Workshop Exercises Playbook

Techniques

10 plays

Hand drawn illustration of

These workshop exercises are part of the Workshop Patterns printed card deck.

A collection of workshop exercises that will help you ditch dull meetings and facilitate with confidence. It will help you master the design process and have more productive time with your team. The card deck will be ready for purchase in the end of 2025 and is now undergoing rigorous testing.

Reserve your deck!
Affinity Mapping illustration
Affinity Mapping

Organize and cluster ideas and data based on natural relationships

Card Sorting illustration
Card Sorting

Discover how people group and label ideas and information

Parking Lot illustration
Parking Lot

Park unrelated questions or topics to keep the workshop on track

Playback illustration
Playback

Share progress to the broader group

Poster Session illustration
Poster Session

Visualize and share ideas

Return on Time Invested illustration
Return on Time Invested

Assess meeting impact and gather feedback

Safety Check illustration
Safety Check

Gauge how comfortable people are speaking openly

Silent Storming illustration
Silent Storming

Brainstorm silently and individually for a set amount of time

Talking stick illustration
Talking stick

Maintain focus and keep participants from zoning out

Timeboxing illustration
Timeboxing

Help groups stay focused and on track by limiting time for discussion

Important for this playbook

Workshops are more than just gatherings of people discussing a topic; they are highly structured events that require careful planning and skilled facilitation to be successful. With the right techniques, a workshop can transform from a simple meeting into a powerful tool for collaboration, innovation, and problem-solving.

This playbook contains the core methods you need for planning and facilitating successful workshops. These strategies are the bedrock of effective workshop management, honed over years of practice by seasoned facilitators.

In this category, you’ll find a range of exercises that cover different aspects of workshop planning and execution. Whether you’re mapping out your workshop agenda, structuring participant interactions, or managing group dynamics during the session, this playbook offers the tools you need.

By mastering these core techniques, you’ll be well-equipped to plan and facilitate workshops that engage participants, foster collaboration, and drive meaningful outcomes.

These workshop exercises are part of the Workshop Patterns printed card deck.

A collection of workshop exercises that will help you ditch dull meetings and facilitate with confidence. It will help you master the design process and have more productive time with your team. The card deck will be ready for purchase in the end of 2025 and is now undergoing rigorous testing.

Reserve your deck!

Community events
Product Loop

Product Loop provides an opportunity for Product professionals and their peers to exchange ideas and experiences about Product Design, Development and Management, Business Modelling, Metrics, User Experience and all the other things that get us excited.

Join our community

Made with in Copenhagen, Denmark

Want to learn more about about good product development, then browse our product playbooks.