Action Plan Workshop: The Arrow
The Arrow workshop helps participants create a tangible action plan to achieve their goals by visualizing their future and identifying supporting and hindering factors. This method encourages a holistic view of progress and actionable steps.
Use this method when a team or individual needs to translate a broad vision into concrete, achievable steps, especially when facing ambiguity or feeling overwhelmed.
Solves: Lack of clear direction and actionable steps towards achieving a goal; feeling stuck or unsure how to proceed.
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Step 1: (5 min) Introduce the session's goal: to create a tangible action plan. Explain the 'Arrow' model and its purpose.
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Step 2: (10 min) Individual Visualization: Guide participants to close their eyes and visualize their life in the future (1 year, 3 years, etc.). Prompt them with questions about their achievements, environment, and daily life.
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Step 3: (5 min) Draw the Vision: Have participants draw their vision on the 'Arrow' at point 1 to make it tangible.
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Step 4: (20 min) Paired Interviews: In pairs, one person interviews the other, focusing on key factors that supported the vision (point 2) and hindering factors (point 3). The interviewer writes these on post-its and places them on the arrow.
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Step 5: (15 min) Problem Solving: The interviewer asks about solutions to overcome the hindering factors, writing these on post-its and attaching them to the corresponding problems.
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Step 6: (5 min) Current Steps: Identify and document steps already taken towards the vision (point 4).
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Step 7: (Variable) Switch Roles: Partners switch roles and repeat the process.
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Step 8: (10 min) Check-out: Each participant shares one next action they will take towards their vision.
- Encourage participants to be specific and realistic when identifying supporting and hindering factors.
- Remind participants that the time horizon can be adjusted to fit the context (e.g., 3 months, 1 year, 5 years).
- Run the workshop with the entire group brainstorming supporting and hindering factors collectively.
- Use different time horizons for the visioning exercise (e.g., 3 months, 5 years).