Activities and exercises for workshops that work (presentation deck for Confab 2019)

This is the shorter version of my Confab deck on this topic - the one that I actually presented for the sake of time. A much longer enhanced version with more activities, input from others in the industry and guidance is also available on my speakerdeck profile (or follow this link: http://bit.ly/workshops_enhanced).

This deck provides a range of activities and techniques that you can try when planning and delivering discovery workshops with stakeholders to help inform the design and implementation of your content strategy.

1. ACTIVITIES AND EXERCISES FOR WORKSHOPS THAT WORK
2. HELLO THERE, I’M TRACY Tracy Playle @tracyplayle CEO, Pickle Jar Communications Founder, ContentEd (and she is Scout) http://bit.ly/workshops_enhanced
3. THREE Q FRAMEWORK (write it down) WHY WHAT HOW Why are we doing this? What do we need to get out of this? How will we get that?
5. DELIVERING THE SESSION (take heed) It’s not about you Listen, listen and listen some more They won’t always “get it” Rabbit warrens can be useful Allow more time than you think you need People can and will be difficult Don’t be defensive
6. MAPPING OUT BUSINESS GOALS UNDERSTANDING OUR AUDIENCE CREATIVE CONTENT PLANNING GOVERNANCE AND WORKFLOW
7. MAPPING OUT BUSINESS GOALS (and doing some great stakeholder engagement)
8. STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT Our business goal is… …so we need to reach… …and encourage them to… GOAL AUDIENCE ACTION Make money to keep the shareholders happy (and keep ourselves in a job) Change government policy Potential new customers Policy makers and influencers Buy our stuff Read and understand our evidence, and vote on our recommendation
9. STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT “Err… but these are intranet features, not business goals” “So… why do we need this?”
10. PRIORITISE GOALS (weighting)
11. We need to………………………………. by ……………………………… and so we must reach ……………………… and encourage them to …………………….. by ……………………………………..…. (business goal) (business tactic) (target audience) (audience action) (content or communication goal) DEFINING GOALS (writing our own story)
12. We need to bring an additional $50,000 per year into my team by selling consultancy to private education providers and so we must reach academy trust board members and encourage them to invite us in for a chat which we will do by first sharing our knowledge through blogs and connecting with them through social media DEFINING GOALS (writing our own story)
13. PRIORITISING POSITIONING (card sorts) • Decide on a few headings • Have them sort them into piles • Then tell them to pick top 3
14. UNIQUENESS (what superhero are you?) If your organisation were a superhero… What would their superpowers be? What would their superhero name be? What would their kryptonite be? Draw them…
15. WHAT MATTERS? (more card sorting) • Create deck of requirements • Create 3 headers: • Highest priority (choose only 3) • Medium priority (order them) • Low priority • Have them sort into the headers • Have them explain their reasoning while they’re sorting the cards • “What does that mean to you?” • “Why do you prioritise that?” • ”Tell me more about…” • “What if…?” Meets a regulatory requirement Makes us look great Helps our audience self- serve a problem Requires no updating
16. UNDERSTANDING OUR AUDIENCE (and stopping assumptions and business goals taking over all of your content decisions)
17. WHAT DO WE REALLY KNOW? Facts Assumptions Mysteries List everything that we know about our audience and their content needs as demonstrable facts Keep checking these List the assumptions that we make and base decisions on about our audience and their content needs Test and question these List everything that we don’t know about our audience and their content needs but that we ought to know Research these Use post-it notes as you will want to shift them between columns
18. INSIDE THEIR HEADS (journey mapping)
19. INSIDE THEIR HEADS (journey mapping)
20. INSIDE THEIR HEADS (journey mapping)
21. INSIDE THEIR HEADS (empathy mapping) Thinking Feeling Seeing Doing
22. CREATIVE CONTENT PLANNING (access a creative hive mind and make them feel like the great outputs were their ideas)
23. INSIGHTS TO IDEAS (empathy map outputs) THINKING FEELING SEEING DOING Can I actually afford to go to university? Anxious, worried, apprehensive University websites, social media accounts Sitting exams for their current studies ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ TOPIC TONE PLATFORM CONSIDERATIONS Cost calculator and scholarship advice Reassuring, confident, useful Section on “affordability” on website They have little time – make it quick and easy
24. INSIGHTS TO IDEAS (user story outputs)
25. UNLEASH THEIR CREATIVITY
26. DESIGN CONTENT TYPES • Give clear instructions • Have them choose content types • Give them a full elements list • Have them map out the content type by writing the elements they choose on post-it notes
27. GOVERNANCE AND WORKFLOW (helps to ensure that they identify the problems and then they own the solutions)
28. Understanding our content ecosystem CONTENT ECOSYSTEM MAPPING https://kubie.co/content-ecosystems
29. Understanding our content ecosystem CONTENT ECOSYSTEM MAPPING
30. Understanding our content ecosystem CONTENT ECOSYSTEM MAPPING
31. Understanding our content ecosystem CONTENT ECOSYSTEM MAPPING
32. RACI frameworks for designing workflow Understanding our content ecosystem PLANNING WORKFLOW
33. 1. List role types in first column 2.Map workflow stages across header row 3.Complete the RACI framework working across or down R = Responsible A = Accountable C = Consulted I = Informed
34. DISCUSSION STATIONS START STOP The way that we work together MORE LESS • Lay discussion topics around the room – one per sheet • Split into small groups or pairs • 2-3 minutes at each station • Rotate around the room • Use post-its to add their thoughts to each corner • Group discussion at the end to gain consensus or priorities
35. STATIONERY PORN
36. Understanding our content ecosystem LUSCIOUS LONG PAPER
37. Understanding our content ecosystem SEXY POST-IT NOTES
38. Understanding our content ecosystem SEDUCTIVE TUPPERWARE
39. Understanding our content ecosystem OBSCENE AMOUNTS OF SHARPIES
40. Understanding our content ecosystem “SPECIAL” TOYS
41. Understanding our content ecosystem VOLUPTUOUS VOTING KITS
42. Understanding our content ecosystem A DUNGEON OF DELIGHTS Giant paper An A3 printer (at least) Blank business cards Tupperware Post-it selection Stickers for voting Sharpies and flip chart pens Labels Camera and audio recorder Lego blocks Blue tack Masking tape Elastic bands Folders Clips Poster tubes Wheelie suitcase
43. Understanding our content ecosystem A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY https://lnkd.in/emcj-bu In case you want to support…
44. Understanding our content ecosystem A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF GRATITUDE THANK YOU Tracy Playle, Pickle Jar Communications tracy@picklejarcommunications.com @tracyplayle