AI Agenda Builder

Let Kola AI—Kolab's built-in assistant—help you design session agendas, suggest activities, and build workspace structure. It turns session goals into time-boxed agendas and can assist with board and tool setup.

Note: AI features require an active Kolab subscription with AI capabilities enabled.

Meet Kola AI

Kola AI is your workshop assistant. It lives right on the board, so you can plan an agenda and build the canvas without leaving your session.

Opening Kola AI

• Click the sparkles button in the bottom-right of the board, or
• Press Ctrl + J to toggle the panel open and closed

The Kola AI panel slides in from the right with a chat box where you describe what you want.

Plan Mode vs. Build Mode

Kola AI works in two modes, and you can switch between them anytime:

In Plan mode, Kola shows a plan card—approve it and Kola builds; tweak your request and it re-plans.

Heads up: A team owner or admin can hide Kola AI for an entire team in team settings. If you don't see the sparkles button, Kola may be turned off for your team.

What the AI Agenda Builder Does

The AI Agenda Builder can:

• Generate complete session agendas from a brief description
• Suggest activities matched to your learning objectives
• Create time allocations for each segment
• Recommend engagement techniques
• Adapt suggestions to your group size and duration
• Help create workspace assets like prompts, embeds, card decks, sticky banks, and ambient audio sources

Creating an AI-Generated Agenda

Quick Start

1. Open your space
2. Navigate to Agenda or Session Planning
3. Click AI Agenda Builder or Generate with AI
4. Describe your session goals
5. Review and customize the generated agenda

Writing Effective Prompts

The more context you give, the better the output.

Basic prompt:

"Create an agenda for a team brainstorming session"

Better prompt:

"Create a 90-minute agenda for a product brainstorming session with 12 participants. We want to generate new feature ideas for our mobile app. The team is remote and includes designers, developers, and product managers."

Best prompt:

"Create a 90-minute agenda for a product brainstorming session with 12 remote participants (4 designers, 5 developers, 3 PMs). Goal: generate 20+ new feature ideas for our mobile app's onboarding flow. We've done brainstorms before but energy tends to drop after 45 minutes. Include at least one activity that gets people moving on the canvas."

Prompt Elements to Include

Understanding AI Suggestions

Agenda Structure

A typical AI-generated agenda includes:

Opening (10 min)
├── Welcome & context setting
├── Agenda overview
└── Quick icebreaker

Core Activity 1 (25 min)
├── Instructions
├── Individual work
└── Small group discussion

Break (5 min)

Core Activity 2 (30 min)
├── Gallery walk
├── Dot voting
└── Discussion

Closing (15 min)
├── Key takeaways
├── Next steps
└── Feedback

Activity Types the AI May Suggest

Customizing Your Agenda

Editing Generated Content

After the AI generates an agenda:

1. Review each segment - Does timing feel right?
2. Adjust activities - Swap for alternatives if needed
3. Add your expertise - Include context-specific elements
4. Check transitions - Ensure flow between segments
5. Add buffer time - AI often underestimates transitions

Common Adjustments

Timing adjustments:

• AI often underestimates time for complex activities
• Add 5-10 min buffer for technical issues
• Account for late joiners at the start

Activity swaps:

• Replace unfamiliar activities with ones you've run before
• Adjust for your specific tools and resources
• Consider participant preferences

Energy management:

• Add movement breaks for sessions > 60 min
• Front-load complex activities
• End with something energizing, not draining

Kola AI Chat

Beyond Agenda Building

Kola AI can also help during your session:

Preparation help:

• "What materials do I need for affinity mapping?"
• "How do I explain dot voting to first-timers?"
• "What's a good icebreaker for a group that doesn't know each other?"

In-session support:

• "We're running 10 minutes behind. How should I adjust?"
• "The group seems low energy. What can I do?"
• "Someone is dominating the discussion. Suggestions?"

Post-session:

• "How should I synthesize these brainstorm results?"
• "What's a good format for sharing outcomes?"

Using Kola AI Chat

1. Open Kola AI with the sparkles button or Ctrl + J
2. Type your question or request
3. Review the response
4. Follow up for more detail if needed

What Kola AI Can Create Directly

Beyond planning, Kola AI can help create and structure session assets:

• Boards and activity layouts
• Prompt and timer tools
• Embed tools
• Card decks
• Sticky banks
• Ambient audio sources

Example requests:

• "Create a 3x3 sticky bank for brainstorming near this section."
• "Create a card deck with 20 icebreaker prompts."
• "Add an embed tool for this Google Slides URL."

Best Practices

Trust but Verify

• AI suggestions are starting points, not final products
• You know your participants better than the AI
• Combine AI efficiency with your facilitation expertise

Iterate on Prompts

If the first output isn't right:

• Add more context to your prompt
• Specify what was wrong: "Too many activities" or "Need more interaction"
• Ask for alternatives: "Give me 3 different approaches"

Save What Works

• Keep successful agendas as templates
• Note which AI suggestions worked well
• Build a personal library of proven activities

Disclosure to Participants

Consider whether to mention AI assistance:

• For internal teams: Usually not necessary
• For client work: Transparency may be appreciated
• For educational settings: Can be a learning moment

Limitations

What AI Can't Do

• Know your specific participants - You need to add that context
• Guarantee engagement - Execution matters more than planning
• Replace facilitation skills - AI plans, you facilitate
• Handle real-time dynamics - You'll need to adapt in the moment

When to Skip AI

• Very familiar session formats you've run many times
• Highly sensitive or confidential sessions
• When you need very specific industry/domain knowledge
• Simple meetings that don't need structured activities

Example Prompts

Team Retrospective

"Create a 60-minute retrospective agenda for a software team of 8. We just finished a difficult 3-month project. Some team members are frustrated. Goal: identify learnings and rebuild team morale."

Strategy Workshop

"Design a half-day (4 hour) strategy workshop for 15 senior leaders. We need to align on 2024 priorities. Include time for debate and decision-making. The group tends to go off on tangents."

Training Session

"Plan a 2-hour training session on giving feedback. 20 participants, mixed experience levels. Should include practice opportunities. Remote via Kolab."

Creative Brainstorm

"90-minute brainstorm for 12 marketers. Goal: campaign ideas for product launch. We want quantity over quality initially, then narrow down. Make it fun and high-energy."

Troubleshooting

"AI suggestions don't fit our culture"

• Add cultural context to your prompt
• Specify: "Our team is introverted" or "We prefer structured activities"
• Ask for alternatives that match your style

"Timing seems off"

• AI tends to be optimistic about time
• Add 20-30% buffer for most activities
• Specify if your group tends to run long on discussions

"Activities are too basic/advanced"

• Specify participant sophistication level
• Mention if they've done similar activities before
• Ask for "advanced" or "beginner-friendly" options

Related Guides

• Your First Session - Facilitation fundamentals
• Using Breakout Rooms - Group activities
• Timer Tool - Managing session time
• System Check - Verify your setup