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Flexible, focused facilitation for organisations facing today’s sustainability challenges.

You want to bring a group together to tackle complex problems, envision and embed a new future, and navigate projects large and small so that your organisation can thrive and grow.

We offer professional facilitation that makes sure that you get the right people in the room, ask thoughtful questions, and benefit from tried-and-test tools and processes to help the group break down complex issues into simple, manageable chunks. Our facilitated workshops and meetings allow groups to work together collaboratively and strategically to agree a vision for your organisation, and identify practical, motivating actions and goals to make that vision a reality.

What to expectTools and methodsSolutionsBenefits

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I wanted to send you a personal note to thank you for all your support and efforts in helping us with this moderation. I admire your flexibility and adaptability to whatever curveballs we end up throwing at you, your ability to spontaneously reshuffle and reconceptualise the sessions, and your upbeat attitude and energy! It is always a pleasure to work with you, and the sessions are always extremely engaging and fruitful.

—Special Assistant to Director, Agency within an Intergovernmental Organisation

HOW WE WORK

What to expect

We facilitate groups in virtual settings around the world as well as onsite in select locations in Europe. Regardless of whether you need our help facilitating a workshop for a diverse international team dotted around the world, or for a group all based in the same location, we apply an approach that we have been testing and honing for nearly 20 years.

Tailored

We design facilitated sessions that are tailored to the needs of your organisation as well as the group. It’s important that we know what themes need to be addressed from a strategic perspective, and it is equally important that that participants buy into the process from the start and feel that their contributions are heard and valued during meetings.

Adaptable

No matter how carefully a meeting or workshop is planned, it is impossible to plan for “the human factor”: you never know what might come up in a conversation, what participants might say, and how the group will respond. That’s why we have developed the ability to listen carefully to understand what the group is really saying, and adapt questions and activities to ensure that the group remains engaged and on track.

Neutral

As facilitators, we offer a neutral stance that is safe, non-judgmental and in service to the group. Although we design processes and guide conversations within the framework of theme or objectives of the workshop, we rely on the context expertise and wisdom within the group to uncover ideas, identify problems and solutions, and craft strategic directions. This allows for a neat separation between the facilitator (us) and the group, and yields transformational results that participants can “get behind”.

Focused

In order to ensure that everyone in the group is heard and their contributions considered, we use a combination of focused conversations and active listening. With this approach, we:

  • enable all participants to get their voices into the room, regardless of role or status
  • explore whatever arises – whether objective or subjective, fact-based or feeling-based
  • identify and manage negativity and objectives
  • ensure engagement and buy-in

Continuous input and feedback

We work closely with you before a workshop to ensure that all the right components are in place. During workshops, we provide feedback and suggestions during and after each session, adapting our designs if necessary to meet the needs of the group. After the workshop, we provide a comprehensive report and offer post-session follow-ups to reinforce strategies and check in with progress.

The tools we useHow can facilitation help?Curious? Get in touch!

OUR FACILITATION TOOLKIT

The tools and methods we use

We draw on a set of tried-and-tested tools and methods to design engaging workshops that yield rich conversations and results. The tools in our facilitation toolkit include those that work equally well in virtual/online workshops and onsite workshops, and a handful that are better suited to one approach or the other. We’re happy to tell you more about how one or more of these tools can be harnessed to help you create an engaging experience for your group AND get the best results out of your workshop.

(The) Art of Hosting

A powerful set of structured conversational processes that we use to invite people to step in and take action with the challenges facing them.

Gamification

Gamification is all about adding game elements into nongame environments to engage workshop participants and inspire collaboration, sharing and interaction. We use simple gamification elements like quizzes and group activities to activate minds and jolt memories, as well group games like Climate Fresk and online tools like Gaminar to add energy, fun and aid learning.

Narrative Techniques

Building on traditional storytelling structures, we use narrative techniques in our workshops as tools to create engaging workshop frameworks, involve participants in the story behind the workshop or the vision story, to explain complex concepts, to work out where individuals have a role to play as characters in a larger story, and as a learning practice.

Creativity & innovation tools

We believe in that creativity and innovative thinking is something that anyone can harness to release fresh ideas, become unstuck and find new ways forward. We incorporate Design Thinking and elements of the LEGO ® SERIOUS PLAY ® Method to inject creativity into our workshops.

Graphic Facilitation

We use images and visual tools to help develop shared understanding, think through complexity, provide feedback, and communicate better.

Technology of Participation (ToP)

We use a number of participatory methods originally developed by the ICA (Institute of Cultural Affairs) including focused conversations, the consensus workshop, the action planning method, and the participatory strategic planning method.

Virtual toolkit

In order to make online environments as engaging as in-person workshops, we use practical tools like Mural, Miro, Padlets, Flinga, polls, online questionnaires, Google Docs, Zoom, Teams and more. The list changes as new technologies emerge.

Embodied Methodologies

We use embodied methodologies to manage group dynamics and where relevant, use these methodologies to encourage fresh conversations in a group through movement and space. This is particularly helpful in conflict situations.

Liberating Structures

33 simple, practical methods that make it possible to include and engage every voice in shaping the future.

TetraMap®

We’re qualified facilitators of the TetraMap® framework, a nature-based tool for understanding behavioral styles in a group, and for developing strategies to work with people with radically different styles to achieve common goals. [Learn more]

World Café

A simple, effective, and flexible format for hosting large group dialogue.

Curious? Get in touch!

BENEFITS OF PROFESSIONAL FACILITATION

Our workshops can help your organisation benefit in a number of ways.

Everyone is heard

We make sure that everyone in the group is heard because we all have unique perspectives and insights that provoke conversation, spark ideas, and encourage participants to think critically about the topic at hand.

Good ideas flow freely

We design our workshops to be relaxed, interactive, and engaging because that gets the creative juices flowing and helps participants to “see around corners”, break free from the “box”, and have breakthroughs.

Decisions are made

Using structured processes that get all views into the open and make space for ideas to come to light, we give groups an opportunities to evaluate where they are, what needs to happen, and make decisions collaboratively.

Goals are reached

We design meetings with a clear flow and process so that we can discuss what needs to be discussed and reach your goals in a timely fashion.

Support for initiatives

We’ve found that facilitated sessions, in which all voices are heard and decisions are made collaboratively, lead to more buy-in from participants. This is crucial in generating support and commitment for your sustainability initiatives.

Curious? Get in touch!

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—Nadine Dereza, Television, Radio & Online Presenter, Journalist & Media Coach

GET IN TOUCH

Think a chat might be worthwhile?

It’s always good to talk. That way, we can learn more about your specific needs, and we can give you some ideas about how we might work together.

Get in touch