Our objective in meetings is to ensure that you achieve the correct outcomes, that everyone participates and there is real energy to commit to action. We use a variety of approaches as different challenges may need different approaches. We use Solutions Focus, Creative Solution Finding, Mapping and others to deliver the right outcome for you. Below we have given brief summaries of example workshops we have run for clients and some have longer case studies which you can download. We want you to find these useful and so you will find these provide detailed instructions on how you can use the approaches yourself.

Major Telecommunications Company – Project Meetings
 
A programme director had taken on the challenge of turning around a failing, multi-million pound, transformational change programme. Project managers were developing new plans for ten different areas of the project and he needed to be assured that the plans would integrate. In addition, he wanted to develop a team with low morale. We designed and facilitated a two day mapping workshop, providing the opportunity for constructive feedback on each plan. The group connected each plan in one giant map, enabling each team to see interdependencies. Despite a poor facility, the energy levels were very high, the workshop outcomes excellent and the project soon achieved its first successes. Click on Integrating Projects Using Large Scale Mapping here or at the bottom of the page for a full case study.

“The enthusiasm of delegates and the output of a two day workshop impressed me.”

Delegate

At the request of an attendee at the above workshop, we later ran a one day mapping workshop for another project in the same organisation with great results.

“The output was beyond my wildest dreams.”

Client

The same director later wanted to ensure that the project team gained all the declared benefits of the project. As part of a later, two day workshop we introduced the project team to a technique to help them identify potential points of failure and develop an action plan to secure the benefits. Click on Creatively Reducing Risk here or at the bottom of the page for a full case study.

“This technique worked extremely well, the team implemented the actions to secure the benefits and the programme pilot achieved double the benefits expected.”

Programme Director

Major IT Supplier – Workshops to Develop Business with Clients
 
The Marketing Director of this company concluded that if they were to grow the business in more than just an organic way, they needed to build a greater relationship with clients. They decided to hold a workshop with each of four clients, to identify opportunities to drive incremental revenue for both parties. We first designed a workshop for internal stakeholders to win support and prove the idea. We next designed and facilitated the workshops to develop relationships with clients, create a joint value proposition and build a plan of action to implement it. To date we have run four workshops, each producing solid propositions to move forward. Click on Building Partnership With Internal or External Clients  here or at the bottom of the page for a full case study.

“Thank you for your wonderful facilitation, I think we have pretty much achieved what we came here for. Great engagement in both companies, combined with determination on both sides to move things forward.”

Sales Director of Client Company

Major Defence Company – Strategy Development Meetings

The Vice President of a key department wanted to develop a new strategy. Rather than take a top down approach, he asked us to design and facilitate a series of five workshops to enable the whole department to contribute to the strategy. Prior to the workshops, we researched the values required in the department, including the findings as part of the workshops. We next designed and facilitated a management team workshop for them to develop the new strategy based on the input from the team. Finally we ran an all department workshop to feedback the strategy and gain commitment. Despite some initial cynicism, the workshops were received extremely well and the new strategy implemented. Case study article coming soon!

“Well structured, well delivered, good levels of involvement and interaction”

Delegate

Major Defence Company – Top Team Development Meetings

The Senior Management Team wanted to work more effectively together. We designed and ran a workshop for them to consider how they could work better as a team. As a result the MD made a number of structural changes to the team and working relationships improved. Subsequently, we have run a number of meetings for the company, including project meetings and partner development workshops.

“Having attended a number of similar workshops I would place this at the top in terms of achievement of the aim and the coherent actions that were agreed.”

Attendee

Major Healthcare Company – Idea Generation Meeting

The client was running a multi national conference for sales staff. They requested our help to design a creative thinking session for the conference. We next facilitated a development workshop to train staff to facilitate the session.

“We wanted to run a business planning workshop in a different way than the usual format, however, implementing creative approaches to a large multi national audience was a daunting prospect. With the help and support of Yes! And… it proved to be a resounding success.
The facilitator training day run by Yes! And… was fun, challenging and rewarding, leaving the team confident and well prepared for the larger workshop event. Yes and… provided input to the business planning workshop with creative ideas and offered great support before, during and after the event. Their enthusiastic and helpful approach was very instrumental in ensuring that the event, which could have been a challenge, was a complete success.”

Client

Government Organisation – Team Development Workshop

The Finance Director of this organisation had a team of Finance staff who were not working effectively together. He asked us to design a workshop to examine the root causes of the problems and seek to overcome them. This is a valid point where there is a definitive cause for a problem [e.g. a component failed and the aircraft crashed], however, in a team situation, the “cause” will often vary depending on the context and who is analysing the problem. Consequently, we advised and used a different approach, Solutions Focus, which we have used with great success in many organisations.
The workshop proved a great success with the team developing a shared vision of the future and a manageable action plan to achieve it. Click on Team Development with a Solutions Focus here or at the bottom of the page for a full case study.

“Many thanks for an excellent day – everyone I talked to the following day commented on how much they got out of it and that they really did enjoy it. For something that was put together at such short notice, it exceeded my expectations.”

Client

Charitable Organisation – Seminar

This was a pro bono event we ran for a charity. The purpose of the seminar was to enrich the debate on the topic of the Intellectual Property (IP) of indigenous peoples and the organisers wanted a radical change form previous seminar formats.  This seminar had a diverse audience including academics, lawyers, engineers and indigenous people. The topic generates a number of different opinions as to the cause of the issues. To overcome this we used Solutions Focus to first of all clear the air in a constructive way. Following this the group developed a shared vision, created a “can do” attitude and built a set of small but concrete actions people could commit to. As the group reflected at the end, “The process was nonconventional but by the end, produced interesting ideas.”

“Thank you so much for your warm, brilliant facilitation, which has been the vital container and catalyst for this creative event.”

Organisers

To find out more, please click on one of the case study links above or for further information  contact John or Kate Brooker.

Case study: 

Integrating projects using large scale mapping

Creatively Reducing Risk

Building partnerships with internal or external clients

Team Development with a Solutions Focus