Workshop purpose
Use this template to help a group turn a broad idea into a small, concrete next step. The timing and examples are illustrative; adapt them to your group.
Topic: Improving a shared reading document
Outcome: One agreed improvement and a named owner
Suggested agenda
- Opening and context — 5 minutes.
- Individual reading and notes — 10 minutes.
- Compare observations — 10 minutes.
- Choose a next step — 10 minutes.
- Confirm ownership — 5 minutes.
Before the discussion
Share a short reading copy so everyone can review it in a comfortable format. Offer time to read silently before asking for comments.
Ask participants to point to a specific passage or step when something is unclear.
Activity: notice, explain, propose
Notice: Identify one place where a reader might lose the thread.
Explain: Describe what information is missing or difficult to follow.
Propose: Suggest one concrete change.
Example observation
“The opening introduces three unfamiliar terms before explaining the purpose. We could state the purpose first and define each term when it appears.”
Action record
Agreed improvement: Rewrite the opening paragraph around the reader’s main question.
Owner: Document author
Reviewer: A colleague unfamiliar with the topic
Check: Ask the reviewer to describe the purpose after reading the revised opening.
Close the loop
- Share the updated version.
- Record the decision and its reason.
- Confirm the next review date.