Business Moderation: Selecting Appropriate Methods – Tips for Successful Moderation Design

As promised, today we will be dealing with the topic of “methods” and the question of selecting the methods which are most suitable for your workshop / business moderation:

6. „Which methods do I use?“

The question of the methods that you choose for your workshop is, for me, one of the most crucial. Here there is an almost endless choice, which does not make it easier, to choose the appropriate methods for you. For instance, the following foto demonstrates the creative result of a vision, developed in a “Future Search Conference”:

As has been mentioned earlier, a good start to your workshop is crucial. Therefore, it is advisable to make it as attractive as possible. In order to get the attention of your participants, share a story, use pictures, videos, quotes or reports from personal experience on the topic. Also choose an appropriate method to “warm up” (a so-called „opener“).

In one of the next posts, I’ll introduce a method which I myself like to use as an opener: Sociometry, also known as “constellation”.

No matter which methods you choose, you are always dependent on the workshops objective or the objective of the specific workshop-sequence, the group size and composition, the available time and the facilities.

If for example your space is cluttered with tables, a constellation with 20 people can be implemented more difficult than if you have sufficient space.

Interactive methods also need enough time. Remember that perhaps not all the participants are familiar with the various methods. Most employees of innovative companies know brainstorming and mind maps by now, but do not assume that your methods used do not need any explaining.

Mindmap for summaries, collecting ideas, etc.

Mindmap for summaries, collecting ideas, etc.

So take your time to think in advance if your favourite method meets all necessary criteria and is compatible with the conditions. Your workshop should, in fact, always be a good mixture of various methods.

At the end of your workshop, it is important to make the conclusion well thought-out and to not simply let the workshop “expire”. Here, too, you have a myriad of methods available which can be used as a “closer”.

I will give you, in addition to the constellation, a few other methods that you can build in at the beginning, during and end of your workshop in the next posts.

Meanwhile you could also consult the following literature tipps:

• PIKE, Bob & Solem, Lynn: 50 Creative Training Openers and Energizers (Paperback 1998)
• PIKE, Bob & Solem, Lynn: 50 Creative Training Closers: Innovative Ways to End Your Training with IMPACT! (Paperback 2000)

So stay tuned for a few selected methods that you can use for your workshops!

Kind regards and see you in 2 weeks!
Birgit