“A definitive code of conduct to orchestrate an effective, efficient, and result-oriented remote brand strategy workshop”
If technology permits, why not practice? That’s the one thing I keep telling my friends, family, clients, colleagues, and at times even myself. Of course, having someone physically present has its perks, but today we live in a fast-moving world coupled with a well-integrated opportunity to use technology, tools, and resources to run a busy schedule so that the day never seems to end and the list never seems to finish. This also enables us to connect at high speed and from across the world. This is why we are now looking at the possibilities of a remote brand strategy workshop. But every form of technology has its drawbacks. There are connectivity issues, muted mics, screen offs, and members continuously working on another tab while one person is nonstop talking at the meeting. ⅓ consumers already have a brand in mind when they go shopping. If you are not in their mind, you need to work on your brand. Having said that, I know I’ve already said that conducting a physical workshop has its advantages, but in this blog we are going to decode how we can leverage the online tools and resources at our disposal in the best way possible.
Okay, let’s get started then. In today’s class we will learn to run a remote brand strategy workshop that is online and efficient and reaps the same benefits as a physical one.
Set proper guidelines.
Do not become a victim of ambiguity, especially in a brand strategy workshop. Set clear and well-understood rules for the workshop. This ensures that nobody is muting their mics, temporarily blocking their camera, or leaving the meeting in between. Because when this happens, people feel bad and lose interest, and this leads to disjointed, frustrating, and bland experiences. On the contrary, when everyone follows the protocol, the experience automatically elevates. Guidelines make people align to one another and keep everyone in the same vicinity of rules and on the same page.
Plan before and plan ahead of the meeting. Make sure all the participants know the guidelines and are in compliance with them. The idea is to create a space where focus is possible and every voice can actually be heard. Rules make people respect the other person and draw boundaries.
Voila, real clarity emerges.
No small talk, but strong bonds
For this set the remote in different levels. This way, at each stage, the members become more and more confident of their voice and get to know each other steadily. Instead of one long session, start with something basic. Begin an introduction round; let people talk and introduce themselves. Let them speak for a few minutes on why they are part of the workshop and what they are planning to achieve. This warms up the workshop environment and establishes a tone to move forward with in the session. This may keep breaking the ice and keep moving forward. Let the energy go high and maintain it.
Call for strategic breaks.
You don’t expect all the workshop attendees to sit and talk for hours and continuously look at their device screens, do you? For people staring at a screen, time passes differently. As a conductor of the remote brand strategy workshop, you need to incorporate strategic breaks at regular intervals. This gives the members a breathing period, a time off. People can use it to have lunch, walk around, and think without having to focus on the workshop. It becomes essential in a remote arrangement to give people space to breathe, stretch, and move away from the screen.
Don’t forget you are working with people and not with machines. Respect the limits of attention, and your session becomes sharper, not shorter.
Give roles and take results.
It is easy to lose interest in a remote setting, especially because the attention span of people has reduced dramatically. This often leads to dysfunction. Typically, in a remote arrangement, people get bored of listening to the other person and secretly shift to some other work in a new tab on the sideline. Clearly, you don’t want this to happen with you in a remote brand strategy workshop, right?
This is where role assigning comes to your rescue. It brings operational clarity. Write this down as a pro tip: even if you are working with a small team, assign roles, designate positions, and let them act like they own the responsibility. This sparks a dynamicity in the workshop. The facilitator can lead the flow and keep the conversation moving. The person responsible for tech hosting can manage the platforms and handle glitches. A note-taker ensures nothing is lost. A timekeeper, on the other hand, keeps everyone honest.
With such an arrangement, these roles reduce the cognitive burden on people. They let participants focus on contribution, not logistics.
Don’t wait for the post-workshop documentation.
Let’s again presume a typical scenario. The meeting is coming to an end, and you hear one or many of the participants say
“Well, this was interesting. We will summarize this and share it with you all soon.”
You also know this: that the “soon” never comes, or even if it does, it doesn’t come back in the full form, format, or design. To prevent this, treat the closure as part of the workshop, not a separate task that the participants shall do in their own time. At the end of each module. Summarize the key points or moments. Reflect on what you heard. Use the tools and resources to cluster insights visually in front of the group. Let them see their thinking take shape.
Doing so will have one major benefit: by the end of the session, you will have a living document that can help you navigate through the whole workshop's key areas and movements. You can revisit your workshop goals. Ask the group for more discussion if required. This can change the way data is collected, collated, and represented.
Follow Up Like a Pro
A remote workshop doesn’t mean you’ll get remote outcomes. Make sure you take strong follow-ups on participants. Your follow-up should be structured, specific, and strategic. This will present everyone’s mindset on the center table, and from there you can pick out the key takeaways to learn, implement, and track performance. Brands without strategy bleed money silently. Follow-up can offer solid, actionable statements and practical measures to build a dynamic brand strategy.
Before we wrap up
“If technology permits, why not practice?” We started the class with this thought, and we are going to wrap up with the same one. Of course, physical workshops are more lively and feel warmer, but with these steps, you can run an effective remote brand strategy workshop. Always remember, you can always find a way for things to work out. If you don’t, you will just be waiting for the right moment. In this case, the right moment is when everybody is present, the right moment is when everybody is available, and the right moment you organize a workshop. There are times when such times never come. You don’t want to waste your time like that, do you?
Take charge, know the rules, follow them, and make participants comply, and your remote branding workshop will be a definite success.
