Facilitation
Facilitation that helps you make the most of your time together
For the sessions that matter, from a strategy day to a hard conversation. You bring the thinking - I'll help everyone make the most of it.
Who will be in the room?
Make real choices together, and still agree once you leave the room.
- Strategy away dayStep back and make choices about where you are heading.
- Landing a difficult decisionShare views openly and reach a decision everyone can stand behind.
- Aligning a leadership teamCheck what you've agreed, so each leader carries it the same way.
- Working better togetherHow a leadership team works together shapes how everyone else works too.
Time to step back together, on strategy or how the board works.
- Board and trustee away dayA day to look up from the everyday, agree what matters and plan what comes next.
- How the board works togetherTime to look at the board itself: roles, relationships, and how you work with the executive.
- Landing a difficult decisionShare views openly and reach a decision everyone can stand behind.
For a team that's stuck, in tension, or coming through change.
- Team away dayA day out of the inbox that the team takes something back from.
- Getting unstuckA different kind of conversation, so the team stops going round in circles.
- Clearing the airTalk safely about what's getting in the way, so the team can work well together.
- Regrouping after changeTime to find your feet again after a restructure, a merger or a hard year.
Any conversation that matters. Tell me what's coming up.
In the room: How a good session feels
A well-run session feels different from a normal meeting. People often notice they feel:
Heard
Everyone gets a say, including the people who usually stay quiet.
Safe to be honest
You can say what you really think, and it's handled with care.
Focused
The conversation keeps moving, rather than going round in circles.
Lighter than expected
Serious work, with room to laugh along the way.
Clear at the end
You leave knowing what's agreed, and what happens next.
How a session comes together
A first chat
Before any session, we talk. What's it for, what would a good outcome look like, and who'll be in the room?
Planning it together
We shape the session together - the structure, the flow and the timing - built around your group and what you're working on.
On the day
I look after the session so your team can focus on the thinking.
Afterwards
I'll write up what was agreed and what happens next.
What people said
The way you facilitated the sessions was great. Not corporate, not telling us what to do, instead all working together to achieve positive results. Despite serious discussion taking place, we also had humour which made the days even more enjoyable.
“He listens well and he acts on what he hears.”
Former interim chief executive, a global nonprofit
Some of the organisations I've worked with
Free tools to try
More than 60 models and frameworks in our free tools library, most with a template you can use straight away.
Questions people ask
How long is a session?
It might be a half-day, a full day, or a few shorter sessions, depending on what's needed.
Where do sessions happen?
In person anywhere in the UK, at your place or somewhere away from the office, or online wherever you are.
Do we design it together?
Yes. Before any session we talk about what it's for, what a good outcome would look like and who'll be in the room, then shape it together.
What happens afterwards?
I'll write up what was agreed and what happens next. If it's useful, we can have a short chat about what worked and what you'd like to carry forward.
How do we get started?
Get in touch and tell me what's going on. We'll talk it through and plan the session together.
James Freeman-Gray
Who you'll work with
You'll find me in the room rather than at the side of it - facilitating, designing with your people, and bringing the kind of energy that makes serious work feel lighter.
I lead every piece of work myself, from the first conversation to the handover, with senior associates alongside when the work needs more hands.