Applied Learning Workshops

Sometimes an organisation or industry doesn’t need a full training program. There is a particular issue that needs attention. A capability gap that needs addressing. A new area that people need to understand. Or a practical resource that needs to be developed.

That’s where our Applied Learning Workshops come in.

We work with groups to identify a specific issue and then design a focused workshop around it. We bring in the right expertise, give participants the opportunity to explore the issue in depth, and then provide time to work out what it means for their organisation.

Start with the issue

We work with you to understand:

  • What issue are you trying to address?
  • What do people need to understand?
  • Where are the gaps?
  • What would be useful to have at the end of the workshop?
  • What needs to happen afterwards?

The topic might be technical, operational, strategic, organisational or industry-specific.

Bring in the right expertise

We identify an expert facilitator who has the knowledge and experience relevant to the issue. They might be a technical specialist, researcher, industry expert, experienced practitioner or organisational specialist.

The expert provides the knowledge and experience that gives participants a starting point for discussion, questioning and practical work.

Working with the expert facilitator, participants can ask questions, test ideas, share their own experience and consider what the issue means in their particular environment. We look at questions such as:

  • What would be useful in practice?
  • What is happening now?
  • What are the challenges?
  • What are we missing?
  • What could we do differently?

Produce

Participants have time to develop something they can actually use.

Depending on the purpose of the workshop, this might be:

  • a framework
  • checklist
  • guide
  • process
  • decision-making tool
  • communication resource
  • template
  • action plan
  • capability resource

The development component can be flexible. Participants can develop the resource themselves, Anima Co can develop it for them, or we can work together to produce it. That means the workshop can be designed around what the organisation or industry actually needs and how much time and capacity participants have available.

What makes these different?

An Applied Learning Workshop combines:

  • Development: A practical tool, resource or approach that can be used afterwards.
  • Expertise: Access to people with the right knowledge and experience.
  • Learning: Evidence, research, practical examples and new ideas.
  • Discussion: Time to question, challenge and explore the issue.
  • Networking and relationship building: An opportunity to meet with others and build personal and professional networks, to collaborate, and to strengthen relationships.
  • Application: Time to consider what the learning means in the real world.

What can we work on?

Workshops can be designed around whatever issue an organisation, industry or group has identified as requiring attention.

What organisations can expect

Workshops can be designed as:

  • a half-day session
  • a full-day workshop
  • a series of connected sessions
  • a workshop followed by resource development
  • a workshop with follow-up and implementation support

The format is shaped by the issue, the people involved and what the organisation or industry needs to achieve.

The aim is simple: learn something useful, work out what it means for your organisation, and leave with something you can put into practice.