Over the past year, I have delivered seven workshops at ALARM national and regional events, working with nearly 400 risk professionals across the public sector. Our goal was simple but ambitious, to bring people together to tackle some systemic challenges in public sector risk management.
These sessions drew on the NAO’s Overcoming challenges to managing risks in government and its analyser tool. But importantly, they relied on something less tangible: collaboration, curiosity and a willingness to think differently.
Top five tips for modern risk workshops
Start with purpose and preparation: Define objectives and outcomes upfront. Share pre-reading and use short surveys to ensure your content hits the mark.
Make it interactive: Use breakout rooms, polls, and written notes to give everyone a voice, especially in hybrid settings.
Embrace technology wisely: AI tools like Copilot can summarise feedback instantly, freeing you to focus on discussion. Virtual whiteboards and collaboration platforms make remote participants feel included.
Learn and adapt in real time: Reflect after each session, seek feedback, and tweak your approach. What worked in workshop one may not work in workshop seven…. and that’s okay.
Keep it practical and action-oriented: Workshops should lead to action, not just conversation. Capture insights, share outputs promptly, and make it clear how ideas will be taken forward.
Standing in front of a room full of seasoned risk professionals isn’t always easy. I’ve fluffed my lines, lost my train of thought, and faced the dreaded silence after asking a question. But those moments taught me something important: preparation, structure, and a supportive group make all the difference.
The ALARM Risk Workshop Guide
If you want to make your risk workshops work harder, I recommend looking through the ALARM Risk Workshop Guide (2019). It’s a practical and trusted resource; one I wish I’d had to hand earlier in my career.
Drawing on the experience of seasoned facilitators, the guide offers step-by-step advice for planning, delivering, and learning from risk workshops.
Covering everything from engaging attendees and structuring sessions to understanding organisational culture and the value of reflection, its core principles - clarity of purpose, inclusive facilitation, and learning from experience - are as relevant today as ever.
So, whether you’re new to risk workshops or looking to refresh your approach, here are some reflections and practical tips (based on the ALARM Guide) to make your sessions engaging, inclusive, and transformative.
The importance of preparation and purpose
A clear and agreed brief is essential.
This simple statement has stood the test of time. In today’s fast-paced, hybrid world, clarity from the outset is more important than ever.
Define objectives, outcomes, and format upfront so everyone is pulling in the same direction. Preparation isn’t just logistics; it’s about setting the tone and managing expectations. A clear brief creates shared purpose and trust.
Insight on ALARM risk workshop delivery: Each delegate received workshop details, links to the NAO Guide and tool, and a short survey via MS Forms. Delegates selected their top four challenges, and we tailored the content accordingly.
Facilitation is important, but passion is key
A facilitator has to guide, direct, keep control, bring closure and seek validation.
Facilitation is about more than keeping to an agenda, it’s about creating an environment where everyone feels safe to contribute, where debate is encouraged, and where collective learning is shared. Hybrid workshops add complexity. The facilitator needs to manage technology, balance voices, and adapt to unexpected challenges.
Insight on ALARM risk workshop delivery: The best facilitators read the room, virtual or physical. Breakout rooms and written notes help ensure everyone can contribute. The value is in the conversation, so don’t force feedback. We collated insights and shared them with delegates with the workshop slides post workshop.
Don’t be afraid to rip it up and re-design
It is important for the facilitator to learn from the experience, errors and successes of the workshop.
Today’s risk landscape is more interconnected and complex than ever, making it essential to draw on diverse perspectives. That’s why our workshops targeted organisations at national and regional levels, capturing a wide range of challenges and solutions.
A key lesson has been the value of learning as we go. By actively seeking feedback and reflecting on each session, we’ve been able to design, run, and continually re-design workshops that are inclusive and pitched correctly.
Insight on ALARM risk workshop delivery: Workshop one didn’t look the same as workshop seven. After each session we sought feedback, reflected on what worked (and what didn’t), and applied learning. Over the year we weren’t afraid to scrap slides and create new ones in response to changes.
Workshops are a powerful tool to surface and tackle real issues and help drive action. The ALARM guide has some universal and tried and tested advice that has stood the test of time.
However, as technology advances, and working practices become ever more diverse, we can modernise our approaches to create successful workshops. Risk workshops can be a catalyst for action and change.
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