Bespoke facilitation for teams that need to think clearly and move forward
Thinking Differently™ is our facilitation programme. Bespoke sessions built around your situation, your people, and what you need to leave with.
Sometimes a standard meeting is not enough. When conversations feel stuck, complex, or too important to get wrong, 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
Reflect
Structure
↳ Respond
When you bring someone from outside to hold the process, things shift. People speak more honestly. The loudest voices don't automatically win. And the group actually arrives somewhere, rather than circling the same issues it has circled before.
Whether you're working through a strategy challenge, a team difficulty or a complex decision, the Respond stage is where all of that thinking becomes something real. Actions are shaped by the group, not handed down. Everyone knows what was agreed and why, and because the process was structured and fair, people are far more likely to follow through.
Decisions the whole group owns, not just the people who spoke loudest. Clarity on what's actually happening, not just the presenting problem. Shared commitment that holds beyond the session. Realistic next steps, agreed in the room. This is what good facilitation does, whatever method we use to get there.
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's 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 surface thinking that often 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
Thinking Differently™ sessions are led by James Anderson.
James brings over twenty-five years of experience in children's services, safeguarding and organisational development, which means he understands the complexity, the pressure and the human dynamics that teams in this sector navigate every day. He is a certified LEGO® Serious Play® facilitator and a Chartered Management Fellow. His style is calm, structured and genuinely curious. He creates space for honest conversation without letting it drift, and he knows how to hold a room without dominating it.
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 the LEGO® Serious Play® method, the session gave people time to think, talk openly and explain what the last few years had felt like. Individual models helped everyone set out their views without pressure, and the step-by-step group activities made it easier to bring those ideas together.
By the end of the day, the team had a shared picture of their priorities for the next three years and a clear sense of direction after a period of uncertainty.
"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 may be able to offer reduced rates and pro bono sessions to small voluntary organisations. If that sounds like you, get in touch.
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.
It depends on what you need — and that's exactly the point. 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.