The Best workshop I've delivered had no PowerPoint

I recently delivered a workshop with a group with no technical support, and it was so enjoyable and liberating.  Great facilitation isn't about PowerPoint. It's about creating an environment where people want to learn.

Before Covid that was my normal, however post covid we had to adapt to an online audience or a hybrid group.  To have everyone follow you and have participation it was essential to have a slide deck.

I'm keen to return to the simplicity of face-to-face delivery. The return—for delegates and for me as the facilitator—is so much greater.

You must ensure the setup is right or you won’t get the buy in or the engagement.  Before anyone enters the room, have clear visuals of the journey of the workshop eg. an Agenda.  A colourful welcome board tells people they've arrived somewhere intentionally designed for them, rather than just another meeting room.  Flip charts are so simple to create but do provide the “Wow” factor when the team enter the room.

Deliver an icebreaker so that you can build rapport and relationships.  My top tips are to get the group involved with the topic early, and put their stamp on the room.  The transference of ownership of the space is important to making them feel included and involved.  Ask them to make posters or as simple as a post it notes, anything that means the room is covered in their mark and not just yours. 

In 90 minutes, you will be able to impart 2 or 3 things of solid content.  Even during this short time, it is good to ensure that you have moved everyone around the room.   Every activity should have a purpose. When energisers connect to the topic, they reinforce learning rather than feeling like a distraction.

Reviewing what everyone has learnt is good to ensure what has landed for you as the Facilitator, and it more likely to be put into practice if they identify in the room.  I use the term “nuggets” what are your key takeaways from the session, no more than 3, and we use nugget postcards to capture.  Hearing the group share their “nuggets” cements the content for all. 

Looking back, I realised I'd instinctively followed Lex McKee's MESSAGE framework from The Accelerated Trainer. It reminded me that memorable learning isn't about slides—it's about mindset, ownership, practice and reflection.  Mindset  Entrance  Switch ownership Store  Act  Go-again  Engage.

Sometimes the best learning happens when the technology disappears, and people become the focus again.

My Five Essentials for a Great Face-to-Face Workshop

1. Create a welcoming learning environment.
2. Get participants contributing within the first five minutes.
3. Give the room to the learners—not the facilitator.
4. Keep people moving, talking and thinking.
5. Finish with three memorable takeaways – “nuggets”

If you're looking for practical, engaging workshops that leave people with ideas they can use immediately, I'd love to help.