A Unique Client Request
While I don’t suppose that the Happy Hour DiSC Workshop we recently conducted for a client of ours was the first one ever, it certainly was the first one for us!
And, despite some challenges, it went surprisingly well.
There were several challenges for our first-ever Happy Hour DiSC Workshop: First, it was to be virtual, but pretty much everything is, at the moment, so that’s less of a challenge and more of a reality. Second, the time allotted was only 90 minutes and most of our workshops run two hours. Third, there were to be just over forty people on the call; we normally like to keep participant count under 20 for maximal training outcomes. Finally, there was a loose requirement that the program had to be “fun”. It was, after all, a Happy Hour meeting.
Shortening the Program
The first step was to trim the content back such that the program could easily fit into 90 minutes with some time set aside for “fun”. We have positioned our workshops to fit into a two-hour time slot because we feel that is the most that learners can endure before “Zoom fatigue” sets in. I already feel like we are squeezing a lot into that 120-minute block so at first I thought trimming it back, but still having a good outcome would be nearly impossible.
It wasn’t so bad. Just like decluttering a closet, once you decide that everything non-essential must go, it becomes easier to toss things out or spend less time on them.
Adding Some Fun
The next part was adding some fun elements. This group was automotive, so we added a breakout activity where style groups picked a part of the car that represented their style and explained why in a debrief. This is a replacement for the “Day in the Life” activity, commonly used in DiSC training.
We also developed a set of virtual “Need Tag” backgrounds, using brand-specific backgrounds for the client. These were made available for download a few days before the workshop and I crossed my fingers that the backgrounds would be embraced… and they were! Every single person on the call had downloaded a background and a few had even made their own using the blank tag. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to spend a lot of time including these in the program, given the time constraint, but this is something we are looking to incorporate into future workshops.
The rest of the “fun” was created by keeping things light and upbeat. The effect was achieved. One evaluation said, “Much more fun and interesting than I originally thought it would be – thanks Terry!” Also, more than a third of those responding to the prompt, “How can we improve this program?” suggested that the meeting should be longer. We agree!
Managing 40+ Participants
This turned out not to be a problem at all. With so many people and so little time, the interaction was more limited than we would have wanted, but the main reason this wasn’t a problem was due to the group. They contributed when asked, but never took too long to provide responses. I couldn’t have asked for a better group.
The Results
With a Net Promoter Score of 88, the Happy Hour DiSC Workshop became one of the highest-rated virtual programs we have done. We had 31 evaluations responses and this is what the participants had to say to the prompt, “Please let us know why you gave this rating”:
The results were spot on
Fun and I learned a lot!!
Had a great time! Super informative
Great insight and opportunity to learn about myself and others
Very engaging and informative and directly related to our work
Much more fun and interesting than I originally thought it would be – thanks Terry!
It was very informative and the resource of Catalyst is definitely something I’ll use in the future with coworker collaborating.
Very helpful on a large team
Great chance to learn and work together.
We hit all our goals, showed why it was important and helped to build self awareness with a short time period
Interactive and explains how to use the results professionally
Very informative, will help me when communicating with my team.
It was awesome to see everyone. Great explanation of people’s strengths.
This experience has been very helpful and enlightening.
Good overview of DiSC styles and how catalyst can be used
Really enlightening
Was very engaging and got everyone involved.
I think everyone took something from this
I have always loved DISC profile conversations and work with this type of information. I love analyzing myself and the communication styles of friends, colleagues and relationships.
Very insightful
I like the tools on the website that allow you to see how you can communicate better with colleagues.
It was so informative and fun.
Presentation flow was professional and kept my attention.
Great to go through self reflection.
Very interesting to see colleagues’ personality types and new ways to communicate effectively.
Taught us a lot of great techniques for working with other DiSC types both at home and office.
The accuracy of the profile is eye-opening. Made me notice areas that I can improve upon.
Ready to Give it a Try?
We would be pleased to do a similar (or different!) program for your group. Submit a Workshop Request Form and let’s start the conversation about how to best serve your organization.