A workshop is a single instructor-led training activity that helps employees practically learn and apply a specific capability or skillset.

1. Workshops
How they can improve
employee expertise &
business performance

2. What is a workshop?
A workshop is a single instructor-led training activity that helps
employees practically learn and apply a specific capability or
skillset.
Active participation is a key element of any workshop. It’s not
like a conference or class where you mostly sit and listen;
workshops are designed to put new skills to the test as they’re
being developed.

4. Getting strategic
As with all good training, a workshop should have a strategic
outcome. Whatever the topic of the workshop, there should be a
direct link back to the employee’s everyday work or development
plan.

5. 3 Types of
Workshops

6. Leadership
These provide a practical learning environment for developing key
interpersonal skills. These workshops often focus on problem-
solving, either in team settings or through individual exercises like
conflict resolution.

7. Team-Building
These target specific teams or the leadership team, aiming to
strengthen close work relationships or foster a strong corporate
culture. The leadership team plays a crucial role in setting the tone
and clarifying expectations across the organisation.

8. Diversity & Inclusion
These fall under compliance training and are essential for
maintaining cultural competence and social awareness as the
workforce evolves. Many organisations conduct these workshops
frequently as part of their employee code of conduct.

9. Benefits of
Hosting
Workshops

10. Deep & Broad Expertise
Long-term exposure to subject matter expert-led workshops can
help develop employees with broad baseline knowledge and deep
expertise, avoiding cognitive bias and fostering innovation.

11. Cross-Function Collaboration
Workshops encourage employees to step out of their comfort zones
and collaborate across different areas of the business. This
combination of differing skills, perspectives and expertise helps
broaden strategic thinking and cultural competence.

12. Networking
Executives can benefit from mentoring and guidance in an unbiased
and culturally unrestricted environment. External mentors offer
different perspectives, inspire creativity and innovation, and possess
industry knowledge that can greatly benefit the mentee.

13. How to
Conduct
Workshops

14. Define the goals
Set tangible behavioural outcomes for the workshop, focusing on
what participants should experience and learn. Prioritise capabilities
based on their impact on the business and availability in the
workforce, identifying performance gaps that need to be addressed.

15. Create an agenda
Develop a plan of action for the workshop, including main
discussion points, activities, time allocation and any additional
resources needed.

16. Pick your format
Consider the duration and delivery style of the workshop. Shorter
workshops can provide overviews of new topics or be conducted as
casual lunch and learn sessions. Multi-day events may be necessary
for complex agendas, ensuring that the agenda is shared in advance
to accommodate attendees' schedules.

17. Evaluate the process
Conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the workshop's
effectiveness. This includes surveying employee sentiment,
assessing post-workshop performance and considering
organisational outcomes such as process improvements, customer
satisfaction and employee engagement.

18. https://acornlms.com/enterprise-
learning-management/workshops
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