Looking for cool workshop ideas to streamline your next event? You’re not alone. A lot of planning goes into making one of these events possible.
And yet, a corporate workshop can be invaluable for your business, provided you can find the right approach. After all, there's more than one way to encourage collaboration. You need to think about the best way to engage with your specific group of participants.
That means choosing the right personality for your workshop — the right structure, presentation style, and activities for your people and objectives. Let's go over some of the most common personalities. That way, you can choose whichever option will best ensure your workshop succeeds.
Immersion and Engagement: The Storyteller
This workshop personality is all about using storytelling as a means of conveying information and connecting with others. Storyteller workshops often involve interactive activities and group exercises that encourage participants to share and learn from one another's stories. Typically best-suited for businesses in narrative-focused fields like marketing, advertising, and media, these workshops are ideal for inspiring creativity while also fostering camaraderie.
Voice & Tone
The tone and voice of a storyteller workshop should be warm, welcoming, and inclusive. Participants should feel comfortable sharing their own experiences and insights, and facilitators should actively encourage creativity and collaboration.
What Should a Storyteller Workshop Include?
- Real-life case studies or success stories that illustrate key concepts.
- Storytelling exercises where participants share related experiences.
- Role-playing or scenario-based activities that bring the content to life
Enthusiasm and Excitement: The Energizer/Motivator
The energizer (or motivator) workshop is designed to get people pumped up and motivated. Whether for team building, leadership development, or another purpose entirely, energizer workshops focus on creating an atmosphere of positivity and optimism. The overall goal of the energizer workshop is to help people break out of their comfort zone, tap into their inner reserves of energy and drive, and take on whatever challenges come their way.
Voice & Tone
Energizer workshops should be enthusiastic, upbeat, and engaging. They should encourage participation, interaction, and a sense of fun. To that end, the facilitator should use language that's action-oriented, motivational and positive while also taking care to be inclusive and welcoming to all participants. The goal here is to bring a positive energy that motivates people to collaborate in a meaningful way.
What to Include
- Icebreakers and warm-up activities to engage and excite participants.
- Movement activities to promote high energy levels.
- Team challenges or games to encourage friendly competition and collaboration.
Guidance and Support: The Coach
The coach workshop personality aims to help attendees improve their skills, knowledge and performance. It both provides participants with the resources and feedback they need to grow along with the motivation necessary to succeed. A coach workshop is typically structured around specific learning objectives.
Voice & Tone
Coach workshops should be supportive and encouraging. Facilitators should use positive, concise and motivational language, with a focus on helping both individuals and teams improve. The tone should be warm, friendly and approachable — after all, the coach archetype is all about building strong relationships whilst empowering and inspiring people to achieve their full potential.
What to Include
- Actionable advice to help participants achieve their goals.
- One-on-one or small group coaching sessions with personalized guidance and feedback.
- Reflection exercises that encourage participants to identify both their strengths and where they can improve.
- Action-planning activities to help participants set goals and create roadmaps towards them.
Collaborative Learning: The Enabler
The enabler workshop is intended to create an open and safe space for learning and collaboration. Enablers are focused on guiding the group to reach its objectives and goals while ensuring everyone has a chance to make their voices heard. Conflict resolution and skillful management of group dynamics are essential for the success of a facilitator workshop.
Voice & Tone
Enabler workshops should be welcoming and not judgemental. They should strive to create a supportive environment where everyone feels comfortable contributing their thoughts and ideas. Participants should be encouraged to use active listening and empathy to build trust and rapport with one another while taking ownership of the learning process.
What to Include
- Group brainstorming or problem-solving activities to encourage creative collaboration.
- Group discussion or debate to encourage participants to share opinions and perspectives.
- Role-playing or simulation activities to help participants work through challenges together.
Learning Through Levity: The Humorist
The humorist workshop is founded on the idea that laughter and playfulness make learning more engaging, enjoyable, and effective. These workshops frequently incorporate games, jokes, and other forms of humor to help participants feel more relaxed and receptive. A humorist facilitator might use witty banter, jokes, and entertaining stories to keep the mood light and positive, creating an atmosphere that encourages creativity, risk taking, and outside-the-box thinking.
Voice & Tone
Humorist workshops should be light-hearted, witty, and playful. Participants should feel encouraged to let loose and not take themselves too seriously, using humor to reduce tension, engage one another and connect with the content. The overall tone should be upbeat and enthusiastic with an emphasis on finding the joy in learning and discovery.
What to Include
- Entertaining icebreakers or warm-up activities.
- Comedy improv or sketch activities.
- Humorous or light-hearted role-playing or scenario-based activities.
Engaging With an Authority: The Expert
An expert workshop is led by a highly-knowledgeable and skilled individual. Participants in this type of workshop seek to learn from an authority in their field — a veteran or a thought leader. This individual should possess both a deep understanding of the subject matter and the capacity to offer practical solutions to real-world problems.
Voice & Tone
The facilitator must come across as confident, authoritative and knowledgeable. They must be capable of conveying complex information in a clear, concise fashion with audience-appropriate terminology. Their tone must be professional yet engaging, with a focus on providing value to the participants.
The expert should also endeavor to present themself as both approachable and open to questions in order to foster a more collaborative learning environment.
What to Include
- Interactive lectures or presentations.
- Q&A sessions.
- Hands-on or interactive activities where participants can apply practical knowledge.
Unlock the Potential of Your Workshop Personality with Purple
Planning a corporate workshop can be overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be.
With Purple, all it takes to plan a killer workshop is a few minutes.
Just give us the specifics and we'll take care of the rest, from services to scheduling to vendors and venue — our powerful AI can even guide you through the planning process from start to finish.
Find out for yourself what it means to take your events from perfect to Purple.
