facilitation

Aerial view of a cafe space with colourful armchairs, chairs, barstools, sofas and tables.

Overengineering seating plans

October 23, 2026October 24, 2026
New stuff (category)

The takeaway: don’t spend hours designing seating plans, give people instructions and trust them to… Read More »Overengineering seating plans

A public footpath badge on a wooden fence, in some woodland.

The thing that creates value

October 23, 2026
New stuff (category)

Hoarding some bits from another Hoffi Braver Brands newsletter (yes I’m working through my inbox… Read More »The thing that creates value

Quote on dark background, reads: "I've been in other strategic meetings and they weren't as well facilitated. And this one was even vaguely strategic. And that's a big compliment."

Case study: board strategic away day

April 16, 2026June 18, 2026
Case studies (category)

Who: Natural Resources Wales (NRW), the environmental body responsible for managing and protecting Wales’s natural… Read More »Case study: board strategic away day

Screenshot of the draft taglines suggestions: "unspoken understanding, side by side, walking alongside you, living well, bridging the gap"

Case study: mental health team reflective session

April 9, 2026June 19, 2026
Case studies (category)

Who: Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB) runs an integrated peer support service across its… Read More »Case study: mental health team reflective session

A murmuration of starlings over a wetland landscape at dusk, forming a dense, swirling cloud shape against a pale pink and blue sky.

Case study: regional mental health summit

March 18, 2026June 18, 2026
Case studies (category)

Who: Llais is the independent voice for people who use health and social care services… Read More »Case study: regional mental health summit

Black and white photo of feet standing at the edge of a puddle which reflects the sky, buildings, and a passing plane.

A round up of 2025 projects

December 26, 2025January 2, 2026
Case studies (category), New stuff (category)

Looking back at a year of work and drawing some lessons from the reflective summaries… Read More »A round up of 2025 projects

A pixelated image of a group of people standing around talking, in a workshop setting.

Case study: business planning facilitation

December 10, 2025June 18, 2026
Case studies (category)

Who: Social Care Wales is the national body responsible for the regulation, development and improvement… Read More »Case study: business planning facilitation

A pink post-it note on the last page of The Tiger Who Came For tea book, that reads “Denouement, We return to the world forever changed”.

Reading 10 (October 2025)

October 26, 2025March 16, 2026
Reading (category)

This week’s 12 links: My time to read: 1 hour Image credit: Sam Villis on… Read More »Reading 10 (October 2025)

The Three Horizons model as a diagram. The horizontal axis is time, and the vertical axis is "pattern". At the top of the vertical axis, Horizon 1 is the dominant pattern to start with - but business as usual is losing its fit for purpose so the line is declining as time goes on. It doesn't go to zero though as there are elements worth conserving. Horizon 2 starts somewhere in the middle of "pattern" and grows into a strong peak in the middle-term, it is labelled "innovation", and links Horizon 1 to Horizon 3. Horizon 3 starts very low but grows steadily to be the dominant pattern ("viable future") as Horizon 1 is dwindling.

Case study: strategic service review and planning

October 21, 2025October 30, 2025
Case studies (category)

Who: Social Care Wales, who work with people who use care and support services, and… Read More »Case study: strategic service review and planning

A collage of 6 photos in one panel - one shows the box of flatpacked cardboard bricks that I took delivery of, with one folded and 3D, sat on top of the pile. It's a bit bigger than my hand. Four photos show stacks of decorated and customised bricks at the workshop, people stacked them in columns, walls and bridges on their tables. The final photo is two croissants and a cup of coffee.

Case study: EDI workshop on difference

October 9, 2025June 18, 2026
Case studies (category)

Who: Groundwork North Wales, a community and sustainability charity (linked into the wider Groundwork network… Read More »Case study: EDI workshop on difference

On a plain background, photos of pairs of hands showing: rocks + scissors, paper + rock, scissors + paper.

Reading 8 (September 2025)

September 28, 2025March 16, 2026
Reading (category)

This week’s 12 links: My time to read: 30 minutes Image from Uncle John’s blog… Read More »Reading 8 (September 2025)

Infographic. "At Pobl this is what FREDIE means to us" F - Fairness for all is a reality, regardless of background or circumstances R - Respect for all is the norm and we will not tolerate any form of discrimination against customers or colleagues E - Equality of opportunity is embedded in the decisions we take and everything we do D - Diversity is celebrated and our colleagues and customers feel that they belong I - Inclusion is widely understood, where all colleagues are committed to inclusive behaviours and policies and where customers feel valued and listened to E - Engagement, where there is a positive emotional attachment between our colleagues and their work; where our customers are consulted and play a key role in shaping our services

Case study: EDI strategy day

September 9, 2025June 18, 2026
Case studies (category)

Who: Pobl Group, a large housing association with stock across 14 of the 22 local… Read More »Case study: EDI strategy day

Otto Scharmer's Theory U in diagram form. One loop labelled "social pathology (economies of destruction)" contains blaming, enacting violence and destroying. The other loop labelled "social emergence (economies of creation)" contains sensing, prototyping, creating.

Reading 5 (August 2025)

August 10, 2025March 16, 2026
Reading (category)

This week’s 12 links: My time to read: 1 hour 30 minutes Image credit: u-school… Read More »Reading 5 (August 2025)

A 2x2 matrix of discomfort x interest, but each quadrant is further divided into 2. Low discomfort + low interest: apathy / restore Low discomfort + high interest: plateau / flow High discomfort + low interest: resentment / grit High discomfort + high interest: burn out / growth

Reading 4 (July 2025)

July 20, 2025May 11, 2026
Reading (category)

This week’s 12 links: My time to read: 1 hour 15 minutes Credit: Stewarding Loss… Read More »Reading 4 (July 2025)

Barn raising in the USA - a group of people are working on the roof of a barn under construction, the wooden structure is in place for the walls and roof. In front of the building, a row of black buggies, without the horses.

Psychologically safe spaces

July 8, 2025July 13, 2025
New stuff (category)

The Mint House invited me to facilitate a breakout room on the theme of ‘Creating… Read More »Psychologically safe spaces

A "Stacey Matrix". X axis is "realisation", which runs from clear to unclear. Y axis is "requirements", which runs from clear to unclear. Clear realisation x clear requirements = simple. Medium realisation x medium requirements = complicated. Unclear realisation x unclear requirements = complex. Beyond that, in the top right hand corner: chaos.

Reading 2 (July 2025)

July 6, 2025March 16, 2026
Reading (category)

This week’s 12 links: My time to read: 1 hour Image credit – Dr Stefan… Read More »Reading 2 (July 2025)

Case study: all staff strategic away day

June 17, 2025October 5, 2025
Case studies (category)

Who: Age Connects Morgannwg, a charity supporting older people in RCT, Bridgend and Merthyr Tydfil.… Read More »Case study: all staff strategic away day

An arty black and white photo of 5 traditional wooden chairs with straw seats, strung along a wire like laundry, pointing in different directions.

Case study: facilitation skills for chairs

January 8, 2025October 5, 2025
Case studies (category)

Who: Wales Environment Link (WEL), a network of environmental, countryside and heritage NGOs (non-governmental organisations)… Read More »Case study: facilitation skills for chairs

A hand holding a pencil is making n otes on a table littered with papers, notebooks and a cup of coffee.

A round up of 2024 projects

December 29, 2024December 26, 2025
Case studies (category), New stuff (category)

Looking back at a year of work, and drawing some lessons from the reflective summaries… Read More »A round up of 2024 projects

6 sheets of A3 paper with the same draft process flow printed on, scribbled over and annotated by various groups, and 2 copies of the A4 sheets of questions they were asked to consider in analysing and improving the draft model. All the comments are highlighted in grey or orange to indicate they've been transferred to the final document.

Case study: co-designing a workflow through a hybrid workshop

September 16, 2024December 24, 2024
Case studies (category)

Who: A Welsh Government policy team, who are setting up a co-production advisory group to… Read More »Case study: co-designing a workflow through a hybrid workshop

The visual recording of the event by Laura Sorvala, showing the different conversations we held and what themes were covered.

Case study: facilitating a strategy review

September 12, 2024June 18, 2026
Case studies (category)

Who: The Gwent Regional Partnership Board (RPB) In Wales, RPBs bring together health boards, local… Read More »Case study: facilitating a strategy review

Summary graph from the 7 events, showing a cloud of red dots (captured at the start of the events) and green dots (captured at the end of the events), with a larger red dot showing the average of all events, and likewise for green. The axes of the graph are people's understanding of of the value lived experience in mental health, and their confidence in working with lived experience in mental health. The green dot (at the end) is higher and further along than the red dot (at the start), indicating a slighth increase in understanding and a large increase in confidence.

Case study: events design and facilitation

July 18, 2024September 24, 2024
Case studies (category)

Who: Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW), the strategic workforce body for NHS Wales. The… Read More »Case study: events design and facilitation

Visual from the Relationships Project website representing layers of permissions and enabling factors, with people interacting at different levels.

Case study: facilitating a “kitchen table conversation”

July 15, 2024August 24, 2024
Case studies (category)

Who: The Relationships Project, for their event in Birmingham on 12th July 2024, about “Changing… Read More »Case study: facilitating a “kitchen table conversation”

Case study: strategic board and team away day

June 21, 2024June 18, 2026
Case studies (category)

Who: Tai Pawb, who promote equality and social justice in the housing sector in Wales.… Read More »Case study: strategic board and team away day

The pack of cards on my desk, 7 are presented in their entirety and the rest are stacked beside them. The illustrations are colourful and made up of abstract shapes in primary colours.

An abstract icebreaker tool

June 17, 2024September 22, 2024
New stuff (category)

An eternity ago, my uncle gifted me with a set of cards developed by a… Read More »An abstract icebreaker tool

Photo of a whiteboard wall covered in post-it notes of various sizes and colours (photo by Hugo Rocha on Unsplash.com)

Sustainable facilitation

June 14, 2024July 15, 2024
New stuff (category)

One of the feedback comments on a recent workshop was: “So much waste. Is there… Read More »Sustainable facilitation

Two people sitting across from eeach other at a small table with coffee and laptops, talking and laughing. (Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash.com)

Creative icebreaker questions

June 13, 2024July 27, 2025
New stuff (category)

I recently used an icebreaker with a group which involved them coming up with up… Read More »Creative icebreaker questions

(Photo of the page in the book) Nosy Parkinson Suitable for: groups of any size Outline: each person is given a clipboard (or improvise an equivalent) and has 5 minutes to come up with 20 innovative interview questions. They then have 10-15 minutes to "interview" the others in the room, asking one question per person and recording their name and answer. Prizes (small chocolate bars, etc.) are given at the end for the three (or any number) most unusual questions and the (three) most unusual answers. Facilitator prep. time: negligible Running time: 15-25 minutes in total Medium-high energy

Icebreaker: creative interviewing

June 12, 2024July 27, 2025
New stuff (category)

Icebreaker for a strategic away day (staff team + board members, about 20 people).

What is this logo?

June 1, 2024October 19, 2024
New stuff (category)

In case you were wondering:

I am standing at the front of the room, in front of two flipchart stands, speaking into a microphone. You can see two of the participant tables, on the one closest to the photographer is the number 1, and a sign language interpreter is translating what I'm saying.

Case study: facilitating an inclusive strategic meeting

October 3, 2023February 17, 2025
Case studies (category)

Who: KiNETIC (Kirklees Disability Equality Network), a network for disabled people in Kirklees, and the… Read More »Case study: facilitating an inclusive strategic meeting

Opening title screen of the project video, which reads "The future of our forest", with an image of people in a hillside forest silhouetted agaist the horizon. Video produced by Mud and Thunder.

Case study: co-designing a Future Forest Vision in the Upper Rhondda

May 26, 2022June 27, 2025
Case studies (category)

Who: The project was hosted by third sector organisation Welcome to our Woods, in Treherbert… Read More »Case study: co-designing a Future Forest Vision in the Upper Rhondda

A wide path follows a fortification wall, and is lined on the other side by a row of trees on a grassy bank. There is a slate plaque on the wall carrying some text that's too small to read as well as the name "Captain's Walk", and underneath the plaque is a green bench.

Case study: facilitating a #BLM Town Talk

August 27, 2020August 26, 2025
Case studies (category)

Who: Brecon Town Council, 15 councillors serving approximately 8,000 residents in this historic town on… Read More »Case study: facilitating a #BLM Town Talk