Description Long

Uploading is as essential as clarifying the question/assignment.

Participants share their skills and past experiences, including existing resources relevant to the question/assignment and the workshop.

As workshop leader, ensure that this process is done thoroughly, so as to help participants distance themselves from prior knowledge and ideas that might block new stimuli.

This process also helps the workshop leader to appease the participants ‘egos’, which will ensure that the participants will listen to each other and be open for inspiration.

Utilise one or two separate posters (Resources/Ideas) for this, and put them up in a place where they are visible and easily accessible to everyone who wants to consult them or add to them, and above all, to use them.

The digitisation of the poster permits convenient use thereof during later phases, for example, when a workshop is part of a larger project.

Preparation

Prepare a room and the materials needed.

Online: Make sure that there is a suitable online tool for the participants, e.g. en online whiteboard.

Execution

1. Write down the prior knowledge, competencies, experience in connection with the assignment/question legibly on Post-its, and stick them on a wall.
2. Sort and cluster the Post-its, transfer the results to a resource poster.
3. Write down existing ideas, and ideas concerning the assignment/question that have been integrated into the workshop legibly on Post-its, and stick them on a wall.
4. Sort and cluster Post-its, transfer the results to an idea poster.

Hints from experience

Depending on the atmosphere and individual characters, letting go of prior knowledge and ideas, in order to open yourself up for unique experiences, is not straightforward.

The workshop lead can emphasise this by using motivating and inspiring examples. 

Tools list

• Flipchart or Whiteboard
• Pinboard
• Sticky notes
• Paper and pencil
• Writing utensils, pen, pencil

References