Welcome to our list of the top corporate workshop ideas that are rapidly becoming favorites among meeting and event planners.
Corporate workshops are training sessions or wellness programs led by expert instructors that improve the skills, knowledge, and performance of employees within an organization.
Corporate workshops provide a safe and supportive environment for employees to explore new ideas and approaches. They can help break down barriers, encourage risk-taking, and foster collaboration among team members.
Why Corporate Workshops are Integral to Organizational Growth in 2023
So, why are corporate workshops integral for your organization? According to a Deloitte study of 1000 professionals, 77% of them experience corporate burnout. What’s more, 70% of them do not feel that their organization is doing enough to stop it, according to Forbes.
Employee burnout is a contributing factor to the rising turnover rates, a compounding issue against HR professionals reporting difficulty in hiring new talent.
Organizations must consider their internal organizational health and their external reputation as an employer. According to Glassdoor, 75% of active job seekers are likely to apply for a job if an employer actively manages its employer brand.
Corporate workshops create a positive work environment, which ultimately reflects a favorable employer brand.
Why Corporate Workshops are Important for Driving Innovation and a Positive Work Environment
Corporate workshops provide a safe and supportive environment for employees to explore new ideas and approaches.
They can help break down barriers, encourage risk-taking, and foster collaboration among team members. Many organizations hire professional team building speakers to host these workshops to ensure bespoke experiences for their teams. This is in contrast to generic team-building activities that many companies implement from standard hand-outs and activity sheets found online.
In this blog post, we’ll explore 10 workshop ideas and take a deep dive into why each workshop idea is effective.
Top Corporate Workshop Ideas
- Transformative Journaling
- Brainstorming Sessions
- Improvisation & Creativity
- Design Thinking
- Art Therapy
- Storytelling
- Mind Mapping
- Intensive Collaboration
- Creative Writing
Transformative Journaling with Tara Schuster
Best-selling author and Executive in Charge of such hit shows as Key & Peele, Tara Schuster leads teams through guided live sessions that face stress & burnout head-on.
Join Tara’s thriving journaling community as she directs daily journaling prompts and take-home exercises that teach participants how to:
- Create a consistent, scientifically proven mindful journaling practice
- Build self-awareness and gain perspective at work
- Discover their own authentic voice and creativity
The entire program includes:
- 90-minute LIVE guided workshop with Tara Schuster
- One month of guided journaling prompts
- A pre-course resource list
- Weekly self-check-in handouts
Gain practical, real tools that have already changed thousands of lives across Tara’s Team Lilies Community and her readership.
Click here for the full breakdown of everything participants will be experiencing, and how to schedule the program today.
Solving Together: A Puzzle Hunt
World-class illusionist, mentalist, and New York Times crossword constructor David Kwong leads teams to an exhilarating world of puzzles, pushing their boundaries of creativity and innovation.
David Kwong is a master of puzzles and illusion and, recently, he was recruited to “shore up the central whodunnit” of Apple TV+’s critically-acclaimed 2022 series The Afterparty. His experience as a celebrity mentalist and Hollywood magic consultant is synthesized into the ultimate team-building workshop.
Participants are divided into teams, mixed across departments to create otherwise unlikely connections within their own organizations.
David Kwong tailors the puzzle challenges to each organization and event, ensuring that every workshop is a bespoke experience.
Phones are allowed, but the puzzles require more collaboration than trivial knowledge.
In this workshop, attendees will enjoy:
- 45-90 Minute Collaborative Experience
- Hosted by Celebrity Illusionist David Kwong
- A Variety of Puzzles Ranging from Audio Visual to Logical
- Customized, Positive Messaging Relevant to their Organization
David Kwong’s Puzzle Hunts are offered as both virtual and interactive experiences. The Los Angeles Daily News praises David Kwong for his ability to bring lively energy to Zoom meetings. This is the perfect team-building workshop for remote teams, large or small.
Unbranded: Tell Your Story & Be Heard
While storytelling has never been more highly valued among entrepreneurs, with the rise of titans from Steve Jobs to Gwyneth Paltrow, it has been neglected as an internal skill within organizations.
According to world-renowned screenwriting lecturer Robert McKee in an interview with the Harvard Business Review, “Businesspeople not only have to understand their companies’ past, but then they must project the future. And how do you imagine the future? As a story.”
In order to be a productive member of your team, you must develop your own story. What experience do you have? What challenges does your team face right now? Where will your organization be in five years, and how are you affecting that change?
Additionally, being able to communicate your story and understand the stories of others is essential for teamwork and promoting diverse ideas.
Google Executive Sales Coach AK Ikwuakor leads Unbranded, a highly interactive team-building workshop that helps participants understand their own driving motivations. Ultimately, this workshop builds:
- Stronger team cohesion
- Enhances trust among team members
- Promotes a safe and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and respected.
Unbranded is executed through two key steps: self-reflection and outward understanding.
Firstly, participants need to discover what their own story is. Then, they will learn how to tell their story, and actively listen to others.
Organizations need to incorporate Unbranded if they want to:
- Foster a sense of unity among team members
- Gain better alignment with values and motivations
- Develop an appreciation for unique strengths, perspectives, and backgrounds
- Enable their team to achieve shared goals and overcome challenges together
Amazon, Biogen, Raymond James, as well as the US State Department, have all worked with AK Ikwuakor. AK Ikwuakor’s expertise as an executive coach and finely crafted workbook materials make Unbranded an essential workshop for innovative and inclusive organizations.
Brainstorming Sessions: Encouraging Out-of-the-Box Thinking
Brainstorming sessions are a classic way to generate new ideas and solutions. However, they can sometimes become stale and unproductive if participants fall into the trap of self-censorship or sticking to conventional thinking.
To make brainstorming sessions more effective, it’s important to encourage participants to think outside the box and avoid self-censorship. This can be done by setting clear guidelines that emphasize the importance of all ideas, no matter how wild or unconventional they may seem. It’s also helpful to use prompts, games, and other techniques to stimulate creativity and collaboration.
In an interview with Forbes, a retail executive outlined three essential components of effective brainstorming sessions:
- Shared Goals
- Open Exchanges
- Executive Support
Furthermore, in the same article, the retail executive claims that electronic brainstorming is more effective than in-person brainstorming. He references a 1993 study, but is this still true today?
Academic studies on the effectiveness of electronic vs. in-person brainstorming have found no significant difference between the two, within both industrial and fraud-brainstorming contexts.
Therefore, remote teams should not be dissuaded from virtual brainstorming sessions. According to preliminary findings, they can be just as effective and may be exactly what their organization needs.
Improv Workshops: Building Confidence and Spontaneity
Improv workshops are not only a fun way to break the ice and build team spirit, but they can also help employees build confidence, spontaneity, and communication skills. These exercises require participants to think on their feet, adapt to unexpected situations, and collaborate with others in real time.
According to Dr. Clay Drinko, educator and specialist in the psychology of improvisation, improv requires positive, collaborative communication which is in demand in many areas.
Additionally, he says that improv can help improve thinking in business, tech, and any other field that requires clear, collaborative communication.
By participating in improv workshops, employees can learn to let go of their fear of failure and embrace risk-taking. They can also develop their ability to think creatively and come up with innovative solutions on the spot. Improv workshops can be facilitated by a professional improv coach or by using online resources that provide exercises and guidance.
Design Thinking Workshops: Solving Problems with Creativity
Design thinking is a problem-solving approach that emphasizes empathy, experimentation, and iteration. It encourages participants to understand the needs and perspectives of users, challenge assumptions, and come up with innovative solutions.
Design thinking is an essential part of modern business operations. The Harvard Business School is one of the greatest proponents of design thinking. In fact, their online design thinking courses have become massively popular with the advent of virtual professional development. Similarly, virtual keynote speakers have been on the rise in corporate event planning because of their flexible budgets and minimal time constraints.
Design thinking workshops can be a powerful tool for unlocking creativity and innovation in your team. They can be used to tackle specific challenges or to generate new product or service ideas. The workshops typically involve a series of activities such as user research, ideation, prototyping, and testing.
According to the Harvard Business Review, design thinking is effective because it helps teams build on diverse ideas, rather than negotiating compromises when differences arise.
By using design thinking workshops, you can help your team develop a deep understanding of the problems they are trying to solve and come up with creative solutions that meet the needs of users. Therefore, this approach can lead to breakthrough innovations and help your organization stay ahead of the competition.
Art Therapy Workshops: Tapping into Emotions and Imagination
Art therapy workshops can be a powerful tool for tapping into employees’ emotions and imagination. They provide a creative outlet for self-expression and can help reduce stress and improve mental health.
Art therapy workshops typically involve activities such as painting, drawing, collage-making, or sculpting. Participants are encouraged to explore their thoughts and feelings through the creative process without judgment or the need for artistic skill.
Academic studies have shown that art therapy helps people express themselves more freely, and aids their mental health.
By incorporating art therapy workshops into your corporate training or team-building events, you can help your employees tap into their creativity, reduce stress, and improve their overall well-being. So, consider hiring a licensed art therapist or using online resources that provide guidance on how to facilitate art therapy workshops.
Mind Mapping Workshops: Organizing Ideas and Concepts
Mind mapping is a visual tool for organizing ideas and concepts. It involves creating a visual representation of thoughts, ideas, and connections using words, images, and symbols.
Mind mapping workshops can be a way to stimulate creativity and generate new insights. They can be used to brainstorm new ideas, plan projects, or develop strategic plans. Participants can collaborate in real-time, adding their ideas to the mind map and building on each other’s thoughts.
Scientific studies have found that, in comparison to standard learning methods, mind mapping shows significant advantages such as:
- Better memory and recall
- Promoting Creativity
- Stronger Mental Connections Between Concepts
By using mind mapping workshops, you can help your team organize their thoughts, make connections between ideas, and uncover new possibilities. Additionally, this approach can lead to innovative solutions and help your organization stay agile in a rapidly changing business environment.
Creative Writing Workshops: Exploring Different Writing Styles and Techniques
Creative writing workshops can help employees explore different writing styles and techniques. They provide a space for employees to develop their writing skills, improve their communication skills, and develop a stronger brand voice.
Creative writing workshops typically involve activities such as writing exercises, group critiques, and discussions on different writing styles and techniques. Participants learn how to craft compelling narratives, use descriptive language, and engage their audience through written content.
John Turner, successful entrepreneur and creator of a web-page solution used by over 800,000 websites, wrote on the benefits of creative writing in Forbes earlier this month. Turner attests that creative writing is essential to his success as a business leader.
By participating in creative writing workshops, employees can develop their writing skills, improve their ability to communicate effectively and develop a stronger brand voice. This can lead to more engaging marketing copy, blog posts, or other written content that resonates with your target audience.
Discover More Corporate Workshop Ideas and Book Today
Corporate workshops can be a powerful tool for unlocking creativity and innovation in your team.
By incorporating some of these compelling corporate workshop ideas into your next team-building or professional development event, you can foster a culture of creativity and innovation in your organization.
The Mollie Plotkin Group represents keynote speakers and thought leaders who guide transformative workshop experiences for every industry. Contact us today, and we will work with your time to book the perfect workshop for your organization.
