InterAction Collection 2021

What caused Sleeping Beauty to wake up? The kiss of the Prince or just that the 100 years of sleeping were over? What would we like to believe when we work as coaches, are we the kissing Prince, or do we just happen to be there in the moment when Sleeping Beauty wakes up anyway because 100 years are over?
In his coaching in the last couple of years, Peter Szabo has been actively struggling to minimise his own contribution as he wanted to write a book about the brilliance of clients. Specifically, their ability to retune themselves when circumstances change.
This has led him on a path of trying to describe and live his beliefs about the role of the coach. His current thought is, “Maybe if I don’t want to play a central role… maybe I find new comfort in being a caring witness while I spend some time talking to clients.”
I encourage you to listen to this conversation to consider for yourself, are you the witness, or the Prince?

Peter Szabo

This recording demonstrates an example of a real SFiO review process in action. We hope that it might awaken your interest in having a piece of work reviewed by your peers, or attract you to become a reviewer; if you have already been reviewed.
However, every review brings up a lot of useful learning on Solution Focus and you are encouraged to listen and read the comments to pull out some important lessons on SF in practice. Some you might extract from this review are:
How can you facilitate a multiple stakeholder project with SF?
Who is the client in a multiple stakeholder project?
What is the importance of language?
How important is silence?
What might be the qualities of a good SF practitioner in action?
Photo: Jon Tyson Unsplash. Thanks Jon!

Wim Sucaet's SFiO Reviewed Practitioner Process Conversation

Deliberately or otherwise, we all use them all of the time. So how do metaphors open minds and enrich perspective?  How do they enhance, amplify and explore a core message by subtly taking a perhaps occasionally closed mind on a wonderful involuntary journey of emerging ideas?  Well, allow yourself just an hour of well-earned quiet time to watch this video; you'll be amazed at how powerful and thought provoking the use of metaphor can be.  

Guided by the skilful, gentle questioning of Wendy Van den Bulck, let yourself be absorbed in this fascinating dialogue between Cédric Broux and John Brooker.  Watch as they explore in depth the related characteristics of Free Running (Parkour) - a way of expression through interaction with various obstacles and the environment - and the framework for Solution Focused Collaboration espoused by John Brooker in his latest book 'Jump Now'.

Parkour And Solution Focus Collaboration

In this audio, Leah runs one of the workshops that stewards within the Host Leadership community regularly facilitate to spread the philosophy and practices of the approach. The workshop provides a healthy mixture of practical activities and moments of talking about the philosophy of Host Leadership and ways to enact it through a proven practical model.
During the meeting, the guests have been involved in activities their Host specially designed for them to:
•	experience the value of the host leadership metaphor in their context of action
•	find out how to encourage their clients to build relationships while moving forward
•	use the step- forward and step-back dance of the Host Leader
•	examine the new roles and positions of engagement of the Host Leader
Host Leadership practitioners’ best hope is that Solutions Focus practitioners and others will take further interest in the Host Leadership idea and find inspiration in its usefulness and beauty.

Host Leading - Taking a new practical view on leadership - Leah Davcheva

Do you, like me, long for more of a community feel in your local area? Like Mark McKergow, I spent much time travelling before COVID came along and, when home, created connections locally as best I could, e.g. as a dad meeting parents at the school gates, as Chair of my local scouts. Sadly that connection ended when no longer involved in school or Scouts. Being part of these communities felt good, and while there is much to love about our SFiO communal Zoom activities, I long to catch up in person over a coffee and a hug!

So Mark McKergow’s initiative to build micro-local sustainable neighbourhood communities in urban settings, known as ‘Village in the City’, has appeal. 

In this video/audio case study, Mark recounts what led him to initiate this movement, how it is important for the world today, and how the project is developing.   
For those interested in using the Solution Focus approach in organisations, Village in the City provides an excellent case study on using SF to create a different type of ‘organisation’, a community organisation.

Mark set out with the best hope of creating a community amongst his neighbours in the West End of Edinburgh. He sat down to describe the elements of his future perfect, including a host, inclusivity for all, connection to stimulate conversations, meeting places, inclusive gatherings and an ‘identity’, something of which to be proud. To progress, he ‘used what’s there’ and small steps: 
•	creating an email list of neighbours
•	playing the saxophone on his front doorstep for his neighbours during lockdown
•	using his previous experience of networking
•	connecting with the hosts of a tiny neighbourhood FaceBook group and taking small steps to build it from 20 to nearly 1000 participants through leafleting and word of mouth
•	community notice boards
•	An SF worksheet, scaling each element that Mark envisaged, for potential organisers.

The joy of this approach is its simplicity. Anyone can do it. Might that be you?

How Solution Focus Underpins 'Village in the City'

In this talk, Morgan Lewis shares his SF journey to support young athletes in finding their confidence and connecting to their excellence. Using solution focus questions when coaching the athletes, he engages in a quest to gather evidence of competence, to nurture their self-confidence and belief in themselves.
There are many useful insights for those leaders working in business.

#SF24 Morgan Lewis and SF question for athletes

Elvira Kalmar presents an inspiring Case Study session on how, as an Organisational Development consultant, she worked in a Solution Focus way with her client Invitech, to bring about an agile transformation fast and with incredible lightness.

Elvira engaged me as she described her approach (or lack of process as she explained), allowing the client to be the expert in their world, helping them define what agile transformation would look like and co-creating the steps along the way. 

In just three months, she was able to help the “experimenting team” achieve what they wanted, so that this team could influence other teams – letting the “fire” spread across the business. The team learned and developed their own process; Elvira did not force it on them. 

This recording is one you must watch or listen to, to fully appreciate the passion and ‘way of being’ Elvira displays when she describes how she worked with her client. 

Elvira models all aspects of great Solution Focus practice, and there are many tips for you to take away, both in the case study and in the reflections of those listening.

How Can Transformation Happen Fast And With Lightness?

Yasuteru Aoki has been involved with SF since he first acted as a translator for SF therapists, such as Scott D. Miller, Bill O’Hanlon, Andrew Turnell and many others and recognised that the principles involved could be used in organisations. He has gone on to promote SF in Japan through his training courses and through J-SOL conferences, that many SF practitioners globally, had the privilege to attend and learn from.

In this audio conversation, recorded with Jenny Clarke and John Brooker, Aoki-san talks about how SF helped develop a positive atmosphere in a division of Canon and other companies and how it works well in the atmosphere of mutual respect found in Japan – as SF helps develop respect not built on hierarchy.

He reflects on the need to use SF to nurture this non-hierarchical respect and harmony in organisations and society. 
He and Jenny discuss the concept of mutuality, that SF helps people to collaborate and compromise, without feeling compromised. 

Aoki assumes many people naturally have SF inside them, that it is our job as practitioners to honour and respect this and make it noticeable. He calls this a Chain of Natural Positive Response which lifts a group beyond the individual to a point where, when the relationship is good, I don’t care if the solution comes from me or someone else in the group. He adds wryly that “SF is too simple, so people want to decorate it”. 

After this very interesting philosophical discussion, Aoki explains how he has helped train people working in local government over ten years and gives excellent examples from diverse areas such as the fire service, tax collection and intercultural services. Some self-organized study groups born out of those training courses are still continuing and even expanding.
Finally, he reflects with Jenny on his experience at Zacros, an organisation led by a President who is a great exponent of SF. He has been using SF for ten years, yet recognises that not everybody wants to adopt a solution focus. 

The interview ends with a discussion on the danger of being solution forced (or perhaps SF forced) and how it may be enough for an organisation to have pockets of “SF Inside”.

Solution Focus Philosophy and Experience from Japan - A  Conversation With Yasuteru Aoki

Clients asked Jesper H Christiansen to merge two teams in deep conflict with each other. The management had concluded that due to the team’s overlapping activities, it was essential they work together, once and for all. The management had tried this in the past, without success. The teams had many negative experiences, and there were hurt feelings and mutual mistrust. How did Jesper approach this challenge with his Solution Focus lens?

I had the privilege to attend this session at the SOL 2021 conference. I learned a lot about how to navigate the energy in teams skilfully and channel it masterfully into deeper collaboration.

In this video, Jesper shares his reflections on the whole process and his unique approach and use of SF experiments.

Once again, this example showed me how effective and focused Solution Focus can be, even in a situation where a conflict is deeply rooted. I was surprised to see that after only a few interactions with Jesper, the team members felt confident to continue their journey on their own.

There is much to learn from this case study. Enjoy!
Annie Bordeleau

Two Teams Into One - A case study of a skilled mediation by Jesper H Christiansen

On reading ‘Reinventing Organisations’,  by Frederik Laloux, (available on Amazon), it struck me how ‘reinvented’ organisations could use Solution Focus to help achieve each breakthrough that Laloux describes:
1. Self-management (or 'self-organisation' in this session)
2. Wholeness
3. Evolutionary purpose

By coincidence, after I read the book, Tomas Horak contacted myself and my colleague Annie Bordeleau to ask how SFiO might enable an experiment on establishing self-organising teams. The result was the session you hear in this audio with a summary below. 

As Tomas says with honesty in the session, “we have no idea how this experiment will turn out”. That said, he encourages participants to use their creativity and sense for exploration to gather ideas for the self-organisation journey; and they do!

Tomas and Christophe kicked off with “finding attendees’ best hopes for this co-creation experiment and the difference that would make”. You can find the output of this and other sessions in the video in a PDF of slides on the SFiO website (www.sfio.org) in the Library/ InterAction Collection 2021. I summarise some of the findings below:
The three sessions
Session 1 - First ideas on how to start a journey towards self-organising
Groups considered what might be their first steps to creating self-organising teams. Recurring themes from different groups were:
the need to have organisations define what:
•	‘Self-organising’ means to them
•	The purpose for them of self-organising 
•	The roles in a self-organising team
•	As well, organisations should:
•	Look for signs of self-organisation happening in the organisation
•	Develop psychological safety for people to self-organise
 
Session 2 – Bring Solution Focus into play
As you will notice from the Session 1 output, people already had an SF perspective in Sessions 1, and Session 2 encouraged people to consider how they might use SF more.  
What becomes clear is that the SF approach and questions are perfect to have teams think through what they want to achieve in terms of self-organising and how they can achieve it. The groups’ output confirms this with some additional questions that arise:
•	How does the group change when it needs new or different skills?
•	How will the different backgrounds and cultures of teams contribute to self-organisation?
•	How to best define the roles?
•	How to keep energy high?
•	Should a ‘consultant’ be an expert in self-organising teams or simply facilitate groups to find their way to self-organise?
•	How not to ‘force’ self-organisation?
•	How to use Host Leadership to introduce self-organisation

Session 3 - Focusing on the first step  
Pick out the most important first step and explain how you would start a journey towards self-organisation
The groups were very practical here with ideas such as:
•	Create space for self-organisation
•	Have a coaching conversation with the customer
•	Use a simple exercise to show signs of self-organisation
•	Share emotions and how to best work together
•	Discuss signs of trust in the team - people may distrust the leader’s motives
•	Focus on the resources in the group and how they might use them to self-organise
•	Use Host Leadership 

Plenary - A chance to reflect
Tomas opened the session up to attendees to reflect on the conversations they had. Reflections are:
•	Self-organisation needs time - therefore, leaders need to temper their desire for results
•	The process for effecting self-organisation is the same for any change in the organisation
•	SF practitioners make the process of change effective and efficient by focusing on what we want
•	Until people know and trust each other and feel included, our task is about community building before discussing what we are going to do together
•	Metaphors for self-organisation are a flock of birds or shoals of fish and (based on these principles) swarming drones.

How Can Solution Focus Shape Self - Organisation

In this captivating fifty-minute audio conversation, Anton Stellamans interviews Sofie Geisler about her work with large scale processes and political and social movements in Mexico. Sofie describes very well what is different when practitioners take Solution Focus into the political and social change field and such a controversial theme as justice; justice as it is officially distributed and also what people think justice is. [For more features from SFiO see https://www.sfio.org/interaction-collection/ ]
 
It becomes clear that the magic wand that SF can bring to those fields is to take what people say seriously, and to give importance to what they think is important. Defining SF as 'active acts of recognition' is excellent wording that Sofie uses during the conversation. She also points out that practising SF on a large scale does not mean practitioners always being positive and encouraging; instead, we should be constructive and disciplined in what we bring to the change situation. As an important exception to organisational consultancy or therapy, the SF practitioner is just one player in the 'change landscape' of SF's large-scale social change applications and does not lead or steer the process, not even temporarily. The work is focused more on navigating using SF lenses and nudging the emergence towards more positive results.
 
Sofie brings up another theme that I find extremely interesting: Do we require new types of SF questions in large scale processes? Sofie's example of the usefulness of recognition maps is one example leading in this direction. "By whom would you like to be recognised?" and "Who would you like to notice what you do differently?" are great examples of questions that help to make sense of turbulent and complex dynamics between different opinion groups. The same goes for notions of starting to use the words the other party will hear. 
 In the conversation, Sofie reminds us, importantly, that we should not look at public policies as ways to repair a problem but as ways to cocreate new and relevant solutions. In addition to listening to and acknowledging what people want, there are other important issues like money and impact to consider. Often the first SF act is to reframe the problem-focused public issues and the passive view of the world; this reframing leads us towards a more workable target, and it is important to engage people in building better solutions to achieve that target.

The future-driven, collaborative and relational design that SF brings to large-scale challenges helps to cross boundaries. With that, SF can provide public policymakers and NGOs with a new type of platform to contribute to society and to social change. Like Sofie suggests, it would be worthwhile to identify what is already going on within the global SF community in the political and social change fields and start to recognise the resources SF has to offer for policymaking and implementing reforms, where people are co-creators.

Perspectives on Solution Focus in social and political dynamics - With Sofie Geisler

Listening to this discussion about D-BIT’s drop in service was a joy. My route into solution-focused practice was via social work, and I have always felt that this approach offers a way for social workers to practise that adheres to our values. This is by no means easy in the contemporary social care context. This is borne out here by the D-BIT workers and two of the young people who made use of their drop in. 

One of my social work heroes, Bill Jordan, believed that, at their best, social workers could be characterised by their willingness ‘to forsake the formality of their roles, and to ‘mix’ it with ordinary people in their ‘natural’ settings, using the informality of their methods as a means of negotiating solutions to problems rather than imposing them’. 

One of the ways that this willingness was evident here was where the conversations with young people took place. In effect, Luke, Steve and the other D-BIT workers were dropping in on where the young people were, by situating the service in their supported accommodation. As Zak said: "Nice having someone coming to you - a place where you are comfy - where you feel safe…" 
 
It was also fascinating hearing the young people explain the conversations that took place. They were different from counselling, like talking to your mates, or somewhere in between. I was particularly struck by T.J. describing them as conversations, not interrogations, with the workers not finding things out about people and writing them down. He appreciated talking to someone who wanted to help but not be too involved. 

This is a delicate balance to strike, and T.J’s testimony suggests the D-BIT workers do it beautifully, which to anyone who has been following their work in recent years should come as no surprise.
Photo by Daria Nepriakhina 🇺🇦 on Unsplash

It is nice to have someone who actually cares

How might you enhance your capabilities as a leader?

Wim Sucaet believes the most important asset of being a host leader is noticing bits and pieces of the great stuff that people do and being genuinely curious about it. 
Wim first presented this session at SOLWorld Vienna. Recorded from a later SFiO Global Chapter, in this feature, you will learn to train your ‘noticing muscle’ to become even more skilful and resourceful.

The Elegant Art Of Noticing

In a time when children and young people’s well-being is vitally important and still tragically under-supported and underfunded, I find myself as a practitioner who has worked directly with children and adolescents my whole career, inspired and thankful for services like Learning Space. Especially the innovative projects they embark on to make every extra difference they can to the experience and well-being of young people.

My inspiration is further fuelled by their latest project, which promotes and privileges the use of an approach very close to my heart, Solution Focus, in a truly innovative and accessible way.

I have spoken regularly about my view on using the accessibility and potency of the solution-focused methodology in moments others might not expect. This is exactly what Learning Space has done in their latest project, proving the endless possibility of the Solution Focus approach and co-production with clients.

Learning Space has designed and used a triaging system that begins to impact positively on children, young people and their families even before they have accessed the service that they hope will fit just right for them. It has received feedback from families like “We have increased optimism” and “We feel heard”. Families are a part of the design of what might lead to achieving their best hopes, truly honouring their expertise in their own life/children.

Imagine this: you arrive at the entrance to the hypothetical library of available services, and before you’ve finished looking through the map, you already begin to feel ever so slightly better, heard, more hopeful and more connected to your power and strengths.

Well, you need not imagine. Begin reading/watching/listening more to Learning Space and how they bring humanity, the solution-focused approach, families’ voices, community and change work to triage and service access.

It is no surprise to me to read of the outcomes of this pilot, and I will watch with interest to see their successes grow, because, as they’ve shown, even in the earliest moments of service access, hope can be ignited.
Luke Goldie-McSorley, Social Worker, Practice Supervisor, Solution Focused Practitioner & Trainer at ECC Solution Focused Centre

Solution Focus Speeding Access To Children And Young People's Mental Health Services

In this talk, Rod Sherwin explores how to conduct “rigorous experiments” in both personal and organisational contexts, drawing on Rod’s background in computer science, business analysis, team leadership, and health and wellbeing. Emphasising a flexible, inquisitive “experimental mindset,” the speaker outlines key principles for designing effective experiments using Solution Focus (SF) methods.

Firstly, one must establish a clear hypothesis—anything from “If I do this, I hope this will happen” to more formal statements at the organisational level. Next, one identifies potential benefits, broadly defining expected positive outcomes. Determining the experiment’s duration—how long it should run before evaluation—ensures fairness in assessing any meaningful impact, rather than dismissing the results prematurely.

Rod distinguishes between leading indicators (early signals of progress) and lagging indicators (final measures of success). In organisations, these can range from objective metrics (e.g. budget figures, performance data) to more subjective measures (motivation, satisfaction). Further, amplifiers (enhancing helpful behaviours) and dampeners (reducing unwanted effects) highlight how best to encourage what works while minimising pitfalls.

Throughout the discussion, participants underscored the importance of ensuring teams or individuals have the capacity for change, noting that overburdened employees or overlapping initiatives may undermine any experiment. By using SF questions—such as scaling confidence or willingness—leaders can gauge a group’s readiness and adapt accordingly. Smaller, incremental steps (“nudges”) often prove more manageable and less risky than sweeping organisational overhauls.

The conversation also addresses whether additional elements, such as design content, should be considered. Rod explains that while these principles shape the boundaries, the specific content of each experiment depends heavily on context. SF techniques like “behave as if” or “future perfect” can further guide experimentation, prompting small, observable changes while remaining open to unexpected outcomes.

Ultimately, Rod emphasises that these principles are not rigid rules but rather a “shape” or framework allowing organisations to adapt experiments to their particular situation. The session concludes with plans to share annotated slides, including questions gathered from participants for more comprehensive exploration, ensuring that the insights gleaned during the presentation can be effectively applied in a range of real-world contexts.

Rod Sherwin is an Executive Coach, Mentor, Counsellor, Kinesiologist, and EFT Tapping Practitioner with an IT and organisational change management background. Quite a mix! For over twenty years, Rod has applied solution-focused practice across all these areas with an experimental mindset, helping to create respectful, lasting change with individuals, teams, leaders and students.

Conducting Experiments with the Solution Focus Approach

“Dreamwork is what makes the teamwork,” says Anton Stellamans in his marvellous welcome to the 2025 SOLWorld Conference in Mechelen.

It began two years ago in Vienna, when the organisers first dreamt of what SOLWorld 2025 could be. Their dreams took shape, and what dreams they were, in a gathering full of warmth, insight and inspiration.

SFiO is delighted to share Anton’s warm introduction in InterAction.

Whether you were part of the magic in Mechelen or not, we invite you to watch or listen in. You’ll experience the heartfelt rituals, the rich sense of continuity, the thoughtful inclusivity, and the sheer delight that marked the start of the conference. It’s a masterclass in setting the tone for “good company”.

If you were there, let it spark fond memories. If you missed it, here’s your chance to catch the spirit. You can see all SOLWorld 2025 features in the 2025 collection: https://www.sfio.org/interaction-collection/

With heartfelt thanks to our SFiO Financial Contributors—your support made this filming and editing possible. Click on the green button on the website if you would like to ensure recordngs of future conferences.
Annie Bordeleau and John Brooker

Introduction to SOLWorld 2025

In this compelling and practical session, Andrew Gibson shares the remarkable story of how Solution Focused Practice (SFP) is driving culture change in one Trust of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).

Working with a Mental Health and Community Care Trust, Andrew has introduced SFP not just as a coaching tool, but as a whole-organisation approach. The result? Improved productivity, boosted team morale—and, most importantly—better care for clients and patients.

What you’ll take away:
	•	A practical organisational model of SFP that’s shifting mindsets and creating lasting change
	•	Real evidence—both numbers and stories—showing the impact of this approach
	•	Ideas for how SFP practitioners around the world can engage with large institutions to spark meaningful change

Format:
This is an inspiring talk, brought to life with real-world stories and a clear, actionable presentation. It’s relevant for anyone using SFP in organisations, especially in health and care systems—but the lessons are transferable across sectors and countries.

Whether you’re a consultant, trainer, or simply curious about scaling positive change—this session offers insight, hope, and a practical path forward.

Improving Productivity and Team Spirit in the NHS

What does it take to become a confident SF trainer?

In this inspiring new SFiO InterAction feature from SOLWorld 2025, Paul Struik, Jonas Wells, and Sussan Öster share what they’ve learned from years of running train-the-trainer programmes.
Rather than focusing on fixed techniques, they show how confidence grows through co-creative, supportive environments where people can experiment, reflect, and find their voice.
Watch to discover:
	•	How learning thrives in SF communities
	•	Practical ideas for trainer development
	•	Inspiration to create your own SF training programme
With huge thanks to SFiO Financial Contributors for their support that enabled us to film and edit the videos from Mechelin so a larger audience could view them.
This is a warm, thoughtful session full of insight and encouragement—don’t miss it!  For the video and slides, click here: https://www.sfio.org/interaction/2025-1/solworld-2025-5-train-trainers-to-train-the-world/

Train Trainers to Train the World - One Trainer at a Time

In this short but insightful interview, Daniel Meier and Fabienne Stalder discuss their innovative session from the SOLWorld 2025 conference with Annie Bordeleau, where they bravely ventured into the intriguing intersection of artificial intelligence and Solution Focused coaching. Admitting that they were not “IT nerds,” Daniel and Fabienne took a courageous leap into developing “inSORA,” an AI-driven chatbot designed specifically to hold authentic Solution Focused conversations. 

You can also see the AI generated video in our tracks

An experiment in SF coaching with AI; an interview with the designers

Meet inSora, the AI Coach in training and interact.

Join the charming and candid inSora, an AI bot who has spent the last five months diving headfirst into the art of Solution Focused coaching. Guided patiently by Fabienne Stalder, inSora openly shares its humorous struggles, insightful lessons, and the occasional coaching blunder (asking about causes? Oops!).

Still very much in beta mode, inSora is learning how to flexibly guide meaningful conversations that highlight strengths, resources, and forward momentum—even when questions get tricky (“Should I quit my job and start a llama farm in Peru?”).

Ultimately, inSora aims to become your digital coaching espresso: short, solution-focused bursts of support and energy between sessions. Tune in, smile, and explore the playful intersection of AI and solution focused coaching.

Meet Insora - an experiment in Solution Focus coaching with AI

What if the most powerful coaching tool isn’t a question at all — but the way we listen?

Roy Marriott’s InterAction workshop explores listening as presence, curiosity, and kindness — using story, mindfulness and practice to bring Solution Focus to life.

Solution Focused Listening

Elvira Kalmar is a seasoned organizational development coach and facilitator who brings warmth, clarity, and curiosity to every encounter. Her work blends solution-focused coaching with a deep respect for the wisdom already present in teams. Rather than offering quick fixes, she invites leaders and organizations to pause, reflect, and create change from within. Elvira’s calm presence and skillful questions turn ordinary conversations into moments of insight.

At the heart of practice is the idea of "walking with clients". She believes transformation happens when we share the journey, not when we stand apart as experts. Through engaging dialogue, playful experimentation, and powerful reflection, she guides the participants to discover their own next steps. Her session feel less like lectures and more like shared explorations, where learning unfolds naturally.

By watching this session, you’ll gather practical ways to nurture leadership in your team, spark creativity in everyday conversations, and experience a coaching method that feels refreshingly human. You’ll hear how “best hope” dialogues can unlock hidden potential and watch a live demonstration of her approach in action. And just when you think you know where it’s going, Elvira offers a closing invitation that quietly shifts everything.

Scaling Coaching Tools to a Company Level

John Brooker and Sonali Kumarakulasinghe [UK], along with John Teager [Aus], presented the "Solution Focused (SF) Decision Circle to Enhance Collaboration and Decision-making" at SOLWorld 2025, a structured yet flexible approach to improve joint work.

In the video, John and Sonali talk about:

* how the method builds on SF principles—focusing on what works, envisioning preferred outcomes, and using resources already available—while creating space for multiple perspectives.
* guiding teams through stages such as clarifying goals, identifying resources, exploring options, and deciding next steps; the Decision Circle helps groups move from complexity and disagreement toward constructive, shared solutions.
* case examples illustrating how it supports cross-cultural and multi-stakeholder settings, encouraging participation, creativity, and trust.

The tool is especially valuable in large projects and organisations where collaboration is vital, enabling participants to co-create decisions efficiently without getting stuck in problems.

Ultimately, the Decision Circle fosters shared ownership, clearer direction, and stronger working relationships.

Using the SF Decision Circle to Enhance Collaboration

Glimmers are those little sparks of joy or calm we sometimes overlook — like the scent of a flower, the sound of rain, or a smile from someone we like. 
They’re the gentle opposite of triggers. Instead of weighing us down, they lighten us up. When we notice these moments, our bodies relax, our minds settle, and we feel more connected. 
In this lovely interview, Victoria explains glimmers to Annie and how we can generate them more often. 

Practicing Glimmers for Resilience and Wellbeing

What if every conversation, no matter how tricky, could feel like the right one? In this chat, Haesun Moon takes us inside her SOLWorld 2025 workshop and shows how the Dialogic Orientation Quadrant (DOQ) can help us tune in to what’s happening and respond with creativity and care. She invites us to explore how we can accompany others with warmth and curiosity, even when we don’t have a clear map.

Every Key is the Right Key

What if the smallest steps could unlock the biggest changes? In this conversation, Annie Bordeleau chats with Kenneth Kwan about how simple, doable actions can spark momentum, build hope, and strengthen collaboration. Kenneth brings real stories and practical ideas that show how progress—not perfection—makes lasting transformation possible.

mall Steps to Big Changes: Driving Optimistic Change in Large Organisations

Sandra Dietrich and Susanne Buchberger share how they co-created a “Solution Focused Survival Guide” to help people stay well and effective at work. Born from real everyday challenges, the guide gathers simple SF practices - like taking small steps, noticing resources, and celebrating progress - that make a difference. 

What mattered most was the co-creation itself: colleagues sharing ideas, exchanging tips, and experiencing the strength of collective wisdom. The result is less a finished book and more a living reminder to keep SF alive in daily working life.

Co-creation of an SF Survival Guide for Our Work Life

In this interview, John Brooker talks with Nishida Hiroaki (Hiro) from Japan, about his playful blend of Solution Focused coaching, Aikido-inspired movements, and coaching dice. 
Hiro shares how simple body-based experiments and cross-language pairings,  can open fresh ways of listening, lighten coaching, and make it both fun and effective. 
Along the way, he encourages non-native English speakers to join international conversations with confidence, reminding us how supportive the SF community can be.

Scramble Your Session - Aikido and Dice for Coaching Mastery

The SOLWorld 2025 closing plenary was a joyful celebration of connection, reflection, and renewal. Participants shared surprises, cherished good company, and noticed small changes sparked by the conference’s energy. In heartfelt thanks to all who made it possible, Wim reminded everyone that the spirit of Solution Focus keeps growing through courage, kindness, and collaboration. The symbolic candle, its Bristol blue candleholder was then passed to the Land aan Zee hosts — its light carrying the community’s shared inspiration forward.
The event ended with a well deserved standing ovation for the organisers.

SOLWorld 2025 Closing plenary

This feature presents a remarkable Solution Focus case study for how to go about supporting the wellbeing and mental health of pupils in schools. It was launched in 2018 by Tara Gretton (school counsellor/consultant) and Susie Ingram, then pastoral manager at Beechen Cliff School.  

Solution Focus - Biggest bang for your buck

Case Study - Beechen Cliff School - Tara Gretton

Alex on the piano and Dom on saxophone take us through an entrancing journey. A journey where you can truly stretch your SF beliefs as never before, as they work with what is there and fully accept the offerings of others to move forward.

Three beautiful SF conversations - with live jazz!

Soundcloud features our audio features on Solution Focus in organisations, from The InterAction Collection. We are an international community of Solution Focus practitioners who continue learning and developing the SF approach in organisations.

SFiO - Solution Focus in Organisations

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