Innovation Workshops Planning

Most L&D professionals learned the Kirkpatrick Model early on. Fewer have seen it applied beyond Level 1. Here's what each level can actually look like when you put it into practice, not just the textbook definition. ✨ Level 1: Reaction 🔹 Textbook version: Did learners find the training engaging and worth their time? ✅ In practice: Instead of "Did you enjoy this session?", ask "Was this relevant to the work you do?" and "Could you apply this right away?" ✅ Metric to track: Relevance and applicability ratings, not just satisfaction scores. ✨ Level 2: Learning 🔹 Textbook version: Did learners gain the intended knowledge or skills? ✅ In practice: Replace recall-based quizzes with scenario-based checks. Can the learner apply the concept to a situation they'd actually face? ✅ Metric to track: Pre/post assessment scores on scenario-based questions, not just "did you pass the quiz." ✨ Level 3: Behavior 🔹 Textbook version: Are learners applying what they learned on the job? ✅ In practice: 30/60/90-day check-ins, manager observations, or peer feedback on whether the new behavior is showing up in real work. ✅ Metric to track: % of participants demonstrating the target behavior, based on manager or peer input, not self-reported confidence. ✨ Level 4: Results 🔹 Textbook version: Did the training impact business outcomes? ✅ In practice: Pick one business metric the program was meant to influence, before you build it, not after, and track the change. ✅ Metric to track: Movement in that specific KPI (error rates, time-to-productivity, conversion rates, retention) compared to a baseline. Most programs are measured thoroughly at Level 1 and barely at all beyond it. But Levels 3 and 4 are where the "did this actually matter" conversation happens, and they are also where L&D earns a seat at the table. Which level does your organisation measure consistently, and which one do you wish you could measure better? #LearningAndDevelopment #LnD #KirkpatrickModel #TrainingEvaluation #InstructionalDesign #LearningMeasurement #TrainingAndDevelopment #LnDStrategy

🎧 #Storylistening for Instructional Designers (or how to get real stories from your SME instead of dry facts) 🗣️ Everyone talks about storytelling – and rightly so. Stories work! 💡 But what if your subject matter expert (SME) isn't naturally a storyteller? 🤔 Just listening to them recite a pile of facts? Not that helpful. 😐 You could find the same in Wikipedia. Or ask ChatGPT. 🤖 👉 So what should you do? Learn storylistening – the skill of not telling stories, but hearing them. 👂✨ 📌 The rules are simple: 1️⃣ Study the topic in advance – don't come in as an empty glass. 📚 2️⃣ Prepare questions – not as a checklist, but as a guide. 🧭 3️⃣ Listen carefully. And with curiosity. Yes, curiosity! 🧐 People tell better stories when they feel respected and heard. ❤️ 💬 Here’s a list of questions that truly encourage storytelling – the kind that brings examples, emotions, and turning points: 🎯 How did this process or approach first come into play in your work? 🛠️ Can you walk me through a specific situation where it worked especially well? 🌟 Tell me about a time when things didn’t go as planned – what happened? ⚠️ What’s the most surprising or unexpected thing you’ve encountered with this? 😲 Was there a turning point that changed how you see or use this? 🔄 What’s an example that you often use to explain this to others? 📖 Describe a situation where someone learned this the hard way. 🧠💥 Can you recall a moment when you or someone else had a breakthrough? 💡🎉 Tell me about a challenge you faced with this and how you overcame it. 🧗♀️ What real-life story do you think best illustrates the value of this process? 🏆 If I were watching this unfold in real time, what would I see? 🌈 And when the story starts flowing – don’t hold back: ✨ Really? Tell me more! ✨ Wow! That’s so unexpected. ✨ No way – what happened next? ✨ What were you thinking in that moment? ✨ And then? ✨ That’s brilliant – how did you come up with it? These questions aren't magic… But they create the space where real stories emerge. 🪄 And it's from these stories that strong, effective learning solutions are built. 🚀 #storylistening #LandD

After decades of working with leaders at companies like Apple, Salesforce, and Cisco, we've identified 4 storytelling techniques that consistently work to deliver important messages in high-stakes settings: 1. Start with the unexpected Don’t begin your presentation with context. Instead, begin with the moment that makes people think, “Wait…what?” Instead of something like: “Here’s an update on our September campaign…” Try starting with the most interesting detail: “I broke our biggest marketing rule last month, and it worked.” Lead with the surprise. You can add context later. 2. Let people feel the tension After the surprise, don’t rewind to the beginning. Take your audience to the moment where things weren’t working. Flat numbers. Missed goals. Stalled progress. Instead of: “The campaign was underperforming, and our team went back to the drawing board.” Try:  "We were two weeks out from the end of the quarter. The campaign wasn’t producing results, and the team was out of ideas. That’s when I decided to take a risk...” You don’t need to explain the problem. You need to make people feel it. 3. Use real dialogue When your audience hears what was actually said, they stop listening to you and start visualizing the moment. This helps them connect emotionally with what you’re saying. Instead of: “The campaign manager said team morale was low and they were struggling to find a solution.” Try: “My campaign manager pulled me aside in the hallway and said, ‘We’ve tried everything. The team has been working overtime, and we don’t know what else to do.’” Dialogue brings listeners into the moment with you. It makes the story real. 4. Share the lesson Never assume people will infer the meaning you intended. End your story by answering: - What does this mean? - How should someone act differently now? Example: “Breaking our biggest marketing rule helped us turn this campaign around and hit our numbers. I strongly suggest we revisit our marketing guidelines. We could be leaving a ton of revenue on the table.” Without the lesson being clear, even a good story feels unfinished. These are the same techniques we teach to our clients at Duarte. Try them out during your next presentation and watch how people lean forward and tune in to your message. #ExecutivePresence #BusinessStorytelling #PresentationSkills

The ultimate guide to creating transformational workshop experiences (Even if you're not a natural facilitator) Ever had that gut-punch moment after a workshop where you just know it didn’t land? I’ve been there. Back then, I thought great workshops were all about cramming in as much content as possible. You know what I mean: - Slides with inspirational quotes. - The theory behind the frameworks. - More activities than a summer camp schedule… Subconsciously I believed that: The more I shared, the more people would see me as an expert. The more I shared, the more valuable the workshop. And participants would surely walk away transformed. Spoiler: they didn’t. They were hit-and-miss. But then on a leadership retreat in 2016, I stumbled onto something that changed everything. Something so obvious it's almost easy to miss. But when you intentionally use them, it took my workshops from "meh" to "mind-blowing": Three simple principles: 1️⃣ Context-based Learning People don't show up as blank slates. They bring their own experiences, challenges, and goals. When I started anchoring my content in their reality, things clicked. Suddenly, what I was sharing felt relevant and useful — like I was talking with them instead of at them. 2️⃣ Experiential Learning Turns out, people don’t learn by being told. They learn by doing (duh). When I shifted to creating experiences, the room came alive. And participants actually remembered what they’d learned. Experiences like roleplays, discussions, real-world scenarios, the odd game... 3️⃣ Evocative Facilitation This one was a game-changer. The best workshops aren’t just informative — they’re emotional. The experiences we run spark thoughts and reactions. And it's our job to ask powerful questions to invite reflection. Guiding participants to their own "aha!" moments to use in the real world. (yup, workshops aren't the real world) ... When I started being intentional with these three principles, something clicked. Participants started coming up to me after sessions, saying things like: "That’s exactly what I needed." "I feel like you were speaking directly to me." "I’ve never felt so seen in a workshop before." And best of all? Those workshops led to repeat bookings, referrals, and clients who couldn’t wait to work with me again. Is this the missing piece to your expertise? - If so, design experiences around context. •Facilitate experiences that evoke reactions •Unpack reactions to land the learning ♻️ Share if you found this useful ✍️ Do you use any principles to design your workshops?

This week, I facilitated a manager workshop on how to grow and develop people and teams. One question sparked a great conversation: “How do you develop your people outside of formal programs?” It’s a great question. IMO, one of the highest leverage actions a leader can take is making small, but consistent actions to develop their people. While formal learning experiences absolutely a role, there are far more opportunities for growth outside of structured settings from an hours in the day perspective. Helping leaders recognize and embrace this is a major opportunity. I introduced the idea of Practices of Development (PODs) aka small, intentional activities integrated into everyday work that help employees build skills, flex new muscles, and increase their impact. Here are a few examples we discussed: 🌟 Paired Programming: Borrowed from software engineering, this involves pairing an employee with a peer to take on a new task—helping them ramp up quickly, cross-train, or learn by doing. 🌟 Learning Logs: Have team members track what they’re working on, learning, and questioning to encourage reflection. 🌟 Bullpen Sessions: Bring similar roles together for feedback, idea sharing, and collaborative problem-solving, where everyone both A) shares a deliverable they are working on, and B) gets feedback and suggestions for improvement 🌟 Each 1 Teach 1:  Give everyone a chance to teach one work-related skill or insight to the team. 🌟 I Do, We Do, You Do:Adapted from education, this scaffolding approach lets you model a task, then do it together, then hand it off. A simple and effective way to build confidence and skill. 🌟 Back Pocket Ideas:  During strategy/scoping work sessions, ask employees to submit ideas for initiatives tied to a customer problem or personal interest. Select the strongest ones and incorporate them into their role. These are a few examples that have worked well. If you’ve found creative ways to build development opportunities into your employees day to day work, I’d love to hear what’s worked for you!

In the last 9 years of training and facilitating professional groups, I’ve learnt that delivering a workshop is not just about sharing knowledge — it’s about orchestrating an experience for the participants which open up avenues for them to draw insights for themselves. Each moment calls for a different hat, and knowing which hat to wear and when is what transforms a session from good to great. I swiftly change my hats when in a workshop, these are some of the roles that I take up often- The Storyteller — When concepts feel abstract, stories bring them to life. A personal anecdote, a metaphor, or a well-timed parable can make ideas unforgettable. Stories ignite emotions, and emotions drive transformation. The Subject Matter Expert (SME) — There are moments when authority is essential. As the SME, I distill complex ideas into simple, relatable insights. Here, precision, clarity, and confidence reign supreme. The Energizer — Energy dips are inevitable, but as the energizer, I inject the room with enthusiasm. It might be an icebreaker, a playful activity, or simply a shift in tone. Momentum matters. The Actor (Theatre in Training) — Embodying a persona makes the experience visceral for participants, encouraging them to confront and solve real-world challenges. The Coach — Not every insight can be taught; some must be discovered. Here, I shift to a coach’s hat — listening deeply, asking probing questions, and letting participants arrive at their own 'aha' moments. This is where ownership of learning happens. The Mindfulness Guide — In moments of overwhelm or tension, I pause and guide participants to reconnect with presence and calm. Silence, breathing exercises, or reflection time are more powerful than many realize. The Detective — Every group is different. I watch for non-verbal cues, unspoken tensions, and subtle resistance. Identifying these dynamics early allows me to tailor the approach on the fly. The Facilitator of Dialogue — No trainer is the sage on the stage, it is essential to harness the group's wisdom. The Challenger — Growth doesn’t happen in comfort zones. As the challenger, I nudge participants to step beyond their limits, question assumptions and see new perspectives. The Motivator — At the end of the day, every participant needs to leave inspired. I remind them of their potential, highlight their wins, and leave them with a sense of possibility. Each of these roles is a hat I wear with intention, but to serve the participants' growth. Essence is not in wearing every hat at once; it’s about knowing which one to wear at the right time. #CorporateTraining #MasterFacilitator #Storytelling #LeadershipDevelopment #LearningAndDevelopment #Coaching #FacilitationSkills #HumanToHuman #facilitation #workshop #session #softskills #BehaviouralTraining #Training Women's Web LinkedIn for Learning

The Week Before Your Workshop Determines Its Success … After leading more than 1,000 workshops across the world, there’s one golden rule I’ve learned: Preparation, preparation, preparation. The week before your workshop is not the time to relax — it’s the moment to make or break your success. Here’s what great preparation looks like: • Know exactly who will be in the room — their names, their roles, their personalities, and their interests. • Understand their stakes — what motivates them, what worries them, what they hope to get out of the session. • Design your flow carefully — tailor your techniques and tactics to fit the group, not just the agenda. • Practise, practise, practise — rehearse key moments, transitions, and how you’ll handle tricky situations. • Visualise success — mentally walk through the day: how will you open, how will you energise, how will you land your key messages? Even after 1,000+ workshops with the proven FORTH Innovation Method I still practise before every session I facilitate. Not because I’m nervous — but because respecting the group means showing up 100% prepared. Great workshops are not spontaneous magic. They are the result of disciplined preparation behind the scenes. The real work happens before you even enter the room. #Preparation #WorkshopFacilitation #Leadership #InnovationWorkshops #FacilitatorTips #WorkshopDesign #PracticeMakesPerfect #designthinking #innovation

I was recently commissioned to build and deliver a partnerships workshop for a $500M ARR company. Here's why they chose me. When I design a partnerships workshop, I focus on delivering an engaging session AND focused on proving the value it created. Partnerships often get sidelined because they’re seen as “fluffy.” Without clear metrics, it’s hard to justify investment, scale, or even a seat at the table. To change this, I focused on two things: Tracking outcomes: From participation to application, we measured how the workshop impacted real business goals. Speaking the language of executives: Instead of anecdotes, we used data like LTV:CAC and partner-driven ROI to showcase the tangible impact. If you want partnerships to be seen as a core GTM strategy, you need to back your work with hard numbers. Start here: Measure your partner-sourced vs. influenced revenue. Track the full partner lifecycle to identify what’s working. Tie your initiatives to company-wide goals. Partnerships thrive on relationships, but they scale with data.

Why do some learning experiences really change people while most just get done? The content is solid. The trainer knows their stuff. Yet something is missing. For years, I attended learning sessions designed around one question. How can this be explained better? And that drove my own initial teaching style. I had slides prepared. Frameworks ready to share. Over the years things have changed. I have myself learnt that my role isn't to deliver insight to participants, but to create the conditions where they can discover it themselves. I've watched this play out so many times now. A brilliant workshop. People leave energised. Three weeks later, nothing has changed. The moment I become the centre of the class, learning becomes dependent. On me. And this learning ends when the session ends. I don't try to control the learning anymore. I design conditions for it. I create safe conditions, then I largely get out of the way. I introduce ideas and invite others to explore them.I ask questions that slow people down rather than speed them up. I trust silence, even when it's uncomfortable. We adults don't live in neat frameworks. We live in ambiguity, complexity, real consequences. Traditional learning environments prepare us for exams. Learning where people own the process prepares them for real life conditions. I am firm about the what we are learning, but flexible on the how. I've coached leaders after the learning sessions are over. They don't remember the frameworks after a few weeks. They remember the question they asked themselves though. If learning depends on me, it ends with me. If learning depends on the learner, it continues. I'm guilty of wanting to be the expert in the room. It feels good when people nod at my wise comments and take notes. It feels uncertain when I ask a question and let the silence stretch. The future of learning isn't in better materials. It's in braver facilitation. What have you learnt recently that actually stuck? What made it so? Do tell! #coachshyam

As a leader of learning and development teams and now in my consulting role, I've noticed a shift in how we present the impact of our work. We used to rely heavily on facts, charts, and pages of detailed statistics to showcase our reach. But I've found #storytelling to be a much more compelling way to demonstrate real human #impact. This was driven home for me in a recent Amazon commercial that features three women gazing at a snowy hill where people are sledding. Not a single word is spoken, yet we understand these friends are reminiscing about childhood memories made in a similar setting. The story of lasting connection and friendship shines through beautifully without overt explanation. I think this is a key lesson for those of us in L&D roles. We spend so much time tracking participation rates, completion metrics and quiz scores. But what really matters is how our work impacts real people and teams. Storytelling puts faces and #emotions to the numbers. By spotlighting individual learner journeys, we can showcase personal growth and #performance improvements. Instead of stating "95% of employees completed our new manager training last quarter," we can share, "Let me tell you about how Amy implemented what she learned about feedback conversations to dramatically improve her team's engagement scores." Storytelling aligns people to purpose by helping them see themselves and their colleagues reflected in the narratives. It builds connection as people realize we all experience similar pain points, growth opportunities, and wins. So as you look for ways to expand the reach and impact of L&D in your organization, I encourage you to tell more stories. Share how real humans have advanced in their careers thanks to new skills, built relationships using your training content or overcome challenges after adopting new tools. The facts and stats remain important, but the stories will truly capture hearts and minds. Have an example to share? Add it in the comments below and let's learn together!