# General Guidelines

Facilitating a workshop can be fun but also mentally challenging.&#x20;

* Try to incorporate breaks if needed, you can ask the participants how they feel every now and then.
* Make the workshops entertaining rather than functional
* Explore more details if you end up having a lot of time left.&#x20;
* Make sure everyone is attentive and people don't leave mid-workshop for other calls.
* Everyone should ideally have their camera on
* Watch for participation - everyone should contribute approximately the same amount. If someone is unusually quiet, ask them directly.

{% hint style="info" %}
[Here is an article](https://medium.com/deep-work-studio/running-workshops-is-about-being-an-entertainer-94b75df2b6db) by Andrej about the importance of making workshops enjoyable and entertaining.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="danger" %}
If you notice one of the following:

* The decider is not involved in the workshops (especially HMWs and Storyboard)
* The client team doesn't follow the process
* The involvement in general seems subpar (no contributions, votes or sketches)
* The clients drop out of workshops for other things

**Stop the sprint and do not continue until everyone on the client team pays full attention!**

You can reach out to the Creative Director for support and to manage the timelines.
{% endhint %}

## End-of-day check-ins

Check how everyone is doing to assess their stress levels. It's important that everyone on the team can be in a focused and attentive state. No distractions and stress at minimal levels. Here is an example script:

> I’m going to ask everyone to raise their hand at the same time, with 1-to-5 fingers visible in your camera. This is to provide simultaneous visible feedback quickly and succinctly. Please be honest!&#x20;

If first time:

> Let’s practice. Everyone give me a hand-to-five on how much you like Pineapples on your pizza. 1 being not at all, 5 being a lot. Raise your hands now!

**Two questions, first:**

* How are you, emotionally right now?
  * 1 finger == I’m not doing well at all and don’t want to come in tomorrow
  * 2 == “I’m not doing great, but am still emotionally committed to the process
  * 3 and 4 are degrees of emotional energy and buy-in
  * 5 is “I am bursting with energy and I cannot wait for tomorrow.

ASK GROUP TO RAISE THEIR HAND TO ANSWER ABOVE QUESTION IF SOMEONE IS A 1 or 2: \
Ask if this is something for the group or should we take this offline? Facilitate communication and ensure their concerns are met.

**Second question:**

* How well do you feel about the chances of us achieving our goal of, at the end of this sprint, doing \[ GOAL OF THE SPRINT]&#x20;
  * 1 == not at all
  * 5 == utterly, absolutely confident

ASK GROUP TO RAISE THEIR HAND TO ANSWER ABOVE QUESTION, IF SOMEONE IS A 1 OR 2: \
“I’d love to hear your concerns, and what we can do to make sure those are taken into account. What would you need to see to get you up to a 3?

## Changing Facilitator&#x20;

Ideally, this should be avoided. If circumstances were there is no alternative:&#x20;

* Organize a detailed handover call to understand all nuances and details of the project.&#x20;
* The new Facilitator should spend at least 2 hours researching the client and the project details implemented so far. After the research:&#x20;
* The handover call should be attended by the creative director, previous facilitator and product designer to make sure as much information as possible is handed over.&#x20;