The 5x Rule: The Time Needed for Workshop Design
I'm often asked how long it takes to design a good workshop. Usually this comes up when someone is staring down the barrel of a looming facilitation commitment and hoping they can pull something decent together a day or two before.
The hard truth? It takes about five times longer to design a participatory workshop than to deliver it. For a two-hour workshop, that means around ten hours of thoughtful planning and preparation. I know this isn't what most people want to hear. But after years of designing and delivering engaging workshops (and learning from my mistakes), I've found this 5x rule to be remarkably consistent.
As your experience grows, and if you’re repeating the same kind of workshop or re-using materials multiple times, you can prepare in less time. But if you’ve just been asked to run a two-hour workshop that you haven’t delivered before, give yourself at least ten hours to prepare.
Why Does Good Design Take So Long?
First, we need to really understand who will be in the room. Not just their job titles or how many will attend, but what they already know, what they're worried about, what might make them hesitate or struggle to participate. Without this understanding, we risk designing for imaginary participants rather than the real humans who will show up.
Then there's the careful work of crafting the workshop flow and materials. This isn't just about picking activities that sound fun - it's about creating a thoughtful journey that respects people's energy levels and builds towards meaningful outcomes. We need to plan transitions and artefacts that help people move between different modes of thinking and doing. We need spaces for reflection alongside spaces for action.
And let's be honest: things rarely go exactly as planned. Good preparation means thinking through what might happen when (not if) things go differently than expected. What if someone strongly disagrees with the approach? What if the energy drops after lunch? What if there’s a technical glitch? What if that seemingly brilliant activity falls flat? Having thought through these scenarios can help us respond gracefully in the moment.
Making Peace with Preparation Time
I've learned - sometimes the hard way - that skimping on preparation shows up in all sorts of uncomfortable ways:
That awful moment when you realise an activity isn't working as intended
The sinking feeling when you see participants getting confused or disengaged
The dark looks you get having to cut short important conversations because time got away from you
That pit in your stomach when you realise you're not going to achieve what you promised.
Some Practical Suggestions
While the 5x rule isn't always possible in reality (I get it, we all work with constraints), here are some approaches that help:
Start as early as you can, even if it's just rough notes and ideas
Keep a record of what works and what doesn't - learn from each workshop
Build a collection of reliable activities you know well and feel confident facilitating
Be honest with those you work with about the time needed for good design.
The Real Reward
Here's what I love about properly prepared workshops: they create space for real human connection and meaningful work to happen. When we invest in thoughtful design, we show respect for people’s time and energy. We make it safer for participants to contribute. We increase the chances of achieving something worthwhile together.
Want to Dig Deeper?
If you're interested in developing your workshop design and facilitation skills, I run regular training programs where we explore these ideas in depth. You'll learn practical approaches to workshop planning, work with useful tools and templates, and join a supportive community of practitioners who care about creating events that truly serve their participants and a broader purpose.
