Time:

Building a strong brand works from the inside out and takes time. Be sure to give yourself the time you need: time for planning, time for the actual event, and time to debrief/synthesize what you learn during the day.

People:

It is vital to have the right mix of people in your workshop. If it is just the senior leadership, or, worse, just the marketing department, your efforts are doomed. Be sure to give everyone a voice, or if your organization is too large, give everyone representation.

Facilitation:

Obviously, we’re a little biased because it’s what we do, but we think you should hire someone from outside the company to lead the day. It puts everyone on equal footing and provides an outside perspective. However, if you have a trained facilitator on staff, they can provide leadership as well.

Activities:

The way we do them, brand workshops are active affairs. Lots of moving and cross-sector dialogue. One of the goals is to get people who don’t usually interact to talk to each other and develop understanding. Be sure to have a mix of large and small group activities, as well as time to quietly reflect.

Treats:

We’re not kidding. If you are asking for people’s time and commitment, treat them well. Whether it is coffee and bagels or a catered lunch, a little good food goes a long way to keep people motivated and energized. Getting the most out of your participants requires giving them a little energy boost!