Interactive conference design and workshops

Agile workshops

Events your employees will remember

Do you want to get more out of your events? We can help with it all, from creating the ideal training session for your annual kick-off meeting to preparing for a conference with your employees or building that all-important team spirit. Our methods are especially applicable during change management processes to boost the transition to new structures and processes.

With our agile methods your employees can use their creative potential, find solutions as a team and renew their commitment to your company. Experienced moderators steer the group and make sure communication is productive. This alternative to traditional PowerPoint presentations helps to break down the roles of louder or quieter participants to ensure all are equally engaged.

We work with you to plan creative, intelligent and challenging events according to your needs. Using interactive events such as the World Café, Open Space, Barcamps or Fishbowls, we encourage your staff to express their opinions, make informative contributions and transfer what they have learned back to the workplace. We involve the attendees in a collaborative process so they can contribute to the success of the event. This turns it into a fun, unforgettable and personal learning experience that motivates them and makes a lasting impact on their commitment to your company.

Agile workshops

We just need your input. All we need from you is a detailed briefing on the goals of the meeting or conference, the set-up for the day and any important background information. Our expertise, creativity and experience ensure your conference is a success. We can run the whole event for you or support your employees to moderate the event themselves. These things will be discussed in advance:

  • Your goals
  • Deciding on the format of the conference
  • Creating the agenda
  • Anticipating group dynamics and steering them
  • Establishing a system for recording results
  • Putting together a detailed list of equipment
  • Determining how it all ends – follow-up, communication of results, etc.

EnglishBusiness offers the following formats for workshops and conferences:

World Café Moderation

The World Café workshop format encourages new ideas and innovative approaches to problem-solving through teamwork and communication. The main aim is to collect the thoughts and questions of all participants and to lead the discussion from general mind-mapping to concrete solutions. The World Café works with 15 to more than 100 people and incorporates every single participant. The open and communicative atmosphere lets participants release their creativity and get to know each other better. This fosters team spirit, mutual appreciation and productive thinking into the future. How it works

Participants sit around tables in small groups. The moderator steers their discussions using relevant questions agreed with the client in advance. Ideas are recorded on the writable tablecloth. The use of play dough, Lego and coloured pencils gives the participants plenty of creative possibilities. The groups are regularly mixed up to encourage new thinking. The discussion starts with more general questions and goes on to more problem-solving and insights. The outcome of the workshop is a product of the whole team and means the implementation of any ideas is supported by all. The tablecloths serve as a record of the discussions and the results are shared with everyone at the end.

Framework of a World Café

  • Number of moderators depends on size of group
  • 6 participants per table
  • 2–5 hours

We offer our most experienced trainers as moderators. The workshop can take place in the EnglishBusiness rooms or at your office. We’d love to help you organise this workshop!

Open Space and Marketplace

Out of all the workshop formats, Open Space is the most agile. Without a specific or even general topic, participants exchange innovative and solution-orientated ideas. Instead of set rules, these events are driven by the creativity, energy and initiative of the participants. The work takes place in groups, meaning the participants take ideas from group to group as they move around. How it works

A conference or seminar following the Open Space method starts with an opening discussion – the Marketplace. The moderator explains the format and opens discussion of the topics. All participants can contribute and discuss topics and organise groups. The outcome of the Marketplace will be recorded on the board and project groups will be given a room and a time. How it runs after this is decided by the participants. There are only four rules:

  • Whoever is there is the right person
  • Whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened
  • It starts when it’s time to start (this is decided by energy levels, not by time)
  • Over means over (if energy is down, the event is over)

And one law:

  • The Law of Two Feet: stay in a group only as long as you are learning, otherwise move on to a different group.

At the end of an Open Space you can decide on action plans for putting ideas into place.

Framework for an Open Space

  • Number of moderators depends on size of group
  • Various rooms available depending on number of participants
  • Duration: unspecified

The Open Space workshop can take place in the EnglishBusiness rooms (up to 20 participants) or at your office.

Barcamp Moderation

Barcamps have emerged from Open Space methods. In this as well, the structure and content of the event are decided based on the initiative and interests of the participants. In contrast to a classic Open Space, all participants bring a contribution in the form of a short speech or presentation. Out of these many small contributions a large amount of content emerges. A moderator leads the event and at the end of the Barcamp there are new ideas, problem-solving suggestions and often even almost-finished products that can be integrated into the company. How it works

The Barcamp starts with an opening discussion. Participants can suggest topics and projects during this. Open working groups are established around the most popular topics so that knowledge can be exchanged or projects worked on. The participants’ prepared speeches can serve as introductions. In a Barcamp the Law of Two Feet is also valid. If you haven’t got anything else to learn from or contribute, you can keep moving around and take ideas from one group to the next. At the end the moderator will compile the results in a big feedback round. Before or after the event drinks or a meal can be served – this makes for a great networking opportunity and is also a chance to relax.

Framework for a Barcamp

  • Number of moderators depends on size of group
  • Various rooms available depending on number of participants
  • Duration: unspecified

The Open Space workshop can take place in the EnglishBusiness rooms (up to 20 participants) or at your office.

Moderating Fishbowl-Discussions

The Fishbowl method is an ideal format for making discussion rounds interactive, even for many participants. The setup involves chairs placed in concentric circles. The innermost circle is for the active participants and also contains a few empty chairs. The listeners can join the discussion at any time, at which point they take one of these empty chairs. The name of this kind of event comes from the fact that the passive participants observe the discussion of the inner group as if they were in a goldfish bowl. How it works

First, the moderator introduces the Fishbowl method and the topics for discussion to the group. Inside the goldfish bowl there are 5–8 active participants and the number of empty seats dictates the continuity and interactivity of the discussion. The active participants can either voluntarily give up their seat or be removed. Important: Everyone has the right the finish the sentence they have already started. A variation is for the participants to swap every ten minutes. The moderator’s assistants write the important points of the discussion on flipcharts. The interactive discussion takes about 60 minutes. Then the moderator leads the group through a debriefing and summarises the outcomes of the event.

Framework for a Fishbowl

  • Number of moderators and assistants depends on size of group
  • A big room with enough chairs
  • Duration: 90 minutes

We offer our most experienced trainers as moderators. A Fishbowl can take place in the EnglishBusiness rooms (up to 20 participants) or at your office.

Plan your workshop with EnglishBusiness

Our project managers will spend plenty of time planning with you and can also show you other projects as a reference. Give us a call or send an email.

Your contact person:

Marlen Schrader

Get in touch with Marlen:

Phone: +49 (0)40 650 5253

Email: training@englishbusiness.de