certain topics, such as learning styles or group dynamics, and you may set aside some topics as follow-up rounds to cover other learning principles.

Want to keep learning? Explore how to design an engaging training session plan in this guide and create unforgettable experiences.

Review our guide to the train the trainer model to understand the underlying methodology more deeply.

Ultimately, it is your own organization’s needs that should determine what the best formats are for you to teach capable new trainers. For this reason, you should not spare running a proper needs assessment before jumping into the exciting work of designing a course agenda.

Now It’s Your Turn

That’s it for this design guide. Now, we’d like to hear from you:

Do you have any questions about designing sessions using the train the trainer model? Anything specific about this 7-day course template?

Or maybe you have a cool tip that we didn’t include here.

Either way, let us know by leaving a comment below.