Workshop It:
A Collaborative Approach
to Brand Positioning

Step 1: Ground in Your Purpose 

Align on workshop goals and objectives

After we align on the role of brand positioning, we get clear on the outcomes we are looking to achieve during your workshop. This allows us to develop a clear plan of action and go into the workshop with confidence that the inputs we collect will fuel the rest of our brand work moving forward. 

The workshop goal is this: explore what does and doesn’t make your brand relevant to stakeholders. It takes vulnerability and courage to invite open conversation around what your brand can and should stand for. So we ask our clients to venture into this moment with the intent to listen, learn and enjoy the ride as much as possible.

Workshop objectives help to further clarify your mission, and often include:

•  Build off existing business strategy, test new ideas, and/or validate assumptions

•  Gain understanding of internal and external audience needs/wants

•  Bring project stakeholders up to speed and along for the ride

•  Invite and tease out open, honest feedback

Step 2: Lock in the Logistics

invite participants

Next, we turn our attention to convening the right people, in the right space, at the right time. First and foremost, we start with people. Because your brand is experienced by everyone from program participants, to funders, to volunteers, to staff, we strive for participant lists to be as diverse and cross-functional as possible. This is a rare moment where we actually want (and need) at least a few people with limited marketing, communications, or design experience. Think of the people who attend your workshop as the first champions of your new brand. When launch time rolls around, who do you want standing by your side, advocating for your organization? These are the people you want at your workshop.

decide on a full-day or half-day format

A productive, intentional workshop takes at least four hours to pull off. Anything less and participants will struggle to build rapport, get in a creative flow, or provide meaningful input and ideas. Ideally, we carve out a full day to host your workshop. Don’t worry, the agenda will be thoughtfully paced with ample time to take breaks and refuel. 

(Includes 30 minutes of overflow time)

This option takes you deeper into the areas of your brand that need extra attention, and includes ample time for large group sharing and digestion at the end of each activity.

choose a location

Although virtual workshops have become more commonplace, nothing compares to the dynamic of sharing physical space together. So much comes out of an in-person experience. It’s truly worth the effort and investment to gather people in the same space, even if it requires making special arrangements. However, if your organization absolutely must host its workshop online, Olio has the tools and knowhow to make it happen. 

Tips for selecting an in-person workshop space:

• Strive to orient somewhere outside of your typical place of work

• Visit the space ahead of time to asses the vibe and energy of the space

• Choose an environment that aligns with your organization’s mission and values

• Based on the size of your group, ensure there’s ample room to spread out and move around

• Secure access to white boards or vertical surfaces where large pieces of paper can be hung

• Consider accessibility needs, both for getting to and around the location

• The more natural light, the better

Tips for setting the stage virtually:

• Establish clear rules about cameras and microphones, and share them in advance

• Build in breaks for people to walk away from their screens

• Choose a technology platform that your participant pool can navigate with ease

• Double check your organization’s IT security requirements

Step 3: Design the Experience

plan the Agenda

To get the most of your workshop, nothing is more important than flow. Dedicated time should be given to participant grounding, engaging activities and group reflection. We use our time wisely, breaking up the time strategically between curated design thinking exercises and well-timed breaks/moments of rest.

Olio’s brand positioning workshops include exercises that fall into three categories—empathy, ethos and expression.

Empathy 
Depending on your participant makeup, these exercises encourage organizational insiders to either step outside their personal experiences and understand what people who engage with their organization need and want, or they create space for community members and program participants to tap into and share their lived experiences.

This component of Olio’s brand positioning workshop is all about what happens after everyone leaves the room. During the workshop, we collect loads of raw material but we never plan to settle on anything on the spot. Once the dust settles, we survey what’s been contributed and begin to make sense of it all. We share out these findings with workshop stakeholders for a quick gut check, and then we’re off to the next phase of brand strategy with a heightened level of inspiration and alignment.