Miles Cheetham, Head of Customer Engagement, Open BankingWe needed a strong and experienced facilitator for our large workshop of 80+ stakeholders in a new financial services industry initiative. There were widely differing interests represented, with strong opinions and divergent agendas. Jonathan was recommended and demonstrated his value early in helping us to shape what we knew would be a challenging day. He quickly grasped our requirements, demonstrated an uncanny knack of identifying the major issues to address, and proved to be an excellent facilitator on the day.
Given the wide range of stakeholder views, we achieved consensus on the critical principles, the main things that the various parties involved should prioritise, and brought together all involved in a common view of what we should aim to deliver. It was a tough job but he was very capable, kept the flow going, and guided us to a very successful conclusion. I would recommend Jonathan to others faced with a similar challenge.
Jonathan has been holding space for collaboration and shared learning since 2011. He draws on experience in the roles of organiser, facilitator, presenter, and trainer at over a hundred events.
Jonathan believes that the key to creating outcomes that work for everyone is to find willingness to stretch towards solutions that serve the whole. When stakeholders have different perspectives they can’t all have their preferred solution. But an imperfect solution that everyone buys into will be more effective for all than a compromise or any individual’s preference.
As a facilitator Jonathan helps people to find willingness to stretch by supporting them to hear each other fully, establish shared principles, and create proposals that meet the principles.
Jonathan:
“Jonathan offers sensitive and thoughtful facilitation for participants to contribute candidly and to reflect deeply on topics in question. His approach encompasses event design and post-event review, where we have found his perspective invaluable. He has a talent for sensing what lies beneath the surface of a conversation, picking up deeper themes we would otherwise have missed.” Richard Evans, Director, Impact Hub King’s Cross
“We’re glad our management team attended Jonathan’s training: we learned how small ways in which we were communicating were unhelpful and how to adjust our approach to conversations and disagreements. The biggest takeaway: everyone in a discussion can benefit as long as their needs are acknowledged. In the year since, we’ve been practising the exercises in our teams with great results.” Evgenia Grinblo, User Experience Lead, Future Workshops
“The workshop was engaging, collaborative and intensive - and hugely enjoyable. The way Jonathan tailored the session to our roles, and what we were hoping to get out of it was particularly useful.” Adam Maddison, Head of Agile Delivery, Government Digital Service (UK Cabinet Office)
We organise conferences, training, and after-work meetups throughout the year. We also lead training inside organisations, present at internal conferences, and facilitate team retreats.
