Learn  – how to unleash the magic in groups

Whoever you are, whatever you do, you probably spend time in groups.

Groups are fundamental to how we live and work, they are where work and change happens in organisations and societies.

And yet…

we are rarely trained in the art and science of groups – unless you are a geek like us – and even then, groups are so complex and nuanced that this becomes life’s work – it has for us.

As a result, most people apply a common sense approach to how we work in meetings, buy focussing on the tasks and the work we need to get done together.

But this approach does not take into account that any meeting or team or project or organisation or community, is a group of human beings – a living human system, and the things that drive human beings are complex and intangible, 

Things like trust, power, conflict, and fear are the intangible forces that exist when two or more people work together and we seem to be kidding ourselves that we can get things done collectively without being skilled and intentional in this work, which we refer to as The Invisible Work

This is where we can help

Since our foundation in 1999 we have work with conveners, leaders and managers who want to become more skilled with groups, whether that is purely about improving everyday meetings or about developing a high performing team or changing the culture of an organisation, there are theories, techniques and personal work we can do to unleash the magic. 

Collaborating effectively and working well in groups requires a mindset, skillset and a toolset that is not yet common practice in the world and we believe it is critical.

Like all skills, it’s something that can be learned and practiced and, the more we practice the better we’re likely to become at it.

Here are some options our clients have found useful, but we are very flexible and happy to design something bespoke, if needed.

Webinar: Unveiling the secrets of effective collaboration

An introduction to group working

• The power of groups – why groups are so important in life, work and change
• Facilitation: why bother? – Why collaboration is important in our world today, and why it is hard 
• The invisible work – the fundamentally human drivers of behaviour in life and work of group dynamics.

This will raise awareness of the toolset, skillset and mindset we need to work effectively with groups.

People who find this useful: leaders, consultants, coaches, circle and retreat leaders – anyone who convenes groups who want to understand what all this group stuff is about.

This course is a single 2h online session.

Meetings by design: An approach to designing group work

Through using our Meeting Magic Method, you can learn how to design your meetings and group sessions to get results in the groups you work with. 

Results can mean different things: solving problems; developing ideas, commitment to decisions that stick; learning and adaptation.

People who find this useful: leaders, consultants, coaches, workshop leaders, circle and retreat leaders – anyone who wants to be able to prepare a robust session design for the groups they work with.

This course is either 1/2 day face to face or two 2h online sessions.

Facilitation skills training: Making meetings work

Practical facilitation skills development that will enable you to get more consistent, impactful results in groups.

Through a blend of theory, practical group experiences, small and whole group discussion we introduce the principles at the heart of of group work , share practical tools and develop skills experientially. 

People who find this useful: leaders, managers, workshop leaders, consultants – anyone who wants to develop their skills to facilitate live sessions with groups, either face to face or virtually.

This course is a 2d face to face session or five 2h online sessions. This course can also be adapted for in-house needs.

Team development: Unleashing our magic

Working with an in-tact team to develop ways of working that maximise productivity, creativity and collaboration in the whole group.

Through a blend of practical exercises and work that is relevant to the team we develop the team’s capacity and capability to collaborate well together in a sustainable way.

Groups who find this useful are leadership teams, project teams, teams tacking complex challenges, teams where there is unresolved conflict that is holding them back

These programmes are bespoke for each team – please contact us for more information.

Magic Circles: Group dynamics – the invisible work

Experience the profound impact of being part of a connected group of people with a shared interest in change and group work. Our magic circles are small, curated groups of people who all want to learn more about group working and change, in a range of different situations. Through the experience of being part of a group you will learn about yourself, learn about others and learn the craft of working with the invisible forces that drive human systems.

People who find this useful: collaborative leaders; OD consultants; change makers; conveners of all kinds – people, such as retreat leaders, who already work with groups and want a deep dive into group dynamics

This is a three month programme with a small cohort of people, deep diving together.

A blend of weekly 2h online sessions, peer coaching and asynchronous work.

Visual approaches working together

The use of graphics and visuals in group work is more than just pretty pictures. We can teach you how the visual architectures we use impact group dynamics so that you can have more impact in the way you work together.

People who find this useful: collaborative leaders, consultants, marketeers and ideators, graphic recorders

We can help!

Looking for something else? We work with our client organisations to create bespoke programmes that meet their needs.