In 2019, through Think Visual, I delivered an away day for around 60 Pedagogy leaders from Germany and Ireland, including Compass Child and Family Services (a Charity offering out of home care arrangements for children in the care of the Irish State).

The challenge was: ‘Can you help us think outside the box’ - What challenges, daily tasks, projects, rituals within our organisations need shaking up? What prevents us from taking on new challenges? What could do with ‘Outside the box’ thinking?

Our response:

We ran a 2 day event, starting with a range of visual and design thinking exercises on day one, followed by an OpenSpace exercise on day 2, giving the teams a chance to explore new ideas and ways of working together in a supported but creative way. Having a full 2 days together meant there was plenty of time to allow participants to apply new methodologies as well as network and work together on real work scenarios.

What participants said at the end of our 2 days together:

I found the day enjoyable well paced good structure engaging and fun.
Great variety of methods.
Thank you for not being boring.
Thank you so much for your wonderful facilitation!!
I love it I feel fresh and inspired
Open space was very interesting I have to slow down
A wonderfully engaging day. So much I will be using with my team and so much for me to use to develop myself.
Well done! Interesting Creative new ideas
Great forward thinking ways of training and learning.
Thoroughly enjoyable!!! Thank you for guiding us so much through the meeting despite the language barrier.
I feel well, full of new contacts and ideas will draw on in the future.
In the second day I have understood stood the most English conversation you have got a very good pronunciation with no accent it was a pleasure to listen to you thank you for supporting us
I like being facilitated with your kind of compassion with mind body and soul.
Very diverting warm professional I learnt a lot very nice atmosphere thank you
I liked the visual alphabet and we had interesting discussions thank you
You were great. 2 Very sympathetic and competent women, I enjoyed it very much beginning and end drawing is not easy though thank you so much.
Really enjoyable, great experience getting to know other people and their experience out of the comfort zone into the learning zone, learn new skills.
Very professional guidance throughout the day.
Always aware of the different needs in the audience.
This was a really useful day thank you!
The Doodle lab was very interesting a pleasure and fun.
Helpful methods good moderation, good working environment with versatile concrete things to take home
I really liked your friendly way of teaching us
Thank you a very pleasant team calm but orientating
Thank you it was a very inspiring day I am very happy that I attended the conference and I am leaving feeling very motivated
Thank you for the opportunity to be and think more creatively. I learnt to draw!
Concept design was so helpful! No time was boring.
It was great to have time to tell other people about my work.
So engaging! Thanks for the new skills! Very sympathetic. Great charisma. You can motivate people.