Need Help with Event Storming? The community has your back!

Unlock Event Storming’s full potential by tapping into the power of community. Learn how to boost your confidence, tackle challenges, and grow expertise!

Event Storming is about fostering collective intelligence. But here’s a secret: collective intelligence doesn’t stop at the workshop! There’s a thriving online community of Event Storming enthusiasts who can help you every step of the way. Whether you’re about to run your first workshop or refining your facilitation skills, this community can be a game-changer.

Every Problem Has Its Solution

Below are common hurdles you might face, and the solutions that can help you move past them.

Feeling Uncertain Before Your First Workshop

It’s natural to feel unsure before running your first Event Storming session, so:

• Ask the Community: Tap into the wisdom of the online community. Experienced facilitators are ready to share advice and boost your confidence.
• Create a Community of Practice: this will let you rehearse facilitation on low-stakes, fictional topics before diving into the real thing.

Stuck on a Specific Problem During a Workshop

Even experienced facilitators can hit a wall during a session. If you find yourself stuck on a specific point, Ask the Community. Chances are someone has faced—and solved—a similar issue, and their insights can unblock your progress.

Looking to Deepen Your Expertise

After running a few workshops, you might want to refine your skills and go deeper, so:

• Study books and references: further materials, like books, articles, or talks, can broaden your understanding.
• Create a Community of Practice: You can also strengthen your expertise by teaching others through a CoP
• Ask the Community: Finally, always keep the community in mind for those tricky, advanced questions.

Spreading Event Storming

In smaller organizations, spreading Event Storming can be straightforward: involve everyone, make it a success, and you’re done. However, in larger organizations, the process can be more challenging. To address this, internally Create a Community of Practice.

The Tips

Ask the Community

Don’t hesitate to contact the online community when you face a specific issue or need a confidence boost. Platforms like X and LinkedIn are full of experienced facilitators who have encountered most of your problems and whose advice can guide you through challenging situations. For example, Alberto Brandolini was kind enough to answer my naïve beginner’s questions on Twitter. Whether it’s about facilitation techniques or how to handle tricky dynamics in a workshop, there’ll always be someone willing to help.

Create a Community of Practice (CoP)

One of the best ways to build confidence is by practicing with others. Starting a Community of Practice allows you to gather peers and dive into Event Storming together.

The Community of Practice is a safe environment where you can practice on fictional topics before running actual workshops. This space allows facilitators to make mistakes, experiment, and refine their skills without pressure. Members learn by teaching and explaining concepts to others, solidifying their expertise.

Perhaps most importantly, a Community of Practice is a powerful vehicle for spreading Event Storming. As you share success stories and learn from each other’s experiences, more people will become interested in adopting the practice. Whether you’re looking to promote Event Storming in a large organization or spread it within your local community, a Community of Practice offers the collaborative foundation to make it happen.

Here’s a typical way to kickstart a community.

1. Find a few motivated people to start the community with you.
2. Send an open invitation for a two-hour Big Picture Event Storming practice session. Use a known business like “Uber.”
3. Keep some time at the end for open discussion and agree on a date for the next session.
4. Create a dedicated wiki space and chat channel where members can exchange best practices, ask questions, and share experiences.
5. Repeat

Check out Emily Weber’s Building Successful Communities of Practices book to learn more.

Study Books and References

Event Storming is a continuously evolving practice; there’s always more to learn. Here are valuable references you can look into:

• Introducing Event Storming, by Alberto Brandolini: the reference book on Event Storming from its creator. Read this one if you want to understand the foundations of Event Storming.
• The Event Storming Handbook, by Paul Rayner, is a practical “getting started” book in the same flavor as ours. It’s a great way to get more “how-tos” and perspective on facilitation.
• Awesome Event Storming, by Mariusz Gil: a curated list of Event Storming material you can find online.
• Finally, remember to check Domain-Driven Design conferences or meetups near you. Event Storming is a central practice in DDD, and you’ll find supportive people in these communities. If this is impractical, you can also check the Virtual DDD community.

Keep growing and stay connected

Event Storming is powerful, but you don’t have to learn it alone. By tapping into the online community, forming a Community of Practice, and diving into additional material, you’ll find the support, guidance, and knowledge you need. Keep these tips handy and return to them whenever you feel stuck or want to take your practice to the next level. Your Event Storming journey is only beginning!

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This blog post is part of the 1h Event Storming book that we are currently writing.

This post was built from 2 posts originally published on Philippe’s blog 21 More Event Storming Tips, and 4 tips that will make your DDD Big Picture Event Storming successful