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[V1 - Archived] Product Maestro Workshop Series

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[V1 - Archived] Product Maestro Workshop Series

Building Product Sense Through Short Interactive Virtual Workshops

I also like the name 'Product Sensei' (get it?) but it doesn't really fit the brand

Project Title: Building Product Sense Through Interactive Virtual Workshops

Executive Summary:

Over the next 2 months, we will host free 30 - 60 minute 45 minute virtual workshops 2-5x per week to teach in-demand product management skills. This will establish our expertise, generate leads, and provide valuable education.

Introduction and Definition

Value Proposition

Orchestra’s Virtual Workshop Series: Empowering Teams and Individuals Through Expert-Led Product Management Training

Unique Selling Points:

Expert-Led Insight: Leveraging industry experts to deliver practical insights into product management.

Interactive and Engaging Format: Short, high-energy workshops designed to maximize participant engagement and learning within a minimal time commitment.

Community-Centric Approach: Fostering a supportive community for ongoing learning and networking.

Problem Definition

Bridging the Gap in Accessible, Practical Product Management Training

Market Pain Points:

Lack of Accessible Expertise: Many professionals and teams lack easy access to high-quality, expert-led product management training.

Time and Resource Constraints: Existing comprehensive courses are often time-consuming and expensive, limiting their accessibility to a broader audience.

Need for Practical Application: There’s a gap in training that focuses on real-world applications and provides actionable insights.

Customer Profile

Targeting Startups, Mid-Sized Businesses, and Aspiring Product Management Professionals

Demographics:

Businesses: Startups and mid-sized companies seeking to enhance their product management strategies and team skills.

Individuals: Aspiring and current product managers, and professionals in related roles seeking to develop product sense and strategic thinking.

Psychographics:

Value-Driven Learners: Those who seek practical, real-world applicable knowledge over theoretical understanding.

Time-Conscious Professionals: Individuals and teams needing efficient learning modules that fit into their busy schedules.

Market Opportunity

Capitalizing on the Growing Demand for Agile and Effective Product Management Training

Trends and Insights:

Expanding Market: The product management field is rapidly growing, with an increasing number of companies recognizing the importance of strategic product development.

Shift Towards Online Learning: The global shift towards virtual learning environments presents an opportunity to reach a broader audience.

Demand for Short-Form, Flexible Learning: There's a growing preference for short, flexible learning modules that provide immediate value and are easily integrated into daily routines.

Workshop Format

The core workshop limited to 30 minutes, with an optional 15-minute panel discussion, making it ideal for lunch hour participation. Potential for two sessions per day to accommodate various time zones.

Detailed Breakdown

Topic Icebreaker (2 min): As soon as participants join, they are greeted with an interactive ice breaker. This activity is carefully crafted to be relevant to the workshop's topic and designed to energize and engage attendees right from the start.

Purpose: The ice breaker serves to warm up the group, encourage participation, and introduce the workshop's theme in an informal, engaging manner.

Framing Story (3 min): The host shares an interesting story or example that frames the topic in a memorable way. This story is designed to be relatable and thought-provoking, setting the stage for the main content.

Problem Framing: The story naturally leads into a clear articulation of the main problem or challenge that the workshop will address, contextualizing the importance and relevance of the session.

Interactive Application (15 min): This segment is the heart of the workshop, where participants engage in a main interactive activity. This could involve collaborative problem-solving, scenario analysis, or hands-on exercises relevant to the workshop's topic.

Facilitator Guidance: The facilitator plays a crucial role in directing this activity, ensuring it remains focused, dynamic, and insightful – with engaging elements of play.

Expert Insight & Reinforcement (5 min): The workshop concludes with the facilitator or an invited expert providing key insights and takeaways. This might include practical advice, innovative strategies, or a surprising reveal linked to the initial ice breaker or story.

Reinforcement: Participants leave with concrete, actionable knowledge and a memorable conclusion to the session.

Optional Panel (10 min): Select participants are invited to participate in a discussion with the expert and help field questions using an interactive tool.

Expert Conclusion: Panel guest is invited to conclude the discussion with prepared remarks and a call to action.

Post-Workshop Engagement:

Circle.so Platform for Continued Discussion: To maintain engagement beyond the workshop, we will utilize Circle.so, an online discussion platform. Here, participants can post questions, share insights, and continue discussions. This platform will serve as a community hub for ongoing learning and networking.

Resource Sharing: After each session, additional resources such as summaries, toolkits, or related readings will be shared on this platform, enhancing the learning experience and providing value beyond the workshop timeframe.

This workshop format is designed to maximize engagement and learning in a condensed timeframe, ideal for busy professionals. It emphasizes immediate participant involvement, dynamic interaction, and practical insights, all orchestrated to make the most of a 30-minute session. This structure also allows for flexibility and experimentation with different content and delivery styles.

Program Development

Accelerated Development Timeline:

Immediate Action: Given the goal to launch these workshops in two weeks, the development process needs to be highly efficient and focused. Rapid decision-making and clear, streamlined workflows are crucial.

Themed Weeks: Each week will have a unique theme, potentially aligned with the interests of sponsors and partners, adding a layer of branding and focus to the content.

Community-Driven Topic Selection:

Initial Topic List Creation: Generate an initial list of varied topics. This list should include familiar subjects for product managers, explorations into other disciplines, and unconventional, out-of-the-box ideas.

Audience Participation via Social Media: Use Twitter and LinkedIn to promote the list and invite the community to vote on their preferred topics and suggest experts. This not only engages the audience but also serves as a valuable marketing tool.

Responsive Topic Finalization: Based on the feedback and votes, finalize the topics that resonate most with the audience, ensuring relevance and interest.

Workshop Content Focus:

Niche and Impactful Topics: Each workshop should focus on a specific, niche topic that can be meaningfully conveyed within the tight timeframe. The aim is to offer a mental model, framework, analogy, or example that is both useful and memorable.

One Idea per Workshop: Concentrate on communicating one clear idea per session, leaving more complex or nuanced discussions for offline engagement or as leads for paid services.

Workshop Focus: Tailor some workshops specifically for skill enhancement, career development, and industry insights that are particularly relevant to job seekers.

Expert Commitment and Training:

Time Commitment: Ensure that participating experts are fully committed to the required time for training, practice, and participation. This includes staying within the set timeframe and delivering a compelling conclusion.

Expert Training: Provide clear guidelines and training to experts on the workshop format, emphasizing the importance of engaging, concise, and impactful content delivery.

Adaptability and Redundancy:

Multiple Speakers: Given the ambitious schedule, have backup speakers ready to ensure smooth execution in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Contingency Planning: Develop contingency plans for various scenarios to maintain the quality and continuity of the workshop series.

Marketing and Engagement Strategy:

Social Media Engagement: Actively use social media platforms for real-time updates, topic voting, and expert suggestions, fostering a sense of community involvement.

Iterative Learning: Embrace varying levels of engagement across topics as an opportunity for learning and refining the workshop format and content.

Feedback and Iteration: Regularly gather participant feedback for continuous improvement, using each workshop as a stepping stone to enhance the overall experience.

Partnerships & Promotion

Streamlined Partner Engagement:

Upfront Collaboration: Initiate partnerships by co-developing the workshop schedule. This collaborative effort should include determining topics, selecting experts, and identifying branding opportunities for each partner.

Schedule Distribution: Once the schedule is finalized, distribute it widely through both Orchestra's and partners' channels. This distribution should highlight the topics, experts involved, and the role of each partner prominently.

Leverage Partner Networks: Rely heavily on partners for distributing the schedule and promoting the workshops. Each partner should identify the most effective distribution channel within their network, whether it be social media, email newsletters, or internal communication platforms.

Partner-Driven Promotions: Collaborate with partners to offer special discounts or exclusive access to workshops for members of their communities, especially those catering to job seekers or professionals looking to upskill.

Pilot Session for Partner Trust:

Demonstration Workshop: Consider conducting a pilot session exclusively for partners. This session serves as a demonstration of the workshop's value and effectiveness, helping to earn partners' trust and enthusiasm for broader promotion.

Community Engagement:

Leveraging 'Never Search Alone' and Other Communities: Utilize the 'Never Search Alone' network and other product-related communities on Slack, along with relevant newsletters, to promote the workshops. This approach taps into already engaged audiences interested in product management and related fields.

Peer-to-Peer Learning: Promote the concept of peer-to-peer learning, where job seekers and professionals can learn from each other, fostering a community of mutual support and growth.

Interactive Topic and Expert Sourcing: Create a platform where the community can not only suggest topics but also pitch themselves or others as potential experts. This interactive engagement serves to crowdsource ideas and experts, while simultaneously building brand presence and community relations.

Interactive Challenges: Launch skill-building challenges tied to workshop themes, encouraging participants to apply what they learn and share their outcomes, perhaps in a dedicated section of your newsletter or on social media.

Virtual Networking Events: Organize virtual networking events post-workshop, where job seekers can connect with industry professionals, workshop experts, and other attendees, facilitating valuable connections. (Note: virtual networking is difficult to execute well)

Focused Newsletter Marketing:

Weekly Newsletter: Develop a simple yet effective weekly newsletter to promote the upcoming week’s schedule. The newsletter should highlight key sessions, experts, and any special themes or partner features.

Calendar Promotion: Include the full workshop calendar in the newsletter, offering subscribers an overview of what's coming and encouraging them to plan their participation in advance.

Partnership for Partnership Development:

Collaboration with a Partnership Specialist: Consider partnering with a company that specializes in developing and managing partnerships. In exchange for a share of profits or mutual promotional opportunities, they can help in rapidly expanding the network of partners, thereby enhancing the reach and impact of the workshop series.

Partnerships Agreements

Charter

Established onboarding for facilitators and SME’s for the Orchestra “feel”

Campaign

Here are some ideas for marketing the workshops in December and January to job seekers:

Seasonal Messaging: "Level Up During the Slowdown":

"Looking to sharpen your skills over the holidays? Join our interactive virtual workshops on hot product management topics."

"Slow work weeks ahead? Level up your product skills from home through our engaging virtual workshops."

Value Propositions

"Add in-demand skills to your resume with our free weekly virtual workshops - no travel required."

"Stay ahead of the competition in 2023 by building your capabilities now. Join our weekly skill-building workshops."

Calls to Action

"Network and learn with fellow job seekers in our interactive virtual workshops - sign up now!"

"Unemployed or underemployed tech professionals: share your expertise by leading one of our upcoming workshops."

Hashtags

#SlowDownLevelUp

#NewYearNewSkills

Imagery

Illustration of person learning through workshops

Sales

Sales Process with Partners

A key goal of this workshop series is to generate leads and sales for our broader services. We will incorporate the following sales process:

Offer extended workshops - Following each 30 minute workshop, partners will have the option to sign up attendees for a 60-90 minute extended virtual workshop to dive deeper into the topic. These will be sponsored and hosted jointly.

Consulting offers - The weekly newsletter will highlight specialized consulting offers from partners tailored to the topics covered. Attendees can request a demo or sign up for a package.

Sponsored newsletter section - Partners will be able to purchase sponsored sections in the newsletter to promote their extended workshops, consulting offers, tools, and other services relevant to attendees.

Referral fees - We will set up a referral program where we get a revenue share or fee if our workshop attendees sign up for a partner's paid offerings.

Lead sharing - With attendee permission, we will share lead information with partners offering relevant services attendees expressed interest in during workshops.

This will provide a clear path for interested attendees to continue engaging with our partners through paid offerings, while also generating referral revenue for our organization. The sponsored newsletter sections will keep partners' services top of mind.

Operations & Production

To execute 2-5 workshops per week, we will utilize an agile approach:

Production Board

We will manage workflows on a Kanban board with the following phases:

Topic Development: Brainstorming and finalizing workshop topics.

Partner Engagement: Identifying and collaborating with experts and sponsors; developing agreement/charter.

Workshop Design: Creating workshop content and interactive elements.

Practice & Testing: Rehearsing and refining workshop delivery.

Execution: Conducting the workshop itself.

Follow-Up: Gathering feedback, engaging participants post-workshop.

This allows us to visualize workflows and track progress across multiple workshops simultaneously.

Schedule

Workshop execution cadence:

Week 1: 1 workshop

Weeks 2-8: 2-3 workshops per week

Total workshops: 18-24

Workstreams & Responsibilities

We will leverage a 3 person team with the following responsibilities:

Content & Facilitation - Develop topics, design workshops, facilitate sessions

Production & Operations - Recruit partners, schedule rehearsals, manage tech

Promotion & Community - Email, social media, community management

Partnerships for Capacity

We can augment capacity by partnering with:

Freelance workshop designers

Community managers

Virtual event production companies

Technology Stack

Workshops: Butter

Community: Circle

Email: ConvertKit

Registration: Lu.ma

Community Development

We could start with volunteer moderators and potentially bring on a community manager later. Clear rules will be needed around etiquette and self-governance.

Success Metrics

North Star Metric:

Overall Engagement Rate: This metric could be the percentage of participants who engage with follow-up activities post-workshop, reflecting the effectiveness of the workshops in fostering ongoing engagement and interest.

Organization-Wide OKRs:

Objective: Increase Brand Visibility and Authority in Product Management

KR1: Achieve a 25% increase in social media mentions and shares related to workshop topics.

KR2: Secure at least two media features or mentions in industry publications by the end of the series.

KR3: Grow email newsletter subscribers by 30%.

Objective: Establish Strong Partner Relationships

KR1: Form partnerships with at least five organizations or influencers in the product management space.

KR2: Receive positive feedback (at least 80% satisfaction rate) from partners on collaboration.

Objective: Foster a Community of Continuous Learners

KR1: Achieve a 40% return rate of participants in multiple workshops.

KR2: Grow the community platform to 500 active members.

Workstream-Specific OKRs:

1. Workshop Design and Content:

Objective: Create Engaging and High-Value Workshops

KR1: 90% positive feedback rate on workshop content and delivery.

KR2: Implement at least two new, innovative content formats or engagement techniques during the series.

2. Marketing and Promotion:

Objective: Effectively Market Workshops to Target Audience

KR1: Reach a 20% conversion rate from marketing efforts to workshop registrations.

KR2: Increase engagement (likes, comments, shares) on promotional posts by 35%.

3. Partner Engagement:

Objective: Build Beneficial and Sustainable Partnership Ecosystems

KR1: Each partner to contribute to a 15% increase in workshop registrations.

KR2: Develop at least one long-term project or initiative with a partner post-series.

4. Technology and Operations:

Objective: Ensure Smooth and Efficient Workshop Execution

KR1: Maintain a technical issue rate of less than 5% across all workshops.

KR2: Implement a streamlined registration and follow-up process, achieving 90% participant satisfaction.

5. Community Management:

Objective: Cultivate an Active and Supportive Online Community

KR1: 30% of community members actively participating in discussions or activities monthly.

KR2: Launch at least two community-driven initiatives or events based on member feedback.

⁠

Intro

Value proposition

Problem definition

Customer profile

Goals:

Rapidly build workshop facilitation skills

Establish thought leadership position

Generate leads for services

Test workshop formats

Build community and relationships

Workshop Format:

45 minute sessions

Hosted on video platform

Focus on a single topic

Intro, interactive application, reinforcement

No live Q&A (discussion forum instead)

Calendar published in advance

Topic Selection & Expert Recruitment:

Crowdsource topic ideas

Core PM skills: Discovery, jobs-to-be-done, prototyping, metrics

Partner with expert co-hosts

Partnership & Promotion Strategy:

Email, social media, partners

Keep workshops free to maximize reach

Upsell to paid half-day workshops

Operations & Production:

Structure

Build workshop calendar

Daily workstreams for planning multiple sessions

Operational structure

Create presentation templates

Set up registration, email collection, video conferencing, discussion forum

Follow-up and feedback

Community management

Success Metrics:

Registrations and attendees

Leads generated

Partnerships formed

Discussion forum engagement

Long Term:

Establishing as leader

Content and membership levels

Student and entry level programming

Appendix:

Proposed topics, experts, and partners

Outline of sample workshop

Outline of planning schedule

Call to action: stakeholder invitation, next steps

Press release

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