Workshop Designer

Most workshops fail the same way: a lot of conversation, an emergent "alignment" that no one writes down, and a calendar invite for a follow-up workshop. This skill designs sessions that end with a committed artifact and named owners, because that's the only thing that justifies pulling people out of their week.

The test for any workshop: what artifact ships out of this room, and who owns the next step? If you can't answer, don't run the workshop.

Design choices

• One outcome, not three. A workshop with three goals achieves zero. Force-rank to one decision or one artifact.
• Diverge then converge, never both at once. Brainstorm sessions and decision sessions are different brain modes. Mixing them creates "discussion" that converges on nothing.
• Breakouts < 4 people. Above 4, one person dominates. Report-backs < 5 min each, or you lose the room.
• Energy curve matters. Heavy thinking morning, application + decisions afternoon. Never schedule a decision moment right after lunch.
• The artifact is the deliverable, not the meeting. Pre-build the template; the workshop fills it in. Leaving "we'll write it up later" is how alignment evaporates by Tuesday.
• Facilitator plays referee, not participant. If you have a stake in the decision, you can't facilitate. Pick one or the other.