Innovation Workshops Planning

🧠 “How We Brainstorm And Choose UX Ideas” (+ Miro template) (https://lnkd.in/eN32hH2x), a practical guide by Booking.com on how to run a rapid UX ideation session with silent brainstorming and “How Might We” (HMW) statements — by clustering data points into themes, reframing each theme and then prioritizing impactful ideas. Shared by Evan Karageorgos, Tori Holmes, Alexandre Benitah. 👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾 Booking.com UX Ideation Template (Miro) https://lnkd.in/eipdgPuC (password: bookingcom) 🚫 Ideas shouldn’t come from assumptions but UX research. ✅ Study past research and conduct a new study if needed. ✅ Cluster data in user needs, business goals, competitive insights. ✅ Best ideas emerge at the intersections of these 3 pillars. ✅ Cluster all data points into themes, prioritize with colors. ✅ Reframe each theme as a “How Might We” (HMW) statement. ✅ Start with the problems (or insights) you’ve uncovered. ✅ Focus on the desired outcomes, rather than symptoms. ✅ Collect and group ideas by relevance for every theme. ✅ Prioritize and visualize ideas with visuals and storytelling. Many brainstorming sessions are an avalanche of unstructured ideas, based on hunches and assumptions. Just like in design work we need constraints to be intentional in our decisions, we need at least some structure to mold realistic and viable ideas. I absolutely love the idea of frame the perspective through the lens of ideation clusters: user needs, business problems and insights. Reframing emerging themes as “How-Might-We”-statements is a neat way to help teams focus on a specific problem at hand and a desired outcome. A simple but very helpful approach — without too much rigidity but just enough structure to generate, prioritize and eventually visualize effective ideas with the entire team. Invite non-designers in the sessions as well, and I wouldn’t be surprised how much value a 2h session might deliver. Useful resources: The Rules of Productive Brainstorming, by Slava Shestopalov https://lnkd.in/eyYZjAz3 On “How Might We” Questions, by Maria Rosala, NN/g https://lnkd.in/ejDnmsRr Ideation for Everyday Design Challenges, by Aurora Harley, NN/g https://lnkd.in/emGtnMyy Brainstorming Exercises for Introverts, by Allison Press https://lnkd.in/eta6YsFJ How To Run Successful Product Design Workshops, by Gustavs Cirulis, Cindy Chang https://lnkd.in/eMtX-xwD Useful Miro Templates For UX Designers, by yours truly https://lnkd.in/eQVxM_Nq #ux #design

🎧 #Storylistening for Instructional Designers (or how to get real stories from your SME instead of dry facts) 🗣️ Everyone talks about storytelling – and rightly so. Stories work! 💡 But what if your subject matter expert (SME) isn't naturally a storyteller? �� Just listening to them recite a pile of facts? Not that helpful. 😐 You could find the same in Wikipedia. Or ask ChatGPT. 🤖 👉 So what should you do? Learn storylistening – the skill of not telling stories, but hearing them. 👂✨ 📌 The rules are simple: 1️⃣ Study the topic in advance – don't come in as an empty glass. 📚 2️⃣ Prepare questions – not as a checklist, but as a guide. 🧭 3️⃣ Listen carefully. And with curiosity. Yes, curiosity! 🧐 People tell better stories when they feel respected and heard. ❤️ 💬 Here’s a list of questions that truly encourage storytelling – the kind that brings examples, emotions, and turning points: 🎯 How did this process or approach first come into play in your work? 🛠️ Can you walk me through a specific situation where it worked especially well? 🌟 Tell me about a time when things didn’t go as planned – what happened? ⚠️ What’s the most surprising or unexpected thing you’ve encountered with this? 😲 Was there a turning point that changed how you see or use this? 🔄 What’s an example that you often use to explain this to others? 📖 Describe a situation where someone learned this the hard way. 🧠💥 Can you recall a moment when you or someone else had a breakthrough? 💡🎉 Tell me about a challenge you faced with this and how you overcame it. 🧗♀️ What real-life story do you think best illustrates the value of this process? 🏆 If I were watching this unfold in real time, what would I see? 🌈 And when the story starts flowing – don’t hold back: ✨ Really? Tell me more! ✨ Wow! That’s so unexpected. ✨ No way – what happened next? ✨ What were you thinking in that moment? ✨ And then? ✨ That’s brilliant – how did you come up with it? These questions aren't magic… But they create the space where real stories emerge. 🪄 And it's from these stories that strong, effective learning solutions are built. 🚀 #storylistening #LandD

Ever noticed how "innovation initiatives" can become their own worst enemy?  Traditional organizations have great intentions. Companies establish innovation labs, generate long lists of ideas, and work hard to bring innovators inside. But then something happens – ideas get stuck in the funnel: • Legal department asks for yet another review  • Finance insists on yet another scenario modeling  • Marketing team worries about brand dilution and suggests hiring consultants to analyze the impact The hard truth: The road to hell is paved with good intentions. What were supposed to be tools to build a safe harbor become a deadly swamp.  Bureaucracy is like mold spreading across an organization. To succeed in innovation, you need to eliminate the clutter. Reduce the layers. 🚩 Warning Signs:  • Too many executives responsible for innovation  • Too many meetings  • Too many approvals    Remember: The goal isn't to create perfect processes – it's to create breakthrough innovations. Sometimes, the best way forward is the simplest one. #stanford #stanfordgsb #venturecapital #startups #innovation #technology #founders #venturemindset 

What will truly move the needle for the participants? (The most fun part of what I do: Learning Design) When designing this 3 months long Peak Performance learning journey, I started the sketch work by speaking to people it was meant for. During initial conversations, one participant’s words that were echoed by the majority stuck with me: "I know I need to focus, but I can’t figure out how to prioritize when everything feels urgent." That became my anchor. Talking to them during our discovery calls gave me a very thorough understanding of their challenges while also noticing their actual needs. The Design Process- To address challenges like this, I focused on three key areas: - Awareness: Helping participants see how busyness often masks the real work that drives results. - Practical Tools: From Walt's thinking model to self energy audits, I selected strategies participants could apply immediately. - Sustainability: I introduced micro-habits, that create big results over time. One of my favorite moments came during an energy management exercise. A senior manager realized she was doing her hardest work during her lowest-energy hours. She shifted her schedule the next week and reported a significant boost in how she perceived herself and in her productivity. Workshops aren’t about cramming in content — they’re about creating actionable breakthroughs. For me, the reward is seeing participants leave equipped with the clarity and tools to perform at their peak and while in their project phase they implemented the tools of peak productivity and witnessed actual shifts. In my next post I will also be sharing a few successful shifts that the participants created. As an L&D Associate, how do you look at the learning design? Priya Arora | LinkedIn for Learning | LinkedIn HR #PeakPerformance #WorkshopDesign #CorporateTraining #LearningThatLasts #LearningJourney #SoftSkills #ExecutivePresence #Facilitator #Session #Workshop #TeamCoaching #TeamBonding #TeamPerformance #TeamBuilding #LearningandDevelopment

Here’s a hard truth: You can’t solve your team’s challenges with the same mindset that created them. That’s why in every training or webinar I lead, I begin by exposing the common misconceptions that hold teams back. I guide leaders and teams through a structured process of self-reflection, challenge, and practical application, enabling them to break free from outdated patterns and embrace fresh, inclusive approaches. Here are 5 common challenges I see in the teams I work with���and the mindset shifts that help them overcome these barriers: 1️⃣ Challenge: Team members don’t feel safe to speak up, share ideas, or admit mistakes. ↪ 🧠 Mindset Shift: From "Mistakes are a sign of weakness" to "Mistakes are opportunities for growth." 2️⃣ Challenge: Groupthink dominates, and team members feel pressure to conform. ↪ 🧠 Mindset Shift: From "Harmony is always the goal" to "Healthy conflict drives innovation." 3️⃣ Challenge: Teams feel disengaged and undervalued when decisions are made without their input. ↪ 🧠 Mindset Shift: From "Leaders know best" to "The best ideas come from collective intelligence." 4️⃣ Challenge: Teams stick to safe, predictable solutions because they fear taking risks or failing. ↪ 🧠 Mindset Shift: From "Failure must be avoided" to "Failure is part of the path to success." 5️⃣ Challenge: Teams resist new initiatives or changes, feeling left out or unsure of the benefits. ↪ 🧠 Mindset Shift: From "Change is dictated from the top" to "Change is co-created with the team." Awareness isn't enough. You need to move beyond the thinking that created the problems in the first place and then step into a psychologically safe space for real growth and innovation. 🤔 P.S.: What mindset shift do you believe is most needed in today's workplaces?

Most workshops fail for two reasons. And it ruins your credibility. The good news? Fixing them is easier than you think! Let’s face it—if your participants leave feeling overwhelmed, confused, or disengaged, your workshop didn’t hit the mark. Here’s the problem: ❌ No clear outcomes Participants leave unsure of what they gained or how to use it. ❌ Overloading content: Too much information, not enough clarity. Sound familiar? It’s a common trap even seasoned facilitators fall into. But here’s how to flip the script and create workshops that are truly unforgettable: 1️⃣ Clarify your outcomes. Begin with the end in mind. When outcomes are crystal clear, the design process becomes easier. And participants leave feeling accomplished. Ask yourself ↳ What do you want participants be able to do by the end? And why does it matter? 2️⃣ Simplify your content. Less is more. Focus on the essentials that drive transformation. Workshops aren’t about how much you can fit into the agenda. They’re about how much impact you can create with what’s there. Ask yourself: ↳ What’s the one thing participants must take away? ... As I've been saying for years now... 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥. ... Let’s make workshops that people rave about—not just attend. So next time you design a workshop, remember: Clarity and Simplify ~~ ♻️ Reshare if this resonates. Let’s raise the bar for workshops everywhere! ✍️ What else do you do to avoid workshop failure?

Let your audience design their perfect workshop using Typeform. I've created an example using to show you how. It works like a "Choose Your Own Adventure": Your attendees share their creative challenges through video responses – whether they're focused on getting noticed, building memorable brands, or standing out in their market. This helps you understand exactly what matters. The result? An event that adapts to what your participants actually need, delivering targeted solutions for their specific challenges. What makes this approach work: 1. The registration process is engaging and sets clear expectations 2. Your event content aligns with your audience's real needs 3. Solutions are tailored to the specific challenges they share 💡 Try it below: (Typeform link in comments) #Marketing #EventProfessionals #EventProfs #TypeformPartner

Im facilitating a “Building Trust” Workshop for an Executive Team this week. Here’s how I prepare: 📌I am using my proprietary framework, but customizing for the company Leadership development material is either too custom or too generic. This hybrid model provides a foundation that clients can trust with the nuance needed for their specific situation. (And as the company delivering, it allows you to NOT reinvent the wheel + scale) 📌Provide prep work Giving a little bit of work for the team to do prior to the workshop provides more context and gets every participant excited/thinking about the topic at hand. 📌Include activities that keep all learning styles engaged I include exercises that help: - auditory learners - visual learners - kinesthetic learners - strengthen team bonds - make it fun and not like a boring lecture 📌Create lots of space for discussion. The best workshops are those where you can - you guessed it - WORKSHOP through real examples. 📌Have deliverables and practical next steps Too many L&D providers give open ended/one-way content. Instead, we want every team member to come away with one practical thing they can do tomorrow. 📌 Ask, “What was your biggest takeaway” Not only is this good market research for our company, it’s helpful for participants to reflect on WHY XYZ thing was their biggest takeaway. Which one of these is most interesting? —- P. S. In addition to our outplacement, we provide customizable, actionable leadership development training for teams of all sizes. 😉

The Week Before Your Workshop Determines Its Success … After leading more than 1,000 workshops across the world, there’s one golden rule I’ve learned: Preparation, preparation, preparation. The week before your workshop is not the time to relax — it’s the moment to make or break your success. Here’s what great preparation looks like: • Know exactly who will be in the room — their names, their roles, their personalities, and their interests. • Understand their stakes — what motivates them, what worries them, what they hope to get out of the session. • Design your flow carefully — tailor your techniques and tactics to fit the group, not just the agenda. • Practise, practise, practise — rehearse key moments, transitions, and how you’ll handle tricky situations. • Visualise success — mentally walk through the day: how will you open, how will you energise, how will you land your key messages? Even after 1,000+ workshops with the proven FORTH Innovation Method I still practise before every session I facilitate. Not because I’m nervous — but because respecting the group means showing up 100% prepared. Great workshops are not spontaneous magic. They are the result of disciplined preparation behind the scenes. The real work happens before you even enter the room. #Preparation #WorkshopFacilitation #Leadership #InnovationWorkshops #FacilitatorTips #WorkshopDesign #PracticeMakesPerfect #designthinking #innovation

The biggest threat to innovation isn't lack of ideas - it's how we handle the silence in meetings. When I first started leading engineering teams, I interpreted quiet rooms as agreement. I've since learned that silence often masks the most crucial feedback your team isn't sharing. The conventional wisdom suggests that quiet meetings indicate alignment or that 'no questions means clarity.' This assumption could be costing your company its next breakthrough. What I've discovered through leading hundreds of innovation meetings: 1. Your most insightful team members frequently hold back their best ideas during group discussions 2. The fear of being wrong in front of peers often outweighs the potential recognition for being right 3. Teams calibrate their responses based on how the first 1-2 people react to an idea This creates a dangerous cycle where innovative ideas die in silence, not in debate. The solution isn't more brainstorming sessions or 'innovation workshops.' Instead, I've found success by: 1. Deliberately seeking private feedback after group sessions - the insights shared in these conversations often contradict the public consensus 2. Creating space between ideation and evaluation - allowing teams to submit thoughts anonymously before any group discussion 3. Actively challenging the first positive responses - this signals that critical thinking is valued over quick agreement The most valuable innovations I've seen didn't emerge from loud, energetic brainstorming sessions. They came from quiet thinkers who initially kept their controversial ideas to themselves. What's the most innovative idea you've seen that was initially met with silence? #techleadership #innovation #leadership