Remote Workshop

This is what our clients love about "normal" workshops: all relevant people are together, can focus on one task and make decisions directly. But how does that work when travel isn't possible or participants are spread across the world? 

It works: with modern collaboration tools, good preparation and suitable facilitation, workshops via video sometimes even lead to better results. We've summarised our experiences and learnings.

Video meetings serve the exchange of information. Status, updates and plans can be discussed. Rarely does actual joint work happen.

In a remote workshop, we work together on a concrete task and generate clear results. We answer questions, switch to the user perspective and find solutions together.

• Intensive and effective: With the right preparation and structure, the cost-benefit ratio is even better remotely. We talk and see each other via video conference with Teams, Skype, Webex or another tool and work in parallel on a shared digital work board like MIRO or MURAL. This way, we develop solutions highly efficiently together. No matter where you're joining from. 

• Embrace new possibilities instead of clinging to old methods
  Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Miro are among our current favourite tools. The companies we work with have different system landscapes and security requirements. That's why it's now important to stay flexible, embrace new tools openly and take a chance on digital collaboration. Our tip: hold the conference call via Skype and collaborate in parallel on a Miro board.

• Plan well and keep it short
  We design remote workshops so that joint video conferences last no more than two to three hours at a stretch. The right mix of brief preparation, asynchronous solo work, small-group sessions and group conferences makes remote workshops work-intensive, yet engaging and focused.

• Everyone involved, not just present
  We've noticed the results are significantly better when everyone can be fully present. For the joint parts of the workshop, we ask all participants to join 15 minutes early for a warm-up, where we check the tech together and introduce the tools. All distractions are switched off for the duration of the workshop. In return, there are plenty of breaks to check emails and take care of anything necessary.

• Open and playful is targeted and efficient
  We shape our on-site workshops with playful elements that allow for creativity and lighten the mood. Adapted versions of these methods also appear in our remote workshops. This helps us reach new results in a targeted, efficient way, because a bit of loosening up along the way matters in remote workshops too, to stay open to new impulses.

• Buffer time and keeping an eye on the clock
  A colleague needs to connect a new microphone, another loses their Wi-Fi and briefly drops out of the call. It happens. For us, these aren't disasters – we always plan our workshops with enough buffer time. Still, we notice how important it is that someone keeps an eye on the clock. Workshop time always seems to fly by!

Sometimes the connection drops and we're not sitting in one room. That's a shame. But we do actually notice advantages that arise when we organise workshops from the home office.

• Easier coordination
  as preparation, shared video time and individual work can be planned separately

• Reduce travel time

• Easier involvement of decision-makers,
  other departments and external experts, since a whole day no longer needs to be blocked for the workshop

• Discover new collaboration tools and digital workshop methods
  that can also be used in day-to-day work at the company

• More open collaboration,
  as digital communication often feels more anonymous and socially safer

• More sustainable
  Remote workshops produce no CO2 from travel, our electricity is generated sustainably and we use no post-its or paper

• Automatic documentation
  when we collaborate digitally using tools like Miro or Mural, we create the documentation right there in the workshop. Usually we only need to polish it slightly afterwards so you can present your results internally

• Simply more efficient
  online collaboration creates a focus that often delivers surprisingly good results in just a few hours