For what turns out to be my tenth annual review of my freelance facilitation practice, after missing a few in my early years, I shall once again share in this longer post some data and some reflections on my last year.
In this past year to June 2025 I delivered 16 contracts for 12 clients. That compares with 16 contracts for 11 clients the year before and 14 for 12 the year before that. This past year’s contracts involved 3 individual online sessions plus 17 in-person and 1 hybrid event. Events were in Belfast, Birmingham, Brussels, Lisbon, London and Lomazzo. That compares with 2 online sessions, 13 in-person and 2 hybrid events the previous year and 7, 10 and 3 the year before that.
So, it appears that my contracts, clients, sessions and events have settled into a fairly consistent pattern these past three post-Covid years, notwithstanding a further slight fall in online and hybrid delivery. Happily, and as intended, that pattern involves considerably less of everything than my bumper lock-down year to June 2021 (32 contracts for 22 clients involving over 100 online sessions), and the also busy, largely pre-Covid years to June 2019 and to June 2020 which saw 25 contracts each.
Also happily, as I resolved in January 2020, I have again been able to restrict my travel mostly to places accessible to London without flying. For the first time in five years I did find it necessary to fly, from each of Lisbon and Lomazzo to London. To get to each, however, I enjoyed rail travel from Sitges, Barcelona, with stops along the way in Spain and France.
I was sub-contracted by colleagues for two contracts this year, and for one contract I sub-contracted to a colleague myself. That compares to 2 & 2 last year and none & 3 the year before. So it appears that my new post-Covid pattern of working in-person, often with travel, continues to be associated with working largely solo and less as part of a team.
Partners that I have contracted with this past year included again ICA:UK and IAF colleagues Orla Cronin and Marie Dubost.
Clients I have worked with this past year have again included UK and European charities and NGOs, professional and trade associations, multi-sector partnerships and UK local and devolved government.
Of this past year’s contracts, 8 involved facilitation while 7 involved training and one involved coaching and consulting. That compares to 9 facilitation, 7 training and none coaching & consulting the year before, and 10, 3 and one the year before that. So the proportion of facilitation to training remains close to 50/50, while coaching and consulting remains close to zero.
Facilitation contracts this past year have ranged in scale from a single evening workshop to several two day events, for groups ranging from less than 10 to around 55:
- with the Royal Academy of Engineering, design and facilitation of one-day workshop “the Future of Neighbourhood Health for coastal communities” involving around 55 of the Academy community, experts and policy thinkers in London
- with the European Union Drugs Agency, design and facilitation of a two-day strategic planning retreat involving 9 staff of the EUDA Communications Unit in Lisbon
- with IDH Trade, design and facilitation of a one day hybrid workshop for around 15 in London and 20 online, representatives of European partner organisations working to develop joint commitments on living wages in Banana supply chains – case study
- with the Society of Audiovisual Authors, design and facilitation of a one-day Board & Secretariat strategy workshop for around 12 in Brussels
- with the Royal Society on behalf of Orla Cronin Research, co-facilitation of a Workshop: The Role of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage in a Sustainable Future involving around 35 experts in London
- with To Zero, design and facilitation of a pair of online sessions with the virtual Implementation Team of nine to draw conclusions and agree next steps following a major global consultation on working together to end childhood sexual violence worldwide
- with the Oak Foundation, design and facilitation of a two day meeting for a group of 11 in London to build a model by which it and partner foundations might best collaborate as donors in support of working together to end childhood sexual violence worldwide
- with Islington Borough Council and Clerkenwell Design Week, design and facilitation of a public meeting in Clerkenwell to engage with local residents and other stakeholders on the use of local parks for the annual design festival
Shelley Heckman wrote, May 2025 – case study:
“The iStandUK Executive Board met in London to talk ambitiously about our collective commitment to data standards for public services. I’ve never been as inspired and energised about the topic of data standards as I have been today with this fantastic group of people!”
Annica Ryng wrote, November 2024:
“I first had the pleasure of working with Martin in 2014. A decade later, when I was looking for a facilitator to help our team develop a new multi-annual strategic plan, Martin was my first choice. On both occasions, in two very different organisational settings, Martin facilitated excellently. He brought a clear, structured process and adaptability to the needs and dynamics of the group. His calm, respectful, and cheerful demeanour created an environment where participants felt comfortable and engaged. With his extensive facilitation experience and knowledge of the pan-European not-for-profit sector and member-led organisations, Martin would be an asset to any team looking to create impactful strategic plans.”
In-house training contracts this past year comprised just one course with a repeat client:
Public training courses grew, in contrast, with the expansion of my regular schedule of public ToP facilitation training for 2025 and my renewed partnership offer ToP facilitation training at your place – and free places for you!
Regularly scheduled courses included Brussels again, as well as London, after a Covid-induced break since 2020, and partnership courses were in Birmingham and Lomazzo:
Annekatrin Madlung wrote, June 2025:
“Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the ICA:UK ToP Action Planning workshop in London, led by the brilliant and deeply experienced Martin Gilbraith. Martin’s facilitation style was generous, thoughtful, clear, and quietly powerful. He really brings the ICA’s ToP methods to life — a set of structured, participatory processes that help groups move from shared vision to concrete action in a way that is collaborative, focused, and energising. It felt like a masterclass in effective group process!”
Maria Elena Luccerini wrote, May 2025:
“An incredibly useful and applicable framework — not just for facilitators, but for anyone leading change, innovation, or transformation… the ToP Participatory Strategic Planning process. Thanks to Martin for being so clear and generous with lots of tips, and to the other participants… your perspectives made this learning journey truly meaningful and inspiring!”
Rosemary Forest wrote, December 2024:
“Several years ago I attended both the ToP Group Facilitation Methods and Strategic Planning courses with Martin. These were by far the best courses I’ve ever done and were highly helpful in my work at the time. Little did I know they’d spark such a love of facilitation that I’d eventually work as a facilitator!”
My coaching and mentoring this past year has again been mostly pro bono. As well as one paid client contract, it has included four younger facilitators taking up my offer of free facilitation coaching in support of their work for climate justice, gender equity or anti-racism (four last year), eight ToP facilitation trainees taking up my offer of an hour’s free post-course coaching (six last year) and my support of another three on their journey to become ICA:UK ToP trainers (three last year).
I continued to serve as well as a volunteer mentor in the IAF mentoring programme, working again with two mentees of each six-month cohort.
For the Power of Facilitation, I continued to support IAF colleagues around the world to work to translate the book into more than a dozen languages. During the year, additional translated editions were launched in Persian and Polish.
Also this past year I was pleased to support also a new initiative of the IAF Global Book Club, to convene a one-year programme of online book club sessions to discuss each of the chapters in turn, in English and in Mandarin.
My free facilitation webinars this year were limited again to one session, this time with Jo Nelson of ICA Associates, Canada, General Editor of the new, second edition of The Art of Focused Conversation: More Than 100 Ways to Access Group Wisdom in Your Organization. The session attracted around 40 participants – see session recording and slides.
I was pleased this year to make a guest appearance on the new Candid Convos video podcast of Ramesh Srinivasan of IAF India – see A candid conversation with LeadFac Solutions.
In my own professional development I have continued to value the professional community and facilitation meetups of IAF England & Wales, and particularly again the in-person conference in Birmingham in April, this year titled Facilitate 2025: What; How; Who; Why. I have also enjoyed continuing to share in the hosting of regular IAF coffee meetups in London, and helping to launch a new regular meetup in Stroud.
For one of the regular Brussels meetups of IAF Belgium, I led Facilitating a culture of participation in international organisations – demonstrating the ToP Historical Scan method, with a group of 15 or so, to reflect and learn together from diverse experience and perspectives on facilitating a culture of participation in international organisations.
My volunteering with the Gay Outdoor Club has grown again to enjoyably absorb more of my time in the past year, as it continues to provide more opportunities to apply some of my professional experience as well.
I continued to host regular online socials again this past year, and I continued my Board role as Website & IT manager. In addition, in October, I hosted 36 members on a first GOC Midweek walking “weekend” in Sitges. In April I stepped up to the role as interim Vice-Chair, to support the outgoing Chair in the recruitment and induction of his successor, and to help to fill other current and upcoming vacancies – see GOC committee vacancies – your club needs you!
Thank you for following!
See also about me, how I work, who I work with and recommendations & case studies, and please contact me about how we might work together.
Like this:
Like Loading...
