Summary

Duration: 2 hours

Group Size: ~10 participants

Format: In-person, highly interactive

Workshop Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify their personal motivation drivers and what sustains engagement
• Understand the difference between motivation and engagement
• Recognise what builds and undermines engagement in teams
• Apply strategies to maintain their own motivation over time
• Create conditions that foster engagement in others
• Leave with practical commitments for sustaining motivation and engagement

Materials Needed

• Flipchart/whiteboard
• Post-it notes (multiple colours)
• Printed handouts: Motivation and Engagement Assessment, Motivation Drivers Framework, Engagement Conditions Guide, Motivation Sustainability Toolkit, Personal Action Plan
• Large paper for motivation mapping
• Markers
• Timer
• Name tags/table tents

Process

SEGMENT 1: Opening & Discovery (20 minutes)

Welcome & Context Setting (3 min)

• Brief welcome and workshop objectives
• Ground rules: honest reflection, all perspectives valued, focus on sustainable practices
• Normalise that motivation fluctuates and that’s part of being human

Activity: “Motivation Stories” (17 min)

Purpose: Surface what drives and drains motivation, and explore the complexity of engagement

Individual Reflection (5 min):

Think about your work experience:

• A time when you were highly motivated and engaged (couldn’t wait to get to work, energy was high, felt committed)
• A time when motivation was low and you felt disengaged (going through motions, energy was flat, felt disconnected)

For each moment, note:

• What was happening?
• What made you feel that way?
• What did you notice about yourself?

Small Groups (9 min):

Groups of 3-4:

• Each person shares one high and one low moment (2 min each)
• Listen for: What creates motivation and engagement? What kills it?
• Note patterns and surprises

Whole Group Harvest (3 min):

Facilitator creates two lists on flip charts:

• “What drives motivation and engagement”
• “What drains motivation and engagement”

Capture themes without judgment

Frame: “Today we’ll explore how motivation works, what sustains it, and how we can foster engagement—in ourselves and others.”

Facilitator Note: Common motivators include autonomy, recognition, challenge, purpose, progress, relationships, learning, achievement. Common demotivators include micromanagement, lack of appreciation, unclear expectations, meaningless work, unfairness, toxic relationships, stagnation. Listen for both intrinsic factors (internal drives) and extrinsic factors (external conditions). Some may share that they don’t know what motivates them—validate this as important self-awareness work. Watch for blame (“my manager demotivates me”)—acknowledge while helping people see their own agency.

SEGMENT 2: Understanding Motivation and Engagement (15 minutes)

Mini-Teach: The Fundamentals (15 min)

The Definitions:

Motivation: The drive or desire to take action. Your “want to” or “willing to.” Can be intrinsic (from within) or extrinsic (from external factors).

Engagement: The state of being emotionally and cognitively invested in your work. The combination of motivation, commitment, energy, and focus.

Key Distinction: You can be motivated but not engaged (want to do it but not invested). You can be engaged momentarily but not sustainably motivated. Ideally, you have both.

Why This Matters:

For individuals:

• Motivation drives effort and persistence
• Engagement determines quality and energy
• Together they create fulfillment and performance
• Both are essential for wellbeing and success

For teams:

• Engaged teams outperform on every metric
• Motivation is contagious (both positive and negative)
• Engagement creates discretionary effort
• Sustainable performance requires both

For organisations:

• Engagement predicts retention, productivity, quality
• Cost of disengagement is enormous
• Can’t buy engagement—must build conditions for it
• Motivation and engagement are competitive advantages

The Challenge:

Motivation fluctuates naturally

• Not constant or static
• Affected by circumstances, energy, stress
• Different triggers at different times
• Normal to have ups and downs

Engagement can be fragile

• Easy to damage, slow to build
• Small things can undermine it
• Requires ongoing attention
• Can’t be mandated or forced

The Two Types of Motivation:

Intrinsic Motivation (from within)

What it is: Doing something because it’s inherently interesting, enjoyable, or aligned with your values

Examples:

• Challenge and mastery (“I want to get better at this”)
• Autonomy and choice (“I have control over my work”)
• Purpose and meaning (“This matters to me”)
• Curiosity and learning (“I want to understand this”)

Why it matters: More sustainable, leads to deeper engagement, creates resilience

Extrinsic Motivation (from external factors)

What it is: Doing something because of external rewards, recognition, or consequences

Examples:

• Recognition and appreciation (“Others value my work”)
• Rewards and incentives (“I’ll receive something for this”)
• Advancement and opportunity (“This leads somewhere”)
• Expectations and accountability (“Others are counting on me”)

Why it matters: Can jumpstart action, provides reinforcement, meets practical needs

Important: Both types matter. Intrinsic is more sustainable, but extrinsic factors create conditions for intrinsic motivation to flourish.

The Engagement Equation:

Engagement = (Motivation × Ability × Opportunity) - Barriers

Motivation: The desire to do the work

Ability: The capability and resources to do it well

Opportunity: The chance to contribute meaningfully

Barriers: Obstacles that block engagement (bureaucracy, politics, unclear expectations, poor tools, toxic culture)

Insight: You can be highly motivated but disengaged if ability, opportunity, or barriers are the issue.

The Motivation Myth:

“Leaders motivate people” or “I need someone to motivate me”

Reality: You can’t directly motivate another person. Motivation is internal. But you can:

• Create conditions where motivation flourishes
• Remove barriers that drain motivation
• Tap into existing motivations
• Support people in sustaining their own motivation

Your responsibility: Understand and sustain your own motivation. Foster conditions for others’ motivation.

SEGMENT 3: Identifying Your Motivation Drivers (20 minutes)

Framework Share: The Six Motivation Drivers (3 min)

Research shows six primary intrinsic motivation drivers. Everyone has a unique profile—some matter more than others to you.

Today you’ll identify your primary drivers and what specifically activates them for you.

Activity: “Motivation Mapping” (17 min)

Setup: Participants complete Motivation and Engagement Assessment

Individual Work (10 min):

Using the assessment handout:

Part 1: Rate importance of each motivation driver (4 min)

Part 2: Rate how present each is in your current work (4 min)

Part 3: Identify your top 3 drivers and biggest gaps (2 min)

Pair Dialogue (5 min):

Share with a partner:

• Your top 2 motivation drivers (what matters most)
• One driver that’s missing or weak in current work
• One surprise from the assessment

Partners help each other get specific: “What does autonomy look like for you specifically? What would more recognition mean?”

Brief Share-Out (2 min):

Quick popcorn: “My strongest driver is…”

Facilitator notes the diversity of motivation profiles

Facilitator Note: Push for specificity—not just “autonomy matters” but “autonomy in how I approach problems, not when I do the work.” Some may rate everything as important—challenge them: “If you could only have two, which would they be?” Watch for gaps between importance and presence—these are opportunities. Some may discover their current work doesn’t match their drivers at all—validate this insight and focus on what’s within their control. The assessment creates self-awareness for the rest of the workshop.

SEGMENT 4: Sustaining Your Own Motivation (25 minutes)

Framework Share: Motivation Sustainability (8 min)

The Problem:

Motivation isn’t constant. It naturally ebbs and flows. The question isn’t “How do I stay motivated all the time?” but “How do I sustain motivation over time and recover when it drops?”

Three Strategies for Sustainable Motivation:

1. Feed Your Drivers Regularly

What it is: Deliberately create experiences that activate your primary motivation drivers

Why it works: You need regular “deposits” in your motivation account

How to do it:

• Identify what specifically activates each driver for you
• Build these experiences into your regular work
• Don’t wait for them to happen—create them intentionally
• Small, frequent feeds matter more than occasional big ones

Example: If autonomy is a driver, build regular choices into your week—even small ones about how, when, or with whom you work.

2. Reframe Demotivating Work

What it is: Change your relationship to necessary but unmotivating tasks

Why it works: Not all work can be intrinsically motivating. Reframing helps you tolerate it without letting it drain your overall motivation.

How to do it:

• Connect the task to something you do value
• See it as enabling your motivated work
• Time-box it (limit exposure)
• Pair it with something energising
• Find the smallest element of interest

Example: “This admin task isn’t interesting, but it enables me to do the creative work I love. I’ll do it Friday morning then spend the afternoon on what energises me.”

3. Notice and Intervene Early

What it is: Catch motivation drops early before they become entrenched disengagement

Why it works: Easier to course-correct early than to rebuild motivation from scratch

How to do it:

• Regular check-ins with yourself
• Notice warning signs (procrastination, cynicism, low energy)
• Investigate what’s changed
• Take small action quickly
• Don’t wait for external rescue

Example: “I notice I’m dragging this week. What’s different? Project feels pointless. I need to reconnect with why this matters or talk to stakeholders about impact.”

The Motivation Cycle:

High motivation → Action → Results → Reinforcement → Sustained motivation

or

Low motivation → Inaction → No results → Discouragement → Lower motivation

Key insight: Action creates motivation as much as motivation creates action. Sometimes you need to act your way into motivation, not wait to feel motivated first.

When Motivation Is Chronically Low:

If strategies aren’t working and motivation stays low for extended periods, consider:

• Are you in the right role?
• Are your values fundamentally misaligned?
• Are there wellbeing issues (burnout, depression)?
• Is the environment toxic?

Sometimes low motivation is data that bigger changes are needed.

Activity: “Personal Motivation Plan” (17 min)

Purpose: Create specific strategies for sustaining your motivation

Individual Work (10 min):

Using Motivation Sustainability Toolkit handout:

Step 1: Choose your top 2 motivation drivers

Step 2: For each, identify:

• What specifically activates this for me?
• How can I create more of this in my current work?
• What small action could I take this week?

Step 3: Identify one demotivating aspect of your work and plan how to reframe or minimise it

Step 4: Set up your early warning system:

• What are my warning signs that motivation is dropping?
• What will I do when I notice them?

Trio Consultation (6 min):

Groups of 3:

• Each person shares their plan (2 min each)
• Others offer:
  • Additional ideas for feeding their drivers
  • Spots where they might have more agency than they think
  • Support or accountability

Brief Debrief (1 min):

“What’s one thing you’ll do this week to feed your motivation?”

Facilitator Note: Push for concrete, small actions—not vague intentions. “I’ll seek more autonomy” becomes “I’ll propose an alternative approach to my manager for one project this week.” Watch for people who feel helpless—help them find edges of agency. Some may identify that their drivers can’t be met in current role—acknowledge this insight and focus on immediate strategies while they consider longer-term options. Ensure plans are sustainable, not heroic one-time efforts.

SEGMENT 5: Fostering Engagement in Teams (30 minutes)

Framework Share: Building Engagement Conditions (10 min)

The Reality:

You can’t directly motivate others, but you can create conditions where motivation and engagement flourish or wither.

What Builds Engagement:

1. Clarity

What it is: Clear expectations, purpose, goals, and priorities

Why it matters: Ambiguity is exhausting. Clarity enables focus and confidence.

How to create it:

• Be explicit about expectations and success criteria
• Explain why work matters and who it serves
• Clarify priorities when everything feels urgent
• Reduce competing or contradictory messages

What kills it: Shifting priorities, unclear expectations, mixed messages, hidden agendas

2. Trust and Autonomy

What it is: Giving people control over their work and trusting their judgment

Why it matters: Autonomy is one of the strongest intrinsic motivators

How to create it:

• Give choice in how work gets done
• Trust people to manage their time and approach
• Involve people in decisions affecting them
• Reduce micromanagement and unnecessary oversight

What kills it: Micromanagement, lack of choice, treating people like children, control for control’s sake

3. Recognition and Appreciation

What it is: Noticing and valuing people’s contributions

Why it matters: People need to know their work matters and is seen

How to create it:

• Notice and name specific contributions
• Appreciate effort, not just results
• Make recognition timely and genuine
• Celebrate progress and learning, not just perfection

What kills it: Ignoring contributions, taking people for granted, recognition only when convenient, fake appreciation

4. Growth and Development

What it is: Opportunities to learn, develop, and stretch

Why it matters: Growth is inherently engaging and motivating

How to create it:

• Offer stretch assignments and new challenges
• Support learning and skill development
• Rotate responsibilities for variety
• See mistakes as learning opportunities

What kills it: Stagnation, no challenges, keeping people in boxes, punishing mistakes

5. Connection and Belonging

What it is: Relationships, team cohesion, and sense of mattering

Why it matters: We’re social beings. Connection energises and sustains us.

How to create it:

• Build relationships beyond just task focus
• Create psychological safety
• Foster collaboration and mutual support
• Ensure everyone feels included and valued

What kills it: Isolation, toxic relationships, exclusion, zero-sum competition

6. Fairness and Respect

What it is: Equitable treatment, respectful interactions, just processes

Why it matters: Unfairness is uniquely demotivating and corrosive

How to create it:

• Ensure fair distribution of work and opportunity
• Apply standards consistently
• Treat everyone with respect and dignity
• Address inequities and favouritism

What kills it: Favouritism, inequity, disrespect, arbitrary decisions

The Engagement Killers:

Even one engagement killer can undermine multiple engagement builders:

• Toxic team members (poison the well)
• Micromanagement (kills autonomy and trust)
• Unclear expectations (creates anxiety and conflict)
• Lack of resources (makes success impossible)
• Frequent reorganisations (creates instability)
• Broken promises (destroys trust)
• Taking credit for others’ work (kills motivation)

Team Responsibility:

Creating engagement isn’t just a leader’s job. Team members can:

• Recognise each other’s contributions
• Share knowledge and help each other grow
• Build positive relationships
• Hold each other accountable
• Speak up about engagement killers
• Model engagement

Activity: “Engagement Audit” (20 min)

Purpose: Assess current team engagement conditions and identify opportunities

Individual Assessment (5 min):

Using Engagement Conditions Guide handout:

Rate your team on the six engagement conditions:

• Clarity
• Trust and Autonomy
• Recognition and Appreciation
• Growth and Development
• Connection and Belonging
• Fairness and Respect

Identify:

• Your team’s strongest condition
• Your team’s biggest gap
• One engagement killer present

Small Group Discussion (10 min):

Groups of 3-4:

Round 1 (5 min): Share your assessments

• Where do we have alignment?
• Where do we see differently?
• What patterns emerge?

Round 2 (5 min): Action focus

• What’s one condition we could strengthen?
• What’s one engagement killer we could address?
• What would it take?
• What’s within our control as team members?

Whole Group Synthesis (5 min):

Each group shares (1 min each):

• One engagement condition to strengthen
• One action they could take

Facilitator captures themes and commitments

Facilitator Note: For intact teams, this becomes real team assessment and planning. Push for specific actions, not vague intentions—“have better communication” becomes “start meetings with 5-minute check-in.” For mixed groups, focus on principles they can take back. Watch for groups identifying everything as a problem—help them prioritise. Notice where people feel powerless and help identify what’s within their control. Validate that some things require organisational change while focusing on team agency. If toxic team members or serious fairness issues surface, acknowledge these need separate attention beyond this workshop.

SEGMENT 6: Practical Strategies (15 minutes)

Interactive Teaching: Everyday Engagement Practices (7 min)

Simple Actions, Big Impact:

Daily practices:

Start with “why”

• When assigning work, explain why it matters
• Connect tasks to purpose and impact
• Help people see the bigger picture

Notice and name

• Catch people doing things well
• Acknowledge specific contributions
• Say “thank you” genuinely and specifically

Ask, don’t tell

• Invite input before deciding
• Give choices where possible
• Seek ideas and perspectives

Check in on the human

• Ask how people are, really
• Notice energy and wellbeing
• Create space for personal connection

Weekly practices:

Share impact stories

• How work made a difference
• Customer or stakeholder feedback
• Results and progress

Discuss obstacles

• What’s blocking progress or engagement?
• How can we address barriers?
• What support is needed?

Celebrate progress

• Recognise movement, not just completion
• Appreciate learning and effort
• Mark milestones

Rotate challenges

• Give people stretch opportunities
• Vary responsibilities for learning
• Let people try new things

Monthly practices:

Discuss motivation and engagement

• How are people feeling about work?
• What’s energising, what’s draining?
• What needs attention?

Review conditions

• How are we doing on clarity, autonomy, recognition, etc.?
• What’s working, what’s not?
• What do we need to adjust?

The Engagement Conversation:

When motivation or engagement seems low in someone:

Don’t: Assume, judge, give pep talks, ignore it

Do: Get curious, ask open questions, listen, offer support

Questions that help:

• “How are you feeling about work lately?”
• “What’s energising you? What’s draining you?”
• “What would help?”
• “What do you need more or less of?”
• “How can I/we support you?”

Remember: You can’t fix someone else’s motivation, but you can create space for them to understand and address it.

Activity: “Engagement Practice Selection” (8 min)

Purpose: Identify practical engagement practices to implement

Individual Reflection (3 min):

Review the daily, weekly, and monthly practices

Choose:

• One daily practice you’ll start
• One weekly practice for your team
• One engagement conversation you need to have

Pair Sharing (4 min):

Share your selections with a partner:

• What you chose and why
• When you’ll start
• What might get in the way
• How you’ll remember to do it

Quick Harvest (1 min):

Popcorn sharing: “One practice I’m committing to…”

Facilitator Note: Keep this moving—choices matter more than perfection. Push for specific timing: not “I’ll check in more” but “I’ll check in with three team members this week.” Help people start small and build. Some may realise they’re already doing many practices—celebrate this and encourage consistency. Others may feel overwhelmed—remind them to start with one thing and build from there.

SEGMENT 7: Integration & Commitment (10 minutes)

Tool Distribution (2 min)

Provide take-home resources:

• Motivation and Engagement Assessment (already have)
• Motivation Drivers Framework
• Engagement Conditions Guide (already have)
• Motivation Sustainability Toolkit (already have)
• Personal Action Plan

Personal Action Planning (5 min)

Individual work using Personal Action Plan handout:

Complete:

• Your top motivation drivers
• One way you’ll feed your motivation this week
• One engagement practice you’ll start
• Your early warning system for when motivation drops

Facilitator Note: This is silent, focused individual work. Give people space to think and commit.

Team Capture (2 min)

For intact teams:

Record:

• Team engagement conditions to strengthen
• Specific practices team will adopt
• When you’ll review progress

For mixed groups:

Each person notes:

• One commitment to take back to their team
• How they’ll raise engagement in their context

Closing Round (1 min)

Quick popcorn: “One commitment I’m making about motivation and engagement…”

Facilitator provides:

• Reminder that motivation naturally fluctuates—the goal is sustainable practices
• Encouragement that small, consistent actions create engagement
• Note that engagement is everyone’s responsibility, not just leaders’
• Invitation to check in with themselves and their teams regularly

Secret Sauce

Energy Management

• Segment 1 should surface both highs and lows authentically
• Segment 3 is focused individual work—creates foundation for action
• Segment 4 should feel empowering (you have more control than you think)
• Segment 5 should energise with possibilities for team impact
• If energy dips, add 2-minute stretch between Segments 4 and 5
• Keep momentum toward action—motivation content can become abstract

Common Challenges

“I can’t motivate myself.” Reframe: Motivation follows action as much as precedes it. Start small and build.

“My team is completely disengaged.” Validate and explore: What’s one engagement condition you could strengthen? Start there.

“My manager/leader is the problem.” Acknowledge real constraints while exploring personal agency: What’s within your control?

“Different things motivate everyone.” Exactly! That’s why understanding individual drivers matters. Not one-size-fits-all.

“This all sounds nice but unrealistic.” Push back gently: Which small practice could you try this week? What’s possible?

“I’m in the wrong job/organisation.” Validate the insight. Focus on: What will you do with this awareness? What’s your next move?

Confusion about motivation vs. engagement. Use clear examples: You can want to do something (motivated) but feel disconnected (not engaged). Both matter.

Timing Flexibility

• If running behind: Reduce Segment 5 activity to 15 min (10 min teach, 5 min quick audit)
• If ahead: Deeper exploration in Segment 6 of engagement conversations
• Can use extra time for team planning in Segment 7 if intact team

Key Facilitator Moves

In Segment 1: Listen for both intrinsic and extrinsic factors—capture the full range

In Segment 3: Help people get specific about what each driver means for them personally

In Segment 4: Push for concrete, small actions not vague intentions about motivation

In Segment 5: Balance realism about constraints with agency about what’s controllable

In Segment 6: Keep moving toward practice—this segment should feel actionable

Throughout: Normalise that motivation fluctuates and engagement requires ongoing attention

For Intact Teams vs. Mixed Groups

Intact teams: Can do real engagement audit and make team commitments. Push for specificity and ownership. This becomes action planning.

Mixed groups: Focus on individual learning and principles to take back. Team discussions become practice and learning.

Follow-Up Suggestions

• For intact teams: Review engagement conditions monthly, adjust practices as needed
• Individual: Check your motivation drivers weekly, feed them intentionally
• Try your engagement practices for 3-4 weeks, then assess impact
• Use early warning system when motivation dips
• Quarterly: Reassess motivation and engagement, celebrate progress
• Share successes with team to build momentum

Success Indicators

You’ll know the workshop worked if:

• Participants can name their primary motivation drivers
• They understand the difference between motivation and engagement
• There’s honest assessment of team engagement conditions
• People feel they have agency (not helpless)
• Specific practices identified to try
• Commitments are concrete and actionable
• Balance of individual responsibility and team support
• Energy in room about possibilities
• Realistic optimism (not toxic positivity)

Appendix: Key Concepts Summary

Motivation and Engagement Are Different

Motivation is the drive to act. Engagement is being emotionally and cognitively invested. You need both for sustainable performance and fulfillment.

Both Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation Matter

Intrinsic motivation (autonomy, mastery, purpose) is more sustainable. Extrinsic factors (recognition, rewards, opportunity) create conditions for intrinsic motivation to flourish. Don’t neglect either.

You Can’t Motivate Others Directly

Motivation is internal. But you can create conditions where motivation flourishes, remove barriers, and support people in sustaining their own motivation.

Motivation Fluctuates Naturally

The goal isn’t constant motivation but sustainable practices that feed motivation over time and help you recover when it drops.

Small Actions Create Engagement

Daily practices like explaining why, noticing contributions, asking for input, and checking in as humans build engagement over time.

Engagement Has Six Key Conditions

Clarity, trust and autonomy, recognition, growth, connection, and fairness. Teams need all six. Even one engagement killer can undermine multiple builders.

Everyone Owns Engagement

Not just leaders—every team member can recognise others, build relationships, share knowledge, and create positive conditions.

Action Creates Motivation

Sometimes you need to act your way into motivation rather than wait to feel motivated. Small action generates energy and momentum.