How I Use Click! Colours to Design Training That Fits Everyone

Every facilitator learns this lesson the hard way: designing a workshop you would personally love to attend is the quickest way to lose your audience.

Early in my career, my training programs reflected my own comfort zone; logical, structured, and grounded in safe table-based activities. If you know the Click! Colours model, you will recognise the ultimate Safekeeper environment. For participants who crave predictability, it was ideal. They knew what to expect and it felt safe. There were no surprises.

The problem? I was designing for myself, not for the whole room.

When I started to design with Click! Colours in mind, my approach shifted.

Here are a few practical tweaks I’ve made to ensure every colour profile feels catered to:

• Set the stage early. I send out summary of the schedule a week before the session. This gives Analysers and Safekeepers time to process what’s coming, while removing the anxiety of the unknown. It is also a great approach for people who identify as neurodivergent.

• Prepare for the pre-start. For those who are early, I set up low-pressure activities like gentle butcher paper questions or quick tabletop puzzles. This gives Safekeepers and Analysers an easy way to connect over a task, Carers an opportunity to connect with others, and leaves plenty of flexibility for the Playmakers often arrive right on time.

• Explain the agenda first up. Open with start times, break schedules, and room expectations to make the task-oriented profiles comfortable and let the more social profiles (Carers and Playmakers) know when they will have time to connect with others.

• Mix up your interaction models. Instead of relying on one group exercise format, vary the delivery in short bursts. Use roleplays for Playmakers, real-world empathy scenarios for Carers, structured table discussions for Safekeepers, and evidence-based problem solving to keep your Analysers engaged.

• Schedule regular breaks. Short pauses give Safekeepers and Analysers time to process and recharge, while Carers and Playmakers use those extra minutes to network and chat.

A quick word of caution on profile traps: It is easy to accidentally pigeonhole people. Not every Playmaker wants to jump up for a roleplay, and plenty of Analysers love a good casual chat over coffee. Use these personality frameworks as a flexible guide to build balance into your design.