Ignite CSP’s workshop model is highly interactive. In virtual meetings, we ask people to have their cameras on, to come off mute to participate, and to engage in the chat. We use breakout rooms for small group work and coaching.
In a recent workshop, one participant never turned their camera on, never spoke, never engaged in the chat, and most tellingly, when we went to breakout rooms, they never left the main room.
What this tells me is that this person accepted the invitation from their boss to attend, but had no intention of taking part. They were clearly occupied doing something else from start to finish.
Many trainings simply don’t ask anything of the participant. The presenter is depositing information that is also captured in text-heavy slides that will be distributed later, so why should you pay attention? The blank-rectangle person in our workshop didn’t realize our approach was different. Clearly they had learned from experience that signing into a training but not needing to hear a word of it was standard operating procedure.
What they didn’t know was that in our training, the value was in their engagement with the expertise we shared. We use slides sparingly, and they are mostly visual, not text. We don’t record our workshops to be viewed later. It’s now or never.
Here is my plea. Let’s make meetings that matter. Let’s ask more of the people who RSVP—if you say you’re coming, you will contribute, whether it’s a workshop or a staff meeting. And let’s stop expecting people to fill their days with meetings they don’t need to be in. Be discerning about who is asked to come to what, and what they should do while they’re there.
And finally, a pro tip. If you come to one of our workshops, expect to participate. It’s a small group on purpose, and we want to hear from you!
