Creating meaningful workshops
Tomorrow University Workshop 101
Dear Learner,
Thank you for stepping up to deliver and host an initiative for your Tomorrow University peers! This is an opportunity for you to hone and develop your leadership and presentation skills, as well as create an engaging, thought provoking and interactive connection experience for your peers.
On this page, we crafted some guidance to support you in;
- Creating an interactive and engaging experience
- Compelling communication and facilitation
- Ensuring inclusivity
🤝 Need further support? Attend one of the Community Office hours, 5pm-6pm CET every Tuesday and 9am-9.30am every Wednesday in the Community Office in Cosmos, or reach out to Jordan via DM on Slack.
We can’t wait to see your initiative come to life!
Your 101 for creating a memorable ToU workshop
⚡ Design an engaging and interactive workshop
- Begin with the end goal in mind - what do you want participants to think, feel, do, as a result of engaging with you for 45-60 minutes? Work backwards to then craft your workshop with the outcome in mind
- Break the workshop into small segments (e.g., a 10-minute intro, a 20-minute group activity, and a 15-minute reflection or discussion). Begin with an icebreaker relevant to the workshop topic to build comfort and curiosity
- Don’t be stuck on using presentation slides. Some of the most impactful workshops are low tech, using voice and space, rather than running through slide by slide
- Structure your workshop in a way that involves active participation from attendees. Think of the workshop as a journey that includes key moments where participants contribute, discuss, or create.
🤖 Example: Divide the workshop into segments: start with a 10-minute warm-up activity (like a quick brainstorming session), then introduce the main topic with a brief presentation or demonstration. Next, add a 20-minute hands-on group activity that requires participants to apply what they’ve learned in a real-world scenario. Conclude with a reflection or feedback session, allowing learners to share insights with each other.
💡 Effective facilitation and creating a compelling story
- A workshop isn’t just about conveying information; it’s about connecting with participants through a narrative that keeps them interested
- Begin with a story or scenario that establishes a real-life context for the topic, even better if it relates to you, your passion and your mission. Your vulnerability will act as a catalyst for others to feel vulnerable and contribute impactfully
- Use a relatable challenge or question to draw participants into the material emotionally
- Bring your story full circle, back to the beginning and the purpose of the workshop
🤖 Example: If the workshop is on sustainable business practices, open with a story about a small company that faced sustainability challenges and overcame them innovatively. Guide participants through activities that reflect the company’s journey, encouraging them to “experience” the decisions and challenges of the story. This makes the content feel more meaningful and relatable.
🗣️ Communicating clearly and with impact
- Focus on simplifying and clarifying key points. Use simple, clear language and avoid acronyms or terms learners won’t be familiar with, without explaining them
- Keep the presentation and learning element short and impactful. Consider 1-2 ideas you want to focus on, using visuals and analogies to make complex ideas easier to grasp
- Speak clearly, with varied tone and pace to maintain interest
- In person workshops give us the ability to use our bodies more expressively, don’t be afraid of using gestures to emphasise key points. Consider this if you are running a virtual workshop
🤖 Example: Instead of just talking about statistics, bring data to life by asking learners to imagine they’re in a real-world scenario. For instance, say, “Imagine you’re part of a company looking to reduce waste by 30%.” Visuals can reinforce this – show before and after images of companies that have implemented waste reduction strategies to keep the information memorable and vivid.
🤝 Ensuring your workshop is accessible
- Make sure your content is accessible to all learners, regardless of physical or cognitive abilities. This includes creating materials that accommodate different learning styles, offering information in multiple formats, with prompts to highlight key points or instructions in plain language, and opt for visuals and graphics
- If you are running something in person
- Provide space for neurodivergent learners to opt out of noisy or loud segments of the workshop
- Ensure the venue is physically accessible
- Make the most of the microphone
- If you are running something online
- Give clear written and verbal instructions if you are running an interactive exercise, to support different learning styles
- If you are using slides, provide visuals rather than heavy amounts of texts
- Consider what tools you have within your space, such as virtual break out rooms
🤖 Example: During group activities, offer options: learners can choose between discussing in small groups, jotting down ideas independently or using a collaborative digital tool like Padlet to contribute ideas online. This multi-format approach allows everyone to engage in the way that works best for them, ensuring a fully inclusive experience
❤️🔥 Creating lasting and tangible impact
- Conclude the workshop with something memorable or actionable for participants
- This could be a summary sheet, a digital resource or even an actionable takeaway. People remember best when they leave with something they can refer to or apply immediately
- Consider how you can also ensure the wider Community who have not attended the workshop can benefit from this - post on our Community Slack channel after the event your 2-3 key takeaways from the session you have run.
- To make an even bigger impact, and double down on your reflections and learning, why not also celebrate your workshop and share your reflections externally? We have provided templates for you to use on LinkedIn or other socials. If you do this, don't forget to tag us so we can celebrate you too!
🤖 Example: At the end of a workshop on mental health resilience, create a “Community Mental Health Toolkit”—a collective resource where each learner has contributed one piece of advice or activity they use in their lives to support positive mental wellbeing, as part of the workshop. This could be physical (e.g. a poster with sticky notes) or digital (e.g. a shared Padlet or Google Doc).
🏆 Additional tips for success:
- Practice and get feedback: Run through the workshop with a friend or mentor and ask for honest feedback. Adjust timing, flow, and clarity as needed
- Engage emotionally: Encourage learners to express personal thoughts, even briefly, during discussions to connect on an emotional level with the topic
- Use the room (virtually or in person!): Move around to create dynamic energy and connect with different groups if it’s a larger workshop, or leverage the spaces in Cosmos for breakouts. This keeps the atmosphere vibrant and interactive
- Have fun: Don’t forget we are together to connect around the topic but also to have fun!
🛠️ Helpful tools to increase interactivity
Integrating tools that support engagement can transform a workshop from passive to interactive, making it easier for participants to contribute, collaborate, and retain information.
Here are some digital and physical tools you could consider:
- Mentimeter is a digital tool for live polling, quizzes, and Q&A sessions. Participants can respond in real-time from their phones, with results displayed immediately on a shared screen
- QR Codes allow participants to quickly access resources, surveys, or digital handouts by scanning the code with their smartphone
- Miro is an interactive online board where participants can post notes, images, links, or videos. It works well for group brainstorming, feedback or project planning.
- Kahoot is a gamified quiz platform that makes it easy to create fun, interactive quizzes. It’s great for review sessions or injecting some friendly competition.
- Sticky notes & craft materials: if you are getting together in person, why not use old-fashioned post-its to gather and cluster ideas? Consider combining digital and analog tools for a varied experience. For example, start with an icebreaker poll on Mentimeter and use sticky notes for an ideation exercise.
Try to stick with 1-2 tools to avoid confusion or cognitive overload of learners having to switch through multiple platforms. Also ensure you are using tools where learners do not have to sign up, to ensure you are not disrupting the flow of the workshop.
If you are preparing slides, you are welcome to use this template, but this isn’t mandatory!