Workshops are my favorite format to work with.
A focused team, a clear purpose, and the chance to solve a long-lasting problem. But even the best-planned sessions can go off the rails when group dynamics get fuzzy or pressure mounts.
In this article we will discuss:
When Things Don't Go as Planned
Workshops ask more from participants than most meetings. You鈥檙e not just sharing information鈥攜ou鈥檙e making decisions, exploring ideas, and moving the work forward.
Along the way, disagreement, uncertainty and tension are inevitable. Sometimes you even need to pivot the course of your boat. It鈥檚 in those unforeseen moments鈥攚hen next steps blur, debates heat up, or an unexpected obstacle appears鈥攖hat familiar group patterns can unravel.
Many people have difficulty hearing disagreement, opposite opinions or different ideas. It's when the personal map meets unfamiliar territory that people retreat into monologues, dig in our heels, and the group slows down.
That's when your boundaries get tested.
Ground rules are those boundaries, the constraints that keep a workshop鈥檚 three critical variables on track鈥�Trust, Clarity and Outcomes.
Which rules you choose, how you phrase them and how the team agrees to uphold them will determine whether you get to the destination alone or together.
How to Set Ground Rules in Your Workshops
The effect of ground rules is determined by relevance, language and introduction. The latter meaning how you establish an agreement with the group. If you choose rules that match the dynamics of your group, find the right language and involve the group in extending your selection, you're doing very well.
Here's how to do it:
Pick 3 Starter Rules
I like to pick three 鈥渟tarter鈥� rules鈥攖ailored to the goal and style of the session. You can pick the right ground rules by paying attention to the following best practices:
Step 1: Spot Your Biggest Friction Points
Think back on past workshops, find the biggest workshop derailers (side-chats, scope creep, uneven airtime) and turn them into your first default rule.
[.box-highlight]Example 鈥淪tep Up / Step Back: If you鈥檙e talking a lot, step back and make space for someone else to speak. If you鈥檝e been thinking, step up and share your thoughts.鈥�[.box-highlight]
Step 2: Phrase for Behavior, Not Philosophy
Ground Rules work best when you call out specific actions. Swap ideals for behaviors: 鈥淎sk for clarification before critiquing鈥� instead of 鈥淎ssume positive intent.鈥�
[.box-highlight]Example 鈥�Claim Your Own Perspective: Preface opinions with 鈥業 think鈥︹� or 鈥楩rom my experience鈥︹� so every contribution is clearly owned.鈥� [.box-highlight]
This stops people from speaking on behalf of others or stating opinions as facts.
Step 3: Align with Your Outcome
If this is strategy session, you might need more emphasis on precise reasoning (Ground Rule: 鈥淪tate your assumption before your recommendation鈥�). If it's a co-creation workshop, you might need more emphasis on rapid ideation ("Contribute first, critique later").
[.box-highlight]Example 鈥�Investigate Before You Critique: When someone offers an idea, ask 鈥楬ow could that look in practice?鈥� before you offer the first critique.鈥� [.box-highlight]
This ensures ideas get fleshed out instead of instantly shot down.
1-Line Script:
Here's a small template for you to introduce ground rules in your workshop:
[.box-highlight]In today's workshop we'll map out our Q3 priorities for the strategy team. To make our discussion as productive and safe as possible, I鈥檇 like us to agree on a few simple ground rules. These guidelines will help keep us focused, encourage everyone to speak up, and give us a clear way to get back on track if needed.鈥�[.box-highlight]
Co-Create & Commit
If you involve your participants in creating the guidelines for their own conversation you're already facilitating before the workshop really started.
Co-create Ground Rules
Once you鈥檝e shared your three ground rules, you can invite the group to co-create the rest. I might ask, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 one ground rule you鈥檇 add to help this session go well for you?鈥濃攁nd usually, one or two great additions emerge.
Get participant's consent
鈥�After you've shaped the list together, make sure we鈥檝e got full buy-in. Keep the rules visible鈥攚hether it鈥檚 a flipchart in the room, a sticky note on a whiteboard, or a comment in the chat鈥攁nd ask for a quick thumbs up: 鈥淎re we all in on these?鈥� It鈥檚 a simple gesture, but it signals shared ownership.
List of Groundrules for Workshops
Now that we established how to set ground rules in workshops, here are 14 essential ground rules to inspire your workshop preparation.
"Tackle problems, not people"
When people feel that they personal viewpoint is under attack, they often feel hurt, lash out and attack back. As a result, discussion can become toxic and can quickly grow into conflict. "Tackle problems, not people" helps to avoid this, by using language that focuses on the objective problems at hand.
"Everyone participates, no one dominates"
There are always a mix of extrovert and introverted people in a meeting. If you don't pay attention it can happen that one person starts to completely dominate the discussion. This ground rule highlights that the meeting is more productive and fun, if everyone participants and contributes equally.
"Getting started is more important than being right"
When faced with difficult challenges or questions, there is tendency of people to find the perfect answer. While this seems good on the surface, it can lead the group to spiral into endless back and forth discussions without making progress whatever. "Getting started is more important than being right" reminds the group, that progress is the priority and that answers will probably emerge along the process.
Donut Rule
The Donut Rule is a meeting guideline for the group to focus on the larger picture (donut) instead of getting caught up in things they don't have or can't control (hole in the donut). When the group focuses on the donut, instead of the hole (metaphorically) it's easier to maintain a constructive and positive atmosphere.
"Be present, or be elsewhere"
The more people zone out of a meeting, the quality of the meeting and its output will diminish rapidly. Often people do this unconsciously because they feel that the meeting isn't relevant for them.聽"Be present, or be elsewhere" is a good meeting guidelines to establish shared awareness and clear expectations one participants.
"Share the air"
This ground rule strengthens the importance of being inclusive and making space for other 鈥� often quiet and hesitant 鈥� participants. It's everyone's responsibility, to find ways that everyone can contribute their ideas and thoughts to the meeting.
A & A Rule
The "A & A Rule" says that instead of judging ideas, people should focus on adding to ideas or providing alternatives. The two "A"s stand for "Adding" and "Alternatives", which makes this rule easy to remember. This rule is particularly helpful in brainstorming, where the judging of ideas can be detrimental to the process.
"Make ideas tangible"
The more tangible ideas are, the easier it is to discuss them. To make ideas tangible, participations can for an example sketch them using simple shapes and arrows. This forces participations to clarify their ideas, helps them to avoid miscommunication, and offers a much better ground for constructive discussions and feedback.
"Don't rely on creativity"
"Don't rely on creativity" is a reminder that participants should just stick to the process, instead of waiting for for the "creative" spark to come to them. Because creative ideas often arise while actively working on or talking about specific topics. Nothing comes from doing nothing!
"Defer Judgment"
Ideation and brainstorming sessions flow better when they are not interrupted by judgmental questions or critical comments from individuals. "Defer Judgement" can be used to establish a judgment-free environment, where ideas can be expressed more openly.
"Go for Quantity"
"Go for Quantity" is a great rule to establish before diving into a brainstorming session. Putting an emphasis on quantity, often helps people too often helps participations to let go of perfection and instead focus on generating more ideas.
"Think blue sky"
Blue sky thinking is brainstorming without limits. This rule can be used to encourage participants to come up with big ideas, without considering the practical constraints of day-to-day life. These blue sky ideas are often very inspirational and a great anchor point for the group to come up with similar, more feasible ideas.
"Be the crew, not the passenger"
In general, meetings are better if more people participate and take responsibility for discussions and decisions. "Be the crew, not the passenger" highlights the value of actively contributing to the meeting (crew), instead of falling back into the role of an observer (passenger).
Parking lot
Parking Lot is a place, where participants can park off-topic ideas, questions, or comments for a later time. Establishing this as a ground rule highlights that participants can suggest on their own when to place something on the parking lot in order to keep the meeting on track and on time.
Final Thoughts
Halfway through the workshop you can apply mid-session pulse check. Pause and ask each steward to rate on a 1鈥�5 scale how well their rule is holding. These mini颅-reviews reinforce the rules in real time and close the loop on learning.
Ground rules might seem like a small detail, but they鈥檙e one of the most practical ways to shape the tone and outcome of a workshop. When you set them with care鈥攁nd involve the group in the process鈥攖hey create clarity, safety, and momentum.