In this article, we are able to explore two words we hear often in the school and work fields. Workshops and meetings are often used in a professional setting to get an established topic to a final conclusive destination. In the article, we learn that “meetings are for sharing information and workshops are for solving a problem or reaching an actionable goal” (Kaplan, Nielsen Norman Group, 2020).
Often times workshops are unsuccessful when the goal is unclear from the beginning and this causes everyone to have different thought processes for achieving what they believe is the goal. In a workshop, ideas and thoughts are brought together to ultimately create one larger idea related to their mission at hand. Solving the problem through action is done within the workshop in a controlled environment. Meetings are more information based an allow for things to be discussed amongst a group. A speak and listen environment is often used to convey information more effectively. Often times meetings can last from 30 mins to a few hours, whereas a workshop can take from half-days to several days. The structure is also a bit different amongst the two; a workshop often time includes the process of brainstorming, stretching, writing and overall action-based demonstrations to complete a more involved way of solving the problem. In a meeting, more round-table like discussions are had and often there is a facilitator who is giving a good portion of the information regarding the topic of the meeting. Notes are most likely being taken and the environment is more passive.
Kaplan, Kate. “UX Workshops vs. Meetings: What’s the Difference?” Nielsen Norman Group, 16 Feb. 2020, www.nngroup.com/articles/workshops-vs-meetings/.