Facilitating Inclusive Online Workshops (Part 1) — Smashing Magazine

Why workshops beat meetings

Meetings, even when well-run, can devolve into one-way information dumps or rambling discussions that produce no clear next steps. Three in five employed adults say that preparing for a meeting takes longer than the meeting itself, per a 2017 survey by Clarizen and Harris Poll, and 35% of status-meeting attendees consider them a waste of time. Workshops are a viable alternative, especially for collaborative problem-solving, but they come with their own challenge: they demand active participation. Not everyone, however, is comfortable voicing thoughts or taking the lead in a group, even though quieter voices often carry valuable insight.

That tension is what the concept of an “inclusive” workshop addresses. The goal is to design the session so that everyone feels heard, connected, and at ease expressing ideas, rather than simply expecting participation to happen.

Inclusivity as a design principle

Inclusivity is built on the social identity theory introduced by Tajfel & Turner in 1979: people derive part of their identity from the social groups they belong to, and seeking acceptance is a human trait. In practice, this means recognizing and valuing differences in ethnicity, gender, age, religion, and less visible attributes like cognitive style or socioeconomic background.

An inclusive setting uses that diversity to its advantage. Like an orchestra, where each instrument has a distinct role and together they produce music a single instrument can’t, bringing different perspectives to a workshop leads to richer outcomes. But humans are complex, and that same diversity can create unpredictability, which, if unmanaged, can lead to discord among participants.

However, people are beautifully complex, and although this complexity is what often breathes life into a workshop, it can also introduce an element of unpredictability, which, if not managed well, can potentially lead to discord among the participants.

The facilitator’s job is to accept that not everyone will feel comfortable speaking up and to make sure the session is designed to draw out contributions regardless of personality type, cultural background, or fear of judgment.

Preparing the groundwork

Structuring an inclusive workshop resembles a design project. You first seek to understand your intended users—here, the participants—then identify their goals, and finally craft an experience that guides them to those objectives. Applied to workshop prep, that means taking three actions before the event.

1. Choose the right participants

Including the wrong people can stall progress toward the workshop’s goals. To decide who belongs, consider these questions:

• Is the meeting relevant to this person’s work and core responsibilities?
• Can this person provide critical information, aid decision-making, or contribute meaningfully?
• Is this person’s presence necessary to reach the meeting’s goals?

Facilitators working with an external team or client can provide a list of criteria describing the ideal participant and ask for relevant individuals to be included.

Watch the group size. Each added participant does bring a new viewpoint but also raises the number of agreements needed, which can increase potential for disagreements and conflict.

2. Know your participants

Once the participant list is established, inviting people matters. A calendar invite alone is not welcoming or inclusive. If feasible, arranging a pre-workshop call or brief chat with each participant helps the facilitator understand their background, goals, and concerns.

Taking these smaller steps can make a substantial difference:

Personalize the invitation. Replace the generic calendar blast with a tailored message that spells out the workshop’s purpose and activities, states why this person’s participation is valuable, and acknowledges potential scheduling concerns. If they cannot attend in real time, offer an option to contribute asynchronously. A possible wording:

“Hey Lewis, I am reaching out as I am planning to run a workshop with Max to brainstorm around how we can build the AI dashboard (which is the next initiative on our roadmap), and I would love to invite you to the workshop as I believe your front-end knowledge will help us a lot to understand the tech limitations. How does that sound to you? The workshop will be approximately two hours long and is scheduled for next week. Here’s the high-level agenda...”

�— an invitation like this that explains what will happen, who is involved, and how the person fits in, makes it easier for them to decide whether to attend.

Schedule pre-workshop conversations. Particularly for people you do not know well, a short informal chat—a coffee catch-up covering hobbies or interests—can build rapport before the event and reveal the participant’s expectations.

Identify personality types and preferences. Participants can be grouped along two axes: preference for group work (individualistic vs. collaborative) and communication style (introverted vs. extroverted). Trying to detect these traits in advance allows the facilitator to structure activities accordingly:

• Individualistic participants may prefer independent tasks and small-group or one-on-one discussions. Designing some think time and solo ideation into the workshop keeps them engaged.
• Collaborative participants respond well to large group discussions and team exercises, so including moments for group contributions suits them.
• Introverted participants can be more at ease with structured turn-taking and written input. They may not speak unprompted, but their ideas are still critical. Clear turn-taking rules or a written contribution channel ensures their perspectives surface.
• Extroverted participants thrive in free-flowing discussions where they can present to the group, so reserving space for open exchange is advisable.

Set Aside Time For Regular Breaks And Account For Competing Commitments

Time management plays a direct role in how inclusive a workshop feels. Participants may be joining from different time zones, have caregiving responsibilities, or need to step away for personal or cultural practices. If the schedule runs over, those commitments create pressure that excludes people from full participation.

Plan a 5–10 minute break roughly every hour. Research shows that most people can maintain effective focus for only about 45–50 minutes at a stretch. Beyond that, fatigue sets in and engagement drops. Breaks give participants time to reset and return with renewed attention. As Srini Pillay writes in the Harvard Business Review, the brain performs best when it toggles between focus and unfocus, which supports resilience and better decision-making.

Select Tools That Reduce Friction

The tools you choose for a remote workshop can shape the experience as much as the agenda itself. Complex or unfamiliar platforms create barriers, especially for participants with limited technical experience or accessibility needs. The goal is to pick tools that support collaboration without demanding a steep learning curve.

Whiteboard Platforms

• Miro is a widely used digital whiteboard with an intuitive canvas and abundant templates. It works well for visual thinkers and facilitators who want a fast start. The downside: the open-ended interface can feel chaotic for participants who prefer structure.
• Mural offers a lower barrier to entry, letting people join and edit without creating an account. It is a solid option when you want to minimize setup friction, though it lacks some advanced features like AI-powered tools, tables, and deeper integrations.
• FigJam appeals to design-savvy teams familiar with the Figma ecosystem. It blends whiteboard flexibility with design capabilities, but non-designers may find it less intuitive.

Video Conferencing Platforms

• Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet are the familiar choices. They offer fewer interactive bells and whistles, but their consistency, reliability, and widespread familiarity keep the learning curve near zero.
• Butter is built specifically for interactive workshops. It supports active participation for extroverts while giving quieter participants lower-pressure ways to contribute through reactions, emojis, or GIFs.

Discussion And Breakout Tools

• Mixerchat is designed for fluid group discussions. Participants can move freely between breakout rooms, making it suitable for world café-style exchanges and open networking.

Match Activities To Participant Dispositions

The activities you run should reflect the personality mix and goals you identified when defining your participant list. Tailoring exercises to those preferences avoids forcing people into formats where they are less likely to contribute.

Introverted And Individualistic Participants

These participants think best when they have time to process ideas alone before speaking. Suitable options include:

• Silent Brainstorming: Everyone writes down ideas independently before sharing them with the group, giving reflective people the space to formulate thoughts.
• Silent Dot-Voting: Anonymous voting tools let people express preferences without the pressure of speaking up in a crowd.

Introverted And Collaborative Participants

This group enjoys working with others but prefers calmer, more deliberate exchanges. Consider:

• Small Group Discussions: Break the room into groups of three or four, which feels less intimidating than full-room dialogue.

• Think-Pair-Share: Participants reflect individually, discuss with a partner, and then bring their conclusions to the larger group.
• Fishbowl Conversation: A small circle talks while others observe, rotating participants in and out so everyone gets a turn to speak.

Extroverted And Individualistic Participants

These people like expressing ideas and taking ownership of their contributions. Engaging options include:

• Lightning Talks: Short, prepared presentations let participants showcase expertise and personal perspectives.
• Idea Gallery or Lightning Demo: Everyone creates a visual pitch or poster, then the group circulates to view and discuss each one. Known as a Poster Session, this format forces people to distill core concepts into compelling images before opening a broader discussion.

• Jigsaw Activity: Each person becomes an expert in one slice of a larger topic and then teaches it to the group, balancing independent research with public speaking.

Extroverted And Collaborative Participants

This group feeds on collective energy. Strong matches include:

• Open Discussions: A prompt and an open floor let conversation develop naturally.
• Group Projects: Teams tackle a concrete deliverable, such as prototyping an idea or solving a business problem together.
• Role-play: Acting out scenarios or perspectives related to the theme spurs dynamic discussion and cooperative problem-solving.

Budget Time Generously, Then Add A Buffer

Even the best-planned activities will run longer than expected. Rushing through a discussion undermines inclusivity because it penalizes slower processors and discourages deeper thinking. When possible, run a pilot session to gauge realistic timing for each exercise.

A practical rule of thumb is to add a 20% buffer to every activity. If a brainstorming session is important enough to schedule for 10 minutes, block out 12. The extra cushion absorbs delays without forcing you to cut conversations short.

Pre-Workshop Communication

Inclusivity should begin before the actual session starts. Sending a pre-workshop note gives every participant a chance to start from the same baseline, regardless of their familiarity with the subject matter. For a workshop on project management, for instance, this note might outline the topics to be covered — such as agile methodology, risk management, or team leadership — and include a brief case study to review in advance.

The note should also cover logistics: the date, time, location or virtual meeting link, any required software (e.g., Zoom or Microsoft Teams), and what participants should bring, such as a laptop or notebook. With this preparation, everyone arrives aligned with the workshop’s objectives rather than figuring things out on the spot.

Adding a Personal Touch

While structure matters, a little personal flair can make a workshop memorable. A unique icebreaker or an unexpected lighthearted element can ease tension and encourage connection.

One effective approach is incorporating colleagues’ pets into a shared Miro board during the session. Seeing familiar animals often brings a smile and helps foster a sense of community among team members, even in a remote setting.

Looking Ahead

This first part of the series has covered the foundational layers of inclusive remote workshops, focusing on understanding participants and building a comfortable environment. The core takeaway is straightforward: know your participants well and create a space where they feel at ease. Tailor activities to individual preferences, and make sure every attendee feels valued and heard.

The second installment of this two-part series will explore what to do during and after the workshop to further customize the experience. It will also introduce the P.A.R.T.S. principle — Promote, Acknowledge, Respect, Transparency, and Share — as a guiding framework for facilitation.