Foundations of Impact Practitioner Programme

The programme this year has a more unwavering focus on the core that determines the impact of what we do.

We have changed our orientation to your learning. In order to maximise the impact of what you take away from this programme, we have shifted from a teaching and training orientation to more of an exploration and discovery orientation. It is this orientation that we use as a guidance system to navigate and develop our own practice and our client work. While we have always intuitively had this orientation, it has become clear how this approach engages you to discover more for yourself which makes your learning more real, impactful and sustainable.

We want to provide a more sustained focus and development for you. To do this we have a very small core faculty; Lila and Aaron. We will be with you through every part of the programme. We think we will get to know you better. We will see for ourselves how you are learning and what you might need to explore more specifically so we can point you in the right direction for your personal learning and development. We want to maximise the continuity, focus and depth of your learning. Lila and Aaron will be leading all aspects of the programme. We are also limiting the group size so we will be able to give thought and focus to every student we have. We will have guest speakers contribute to the programme.

Each retreat involves three days of exploration, discussion and reflection in Central London. (There is also the option to join via Zoom if you're unable to travel to London/the UK.)

Each day will consist of two sessions with a 2.5 hour break.

(Session 1: 11:30am - 1:30pm UK time | Session 2: 4:00pm - 5:30pm UK)

Retreat immersion 1: A new platform for learning.

We kick off the programme with the first virtual retreat. This session sets the tone for the rest of the programme. This retreat is focussed on: Meeting each other as a group; Getting a new orientation for learning; Getting a fresh understanding of the principles for yourself; Getting a feel for looking beyond what you already know.

This retreat will be a real chance to get an appreciation for the direction of freshness and depth within yourself and for the essence of The Principles. The goal is to establish a new feeling for ongoing learning and development as a basis for the rest of the programme and the rest of your life.

Retreat Immersion 2: The essence of impact in real time. 

The second retreat session will focus on what determines the quality of work that you do. This retreat will be a practical exploration of what determines the impact of what we do when we are working with others.

In the weeks following this session we will set some practical client conversation exercises and we will discuss them in the regular meetings and will give you input for the following week’s exercises. The goal of these exercises is to get a feel for how your engagement and impact works, so you can get a feel for it and discover how it works for yourself.

Retreat Immersion 3: The reality you are dealing with. Discovering what is possible. Discovering what is, or is not, a problem and what is, or is not, a solution.

The final retreat is a chance to bring together the group’s discoveries during the programme and start to appreciate the foundation you have developed during the programme.

When the programme finishes, no matter what you do after it, you will face the challenges of your life and your work and your insecurities. The final retreat is a chance to reflect on, and appreciate the power a clear foundation gives you in the face of any challenge, no matter what it is.

(1.5 hours each) with Aaron and Lila and occasional visiting guest speakers (6-7.30pm UK time)

In between the retreats, there are regular meetings of an hour and a half. These meetings allow you to stay focussed, reflective and learning. We want to see what challenges you have, what struggles and what moments of clarity you are experiencing. We want to see where you are learning and developing and where you feel stuck or lost in any way. In the meetings you will have a chance to see how this understanding works in the face of all the issues, topics and experiences that emerge during the programme. The goal is to look behind these dynamics and get a real sense of how it all works so it simplifies for us all. The programme is designed to have enough of these meetings for you to get a real feel for what you are dealing with day-to-day and a confidence in your ability to navigate it and learn as you go.

Spaced over 2 evenings (2 hours one evening, 1 hour the following evening) with a visiting guest speaker who we feel has a rich and different sense of the foundations we focus on.

The focus of this programme is an unwavering interest in what drives impact. To help us explore this more directly and deeply, we have invited a lovingly selected number of guest speakers. These are people we feel have an unwavering respect for the essence behind what we do and, as a result, have resonance and impact. They all see and talk about it differently. This variety in feeling and ‘voice’ allows you to consider and explore the essence more richly and sensitively. We have invited them because when you meet them you can feel the focus and substance of where they come from and the understanding behind it. We will get the chance to have meetings with the guest speakers, hear from them and discuss what you are learning with them.

The groups and meeting will be reflective spacious and intimate. 

Following your graduation, we will schedule a further two listening sessions so we can catch up and check in about how things are going with listening and working with people.

Furthermore, you're invited to become part of our growing One Thought Alumni family. This is a rich community of practitioners and internal experts who have trained with us. Periodically, we arrange two alumni webinars as a way of staying connected. We love staying in touch with our graduates.