How to Plan a Big Five Workshop For Your Team

When it comes to workplace dynamics, every organization wants to build an environment where communication flows easily, tasks are handled with confidence, productivity thrives, and every team member feels genuinely valued, included and understood. One of the most reliable ways to get there is through the science of personality—and few models are more influential than the Big Five. 

The Big Five personality model is one of the most researched and widely used frameworks in modern psychology. It measures five broad traits: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism (often remembered using the acronym OCEAN). 

Unlike other systems such as the Enneagram, DISC or Myers-Briggs, the Big Five doesn’t assign labels or types—there’s no “category” to fit into, because no two people share exactly the same blend of traits. That can be difficult for teams. Without clear labels and type descriptions to fall back on, they sometimes need a little more guidance to help them understand how their traits show up in everyday team settings.

A well-structured Big Five workshop provides that understanding. It can help your group see how and why people approach work differently, and turn the insights in their personality reports into better communication, collaboration and trust. Here’s how to bring this well-proven model to life within your organization.

Step 1: Get Comfortable With the Model Ahead of Time

As a facilitator, you will need a general understanding of the principles of the Big Five, but you do not need to be an expert. Truity’s Big Five training materials give you a ready‑made structure that you can follow word-by-word. The full kit includes a presentation guide that explains the five traits and their workplace impact, plus a slide deck (view sample) with a script you can walk through with your team.

A few days before the workshop, read through the guide. Pay attention to the behaviors that “high” and  “low” levels of each trait tend to show in the workplace, and try to get a sense of how the traits combine. For example, a highly Conscientious person with high Agreeableness traits will use their Conscientiousness differently to someone with a similar level of Conscientiousness but a lower Agreeableness score. The first may be motivated to work hard for the good of the team, while the second may be motivated by personal success and competition.

It can sound complex on paper. But once you’ve read through the study guide, the patterns become intuitive and much easier to explain in the room.

Step 2: Decide on the Workshop’s Purpose

Before you launch into the workshop, decide what you want the session to achieve. Teams engage best when the goal feels relevant. Common workshop goals include:

• Identifying group strengths and blind spots.
• Improving communication and collaboration.
• Understanding how to manage conflicts or pressure.
• Supporting new team formation or onboarding.
• Connecting personality dynamics to real business outcomes.

Frame the session around a specific question such as “How can we use our personality differences to improve how we work together on projects?” rather than “Let’s talk about the Big Five.” 

Truity’s training materials are extensive and will easily support a comprehensive discussion on the five traits, communication, collaboration, and how to work effectively with people who score higher or lower on each trait. If time is limited, decide what you’ll cover now and what you’ll leave for later. For example, you might stick to covering the five traits in this session, then follow up with a deep dive into teamwork and communication later. 

Step 3: Prepare the Team

Send participants the link to Truity’s Big Five Assessment a few days before the workshop. Keep your instructions simple:

• Take the assessment in one sitting.
• Be honest—this isn’t about judging performance, it’s about understanding preferences.
• Read your report before the session. 

There are no “good” or “bad” scores on the Big Five, and it’s okay to sit in the middle of a trait score or at an extreme edge. However, your team members may notice that one trait is noticeably higher or lower than the rest. Encourage them to reflect on how that pattern shows up in their daily work—how they plan their day, approach deadlines, interact in meetings or respond to change—and to come ready to share a few of those examples during the discussion. 

This primes people to think about real behavior as you work through the practical exercises.

Step 4: Set Up the Room (Physical or Virtual)

You have the option of running the workshop in person or virtually. 

For an in-person session, arrange seats facing the front so everyone can see the slides, but leave space for people to move around, talk and interact. You’ll find recommended activities and group discussions through the presentation—they’re designed to make the workshop more interactive and fun, but they’re all optional. Make sure your space can comfortably accommodate the activities, with enough room for people to stand, move between stations, and work together in small clusters.

For online workshops, have a quick tech run‑through beforehand to make sure you can:

• Present the slides and have the script handy at the same time.
• Split the workshop into smaller breakout rooms.
• Run polling questions for engagement.

Step 5: Capture Commitments and Follow Up

If you are using Truity’s training materials, they will guide you to finish with a closing discussion where participants share thoughts and reactions using a series of guided questions. Even if team members do not actively participate in that discussion, ask them to note:

• One thing I learned about myself.
• One thing I value in this team.
• One small change I’ll make.

After the session, revisit these reflections in one‑to‑one check‑ins or team meetings to see how people are progressing with their commitments and to keep the conversation about personality and collaboration alive.

You might also wish to revisit team dynamics six months later to see what changed.

Congratulations, You’re Ready to Go! 

Follow these tips and you’ll be ready to lead a wildly successful workshop on using the Big Five in the workplace! Participants usually come away with two realizations: how their own behavior affects the team, and how the team’s collective personality affects their enjoyment of work and its outcomes. Both insights create respect, agility and success.