Nobody Wants a Hammer: How to run workshops that turn insight into action - Paperback

by Philip Steggals (Author), Li Zhi Chin (Author), Victor Ong (Illustrator)

Nobody wants a hammer; they want the nail in the wall. In the same way, nobody wants market research they want clear outcomes and actionable steps hanging on the wall for all to see.

All too often research debriefs spark exciting and interesting ideas only to fizzle out from lack of agreement on where to next. This is where workshops create the spark - bringing together stakeholders and insights to help maximise the value from the investment in research - translating insights into action.

But, workshops run without structure, planning and organisation can go horribly wrong, leading to wasted time, confusion, frustration and a lack of direction in project outcomes. This book is specifically designed to be an easy reference guide to avoid the pitfalls and instead to maximise the impact of the research by generating an action and implementation plan from the insights.

This book will help you to:

Understand the fundamentals of a workshop

Confidently organise, plan and facilitate a workshop

Structure a workshop for maximum impact

Select the right workshop tools for each stage of your session

Generate clear actions steps from your insights

"This book has given me plenty of ideas for running future workshops of my own; and a robust framework to use from planning and implementation to following up with actions. This book can help a good facilitator draw out diversity of thinking and help to reduce group think."
Culture, Diversity and Engagement Manager, PepsiCo ANZ

"What I like about this book is that it works on two aspects. For those who are already familiar with the benefits of workshops, it provides best practice and tips to run them yourself, and it also helps those who have not had the chance to experience it yet to understand why workshops are so powerful. In my opinion that is the strength of this book and what makes it different."
Consumer Driven Packaging Manager, Barilla Group

"This book provides a great overview on what it takes to run successful workshops with actionable insights and provides lots of practical examples; flagging group dynamics and potential political challenges one should be aware during the different tools and stages of a workshop."
Head of Marketing - Asia, Cotton On

Author Biography

Patrick Young Patrick is an Insight Director at Kadence International, Singapore. Where he regularly plans, participates in and facilitates research-led workshops for a range of blue-chip and international companies. Patrick has been immersed in the world of collaborative and creative tools since his university days. 11 years later, having worked in London, Sydney and now Singapore, undertaking workshops for different kinds of clients from multinational FMCGs to small, local charities and having been a visiting lecturer on Psychology in Business at the University of Kent, he still hasn't stopped being amazed at the power of these little exercises to bring about big change. Philip Steggals Philip Steggals is Managing Director of Kadence International, Singapore. Since his Masters in Research and Consultancy 12 years ago, he joined Kadence International as a graduate progressing all the way to MD. Over this time, he has witnessed the power of workshops to deliver action and impact much more effectively than any research debrief. Phil has over a decade of experience in designing and leading workshops with some of the biggest brands on the planet and, together with the project sponsors, have been part of a group of people that have helped launch innovative products, driven unique marketing initiatives and implemented strategic changes that have defined how companies operate.