Making Workshops Work - by Penny Pullan (Paperback)

About the Book

The essential guide to running brilliant meetings and workshops, in person and virtually. From initial idea through preparation to delivery and follow-up, and with helpful templates and checklists, discover the secrets of running really effective group sessions.

Book Synopsis

Do you face the challenge of running really effective meetings, facilitated sessions or workshops as part of your role?
Would you like to feel more confident when working with challenging groups or senior participants?
Do you want to deliver lasting results collaboratively, in virtual, hybrid and in-person environments?
Making Workshops Work takes you from an initial idea or brief, through step-by-step preparation, to an engaging, well-run and effective session, resulting in agreed actions and clear follow up. You'll feel confident, creative and competent as you deliver great results. Everyone will be committed to their actions and afterwards, whether you meet virtually, in-person or mix the two. Penny Pullan is a pioneer of virtual working and one of the world's leading experts on running effective workshops. Her expertise and candid stories will inspire at every stage, to ensure that you are fully prepared to make the best use of your own and your participants' valuable time.

Discover:

• A practical step-by-step guide to get the most out of group sessions quickly whether virtual or in-person
• Memorable case studies, stories and examples to highlight what really works and what doesn't
• Downloadable tools, templates and checklists to reduce your preparation time and enhance your effectiveness
• Reflective questions and exercises to help you develop your own approach, building on what works for you and adapting what doesn't, so that each workshop is better than the last

Dr Penny Pullan is the author of several books including 'Virtual Leadership: Practical Strategies for Getting the Best out of Virtual Work and Virtual Teams'(Kogan Page, 2016). She works with people in multinational organizations who are grappling with tricky projects: uncertain, with ambiguous requirements, stakeholders who need to be engaged and virtual teams dispersed around the world. When they work with Penny, clients notice that communication, collaboration, clarity, commitment, connection and confidence grow, and change doesn't seem quite as tricky as before!

From the Back Cover

Do you face the challenge of running really effective meetings, facilitated sessions or workshops as part of your role?

Would you like to feel more confident when working with challenging groups or senior participants?

Do you want to deliver lasting results collaboratively, in virtual, hybrid and in-person environments?

Making Workshops Work takes you from an initial idea or brief, through step-by-step preparation, to an engaging, well-run and effective session, resulting in agreed actions and clear follow up. You'll feel confident, creative and competent as you deliver great results. Everyone will be committed to their actions and afterwards, whether you meet virtually, in-person or mix the two. Penny Pullan is a pioneer of virtual working and one of the world's leading experts on running effective workshops. Her expertise and candid stories will inspire at every stage, to ensure that you are fully prepared to make the best use of your own and your participants' valuable time.

Discover:

• A practical step-by-step guide to get the most out of group sessions quickly whether virtual or in-person
• Memorable case studies, stories and examples to highlight what really works and what doesn't
• Downloadable tools, templates and checklists to reduce your preparation time and enhance your effectiveness
• Reflective questions and exercises to help you develop your own approach, building on what works for you and adapting what doesn't, so that each workshop is better than the last

'The perfect book for our times'
Elizabeth Harrin, Author of Engaging Stakeholders on Projects, UK

'A definite must-read for anyone organizing workshops!'
Shireen Sindi, PhD, Assistant Professor, Karolinska Institute, Sweden

'The ultimate guide for designing and leading the best possible interactions'
Eleanor Winton, Founder of Foresightly Ltd, UK

Review Quotes

Perfectly applicable for our current work patterns This book is excellent, perfect for the current blended approach to the workplace. It's written with humour and appropriate real life examples. A must buy

I frequently give workshops and seminars. One thing I have learned along the way is what works for one audience does not necessarily translate well with the next. What works in person may not work in an online environment. Facilitators must be adaptable, flexible, well-organized and confident. I'm new to facilitating online, so I picked up this book to sharpen my skills in this arena. If you're new to facilitating workshops and seminars, I highly recommend this book. Not only does it provide a good background in what to expect and key character strengths needed, author Penny Pullan provides you with templates, checklists and guides to ensure that you are prepared, organized, managing your time effectively and hitting your objectives.

I regularly give workshops, and am a confident presenter, but I always think there are new tips someone can pick up. This book is great - readable, with strategies for all people, regardless of levels of experience. There are strategies, examples, checklists and models jam-packed in this book. I highly recommend it especially for those new to presenting, or needing to rethink the objective of their presentation, but it would be of use to all presenters.

Penny Pullman brings to life how to successfully run a workshop. The book provides clear advice and gives practical hints and tips. I was particularly interested in post pandemic new ways of working and returning to the office in hybrid working style. Penny includes Hybrid working and provides insight for how to make workshops fair for all participants, whether 100% physical, virtual or hybrid-mix.
Having previously purchased Penny Pullmans book 'Virtual Leadership' I had no hesitation in buying 'Making Workshops Work' and have found it engaging to read and very helpful.

This book is a must have for anyone facilitating workshops, whether virtual, 'real world' or hybrid. Unlike some other books where virtual/hybrid are an afterthought, the author has built these into the very fabric of the book, helpfully providing advice and tips throughout.
Highly recommended!

This practical, 'how to' read is focused on helping either workshop novices or seasoned facilitators to improve the workshop experience. She wants us to design workshops first and foremost for collaboration, to help people interact and engage (and with as few slides as possible). She helps to guide us in levelling up the playing field for remote and hybrid participants, encouraging us to think remote first and offering solutions to help with this - think about asking remote participants for feedback first, is just one of many examples.
Jo Twiselton, Change leadership coach & consultant, founder of Twist Consultants

About the Author

Dr Penny Pullan is the author of several books including 'Virtual Leadership: Practical Strategies for Getting the Best out of Virtual Work and Virtual Teams'(Kogan Page, 2016). She works with people in multinational organizations who are grappling with tricky projects: uncertain, with ambiguous requirements, stakeholders who need to be engaged and virtual teams dispersed around the world. When they work with Penny, clients notice that communication, collaboration, clarity, commitment, connection and confidence grow, and change doesn't seem quite as tricky as before!