Round-table workshops

Numbers of people:  flexible, can be large group activity

Pros and cons:

Useful for: discussing specific topics of interest and concern to all attendees; coming up with ideas for action and improvement.  Working with lots of people who may have different abilities, a wide range of lived expertise and a variety of professional backgrounds.

Downsides and risks: room-size, travel and other factors may limit the number and diversity of people able to participate in the workshop itself. You may want to manage this risk by building in feedback processes to inform the workshop, and relating to outputs from the workshop, to test validity of findings across a wider range of people. 

Costs: this can be an expensive method, especially in terms of revenue budget for venue hire and participant expenses.  You may also need several people to act as table facilitators, to meet and greet, and to support people before and during the event. 

Timing: consider how tiring it may be for people with dementia to journey to possible unfamiliar places, to concentrate throughout your workshop, and to get home again. It may be better to go for a shorter day with breaks, than to try to cram in lots of content through the opportunity of having got people together.

Preparation: 

• be very clear what you want to find out through the event - involve people with dementia, possibly carers too, and other organisations as appropriate in planning for your event.
• be clear about how many people and who you want to invite to get the right number and range of people: see our guidance on how to recruit people with dementia and/or carers to attend
• checklist of things to consider telling people due to attend your event
• make reasonable adjustments people tell you they need to enable them to participate. (Consider using our Information about Me Form and form to collate what people tell you in their Information about Me Forms to help you plan - and have to hand on the day.)
• choose a venue that is easy to find and dementia-friendly
• request a room set up of round tables each with about 6 to 8 people at them (more than this may make conversations difficult as people with dementia may need more time than many people to process questions and provide responses)
• use reminder letters, texts, emails or phone calls to check people are still happy and able to attend

How to deliver your workshop on the day:

• Use dementia-friendly signage to help people find their way from the entrance through to your room and to/from the nearest toilets.
• Use name badges to identify who is at the event
• Use communication cards on each table as a constant visual reminder that people can ask if their needs are not being met at any point (for example, if they need people to speak up, speak slower or if they need help with anything). 
• Start  by introducing yourself, the purpose of the event and outlining what's due to happen at the event
• Ensure each table has its facilitator. Consider having a 'reporter' too, to take a note of what people say. Ensure any additional support for people with dementia is provided.
• Use powerpoint and presentations sparingly - a few words per slide, large font, with visuals to support
• Keep agenda items short
• Ensure agenda items/discussions don't rely on being able to remember what people have done earlier in the event .
• Don't end on a down-note - for example if you use the NHS Well Dementia Pathway, Dying Well comes at the end, but talking about end of life may be an emotive issue for some people, so plan to allow time to relax and end on a positive note.
• Consider including time for questions and answers as people share what each table has discussed.
• At the end: thank people and tell them what will happen next about what they have shared. Check people have all their things and are able to leave the venue safely/as planned. 

After the session:

Share notes about the session and its outcomes as soon as possible.