exploring presence
Berlin, 17 September 2025
A day exploring Presence
Berlin 17th September
with Johnnie Moore and Mark McCartney
More and more, we see this as the point of most of our work.
Letting go of models and the tsunami of information, resting into the space and moment.
Really listening and paying attention to one another.
Giving space for insight, connection, and our individual and collective wisdom to reveal itself.
The people we work with are often already overwhelmed with stimulus and “content” – what they lack is enough space with others to connect at a more human level.
So if you would like to be in that kind of space, maybe stretch your own comfort with presence and silence, this day will be for you.
Our plan for the day
The day will run from 10am to 5pm.
We will be using the city of Berlin to explore presence in a variety of ways. We’re not booking a single ‘retreat’ space. We want to experience presence amid the life around us. Depending on group size and weather, we’ll include some walking and outside time.
There may be some impromptu, emergent exercises, improvisation, and some musings around What is a Good Life?
We offer these up as pointers rather than promises, as we suspect a lot will be of the moment.
While we would guarantee or promise very little in terms of outcomes, we suspect we’ll experience a pace and quality of conversation that is not very common.
A quality of attention, aliveness, and listening that will leave us in little doubt as to how connected we all are.
Bookings
Use the form below to book a space. We are offering a lower rate until August 15th as these early commitments help us with planning.
Guiding principles...
1 training not as usual
There is no manual or set agenda, no boring presentations. We do provide notes, links, and references for you to follow up afterwards.
2 the invisible facilitator
We believe the participants are at the centre of the action, not the facilitator.
3 theory that matters
We don’t overwhelm you with theory and frameworks, but share our favourites and give you information on where to find out more
4 breaking the rules
There are a lot of unspoken rules around facilitation. We explore what happens if you break these rules.
5 being playful
We play, metaphorically and figuratively – with ideas and processes. We learn about, and from, being playful – even with serious topics.
6 learning together
Participants bring a wealth of knowledge and experiences. We give you time and ways to connect with, and learn from, each other
7 it's not about making it easy
We don’t save our participants, making their challenges easy. We dive in with them to explore the complexity and messiness.
8 being unhurried
Setting the right pace is the secret sauce of working in teams
hear from past participants
Your host
Johnnie Moore has been facilitating around the world for over 20 years. He helps people connect and have the difficult conversations that make a difference. He’s the co-founder of Creative Facilitation and co-author of our 75 page book of the same name.
“Our training experience with Johnnie was a game changer. The team’s idea of what effective facilitation is, got turned on its head. We walked away from two very valuable days with tools and a perspective that has changed the way we approach meetings and facilitation workshops. This was the best training session we’ve had in a long time.”— Cheryl Ader-Dunne, Executive Director of Strategy, Leopard, Denver Colorado
Venue and logistics
The workshop will be in Cambridge, probably in one of the colleges.
The exact venue and dates are still to confirmed – if you register interest we’ll include you in our plans.
Bookings
For bookings up to 15th August, places are Places are €80. After that they will be €100.
Costs do not include lunch. Places are non-refundable but you can transfer your place to someone else.
Let us know if price is a barrier for you.
