How do you close a workshop and send people off with the motivation and goodwill to take the steps they’ve decided upon together during the session?
I like to end a workshop by giving participants an opportunity to express gratitude – typically about a person, a thing, or an opportunity that they’ve discovered during the session. Here are some examples of what a participant might say:
- Person: I’m grateful for all the work that Betty has put into getting us together and making sure we were all ready to go deep on the issues we needed to talk about.
- Thing: I’m grateful for this relaxing venue where we’ve been able to have the hard conversations we need to have.
- Opportunity: I’m grateful for the chance to work together to expand our services to people in need.
I introduce this conversation with 10-20 minutes left in the workshop, depending on the size of the group and how effusive I expect them to be with their gratitude. I give them the framework of “person, thing, or opportunity” and provide examples like those listed above.
Here’s a very important point: This is not an exercise where you just go around the circle in order and people say something when it’s their turn. This is not a required activity; no one has to say anything. If someone’s grumbling about not getting their way in an earlier conversation, the worst thing you can do as a facilitator is to make them say something positive. This is only an invitation. I make very clear that this is just an opportunity for them to express some gratitude “if the spirit moves them.”
The end result is invariably positive, with people leaving with a shared sense of gratitude for each other and for the opportunities they have together. Even the grumbling participant who doesn’t express any gratitude still leaves feeling better, with their mind somewhat refocused away from what they didn’t get to what they already have.
And it’s not unusual for someone in the group to express gratitude for the facilitator, which is always good to hear too!