How Do I Run a One-Hour AI Agent Build for My Team or Community?
The run of show from my October 7, 2026 session: two agreements, a mute check, two minutes of dictation, thumbs-up pacing and a pause for questions.
Open by asking everyone to agree to two things. Check that everyone is on mute before anyone speaks into the AI agent. Tell people how long a step takes (mine was about two minutes for dictation) and ask for a thumbs up in the chat when they finish. Stop for questions before the next block, and tell anyone who needs to go slower that they can keep following along.
If you lead learning for a team, an employee resource group or a community, you're the person who has to keep a room of different paces together for one hour. This is the run of show I used on October 7, 2026, with the places where I paced the room. For what a build session is and who it's for, see What Is an AI Agent Build Session?. For the general facilitation guide, see Team AI Workshops.
What do you agree on before anyone builds?
I asked the group to agree with me on two things. The first was about questions:
From the recording, 3:31. My only request is that you don't apologize for asking a question.
The second was about sharing what people learn. I told them that's how we close the AI fluency gap (3:45), and I ended with a line you can borrow:
From the recording, 4:04. No gatekeeping.
I asked for a thumbs up in the chat from everyone who agreed (3:50).
What does the host cover before you start?
On October 7 the host of Women Applying AI spoke first. At 1:43 the host asked everyone to confirm they had the free trial account, because it was necessary to build along. At 2:05 the host explained that build questions were welcome during the session, while general questions go in the chat, where people can upvote them, for a Q&A at the end. I then asked everyone to put a note in their phone to cancel in 12 days if they were only doing a trial run (2:46). If you're the host, those three jobs are yours: accounts confirmed, a place for general questions, a reminder for the trial.
How do you pace a hands-on step?
The first stretch where everyone spoke into the AI agent was dictation (11:21 to 16:09), and these are the moves I used. First, I told people why it's short:
From the recording, 11:21. I tend to find that speaking into the microphone for one to two minutes gives my system enough information to start working.
Then I did a mute check before anyone spoke:
From the recording, 11:34. So let's just double check before we start this. Make sure your Zoom is on mute.
I gave about two minutes, and I asked for a thumbs up in the chat when people finished so I could monitor where we were (13:37). I told them not to press the up arrow yet (13:46). Partway through I warned them how much time was left:
From the recording, 15:51. All right, I'll give you about 30 more seconds. Just get to a natural stopping point.
When I saw a couple of thumbs, I asked for the rest (15:56).
When do you stop for questions?
At the end of a block, not in the middle of one. I stopped after connectors, which I called a big piece of the build:
From the recording, 31:36. I'm going to pause here for a moment for questions. Are there any questions before we advance forward?
What do you say to someone who wants to go slower?
A participant told me they didn't feel comfortable moving fast. I told them to continue to follow along (41:50), and I told them about the clock:
From the recording, 41:52. We only have an hour. So unfortunately I can't move too slow on this, but I want you to feel comfortable.
Earlier, while I was introducing connectors, I'd said the same thing to the whole group about connecting an email account: if you're not yet comfortable, just continue to follow along (27:06).
How long does a first build take?
The session page lists twelve steps. The first, giving the AI agent a persona, starts at 9:13. At 46:08 I told the group it was time to run the first test. Those two times are what I can give you from this recording. The full hour also included questions and a Q&A at the end.
What to prepare before you facilitate
- Confirm everyone has the free account before you start, and say where the link is.
- Pick a place for general questions and tell the group how to use it.
- Write down your two agreements and ask for a thumbs up.
- Decide where you will pause for questions, and say so out loud when you get there.
- Give each hands-on step a time and a signal. Mine was about two minutes and a thumbs up.
- Tell people what happens after. Mine was a promise that the recording would be shared afterwards, with a presentation deck to use alongside it (39:31).
What goes wrong
Someone who doesn't feel comfortable moving fast. My answer was to keep following along, and to say plainly that we have an hour.
The recording doesn't show what any group's results were afterward, so I'm making no claim about them.
Where this comes from
This article grows from the session I taught live with Women Applying AI on October 7, 2026. The quoted passages are my own words, taken verbatim from the recording. The steps, tables and checklists around them were drafted by my team's AI agents from those words and my published pages, and checked against the recording before publishing. The host's lines are described, not quoted. This hosted session was recorded, and I make no claim about any other session.
Build Your First AI Agent in One Hour: the full session with the clips, the prompts and the transcript.
Related reading: Team AI Workshops, What Is an AI Agent Build Session?.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a one-hour AI agent build?
It ran the hour. At 41:52 I told the group we only have an hour. The first step started at 9:13 and I said it was time for the first test at 46:08, with questions along the way and a Q&A at the end.
What do I ask the group to agree to?
Two things: ask questions and don't apologize for asking, and share what you find useful (3:19).
Do participants get a recording?
On October 7, 2026 I said the recording would be shared afterwards with a presentation deck to use alongside it (39:31). That was this hosted session, and I make no claim about any other.
What if someone wants to only watch?
When a participant asked if they could just watch, I said absolutely (18:49). When a participant said they didn't feel comfortable moving fast, I said to continue to follow along, because I want you to feel comfortable (41:50).
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