How to Develop an Agenda that Helps Build Teams
Items to Include in Every Training Session
Dec 7, 2008
Whether you are planning a workshop or a meeting, there are a number of items that should always be included in your agenda, such as a clear set of goals, a way to gather the group, breaks, an opportunity for feedback and a way to close the session. It is especially true in training and professional development that having a good mix of presentations, discussion, and experiential activities is important to keeping the participants engaged. Consider the following framework, adapted from the methods used by the Alternatives to Violence Project, as you craft your agenda:
Getting the Workshop Started
Agenda Preview and Goals: What is your overall plan for the session and what do you expect will happen as a result of your plans? Make sure to include a review of your goals when you first present the agenda to the participants.
Gathering: What will you do to bring the group together? An icebreaker? Have everyone answer some question or share something? Have the group talk about what they hope to accomplish? Gatherings can be simple and quick or they can begin to engage the group in the task at hand. For new groups, do something that gets people to begin learning one another's names. For groups that have been working together for a while you might include a game that will help people get to know one another better.
Workshop Activities and Transitions
Activities: These are the heart of your session. What activities will you include that will help create a positive emotional climate? Activities can include games, check-ins, singing, personal sharing, breaks, simulations, role-plays, brainstorms, small groups, etc. All activities should help support your goals and be appropriate for the group.
Breaks and Transitional Activities: According to Tony Buzan, in his book, Use Both Sides of Your Brain [Plume, 1991], adult learning theory says that participants can generally understand material presented in 90 minutes, but will only retain material presented in twenty minutes. This information has important implications for training design. Along with taking frequent breaks, consider using quick, active exercises as mini-breaks. Even just standing and stretching can help get the group back on track when minds begin to wander.
Closing the Workshop
Feedback: At the end of each session it is a good idea to have the group provide feedback on what worked and what didn’t work. This can be in writing on an evaluation form or can be done in a group discussion of things that worked, did not work as well, and how things could be improved in the future.
Closing: What will you do to end the session? A quick go-round with a word that describes what each individual learned? A song? A cheer? Make sure to end the group on a positive note.
If you follow these suggestions, you can expect that your professional development offerings will not only provide skill building and content knowledge, but will also improve the way your team functions together.
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