I was just introducing the second group exercise for a huge branding workshop when I noticed a faint tickle in my throat. Facilitating a workshop sounds like an easy job on the surface, but so many things can go wrong from the jump that facilitators put in tireless preparation before kick-off. Sometimes, that preparation gets the best of you though as you ignore your own tiredness driven by the need to account for all the attendees in a meeting. Originally, as I tried to choke my way through my sentence, I dismissed it as nothing more than a passing irritation. However, as the clock ticked down the minutes to the end of the session, my throat began to scratch more insistently. I cleared my throat repeatedly, hoping to silence the growing discomfort. 

There’s more to making a workshop successful than having a practical (and healthy) facilitator. Having the right people, an adaptable approach, and a commitment to data-driven decisions are critical.