Facilitation for teams that need to think clearly
Thinking Differently® is our facilitation programme, built around your situation, your people and what you need to leave with.
When conversations feel stuck, complex or too important to get wrong, a standard meeting is rarely enough. Thinking Differently® creates the space to think things through properly and leave with actions the whole group owns.
We design and facilitate sessions for teams across children's services, charities and community organisations.
Listen
We create space to slow down, be heard, and bring real experience into the room, drawing out honest contributions from everyone rather than only the most confident voices.
Reflect
We guide the group through activities that help people look beneath the surface, share perspectives and think more clearly, without defensiveness or pressure.
Structure
We bring the structure the conversation needs. Clear processes, prompts and activities give the team a framework to explore what matters and build shared meaning.
Respond
Bringing someone in from outside to hold the process changes how a group talks, so people say more, the loudest voices stop setting the direction, and the group arrives somewhere instead of circling the same ground.
Whether the work is a strategy challenge, a team difficulty or a complex decision, Respond is where the thinking becomes something real. Actions are shaped by the group rather than handed down, everyone knows what was agreed and why, and because the process was structured and fair, people are more likely to follow through.
Inside a Thinking Differently ® session
Every Thinking Differently ® session is bespoke. We design it around your challenge, your people and what you need to leave with. In practice, sessions tend to fall into a few common shapes: a strategy or planning day, a team review, a goal setting session, or working through something complex that a normal meeting hasn't been able to shift.
Within that, we draw on different methods depending on what is likely to work best. One of those is LEGO® Serious Play®, a structured, hands on approach where participants build physical models to explore challenges and bring out thinking that usually stays quiet in a normal meeting. It works particularly well when previous conversations have gone in circles, when you want to hear from everyone equally, or when the challenge is hard to put into words. We can use it as the main method for a session, blend it with other approaches, or offer a short taster so your group can try it before committing to a full day.
Your facilitator
Case study: clarifying vision after organisational change
We worked with a small charity that had been through a period of change and reorganisation. The staff team and three trustees needed time away to think clearly about their direction for the next three years.
Using LEGO® Serious Play®, the session gave people time to think, talk openly and explain what the last few years had felt like. Individual models let everyone set out their views without pressure, and the group activities that followed made it easier to bring those ideas together.
By the end of the day the team had a shared picture of their priorities and a clear sense of direction.
"James created space for honest reflection and steady, focused discussion. The method helped us talk about difficult issues without defensiveness and build a shared vision we all stand behind. It was the most useful away day we’ve had."
Chair of trustees
Pro bono support
We can sometimes offer reduced rates or pro bono sessions to small voluntary organisations. Get in touch if that might apply to you.
Your questions answered
Get in touch and we'll arrange a free scoping call to understand what you need and agree the right approach. There's no obligation and no lengthy process.
We draw on a wide range of facilitation approaches, from structured conversations, flipcharts and post-it exercises to reflective activities, visual tools and LEGO® Serious Play®. Sometimes a single method works best; sometimes we blend several within the same session. We'll think carefully about what's right for your group, your challenge and the outcome you're looking for before we agree anything.
None at all. The method is designed for adults in professional settings and works across all backgrounds and experience levels. We explain everything on the day.
No. It works well for strategic planning, service improvement, culture development and complex conversations of all kinds. We can also use it as a short ice-breaker within a wider session if you want to try it first.
Every session is designed around your aims, your team and your specific situation. Nothing is off the shelf.