Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: 96d4e1bcc33fc230e0daab495ce87805d9b41b0815969d1065e75cc19582e81b

# How to Finish Any Workshop

Participants review session objectives, write a reflection on how their thinking shifted, and share immediate feedback on what worked and what could improve.

**Time:** 20 minutes. Source specifies a maximum of 20 minutes across 3 stages.
**People:** 4 to 24. Independent writing followed by pairs or whole-group readout

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Review workshop objectives, capture individual learning shifts, and gather concrete facilitation feedback before closing.
**Use it when:** Use at the end of any multi-hour or multi-day workshop when the facilitator needs to close open commitments, solidify takeaways, and capture group feedback.
**Skip it when:** Skip if the session has no defined objectives, if running a micro-session under 30 minutes where 20 minutes of closing is disproportionate, or if a formal evaluation mechanism already replaces group feedback.

## Materials and tools

- Flip chart paper or whiteboard
- Dry erase or flip chart markers
- Sticky notes or index cards (2 to 3 per person)
- Pens (1 per person)
- Visible timer or phone timer

## Before participants arrive

1. Post the original session objectives prominently on a wall or shared screen.
2. Prepare two flip chart sheets side by side: one labeled 'What Went Well (WWW)' and one labeled 'Even Better If (EBI)'.
3. Ensure every participant has pen and paper or sticky notes.

## Say this to open

We have reached the end of our working session. Before we leave, we will take twenty minutes to review what we accomplished, capture how our views evolved, and collect your feedback so our future sessions improve. Let us start by looking back at the objectives we set at the start.

## How to run it

### 1. Review objectives (5 minutes)

Read the original workshop objectives aloud one by one. Ask the group: 'Did we achieve this today?' Mark confirmed items with a checkmark. If an objective was missed or partly achieved, write down a concrete owner and next step on the chart. Invite 2 or 3 quick comments if there is disagreement.

### 2. Reflect and write shifts (4 minutes)

Give participants 2 minutes of silent reflection followed by 2 minutes of individual writing. Ask everyone to complete this prompt on paper or a sticky note: 'I used to think [blank], but now I think [blank].' State that it is acceptable if their thinking did not change; in that case, they can write what confirmed their existing view or write 'Pass'.

### 3. Share learning shifts (6 minutes)

If the group has 14 or fewer people, invite brief readouts around the circle (15 to 20 seconds each). If the group has 15 to 24 people, form pairs or trios to share their statements for 4 minutes, then take 3 or 4 volunteers to share with the whole room.

### 4. Capture feedback (5 minutes)

Point to the two flip charts: 'What Went Well' and 'Even Better If'. Ask each person to write one specific item per note or speak aloud while the facilitator writes. Capture comments visibly in real time. Thank the room and close the workshop.


## Debrief questions

- Which unmet objective requires our most urgent attention this week?
- What common pattern emerged in how our thinking changed?
- What practical adjustment from the 'Even Better If' list should we apply immediately next time?

**Finished output:** A marked-up list of session objectives with identified next steps, a set of individual learning shift statements, and two lists of workshop feedback (What Went Well and Even Better If).

## Remote

Display the original objectives on a shared digital whiteboard or slide. Run the reflection using chat or digital sticky notes. Use breakout rooms of 2 or 3 people for Step 3 if attendance exceeds 15. Capture What Went Well and Even Better If on a two-column digital board where participants post simultaneously.

## Hybrid

Project the digital board in the physical room. In-person participants write on physical sticky notes while a designated room buddy transcribes them to the digital board, or invite all participants to post directly into the shared online board via their own devices. Alternate shares between room participants and remote participants during Step 3.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may speak their reflections aloud, write on sticky notes, or type into chat.
- Sharing reflections is optional; anyone may pass without explanation.
- Writing 'My thinking was confirmed' or passing entirely is fully valid if no shift occurred.

## If the session gets stuck

**The group debates whether an objective was achieved, stalling Step 1.**

Intervene after 60 seconds. Note the objective as 'Partially Achieved' and record a 1-line follow-up task with an assigned owner to resolve the open issue after the meeting.

**Participants use 'Even Better If' to make personal criticisms of colleagues.**

Redirect the focus immediately to workshop structure, pacing, materials, and group process rather than personal critiques.


## Terms used here

- WWW / EBI: 'What Went Well' and 'Even Better If', a standard feedback format separating strengths from actionable suggestions.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in WorkshopBank as a closing procedure for workshops. WorkshopBank provides the structure; original authorship of the component prompts (such as Project Zero's thinking routine) is not documented in the evidence.

Retained the three source phases (Objectives check, 'I used to think / now I think' prompt, and WWW/EBI feedback) and the 20-minute overall timebox. Added specific subgroup rules for larger groups in Step 3, practical hybrid transcription guidance, explicit next-step handling for missed objectives, and neutral facilitation scripts.

[WorkshopBank](https://workshopbank.com/tools/how-to-finish-any-workshop)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/how-to-finish-any-workshop-workshopbank/