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DESIGN & FACILITATION

Like so much of what I do, my design and facilitation work revolves around helping clients and their teams to think differently, find fresh perspectives and challenge unhelpful or limiting behaviours – because that’s the best way to improve organisational effectiveness.

The art of the possible?

How I work with organisations

Over two decades of partnership with Kate, I learned the value of real collaboration – not just between us, but with clients and a network of colleagues around the world. That hasn’t changed.

Being invited into an organisation is a privilege. To listen to the stories that shape the culture. To get genuinely interested in the people, the history, what’s being built, and what’s being dreamed about for the future.

My success comes from curiosity. From taking time to understand your business deeply enough that I start to feel a little bit like part of the furniture. Because that’s when the best thinking happens – when there’s enough ease and familiarity for people to say what they really think.

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DESIGN & FACILITATION

Like so much of what we do, our design and facilitation work revolves around helping clients and their teams to think differently, find fresh perspectives and challenge unhelpful or limiting behaviours – because we know that is the best way to improve organisational effectiveness.

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We are fascinated by what is possible

Having worked together for over fourteen years, our focus is on collaboration – not just between the two of us, but in partnership with our clients. We see working with any organisation as a great privilege. We are fascinated by what can happen when we really listen, when we get interested about the people, the history and the legacy that you’re looking to create.

We know that our success comes from getting super curious, from getting a deep understanding of your business. It’s always our aspiration to feel a little bit like part of the furniture, as we know that this creates exactly the right conditions for us to do great work. 

Design

What can you expect from the design experience?

Designing programmes that work

The answers you need are already in your organisation. My role isn’t to impose a ‘right way’ but to work closely with you to uncover what’s possible and bring it to life.

I design programmes iteratively – combining what’s tried and trusted with the latest thinking in leadership development. I’m constantly gathering new approaches, testing what works, discarding what doesn’t. I bring 25 years of experience working with senior leaders across multiple sectors, but it’s how I weave that experience together with your context that makes the difference.

Because I’m external, I’m not caught up in your process or politics. I can see the bigger picture. I can ask the questions that need asking. And I can help you design solutions that don’t just work on paper – they become embedded in how your organisation actually operates.

What matters most is creating the conditions where your people can think clearly, lead effectively, and trust themselves and each other under pressure. Everything I design serves that purpose.

DESIGN VALUES

Be curious

I want to understand what's really happening for you and your teams - from our first conversation through to completion. We're all operating in uncertainty and constant change, so I don't assume the first solution is the best one. I build flexibility into everything I design, so what we do together meets your real needs - not what they were six months ago, but what they are right now.

Be collaborative

Collaboration matters. When I combine what I know with what's already working in your organisation, we create something that feels holistic, meaningful, and built to last.

Be genuine

One thing I've learned over 25 years: people recognise what's genuine. Lasting change doesn't come from polite feedback or half-hearted approaches. People want honesty. They respond to truth. And when that's offered in a context of real support, the impact is transformative.

Be bold

My learning designs are bold and unconventional. Real change only happens when people break out of habitual thinking and behavioral patterns. So I create approaches that challenge mindsets, provoke deeper thinking, and make space for new ideas to emerge.

Be creative

My favorite question is "what if?" I love finding a new angle, switching perspectives, turning things on their head. Because change happens in the space between what is and what could be.

Be attentive

Most of all, I value the relationships I build with clients. The conversations that inspire. The connections that last well beyond the work itself.

Boldness

Our learning designs are bold and unconventional? Why? Because we know that real change only happens when you get people out of their habitual thinking and behavioural patterns. So we create approaches that challenge mindsets, provoke deep thinking and encourage new ideas.

Attentive

Most of all, we pride ourselves on the relationship we build with our clients. We want to have inspiring conversations and meaningful connections that last well beyond project completion.

Collaboration

Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do. When we can combine the best of what we know with the best of what the organisation is doing, it increases the chances of the project being holistic, meaningful and successful.

Creative

Our favourite question to ask is “what if”? We love nothing more than finding a new angle, switching perspectives or turning things on their head. Because we know that it is in the new, fresh and different that things can really change.

Curiosity

We want to understand what is happening for you and your teams, from our first conversation to project completion. We operate in a world of uncertainty and an ever-changing landscape so we don’t assume that the first option is the only, or even the best solution. We build flexibility into our design so we ensure that what we do meets the real, and most current, organisational needs.

Genuineness

If we have learnt anything over our many years of experience, it is that people recognise genuineness. Creating lasting change in an organisation doesn’t come from fake feedback or half-hearted approaches. People want honesty and they respond to truthfulness. When that is offered in a context of support, the effect is hugely transformative.

Facilitation

What can you expect when you are in the room?

Facilitation that shifts thinking

Whether we’re in the room together or working online, I create space that’s inspiring, engaging, and genuinely thought-provoking. I don’t work from a rigid formula – which means it’s not always easy to describe what I do. But people leave feeling lighter, more connected, full of fresh thinking, and with a renewed sense of what’s possible.

I believe people are extraordinary. They just sometimes need reminding. My job is to help people recognise who they are and what they’re capable of – not primarily by teaching them new skills, but by creating the conditions where they can think differently. Think independently. See opportunities they couldn’t see before.

The most common feedback I hear? “That was nothing like I expected – in the best way.”

That’s because I don’t talk at people. I create conversation. I ask people to show up and share what they already know. I help them think for themselves and as themselves. And when that happens, something shifts. What they know becomes the foundation for what they can imagine. The creative thinking that’s always been there – but rarely given permission to emerge – suddenly has space to breathe.

what matters in facilitation

Be appreciative

Appreciation underpins everything I do. When people focus on what others are doing brilliantly, it sets the tone for success. It creates the conditions where good thinking and great work become possible. Appreciation is fuel - it has a specific impact on how our brains work and how we think. And when we express it and welcome it, learning and performance follow.

Be playful

Not for the sake of being silly, but playful in a way that unlocks creativity and shifts mindset. People need permission to be playful, especially at work. When people laugh and have fun together, they get more out of every conversation, every session, every moment of learning.

Be engaged

I don't stand at the front of the room lecturing. My approach is a meeting of equals in collaborative conversation. I know my stuff - and I know you know yours. So why wouldn't we bring everyone's thinking into the room? That's how the real wisdom surfaces.

Be enabling

Approaches that feel stifling or forceful get discarded the moment people leave the room. So I encourage, support, and above all, enable people to see their own thinking - the impact of their choices and behaviours, and the options and possibilities open to them..

Be unflappable

Change is a given. Honest conversations accelerate it. So I'm always prepared for the unexpected - I create space in the room for the curve balls. My focus on what's helpful in any given moment gives me the flexibility to adapt to whatever comes up. And I model that for the people I work with.

Be energised

The energy we bring into a room matters. When I show up with genuine enthusiasm and belief in what's possible, it shifts what people think they can do. It encourages action. It enables momentum. When people leave, I want them to feel more capable, with a real sense that they can make things better. I want that for everyone I work with - and I want to show them how to create that energy for each other too.

Appreciation

Appreciation underpins all we do. We know that getting people to focus on what others are doing brilliantly sets the tone for success and supercharges the ability to do good thinking and great work. Appreciation is a fuel that has a very specific impact on our brains and the way that we think. Expressing and welcoming appreciation is a catalyst for learning and performance.

Engagement

You won’t find us at the front of the room lecturing. Our approach is a meeting of equals in a collaborative interaction because we know that is how people truly engage. We know our stuff – and we know others know theirs – wouldn’t it make sense to bring everyone’s viewpoint to the conversation? That is how you best find the wisdom of the room.

Unflappability

We know that change is a given. Being open and sharing honest conversations increases the speed of that change. So we know to be prepared for the unexpected. We create the space in the room for the curve balls. Our straightforward focus on what is helpful in any given moment gives us flexibility to adapt to whatever comes up and we model that for our learners.

Play

Not for the sake of being silly or crazy but being playful in a way that helps people engage with their creativity and create the right mindset. People need permission to be playful, especially at work. When people laugh and have fun together, they get much more out of the learning environment.

Enable

Approaches that feel stifling or forceful will be discarded from the moment the learner leaves the room. So we encourage, support and most of all, enable others to see their own thinking, the impact of their choices and behaviours, and the options and possibilities open to them.

Energy

Being able to transmit enthusiasm and energy from one person to another is powerful. When people leave the room, we want them to feel more capable, with a sense of possibility that they can make things better. We want that for everyone we connect with and we want to show them how they can to do it for each other too.
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How can I help?

Let’s talk.

Whether you’re facing a challenge that needs resolving or you have the spark of an idea you’d like to develop – let’s start with a conversation.

The sooner we begin, the sooner new possibilities emerge.

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WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING ABOUT BEV & KATE?

Our work with The Clear Thinking Partnership is aimed at helping both our organisation and individuals develop. We were thrilled to work with them having seen them in action at a healthcare conference in the spring. We are already feeling the benefit of their development days, which are beyond expectations in terms of impact and the speed with which we have started to achieve our objectives. What we appreciated most about working with Clear thinking is their ability to create an engaging atmosphere, keep everyone happy, and deliver the expected results and then some.

Dave Hughes - Deputy CFO NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board
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