Leadership and senior teams
Use circles on away days or leadership offsites to build trust across functions, locations and backgrounds before addressing complex strategy and change.
UNESCO Storytelling
by College of Public Speaking
Storytelling for inclusive workplaces
UNESCO Storytelling Circles for Corporate Learning and Culture
A facilitated circle format that uses real personal stories to build trust, psychological safety and intercultural understanding inside your teams.
- Designed for senior leadership and people teams
- Ideal for London based and hybrid organisations
- Ninety minute formats for busy professionals
In person delivery across London and online delivery for distributed teams.
Intercultural dialogue in a changing world of work
London teams are more diverse and more distributed than ever. People work across cultures, time zones and disciplines. Yet many conversations about inclusion stay at the level of policy and compliance.
UNESCO describes intercultural dialogue as a practical way to create communication grounded in curiosity, respect and empathy. When people hear each other’s lived experience, barriers soften and collaboration improves.
Storytelling circles turn this principle into a structured experience your teams can repeat and scale.
How a Storytelling Circle works
A clear, repeatable format that fits inside a ninety minute learning session.
Step 1
Set the frame
A facilitator introduces the theme, agreements and timings so people know exactly what to expect.
Step 2
Story prompts
Participants receive simple prompts such as a time they felt they belonged, a time they felt different or a moment that changed how they saw a colleague.
Step 3
Structured sharing
People share two minute stories in small circles. No one interrupts or corrects. The group listens for understanding.
Step 4
Flashback reflections
After each story, listeners offer a short flashback. They repeat what they heard that stayed with them. This trains active listening and reinforces key insights.
Step 5
Group sense making
The facilitator guides a closing conversation that links personal stories to your organisation’s values, leadership behaviours or current priorities.
Where Storytelling Circles create value
Tailored for people, culture and leadership teams in London based organisations.
Inclusion and belonging programmes
Move from presentation led sessions to experiences where people speak and listen. Story circles complement existing training and employee resource groups.
New team formation and onboarding
Help new project teams or graduates connect quickly. People share more than job titles, which speeds up collaboration later.
Change, merger and transformation work
Give people space to voice hopes, concerns and past experiences of change in a guided format. Leaders hear real stories rather than only survey data.
Designed for London based and hybrid teams
We work with organisations across London that have teams spread across the city, the UK and globally. Story circles work equally well in person and online.
- In person facilitation at your London offices or offsite venue
- Online sessions for remote and hybrid teams across time zones
- Support to train internal facilitators after an initial pilot
Testimonials
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"An exceptionally useful day's training, delivered in a positive and personanable manner, very enjoyable and significant food for thought. Thank You."
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"The anxiety is gone - now that I understand it. Not only can I make a presentation - I feel I have so much to give now. It's quite a transformation."
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"Since attending the course, I feel like a completely different person; more confident, relaxed and easy going. I gave a speech at work last week and it went so so well."
Facilitated by experienced storytelling practitioners
Sessions are led by facilitators who combine corporate experience with training in story practice and UNESCO inspired intercultural dialogue work.
- Experienced in working with senior leaders and executive teams
- Used to partnering with HR, learning and inclusion leads
- Comfortable holding complex conversations with psychological safety
Frequently asked questions
How many people can take part in one circle session
A single facilitator can comfortably host up to twenty four people in one session. For larger groups we can provide additional facilitators or run multiple circles.
Is this a replacement for inclusion or leadership training
No. Story circles are a powerful complement. They humanise the material people have already seen and create buy in for future learning.
Can you adapt themes to our organisation
Yes. We design prompts around your values, leadership behaviours and current priorities such as hybrid working, collaboration or culture change.
Book a conversation about Storytelling Circles
Share a few details and we will follow up within one working day to discuss your teams, timelines and the most useful format for a pilot session.