Imagine this: Your workshop is buzzing with energy, participants are in small groups collaborating, brainstorming, and ideating like there’s no tomorrow. Suddenly, the timer goes off. It’s time for the dreaded report out. Cue the collective sighs and eye rolls.
We’ve all been there. Small group sessions excite everyone, only to be deflated by lackluster report-outs.
But fear not! Traditional report-outs don’t have to be as exciting as watching paint dry.
With a few clever strategies, we can transform them into the highlight of your workshop, the moment everyone looks forward to.
Let’s delve into why typical report-outs are such snooze fests:
Because They Are Party Poopers
Translation: They suck all the fun energy out of the room.
Traditional report-outs are like joy vampires, draining the excitement from the air faster than a leaky balloon.
We’re here to keep the energy levels up, not send everyone into a passive-thinking coma.
Because It’s A Report Out Wilderness
Translation: Purposeless wandering.
Why do we even have report-outs? What’s the point? The often lack purpose, fail to connect the dots, and end up collecting dust in a forgotten corner. It’s like aimlessly wandering through a report-out wilderness without a compass.
Time to find our true north, folks!
Because There Are Oh So Many Report Out Bloopers
Translation: Facilitator Design Oopsies
As facilitators, we spend hours designing engaging activities, only to leave the report out as an afterthought.
It’s time to give those report outs some love and attention, ensuring they match the awesomeness of the rest of our workshop.
Because They Zone-Out The Audience
Translation: Report-outs are a Snoozefest
Traditional report-outs are boring! As each group hurriedly runs through their endless laundry list of what they discussed, other groups start losing interest faster than a turtle in a race. Listeners mentally check out and slip into daydream mode.
It’s time to slap ’em awake (figuratively, of course) and keep them engaged throughout the session.
We get it. Report-outs are often lame, so what can we do?
Revamping the Report Out Experience
Just because report-outs often miss the mark doesn’t mean they’re entirely useless. They can help honor the work, create alignment, and identify themes, connections, and areas of divergence.
However, we must ‘disrupt the default’ and choose when report-outs are truly needed rather than mindlessly doing them after every activity.
When you decide you need a report-out, let’s make them peak moments of your workshop filled with learning, humor, engagement, and innovation.
Assuming you need a report-out, here are a few tips for transforming these into engaging moments in your workshop
Introduce Purpose And Fun
Give report outs a clear purpose, whether it’s sharing insights, summarizing key themes, or spotting connections.
And, why not inject some fun into the mix? Instead of the usual stand-up-and-share routine, let’s shape report-out messages out of clay, build them with Lego, or channel our inner Picasso and draw them.
Who said report-outs couldn’t be arts-and-crafts time?
Focus on the Juicy Stuff
Skip the laundry list. Nobody wants to sit through an endless list of what each group did. Let’s cut to the chase!
Have groups share the juiciest, most important 3 points that absolutely must be shared, or simply the one most useful idea they discovered.
Create boundaries for them by the size and number of the post-it note(s) you give them to write up their output. Affinitize the themes as each group reports out. Keep it short, sweet, and oh-so-memorable!
Story Spine Showtime
Lights, Camera, Report Out! Turn report-outs into Hollywood productions using the “Story Spine” framework. Create a captivating narrative by structuring the report out like a story.
For example: “Once upon a time, there was a group that shared the infinite detail of what they did every day. Then one day they they told a story instead. And they blew our minds with their brilliant ideas. And ever since then, we’ve been inspired to take action!”
You get the point. Cue the applause and a sense of accomplishment.
Structure for Success
Let’s provide structure to the report-outs to avoid chaotic ramblings. Try the What-So What-Now What structure.
Ask groups to answer three key questions:
What did we do?
So, what does it mean for us? Why is this important?
And now, what makes sense for us as we go forward?
This, or any, guided structure, acts as a report-out GPS, helping them navigate their presentation smoothly and purposefully.
Engage the Spy Listeners
Agent 007 reporting here’s a secret mission: Assign undercover agents from other groups to listen carefully during each report out. Their mission? To extract the main point shared and play this back to the rest of the participants.
It’s like turning your report outs into a thrilling spy story.
Who doesn’t love a good spy tale?
Ditch the Report Out, Embrace the Gallery Walk
Break free from the traditional report-out format and try something different. How about a gallery walk or scrambler session?
Participants can roam around, interact with visuals, and engage in lively discussions. It’s like an interactive museum but with a workshop twist.
Let creativity and collaboration take center stage.
Prizes and Laughs
Make it a mini-competition. Who says report-outs can’t be a good time?
Turn them into a mini-competition throughout the day. Encourage groups to unleash their creativity and give out prizes for the most imaginative group report out.
Get ready for some laughs, friendly competition, and unforgettable moments during your workshop.
There you have it!
Report-outs don’t have to be the bane of workshops. With thoughtful design, intentional approaches, and creative strategies, we can transform them into peak moments that leave participants energized, engaged, and eager to take action.
These strategies tap into engagement dimensions such as VARK modalities, thinking styles, and participant involvement, to name just a few, shifting report-outs from drab to fab.
For more about the nine dimensions of engagement and how to use them in your workshops, check out this link.
9 Dimensions of Engagement by Island Inspirations
Now, let’s bid farewell to those energy-draining, purposeless report-outs and welcome a new era of workshop awesomeness.
By infusing fun, structure, and relevance into your report-outs, we can make them the highlight of every workshop, leaving participants inspired, connected, and ready to conquer the world — one report out at a time!
