When does your workshop REALLY begin?

When does a workshop start? When the facilitator opens the first slide?

No.

Here's what I personally believe: a workshop starts once every person in the room has spoken. Not after. Not before. That's the moment.

Why does this matter? Because speaking is arriving. A person who hasn't spoken yet is still carrying their previous meeting, their inbox, their commute. They're physically there but likely mentally somewhere else.

I used to jump straight into content. Efficient? Well, no. Not automatically. Half the room would only warm up 30 minutes in. It's actually quite wasteful.

Now I always create a moment at the start where everyone says something. In smaller workshops, I may hear from everyone. With bigger audiences, I may pair them up or let them wrestle with a question at their table.

It genuinely feels like flipping a switch — engagement, synchronization, real presence.

Two minutes. That's all it often takes to get everyone to really arrive.