I work with people in groups who have some common interest, goal or problem that they need to address together. This includes work teams, management teams and Boards, within organisations of all sizes and in all sectors. It also includes groups that cross the boundaries of teams, departments, organisations and sectors. Often these groups come together to enable organisations to engage with their stakeholders, or to bring about organisation-wide change. Often they come together in order to develop alliances and partnerships to achieve common goals together in the wider community or society. It also includes long and short-term learning communities and communities of practice.
I work particularly with voluntary organisations of civil society, with public and cross-sector partnerships, and with development and humanitarian agencies. I work locally, nationally, internationally and online, from my home base in London.
My clients most often come to me because they have identified a need or an opportunity for collaboration, but they lack the skills or confidence to bring people together and make it happen. Very often they or the people they need to work with have been frustrated or hurt by experiences of working together, and they fear further wasted effort or pain. They all seem to have had enough of conversations that go nowhere, meetings that achieve nothing, and plans that never happen. For what I do to help clients in such situations, please see how I work.
I often work solo with clients on smaller, simpler and shorter-term projects, and with a co-facilitator or a team on larger, more complex and longer-term projects. To deliver to scale and to draw on additional specialist expertise, I partner with experienced facilitators from my extensive network of associates in the UK and worldwide.
I am an associate provider & consultant of organisations including AlignYourOrg, Berrett-Koehler, BOND, EU Agenda, ICA Associates Inc., ICA:UK, IFE, Kellow Learning, Kumquat Consult, Lorensbergs, Nordic Consulting Group, Orla Cronin Research & PeopleZone.
Recent online & face-to-face facilitation contracts include (scroll down for facilitation training):
- with the Royal Society on behalf of Orla Cronin Research, technical support for facilitation of an online Misinformation and Climate Change Roundtable involving around 25 experts
- for ICUU, UUPCC and UUA, design & facilitation of a 2-session online Vision workshop for 9 members of the International Unitarian Universalist Collaboration Group
- with the Amnesty International Europe & Central Asia region, lead design and facilitation of a 3-day online Regional Forum involving over 100 delegates from around 25 member organisations – recommendations & blog post
- with AEIDL, design and facilitation of a 2-day ‘hybrid’ team planning meeting involving around 15 in Brussels and another 5 online
- with Amnesty International UK, design and facilitation of a pair of Campaigns team away days for around 15 staff in London
- with Greater Cambridge Partnership, a series of 3 consultation workshops with around 30-40 stakeholders of a new walking and cycling project in Cambridge
- with the Wikimedia Foundation on behalf of ICA:UK, virtual co-facilitation for remote participants in a 3-day meeting of a strategy working group of around 12 in Utrecht
- with ABBYY on behalf of CircleIndigo, co-facilitation for a global strategy retreat of around 35 in Munich
- with St. Luke’s Community Centre, design and facilitation of a Trustees & staff team away day for around 35 in London
- with BeLiminal, design and facilitation of a 2-day team retreat for a partnership of eight agile coaches in Milton Kenyes
- with Water Harvest (previously Wells For India), design and facilitation of two pairs of one-day strategy workshops for staff and Trustees in Winchester – recommendations
- with EASL, design and facilitation of a 2-day team retreat for around 20 staff in Geneva
- with Oxfam International, consultation, design and facilitation of a 3-day review & planning workshop on the global Rights in Crisis campaign in Africa, in Johannesburg for around 30 stakeholders from across the federation – recommendations
- with the Amnesty International International Secretariat, design and facilitation of a range of meetings & events with groups of 25-100 for 1-4 days, including team retreats with the global Management Team, the Turkey campaign team, the international Communications Department and the MENA and Europe & Central Asia regional offices; and European & global workshops with IS staff and Section representatives on global campaigning, on community sponsorship of refugees and on organizing & mobilizing – recommendations
- with the Octopus Community Network, design and facilitation of a one-day strategy retreat for around 15 Board & staff members in London
- with the Global Challenges Foundation on behalf of Lorensbergs, facilitation of the New Shape Forum – working with a team of 20 facilitators and graphic recorders, supporting over 200 invited delegates in Stockholm to develop innovative new approaches to reshape global cooperation in order to better tackle global catastrophic risks – podcast
- with EFFA, design and facilitation of a one-day Board & Secretariat strategy meeting for 12 in Brussels
- with JMIC, design and facilitation of a 2-day strategic Summit for 33 senior leaders of the global Meetings Industry in Hannover
- with Oxfam Yemen, design & facilitation of a one day Yemen Crisis Campaign strategy review and planning meeting for around 35 stakeholders of various Oxfam affiliates and Oxfam International, in Oxford with remote participation
- with Article 19, design & facilitation of a Global Campaigns strategy & planning workshop with the Senior Management Team of 6 in London
- with the Alternative, design & facilitation of a workshop with around 15 facilitators of political labs from across Denmark, in Kolding
- with IABC UK, design nad facilitation of an evening strategy workshop for the Board of 9 – case study
- with Eurochild, process design and facilitation over 6 months to help to engage around 170 member organisations in developing a new strategic plan, including with around 100 member representatives at a General Assembly meeting and with 20 Board members and Secretariat staff at a 2-day planning retreat in Brussels – case study & video
- with the Peel Institute, design and facilitation of a one-day Board strategy workshop in London – recommendations
- with Girls Not Brides, design and facilitation of a 2-day Secretariat team strategy workshop, and an afternoon ‘Story of Change’ workshop, in London – case study & report
- with CENTR, design and facilitation of a Board & Secretariat strategy retreat in Ghent
- with Oxfam OPTI, design and facilitation of a series of consultation & consensus building workshops to engage over 100 staff of 4 Oxfam affiliates based in Jerusalem, Gaza & Ramallah in operationalising a new One Country Strategy and Country Operating Model – case study
- with Astra Zeneca on behalf of Lorensbergs, facilitation of 2-day leadership development ‘labs’ for mixed groups of managers in Luton, Macclesfield, Cambridge & Warsaw plus follow-up “virtual labs”
- with the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, design & facilitation of a one-day, closed Ministerial Forum for Health Ministers and other senior ministerial representatives of high-incidence countries at the 47th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Liverpool
- with Lorensbergs, design and facilitation of a 2-day strategic planning retreat for 20 staff & associates in Sweden
- with the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists, design and facilitation of a 9-month programme of member engagement and strategic planning – online, and face-to-face in the USA & the Netherlands – case study & UUA blog
- with Amnesty International UK, design & facilitation of a 2-day Refugee Summit in London for 100 partners & others responding to refugee issues in the UK – video
- with Initiatives of Change, design and facilitation of the annual international Caux Reference Group consultation meeting at Caux, Switzerland – case study
- with the Nansen Centre for Peace & Dialogue, design and facilitation of participatory strategic planning for the staff team in Lillehammer, Norway
- with Social Platform, design and facilitation of participatory strategic planning for the staff team in Brussels
- with Deaf Child Worldwide, design & facilitation of a strategy review & planning day for the staff team in London
- with Edventure:Frome in Somerset, repeated participatory strategic planning retreats for the core team and various stakeholders – case study
- with Initiatives of Change, design and facilitation support for the Addressing Europe’s Unfinished Business conference at Caux, Switzerland – recommendations
- with the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists, design and facilitation of a 2020 Vision day with staff and Executive Committee in the Netherlands
- with the Safety & Security Committee for Lebanon, design and facilitation of participatory strategic planning involving staff and members over 3 months in Beirut – recommendations
- with Oxfam in Lebanon, design and facilitation of a One Country Strategy process engaging around 150 stakeholders and multiple Oxfam affiliates over 6 months to April 2015 – case study
- with the Oxfam Middle East Gender Equality Programme, design and facilitation of a series of strategic review, planning and organisational change meetings over 3 months
- with the International Childcare Trust, design and facilitation of a strategy away day for the Board and staff in London
- with FAO, design and facilitation of the February 2015 online conference “Economics of Climate Change Mitigation Options in the Forest Sector” engaging over 900 international experts – case study
- with ICA Ukraine, design and facilitation of the Ukraine PEACE Summit for 250 delegates from local government, business and civil society from the 27 regions of Ukraine to “dialogue on ways to solve issues locally, restore goodwill among all peoples of Ukraine and establish greater regional and city control while strengthening the country of Ukraine”.
- with the European Training Foundation with AlignYourOrg, design and facilitation of ‘Our ETF, a Journey Together’, a one-day event in Turin with 120 staff to celebrate 20 years of ETF – case study
- with UN Volunteers, facilitation consultancy for the Arab Regional Youth Volunteering Forum with 100 youth, youth experts and other stakeholders in Marrakesh – video
- with Northamptonshire Country Council Adult Learning service, facilitation of a Curriculum Co-ordinators meeting ‘Journey to Inspection’
- with Orla Cronin Research, co-facilitation of an online workshop for worldwide contributors to a collaborative writing process taking place in South Africa, the Barefoot Guide 4 Writeshop ‘Exploring the Real Work of Social Change‘
- with IDMC, design and facilitation of a 5-day participatory strategic planning retreat and first quarter review session with the staff team of 30 in Geneva – case study
- with Emergence International, co-design, development and piloting of the Vision/Align/Apply curriculum of the IREX West Bank Partnerships with Youth programme in Palestine over 5 months
- with Dovetail Strategies, a one-day participatory strategic planning retreat with three core staff in London – recommendations
- with ODI, ongoing facilitation of global consortium meetings, and meetings of the Senior Management Team, of the international DFID-funded Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium in London – recommendations
- with Cecily’s Fund, facilitation of a Board & staff strategy retreat near Oxford
- with IFRC and Zurich, facilitation of an international cross-sector partnership workshop on community preparedness and disaster risk reduction in Zurich
- with the RSA, ongoing facilitation training and support for the Fellowship team and Action Research Centre promoting social innovation in London & elsewhere – blog
- with NW London NHS, facilitation of a series of cross-sector stakeholder consultation workshops on local men’s health issues and priorities in London – recommendations
- with Sing Up, facilitation and coaching to support the 45 staff of this three-charity national consortium to transition from core funding to a social enterprise business model within 12 months in London, Gateshead & elsewhere – recommendations
- with Voluntary Action Lewisham, facilitation of an evening strategy review workshop for the Trustee Board and staff team in London
- with Bron Afon Community Housing, leading a 12 month programme of facilitation training and capacity building support with 80 managers, engaging over 1,000 stakeholders in developing a new 5-year corporate plan in South Wales – case study
Recent online & face-to-face training & consulting contracts include:
- with ILGA Europe on behalf of Kumquat Consult, design consulting and facilitation training in support of the first online ILGA Europe 2020 Annual Conference
- with Amnesty International UK, design consulting and facilitation training in support of a national conference on Poverty & Human Rights in the UK
- with Unitarian College, tailored in-house Introduction to Facilitation Online training for 3 groups of ministers and lay leaders around the UK
- with Light for the World on behalf of ICA:UK, co-design & delivery of a 4-session online ToP Focused Conversation training with 12 staff in Europe & Africa
- in partnership with ICA Associates Inc., Group Facilitation Methods I Online training for members of IAF Portugal and others
- with EMCDDA, tailored in-house Introduction to Facilitation Online training for 25 staff in Lisbon
- with Interact EU on behalf of Orla Cronin Research, co-design & delivery of the 7-session online training Facilitating Virtual Events with three cohorts of 12 staff across Europe
- in partnership with ICA Associates Inc., online ToP Focused Conversation training for 10 staff of The Brooke
- with PICUM, tailored in-house Introduction to Facilitation Online training for 18 staff in Brussels
- with Extinction Rebellion, NCVO & Southern Hemisphere on behalf of Orla Cronin Research, technical support to online Virtual Facilitation training
- with GoTraining & Personal Image, 3-day Accelerated Group Facilitation Methods and Participatory Strategic Planning training for corporate & independent consultants in Moscow
- with The Brooke, tailored ToP Group Facilitation Methods training for 12 staff in London
- in partnership with ICA:UK & ICA Associates Inc., delivering regularly scheduled public facilitation training courses in Brussels, London & elsewhere – see how I work & what difference do they make?
- with IAF Turkey, a series of sessions introducing ICA’s ToP facilitation for the 3-day Facilitation Training Camp in Istanbul
- with the Heinrich Boell Foundation in Turkey, tailored facilitation training for 17 staff and partners in Istanbul
- with the Malaria Consortium for ICA:UK, tailored ToP Group Facilitation Methods training for 12 staff in London
- for CENTR, Concord Europe, Eurodiaconia, IPPF EN PICUM, Social Platform, and others, Group Facilitation Methods and Action Planning training for staff of various European NGO networks in Brussels over several years – recommendations
- with Xpedio in Helsinki, a pair of virtual master-classes for the Xpedio Academy Professional Facilitator Training Programme
- with the Amnesty International International Secretariat, a series of 3 tailored facilitation training courses for members of the Global Strategy & Impact Programme team, the Europe Regional Office and others
- with Edrington, tailored facilitation training for 10 managers in Glasgow
- with the National Network for Children, Bulgaria, tailored facilitation training for around 25 staff & members in Sofia
- with EPIM, tailored facilitation training for 8 staff in Brussels
- with Girls Not Brides, tailored facilitation training for 27 Secretariat staff in London
- with the Centre for Creative Leadership, a pair of facilitation masterclasses for 18 faculty of the EMEA region in Brussels
- with the Dove Service, Group Facilitation Methods training for 20 bereavement counselors in Stoke on Trent
- with ISBAN, Group Facilitation Methods training for 10 agile software development project managers in Milton Keynes
- with IABC EMENA, a one-hour facilitation masterclass for around 90 European communications professionals – Adapt • Invent • Evolve: reviewing the past to prepare for the future at #EuroComm17
- with Ofgem, Group Facilitation Methods training for 3 groups of staff of its environmental programmes
- with IAF Geneva, a tailored one-day masterclass Introducing ICA’s Technology of Participation (ToP) in Geneva
- with the Care Quality Commission, a tailored half-day training introducing the ToP Focused Conversation method for stakeholder engagement staff
- with Lorensbergs, ToP Focused Conversation training for an international team of consultants in Gothenburg
- with CEDEFOP, two Group Facilitation Methods training courses for staff policy experts in Thessaloniki
- with Rules Play, Group Facilitation Methods and Action Planning training for corporate & independent consultants in Moscow
- with ICA Ukraine, Partcipatory Strategic Planning training in Kiev
- with SustainAbility, a tailored one-day Group Facilitation Methods training in London for an international team of consultants working to catalyze business leadership on sustainability
- with the annual Moscow Facilitators Conference, a conference master class and pre/post-conference training – see 2013 review and 2014 presentation
- with BCD Travel “Introducing the Technology of Participation online”, a 2-hour bespoke virtual learning session with the European training team
- with Interact-EU, Group Facilitation Methods training in Brussels for a European team supporting cross-border co-operation programmes at the EU’s external borders
- with ERM, Group Facilitation Methods training for two international teams of corporate sustainability consultants in London
- with the LGBT Foundation, Group Facilitation Methods training for volunteer support group leaders in Manchester
See also about me, how I work and recommendations & case studies, and please contact me about how we might work together. Please do not delay before contacting me – the earlier I hear from you, the more chance that I will be able to help and the more helpful I may be able to be.
Register now on Eventbrite for my free facilitation webinars, and for my regularly scheduled ToP facilitation training courses in London and Brussels and now online too.