The Social Innovation Unlocked Toolkit contains activities and resources that can be used for a wide range of purposes. Some of these resources can be used individually; however, people will often plan to use activities across the seven different module areas to lead an experiential workshop. Planning a workshop agenda can be challenging, so below you will find tips to guide your planning.
When planning an experiential workshop using these activities, keep the following in mind:
The first step in building an agenda is determining what you want to focus on and achieve through the workshop. Jot down a short list of objectives before you begin writing your agenda and keep these top of mind as you pick activities to include.
Many of these activities include framing and tips in the Context and Facilitator Notes sections on how to lead into the activity. We advise beginning every gathering of a group of people, online or in person, with an activity that establishes how the group will respectfully work together. This creates the opportunity for each individual in the group to share their goals for being there.
Once you have your program goals outlined, take some time to think about how activities will build upon each other. Consider how key takeaways will be summarized at the end of the day to ensure participants leave the program with a clear sense of what was accomplished.
It’s important to plan in breaks to ensure that participants can meet their own needs without missing key activities. Avoid cutting a break if one activity takes more time than planned, because honouring breaks within an agenda is important for maintaining the trust you’ve created with the group.
Each activity has a suggested amount of time to help you plan, however the time an activity takes will greatly vary depending on group size. For example, a group of 30 participants will take a considerable amount of time to share their thoughts and ideas.
Contrast in the style and focus of an activity will help you hold the group’s attention. Prioritize interactive activities with movement to keep people engaged.
