After a workshop is completed, it is often the involvement of the facilitator and participants during the session that affects the quality of the outcome.
The use of templates during the workshop is an effective way to ensure that ideas and insights are documented. However, further work is required to process these insights and make them useful.
Evaluate the result
It is important to start by reviewing the collected material carefully. A central question to ask is whether the workshop resulted in real, concrete ideas, or whether the participants have mostly described desired states – that is, what they want to achieve, but without giving concrete suggestions on how to get there. If the material mainly consists of desired states, you need to ask yourself the question: How can we transform these wishes into feasible ideas?
Filter and prioritize the information
A common challenge in post-production is knowing what should be highlighted and what can be filtered out. Many people find it difficult to clear the material and feel that everything that has come to light is important. Here it is good to think about what actually takes the result forward. What is background information or ideas that are not feasible can be moved to a separate section in the documentation. The focus should be on compiling the ideas and solutions that are most relevant and practical to work on.
Reframing and clarifying ideas
It is also important to dare to reformulate the ideas that have emerged. During a workshop, participants are often busy thinking quickly and creatively, which can lead to unclear documentation or half-assed lines of thought. Here, whoever compiles the material needs to be sensitive to what is really meant and not be afraid to adjust wording to make it clearer and more useful.
If there are ideas or notes that you do not understand yourself, it is often best not to pass them on in their original form. Instead, you can follow up with the participants or reflect yourself on whether they can be transformed into something more concrete, or whether they can be put aside.
Presentation and follow-up
A crucial part of the follow-up work is how the results are presented and what happens afterwards. A good question to ask is: What happens if the ideas are not taken forward?
This can help prioritize the material and provide direction on how it should be presented.
Who takes responsibility for the next step is also important. Have you appointed a responsible person during the workshop? In that case, that person should also present the results. This creates a clear anchoring and taking responsibility, which increases the chance that the material will actually be used and not fall through the cracks.
Next steps
The last step in the post-work is to clearly define what should happen next. Decisions about which ideas to implement, how and by whom, are critical to keeping the momentum of the workshop alive. Or should a new supplementary workshop be carried out? Regardless, it is important that the next recommended step is stated. Make sure there is a concrete plan with deadlines and responsible people to ensure that work does not stop at discussions.
Summary
After a workshop, much of the work is about filtering, structuring and clarifying the insights that have emerged. It is important to be able to sift through the material and focus on what actually takes you forward, while daring to reformulate ideas to make them clear and useful. A key to success is to create a clear plan for the next step and to give responsibility to the right people for the follow-up. By being thorough and reflective in the post-work, you can ensure that the results of the workshop are not just thoughts on paper, but lead to concrete actions and change.
List for post-processing of a workshop
After a workshop is completed, the follow-up is crucial to ensure that the ideas and discussions are transformed into concrete actions. Here is a structured approach to process the results efficiently:
1. Evaluate and review the material
Ensure that the material gathered from the workshop is understandable and useful.
- Review notes, templates and documentation
Start by reviewing everything the participants have documented. Make sure you understand the ideas and thoughts that have been written down. - Ask the question: Do we have concrete ideas or just desired conditions?
Identify if participants have described what they want to achieve (desired state) without offering suggestions on how to get there. If there are no concrete ideas, you need to formulate questions that lead to the how part.
2. Filter and prioritize the information
Weed out irrelevant or redundant insights to focus on what drives results forward.
- Separate background information from central ideas
What is important to save as context but which does not directly drive the process forward can be documented as background information. Ensure that the main documentation contains what is most relevant and feasible. - Prioritize ideas
Select the ideas that are practical and possible to implement. Don’t be afraid to weed out ideas that no longer feel relevant or useful.
3. Reframing and clarifying ideas
Ensure that the ideas are clear and understandable for further processing and implementation.
- Rephrase as necessary
Many ideas in a workshop are quickly written down and may need to be worked through to become clear. Don’t hesitate to rephrase to make the ideas easier to understand. - Avoid passing on unclear material
If you don’t understand what an idea means yourself, it’s usually better to either clarify it or leave it out of the final compilation.
4. Presentation and follow-up
Ensure that the results are presented in a clear way and that there is a plan for the next step.
- Consider the consequences if the ideas are not taken forward
What happens if the ideas that emerged during the workshop are not implemented? This question can help you prioritize the material and determine the type of presentation needed. - Determine format and recipient
Adapt how the material is to be presented depending on the target group and context. It could be a written report, a presentation or a meeting with key people. - Give responsibility to the right person
If a specific person was designated during the workshop to take responsibility for the next step, have that person present the material. This creates better anchoring and responsibility.
5. Define next steps and division of responsibilities
Create a clear plan for how the results will be taken forward.
- Clarify next steps
Define which ideas should be passed on and how this should happen. Make sure there is a concrete action plan with clear deadlines and distributed tasks. - Appoint those responsible for each task
Be careful to assign responsibility to specific people for each step. This ensures that nothing falls through the cracks and that the work continues after the workshop.
6. Follow-up and feedback
Ensure that the result does not stop at the idea stage, but is translated into action.
- Schedule a follow-up meeting
Book a meeting after a certain period of time to follow up on how the work is going with the implementation of the ideas. At this meeting, those in charge can report on the progress and possible obstacles. - Feedback to participants
Inform the workshop participants about how their ideas and contributions have been taken forward. This gives a sense of participation and appreciation for their contribution.
The post-processing of a workshop is about going through, filtering and reformulating what has emerged, in order to create a clear and concrete action plan. By prioritizing and clarifying the ideas and giving responsibility to the right people, you ensure that the results of the workshop do not just stay on paper, but lead to action and change. A clear presentation and follow-up is the key to ensuring success. Here is a checklist for the after-work of a workshop. It helps to ensure that you get the most out of the results and that you can turn the ideas into action.
Checklist for after-work of a workshop
1. Differentiate between idea and desired state
– Go through the notes and identify what are concrete ideas and what are desired states.
– Ask questions to transform desired states into concrete actions (eg *How can we achieve this?*).
2. Filter and prioritize the material
– Separate important ideas from background information and irrelevant notes.
– Prioritize the most feasible and relevant ideas for further work.
3. Dare to reformulate and clarify
– Reformulate unclear or half-muddy ideas so that they become clear and comprehensible.
– Make sure the documentation is easy to follow and understand for everyone involved.
4. Create an appealing presentation
– Focus on the look and feel of the presentation (use graphics, clear headings and a structured layout).
– Think about how you can make the information visual and engaging to capture the recipient’s interest.
5. Dare to opt out
– Be prepared to filter out ideas or information that are not immediately relevant or feasible.
– Understand that it is better to have fewer, qualitative ideas than to keep everything, even those that do not add value.
6. Suggest next steps
– Clarify what steps need to be taken to move forward with the ideas (eg brainstorming, prototyping, testing).
– Appoint those responsible for each step and set deadlines to ensure accountability.
7. Plan for follow-up
– Set a follow-up meeting date to discuss progress and any obstacles.
– Prepare questions to evaluate how the work with the ideas is going.
8. Feedback to participants
– Inform the workshop participants about how their insights and ideas will be used.
– Give them feedback on the results and show appreciation for their contribution.
9. Document and save
– Compile all notes and ideas in a clear and structured document.
– Ensure that documentation is available to all interested parties.
10. Reflect on the process
– Take time to reflect on what worked well and what can be improved for next time.
– Record insights that can help in future workshops and post-processing.
