The Ultimate Guide to Becoming an Expert Workshop Facilitator
As a business analyst, I’m generally responsible for leading requirements workshops to understand processes and problems, and to analyze the requirements needed to develop new systems, products, or processes within an organization. These sessions are normally with everyone from users to SMEs and project sponsors to leadership, etc. When I first got into business analysis, it was pretty daunting, but like everything out there, it got better with practice.
This write up isn’t just for BA’s though. It’s for product managers, user researchers, design thinkers, and everyone who facilitates meetings and workshops as a part of their job. I hope this article will help make that journey easier and faster for many of you.
My style
To ensure that your meetings are productive and that the needs of the business are effectively addressed, here are some of my top tips for painless facilitation. Of course, in as much as I titled this section mine, these are still pretty much the standard elements any facilitator should know and practice:
- Clearly define the purpose and objectives of the meeting: Before the meeting, I always ensure I understand and can clearly define the purpose and outcome of each session. I also make sure to communicate this expected outcome to all attendees…
