Sessionplan Tips & Tricks: 5 Features You Probably Didn't Know About

Most people know Sessionplan.de as a quick timeline planner: add a block, set a duration, drag to reorder – done. But beneath the surface there are several features that make everyday facilitation noticeably easier – and that almost nobody discovers on first glance. Here are five of them.

1. PDF Export via the Print-Optimized View

If you want to print your workshop plan or share it as a PDF, the planner has a print-optimized view built in. Instead of printing the full browser interface with all its buttons and sidebars, it delivers a clean layout designed specifically for paper and digital sharing.

How it works: just use your browser’s regular “Print” function. If you want a PDF instead of a physical printout, choose “Save as PDF” in the browser dialog. The result is a tidy document without distracting UI elements – ready to share with your team or keep as a quick reference during the session.

2. Block Library and Session Templates

There are two levels here, and they serve different purposes:

Block library: save individual methods

If you regularly use the same method – say, a specific check-in round or a feedback exercise – you can save it as a block in the library. Next time, just drag it from the library into your plan. All details like description, duration, type and color are preserved. This goes further than just saving a block type: you’re saving a fully filled-in block with all its content.

Session templates: save entire workshops

One step further is saving a complete workshop as a template. This is useful if you run similar formats repeatedly – a weekly team meeting, a standard onboarding, or a retrospective format you adapt slightly each time. Open the template, adjust the date and a few blocks, and you’re ready to go.

Important: both lists are stored in your browser (localStorage) – no account and no cloud sync needed. They’re only visible to you and persist even if you come back to the site weeks later.

3. Formatting Notes and Materials

Sessionplan supports basic text formatting in the “Notes” and “Materials” fields of each block – ideal for highlighting key cues, inserting links to pre-reading materials, or making timing notes easier to scan.

Available keyboard shortcuts:

• Bold: Cmd+B (Mac) / Ctrl+B (Windows)
• Italic: Cmd+I (Mac) / Ctrl+I (Windows)
• Insert link: Cmd+K (Mac) / Ctrl+K (Windows)

You can also apply formatting via the toolbar that appears on selection – but the shortcuts are there for anyone who prefers to keep their hands on the keyboard.

Especially handy: notes and materials can be shown or hidden in the settings for a cleaner overview. If you only need the detail view during preparation but want a clean layout while running the session, just collapse them with one click.

4. Fixed Durations for Groups and Breakouts

Groups and breakout sessions normally calculate their total duration automatically from the blocks inside them. That’s convenient – but sometimes you want to give a container a fixed time budget, regardless of what’s inside.

That’s exactly what the small lock icon next to a group or breakout duration is for. When you activate it, the container is set to a fixed total time. Sessionplan then shows you – just like with a locked overall workshop duration – how much buffer you have left, or by how many minutes you’re running over.

This is particularly useful for non-negotiable time slots: a shared lunch break during an offsite, a keynote slot at a conference, or a closing round before a hard end time.

5. Ready-Made Templates as a Starting Point

If you don’t want to start from scratch, sessionplan.de/templates offers a growing collection of ready-to-use workshop starting points. From sprint planning to full-day offsite agendas – each template loads directly into the planner and can be customized however you like.

Three to try first:

• Sprint Planning – from velocity review to shared commitment in one structured flow
• Management Offsite – full-day agenda for strategic alignment and priority-setting
• Intensive Workshop – input sessions, group work, breakouts and reflection in a single day

Every template opens directly in the planner. From there you can add blocks, reorder, and save the result as your own session template in the library – so it’s ready and waiting next time.

Bonus: Planner Keyboard Shortcuts

If you spend a lot of time in the planner, you’ll want to keep your hands on the keyboard as much as possible. The shortcuts below work anywhere in the planner – the corresponding key is shown as a tooltip on the button in the sidebar or the sticky bar at the bottom, so there’s nothing to memorize.

Adding blocks

• N – add a new block
• G – add a new group
• B – add a new breakout room
• 1 – 9 – add a block of the corresponding type from the sidebar (in sidebar order, up to 9 types)

Inside a block’s title field

• Enter – create a sibling of the same type directly below the current one and focus its title – works for blocks, groups and breakouts
• Backspace – when the title is empty (and notes/material are also empty), delete the current element and focus the previous element’s title – requires a fresh press so holding the key to clear the title won’t accidentally delete the block

Focus and popovers

• T – focus the workshop title
• D – open or focus the description
• Shift + S – open the start-time popover
• Shift + D – open the date popover
• Shift + C – open the share dialog

Other

• Space – start or stop live mode
• Esc – leave the current input; when no input is focused, close the session

A Real-World Example: One Facilitator, Several Tricks Combined

A corporate trainer runs the same two-day leadership program four times a year for different groups of 10 to 14 participants. Instead of rebuilding the agenda from scratch each time, she saved it once as a session template – complete with notes, material links and colour-coded block types. Before each session she opens the template, adjusts the date and a couple of blocks for the specific group, and locks the lunch break and the closing slot with the lock icon, since both are fixed commitments with the venue. She prints the finished agenda in advance using the print-optimized view, without any distracting UI clutter. The result: prep time per session dropped from roughly 45 minutes to under 10.

Common Pitfalls

• Never touching the block library: Recurring blocks get retyped every single time. Save methods you use regularly to the library once – it pays off quickly.
• Sharing a screenshot instead of the print view: A raw screenshot of the planner loses structure and readability. The print-optimized view gives you a clean document in seconds.
• Forgetting the lock icon on fixed slots: Without it, Sessionplan calculates duration from the blocks inside – for a non-negotiable lunch break that quickly produces the wrong buffer numbers.
• Never trying the shortcuts: Building a plan with the mouse alone is noticeably slower. Check the tooltips in the sidebar for the most useful shortcuts.

Sessionplan Tips & Tricks FAQ

Do I need an account to use the block library or session templates?
No. Both are stored locally in your browser (localStorage) – no sign-up or cloud sync required.

Can I use my saved blocks on a different device or browser?
Not automatically, since localStorage is tied to a specific device and browser. Instead, share the finished plan as a link, or export the workshop as JSON and import it elsewhere.

What happens to my library if I clear my browser cache?
Since the library and templates live in localStorage, clearing site data removes them. Export important templates as JSON occasionally as a backup.

Do the keyboard shortcuts work on mobile devices?
No, the shortcuts are designed for desktop and a physical keyboard. On mobile, use the regular buttons and menus instead.

Can I turn the lock icon off again later?
Yes. As soon as you disable it, Sessionplan goes back to calculating the group or breakout duration automatically from the blocks inside.

What’s Your Favourite Trick?

Sessionplan is full of small helpers that genuinely make a difference in day-to-day facilitation – from the print-optimized PDF view to saved templates to the buffer indicator for fixed group times. The best part: no account, no onboarding, everything runs directly in the browser.

Try one of these tricks in your next workshop – and then the real question: What’s your favourite trick with Sessionplan?

If these tricks saved you time, consider leaving a quick review – it helps other facilitators discover the tool.

Read more

These features fit best when combined with the right facilitation habits:

• Create a facilitation plan – the main landing page for moderators and team leads who run regular sessions.
• Energizers for workshops – the natural companion to saved block libraries: energizers you can drop into any agenda in one click.
• Office exercises for desk workers – a similar “save once, run often” approach for the post-lunch energy dip.