Delivery Matters

Stories behind workshop plans,
sticky notes and markers.

Author: James Smart

12 Best Virtual Meeting Tools

Virtual meetings have become the lifeblood of modern work and collaboration. Whether you're hosting a team meeting, conducting a client presentation, or facilitating a workshop, the right virtual meeting tools can make all the difference in productivity, engagement, and overall success. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the 12 best virtual meeting tools for 2023, each offering unique features to enhance your online interactions and run more productive online meetings. In a remotely distributed, always-online world, virtual meetings are the norm. On a typical week, more than 50% of employees spend between one and three hours in virtual meetings. That’s a lot of time spent looking at cameras and screens! …

How to run a virtual workshop

Virtual workshops are a powerful tool for bringing together participants from around the world and collaboratively achieving your goals. But how do they work? What are the best practices for running engaging virtual sessions that keep Zoom fatigue at bay and create genuine innovation and solve problems? Whether you're a team leader, business professional, or facilitator, knowing how to plan and run a virtual workshop effectively is a valuable skill in today's digital landscape. In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through how to run a virtual workshop that is engaging and impactful. What is a virtual workshop? A virtual workshop is an interactive and collaborative process that is conducted…

29 online energizers for more engaging meetings

Online energizers are one of best way to beat virtual fatigue. Meeting for extended periods in a virtual environment and looking at a screen all day is draining! Keeping participants engaged in online settings is a challenge but by using games and activities, we can improve engagement and outcomes too. In live settings, facilitators often use activities to increase group energy and focus. These energizers might include physical activity, encourage creative thinking, or simply create space for fun. Here’s a secret: the same can be true in online workshops and remote meetings! While connecting virtual teams over video chat and other online tools has become the norm, too many teams…

12 leadership roles for effective, dynamic leaders

While leaders might appear to occupy a single position, the reality is that leaders often need to be fluid and shift leadership roles in order to effectively manage and empower their team. Sometimes, leaders take the role of a coach and help team members find opportunities to grow. On other occasions, they need to be a decision maker on an important matter or sometimes hold space for the rest of the team in the role of a facilitator. Understanding these roles, when to deploy them and how they can impact your team can help you be a more engaging and effective team leader. In this guide, we’ll explore the different leadership…

14 effective feedback techniques and methods for giving better feedback

Effective feedback is a gift. When we use feedback techniques to share how we feel, what changes we'd like to see and give appreciation or constructive criticism, we create opportunities for growth and change. But for too many teams, feedback is a loaded word that can create a fear of judgement and negativity. Use proven techniques for giving and receiving feedback to help your team feel heard, show appreciation and be honest about what needs to change. These methods below are great for holding a productive feedback session while also building the skills necessary for a continuous feedback culture. Let's dive in! Techniques for group feedback Finding space to give…

What is facilitation? Definition and principles

Facilitation is a powerful skillset that helps improve collaboration, generates results and improves group dynamics. But what does it truly mean to facilitate and approach situations like a skilled facilitator? How can managers, leaders and anyone running meetings and workshops learn to bring a facilitative approach to their work? In this post, we'll share a definition of facilitation before exploring the key principles of facilitation you can use to embody the approach successfully, whether you're looking to have more effective meetings, handle conflict and do more productive group work. Answering the question "what is facilitation?" is something most facilitators are called on to do on a regular basis. While there…

Design effective live  and online workshops

Get started with a collaborative Session Planner in 30 seconds

Try SessionLab for free

37 brainstorming techniques to unlock team creativity

Finding new and innovative ideas is a vital part of the growth and success of any team or organization. While brainstorming techniques are rightly perceived as creative and exciting, it’s important to find a framework and idea-generation process that empowers your group to generate meaningful results. Innovation is important for many businesses, but what brainstorming technique might you use to help make true innovation a reality? Find out in this collection of effective brainstorming techniques! In this post, we’ll explore a host of effective brainstorming techniques in categories such as creative exercises and visual idea generation games, all of which can be used to help your group brainstorm be more…

What is a workshop and why should you run one?

Workshops are more than just interactive meetings. They're a space for groups to come together around a shared goal, collaborate effectively and solve complex problems. If you're wondering what a workshop is, how they differ from training or meetings, or just want to start running them, you're in the right place! A great workshop can create innovation, connection and transformation for both companies and individuals. In this article, we'll explore what workshops are, what benefits you can expect, and also show you some workshop examples that you can use for inspiration when working with your team. What is a workshop? A workshop is a structured and interactive session designed to…

How to build a strong team culture in eight steps

Building a team culture that helps everyone in your organization feel valued and empowered to do their best work should be a priority for every organization. Without a healthy company culture, you can see toxic behavior, reduced productivity, and even lose members of the team! But how can you and your team co-create an organizational culture you can be proud of and that makes your team want to come into work every day? In this article, we’ll explore why team culture is important and discuss eight ways you can start to improve your culture today. Let's dig in! What is team culture? Team culture is a collection of values, behaviors,…

60 team building activities to bring your team together (and have fun!)

Team building activities can make all the difference when it comes to job satisfaction, employee engagement and organizational success. But even with the best intentions, it’s not sufficient to simply bring a group of people together. Team building activities can prove to be the missing link that will help your group feel more connected and able to collaborate more effectively. But how do you choose the right activity, and where do you get started when trying to encourage team bonding? We're here to help with this collection of simple and effective team building activities! Building a highly effective team takes effort, consideration, and the deployment of a thoughtful group process. Remember…

25 engaging ice breakers for virtual meetings (that won’t bore your team!)

Virtual ice breakers can be an effective method of kicking off a project, onboarding a new team member or enlivening your team meetings. Choose the right method and you can get your meeting off to an energizing start that encourages participation and builds connections. Get it wrong and risk being met with groaning team members or indifference. In this post, we'll share some proven virtual icebreaker games used by real facilitators and help you find the right method for your virtual team. Whether you need a short activity to kick off a conference call or to help onboard new team members without making things awkward, we have you covered! When teams…

How to write a meeting agenda (and run better meetings!)

Learning how to write a meeting agenda that sets the stage for an effective and engaging gathering is an important leadership skill. Not only will it help you be organized and on time, but it will also help you and your team make the most of your time together. In this guide, we’ll explore what makes a meeting productive and guide you through the process of designing a great meeting agenda. You'll also learn practical tips you can use to improve your next meeting and get every team member engaged and involved. Ready to leave behind boring, unproductive meetings? Let's dive in! Going into a meeting without a purpose or…

Design your next workshop with SessionLab

Join the 150,000 facilitators using SessionLab