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Design rationale, critique and decision records · Proficient · Lesson 84 of 99 · 21 min video, then about 3 hours of practice
Designing and facilitating cross-functional workshops
After this you can design a workshop agenda for a specific outcome, run it with a mixed group including stakeholders, and turn its output into decisions.
Why it matters
Workshops are how senior designers move a group from scattered opinions to a shared decision quickly: kick-offs, problem framing, prioritisation, design studios, pre-mortems. The craft is in the design of the session: a clear outcome, exercises that alternate individual and group work so loud voices do not dominate, timeboxes, and a plan for what happens to the output. Focus on 'work alone, together', on handling difficult participants, and on follow-through. Trap: a workshop that ends with a wall of sticky notes and no owner. If nothing changes in the following week, the session was theatre.
How to use this resource
A step-by-step guide to planning and facilitating a first workshop, from a studio that does this for a living. Practical rather than inspirational; follow its structure for your first session.