Thinking Sessions are facilitated group meetings designed by Thinking Partners to ensure fresh and creative thinking on critical issues. A Thinking Session uses questions and structured conversations to uncover deeper thoughts and perspectives from participants. Thinking Partners observe group dynamics and provide feedback to create a more productive dialogue. The goal is to develop individuals and generate collective, sustainable solutions through equal participation and consideration of diverse views.

1. Thinking Sessions
By Thinking Partners
The quality of everything we do depends on the quality of the thinking we do first.
- Nancy Kline, “Time To Think”

2. 2
What are Thinking
Sessions?
Thinking Sessions are facilitated group meetings undertaken by a Thinking Partners
facilitator. These sessions are specifically designed and delivered to ensure that
group members are able to bring their freshest and most creative thinking to matters
and subjects that are pertinent and critical to them.
A Thinking Session is a particular structure and context for having conversations that
matter.
Based on the specific organisational context and scenario, we would design a
Thinking Session by choosing a certain line of inquiry; which could either be to
unearth deeper thoughts and feelings, to uncover unconscious beliefs and
assumptions, to explore current reality, to discover purpose and values or any
combination of these and more approaches. We then craft skillful questions that
would aid the chosen line of inquiry. Through systematic combinations and rounds of
individual reflection, paired conversations and group conversations, people in a
Thinking Session engage with the questions and unravel a rich tapestry of thoughts,
perspectives and ideas. Our expertise lies in respectfully challenging the individual or
the collective thought processes of the group with the aim of stretching the limits of
thinking.
We are trained to be keen observers and listeners; in our Thinking Sessions, we take
opportunities to reflect back to the group our insights about the group dynamics,
about what works and what might not be working so well. In these scenarios, we
invite the group to engage in productive dialogues regarding our feedback and
insights and create a path towards creating healthier group environment. Whilst the
participants are able to reflect on their agenda, our sessions promote dialogue skills,
self and collective awareness, raising the Emotional Intelligence of the individuals
and the group. Hence, along with meeting the immediate objectives, our Thinking
Sessions also lead to individual and group development.
In our Thinking Sessions, we create an environment that encourages equal
participation, divergent thinking and diverse perspectives. Teams or groups are
enabled to create action plans that represent collective views and have been put
through a rigorous thinking process. Hence people arrive at solutions or conclusions
that are both holistic and sustainable in nature.

3. 3
After thinking in a logical, linear fashion all day, suddenly generating big-
picture, creative ideas can, not only be tricky, but almost impossible.
Limited time, pressing deadlines and all-day frantic meetings impose a limit
on our ability to generate deeper, fresh or out-of-the-box thinking.
Traditional meeting structures, such as presentations and leader led
discussions, sometimes do not allow the depth and breadth of issues to be
surfaced. Also, despite encouragement, the quiet members struggle to
voice themselves and the more expressive ones can end up taking most of
the space and time. This results in skewed discussions and solutions based
on the thinking of a few members. Hence groups/teams are unable to
realize their real potential in their meetings or brainstorming sessions and
may inadvertently create incomplete or limited outcomes.
Presence of a trained, objective and non-judgmental facilitator can make
all the difference in overcoming the above challenges. A Thinking Partners’
facilitator can support the group/team in having vibrant discussions and
meetings that result in complete and valid understanding of the issues and
hence, better solutions. Such sessions result in people being more engaged
and vested in following through with the agreed action plans.
Why have Thinking
Sessions?

4. 4
How Are Thinking
Sessions designed?
We, at Thinking Partners bring together the latest research and insights from
Neuroscience about how are brains work at their best.
We weave perspectives from thought leaders and authors such as Nancy Kline, the
author of Time To Think, who created and pioneered the development of The
Thinking Environment, and William Isaacs, the author of Dialogue and the Art of
Thinking Together, who co-founded the Organizational Learning Center at MIT and is
a Senior Lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Management.
We advance innovative social dialogue models such as the ‘World Café’ and
‘Liberating Structures’ in designing and delivering our Thinking Sessions.
We also make use of creative mediums such as art, music, drama and story telling to
create Thinking Sessions where right-brain thinking is required.
We, from time to time, make use of creative spaces, such as art galleries, a theatre
stage or a particular kind of public space that can form useful backdrops for sparking
illuminating discussions.
Some of the above mentioned works form the context and the philosophy of our
work, whilst the others offer practical information on the structure of our Thinking
Sessions.

5. 5
Examples of
Thinking
Sessions
The World Café is more than a method, a
process, or technique – it’s a way of
thinking and engaging in conversations that
matter.
World Café is a social dialogue process that
begins with three or more rounds of
conversation for small groups seated around a
table. At the end, each member of the group
moves to a different new table; leaving one
person as the “table host” for the next round,
who welcomes and briefly fills the next group
in on what happened in the previous round.
Each round is prefaced with a skillfully crafted
question that encourages deeper and diverse
thinking. After the rounds, individuals are
invited to share insights or other results from
their conversations with the rest of the large
group.
Wicked Questions make participants think about
paradoxical challenges and possibilities that are
not so obvious. They bring to light paradoxical-yet-
complementary forces that are particularly
important during change efforts.
We introduce the concept of Wicked
Questions and paradox. Then we give the
following template, “How is it that we are … and
we are … simultaneously?” as the sentence to
complete by inserting the two opposite strategies
that are at play. First alone then in small groups,
each participant generates pairs of opposites or
paradoxes at play in his or her work using
the Wicked Question format.
Each group selects its most impactful and wicked
Question. All selected Wicked Questions are
shared with the whole group leading to further
social dialogue

6. 6
When can Thinking
Sessions be conducted?
Our flexible Thinking Sessions can be used in numerous settings and
scenarios – from solving problems or conflicts, to generating new
ideas for products and services, creating and evaluating business
strategy, envisioning futures, discovering and creating
organisational values, to moving past an impasse, turning an idea
into a solution, thereby, maximising performance and productivity
when you need it most.
Our sessions can range from a single 90-minute session, to several
sessions spread over a period of time or a full day session for senior
teams. Thinking sessions are tailored to your workplace and focus
on your particular situation.

7. Thinking Partners – Helping you bring your best
thinking forward
We can be reached at
jinnyriat@gmail.com
+91 8146650146
www.thinkingpartners.in