Five questions when you’re planning workshops
Anyone who’s studied journalism knows about the ‘5 Ws’: who, what, where, when and why. When it comes to designing gatherings and engagement activities, slightly reframing these questions through the lens of systemic design offers a straightforward framework to follow.
Why: Purpose (& Other Principles)
The most common mistake I see in workshop design? Jumping straight to tools or activities before getting clear on purpose. I get how tempting it is to start browsing facilitation techniques or booking venues. But without a clear ‘why’, we risk creating an entertaining experience that doesn’t actually achieve what’s needed.
We need to start with why. Clear purpose helps us stay focused and make better decisions about everything that follows.
Key questions to explore:
Why is this workshop happening?
What are we trying to achieve?
What would success look like?
What might happen if we don't do this work(shop)?
Why would people want to participate?
Take time here. Really interrogate the purpose. Sometimes you’ll discover that a workshop isn’t actually the best approach—and that's a valuable outcome.
Who: People
Once you’re clear on purpose, think deeply about who needs to be involved. This isn’t just about making a participant list. It’s about deeply understanding the humans who you want to be in the room.
Essential questions include:
Who needs to be involved to achieve our purpose?
What is their role in the session?
What do they already know about this topic/issue?
What might make them hesitate to participate?
What do they need to feel comfortable to contribute?
How: Process
Only now should you start thinking about process and methods. This is where you consider the broad approach that will best serve your purpose and participants.
Consider:
What overall approach or format will work best?
How might you structure or sequence the session?
Who is facilitating? What other roles are needed?
How will we move through different modes of thinking and doing?
How will we recruit, invite or prime participants?
When might we need to reflect or adapt along the way?
At this stage, keep things high level. You’re sketching the journey, not planning every detail.
What: Practice
Finally, you can dive into the specifics—the actual techniques, tasks, tools and practical arrangements. This is when you make decisions about:
What are the inputs to the session?
Which methods and activities will enable real participation?
What materials will support understanding?
What tangible items will we leave with?
How will we document and capture insights?
Where/When: Place
As we consider practicalities, we need to consider the time and place of this gathering, including the broader context the work sits within. This is really a subset of the what category, informing your choice of tools and techniques, rather than constraining your thinking from the start.
What are the practical requirements (e.g. time, location/venue, technology)?
How does organisational culture and setting influence what’s possible?
What existing arrangements and dependencies need to be considered?
How does this work connect to other initiatives or activities?
Why this order matters
In my own facilitation experience and in supporting clients and participants to plan, design and host a range of gatherings, I’ve found this sequence—Why→Who→How→What→Where/When—helps prevent common workshop design pitfalls:
It stops us from choosing activities just because we fancy them
It ensures we design for real people, not imaginary participants
It keeps practical constraints from limiting our thinking too early
It helps us make better decisions about time and resources.
Beyond workshops
While I’ve focused on workshop design here, this framework works well for planning other kinds of engagements too, from research projects to community consultations or change programs. The key is always to start with purpose, centre the humans involved, then consider process before getting caught up in practicalities.
Of course, in reality these elements are all interconnected. You might need to revisit your purpose as you better understand the context, or adapt your process based on who is actually able to participate.
This framework is meant to guide thinking, not constrain it. You’ll often need to cycle back through these questions as your understanding evolves. This won’t surprise those who know that design is inherently iterative. What matters is maintaining awareness of what you’re asking at each point, and consciously choosing where to focus your attention.
While designing any workshop requires careful consideration of all these elements, the upfront investment in thoughtful design pays off. When we get the foundations right – clear purpose, deep understanding of participants, appropriate process, enabling practices and suitable space – we create the conditions for meaningful participation and better outcomes.
Keen to learn more skills and frameworks for effectively engaging community members, colleagues and other partners in your work? Join our workshop design and facilitation training.
