FACILITAPE – Tape conquers the workshop world

Matthias is the founder of Facilitape. For over ten years, he has been using tape to transform boring workshop spaces into creative oases.

Since last year, he has been teaching this art to other trainers. One of them is Franziska Semer, who attended his workshop in Hamburg last year. Tape has since become an integral part of her training sessions, and she has written a wonderful article about Facilitape. He perfectly captures the essence of Facilitape from a fresh, user-centric perspective:

WORKSHOP OR ART? HOW FACILITAPE MAKES EFFECTIVE FACILITATION MORE COLORFUL

Is tape just for sticking things to the wall? Definitely not – it can do so much more. It can create an open atmosphere that fosters curiosity, it can provide structure, it can become a co-facilitator. And above all: it can transform a boring room into a true work of art, giving a fantastic workshop that extra boost. Even if you're wondering if we've finally lost our minds – let us explain what facilitape is all about and show you how it brings workshops to life.

 

ART MEETS WORKSHOP: HOW FACILITAPE WORKS AS A TOOL

Your workshops can experience this added value through Facilitape:

• Long-term motivation: The work results of the workshop can remain displayed or be photographed after the event, so that the crew can look at them for long-term motivation.
• Accessible medium: Participants experience very few inhibitions when using tape. It requires little explanation of its application, and everyone can give free rein to their creativity.
• Visualizing results: Work results have a significantly higher chance of being internalized and successfully implemented by the crew when they are presented visually. A wide variety of maneuvers can be visualized using colored tape.
• Unleashing: Very few participants have ever seen colorful tape used in workshops or meetings before. The vibrant room design, as well as the interactive possibilities, foster curiosity and openness.
• Create structure: You can use tape to give your workshop a common thread – or a red strip of tape. You can spatially connect the individual maneuvers of the workshop with tape and visualize the individual intermediate steps with different colors.
• Participants are more present: Accessible tools and methods that encourage curiosity and creativity often ensure that participants are more present and actively involved in the workshop.
• Methods become tangible for participants: Tape visually represents individual ports of call or tasks, thus making the structure of the day and the planned maneuvers physically tangible. This increases understanding and acceptance among the crew.
  

WHO IS ACTUALLY BEHIND FACILITAPE?

Matthias Lenssen is the creative mind behind Facilitape. With his motto "Visual Facilitation meets Tape Art," he brings this colorful tool into the workshop and workplace. His playful tool recently won him the Golden Owl award at the 2024 European Training Awards in the "Tools for Training and More" category.

In his own workshops, he shows crews and facilitators the magic of taping, offering creative design possibilities for events. One of his biggest challenges: the question of tape's sustainability. No manufacturer of sustainable tape has yet been found, but reusing recurring elements can at least reduce material waste.

APPLICATION EXAMPLES: HOW FACILITAPE CAN BE USED IN WORKSHOPS

Colorful tape in a seminar room looks cool and creates a wow moment – but how can you actively use it for workshop design? We've compiled some ideas that will amaze crews as they create a creative workspace.

COLOR CODING

Tape comes in different colors and widths. You can use the colors, in particular, to give your workshop more structure. For example, start with a pink welcome, which leads into the green first maneuver, taking place in the morning. In the afternoon, you continue with the yellow second maneuver, until the check-out is marked with blue tape. Instead of individual maneuvers, you can also divide the crew into different color-coded groups.

INTERIOR DESIGN

Everyone is familiar with flipcharts, large canvases, or whiteboards these days. Instead of recording results on a boring white background, you can tape colorful areas to the wall where results can be recorded on Post-it® notes. You have far more at your disposal than just the tables in the room – transform walls, windows, and doors into components of your workshop and thus make the room itself a co-facilitator.

 

STORYTELLING

Do you want to structure your workshop like a shared journey that the crew masters together? Here, too, colorful tape becomes an important tool. Simply illustrate the individual components of the journey to make each maneuver more tangible. For example, if your crew wants to develop their ideas for the future and a shared vision, they could all be together on a sailboat.

Now the crew members can answer various questions and record their answers in the sections of their journey:

• Wind in the sails: What's going well right now?
• Anchor: What's holding us back?
• Iceberg: What obstacles and risks do we face?
• Lighthouse: What does our destination port look like?

Instead of developing a vision based on dry questions and planning the path to it, the crew embarks on their own journey on the high seas, overcoming obstacles and discovering how to work together to reach their destination port.

 

GIMMICKS FOR CREATIVE FUN

The colorful tape isn't just for working and learning, but also for having fun. For example, set up a selfie spot where participants can get to know the tape and create their own initial interactions with it.

 

4 TIPS FOR USING FACILITAPE

Have you caught the tape bug and are you itching to head straight to your next workshop with a bag full of colorful rolls of tape? Then we have 4 tips for you that will give your workshop a real boost and make it a truly memorable experience for your participants:

• Prepare the room: The biggest challenge with Facilitape is probably the increased time required for room preparation. If you already know that tape will be used, ask if you can access the room a day earlier or at least a few hours before the workshop to prepare it properly.
• Prepare your designs: To ensure you can get started right away during the preparation phase, it's best to think about which designs you want to tape at home. For example, you can work with a printed template that you've created in a suitable font or make sketches of your desired designs. This saves time and takes the pressure off having to be creative immediately.
• Consider the walls: With Facilitape, the space in your workshop becomes a co-facilitator. This gives you freedom and countless design options, but also brings with it an important point to consider: the walls. Make sure you use tape that is easy to remove from surfaces and ideally test it beforehand in an inconspicuous area.
• Take advantage of the variety of tapes available: they come in a wide range of colors and widths. Stock your bag with a selection of different tapes beforehand and use their diversity to transform your space into a colorful, creative, and inspiring experience.

CURIOSITY, OPENNESS, COLOR – FACILITAPE CREATES COLORFUL AND CREATIVE LEARNING SPACES FOR CREWS OF ALL KINDS

Creative prompts, thoughtful provocation, or supportive inspiration – tape can do so much more than just stick things to walls. It transforms your workshop space into a co-facilitator, helping you create an open atmosphere, highlight key themes, and give your workshop structure with a dash of red tape. Instead of boring white flipcharts in uninspiring seminar rooms, colorful tape transforms your workshop into a truly memorable experience for your participants. This ensures that not only the workshop itself, but also its outcomes and the shared journey to the finish line, will be remembered positively.

 

With kind thanks to:
Franziska Semer, from whom we took the original blog post: https://www.empulse.rocks/facilitape/
Photos: Franziska Semer and Fabian Siefert